Circle of the Living Forest

Druids of the Living Forest come from long lines of defenders of the wild and wyrd magical forests of the Feywild who wield the powerful gifts the forests offer to protect natural life. These druids rely on these boons granted by their living forest homes to take a more offensive-minded approach than their typical druid brethren. 

A Circle of the Living Forest druid is characterized by their spiritual bond with their Living Armor, a forest spirit of writhing, shapeshifting vines and a physical manifestation of the power of the World Tree. The Living Armor provides offensive and defensive options to supplement the spellcasting prowess of the druids. These druids have also learned to channel their natural energy back into the Living Armor, allowing it to take more powerful forms. Druids of this circle may utilize their Living Armor to serve any role from frontline warrior to stalwart defender. 

Circle Spells

2nd-level Circle of the Living Forest feature

Your symbiotic link to the Living Forests of the Feywild grants you access to certain spells. At 2nd level, you learn the shillelagh cantrip.

At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to the spells listed for that level in the Circle of the Living Forest Spells table. Once you gain access to one of these spells, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn’t appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you.

Circle of the Living Forest Spells

Druid Level	Spells
2nd	shillelagh
3rd	absorb elements, misty step
5th	call lightning, plant growth
7th	blight, greater invisibility
9th	commune with nature, tree stride

Living Armor

2nd-level Circle of the Living Forest feature

When you take this subclass at level 2, you bond with a Splinter of the World Tree a forest spirit that manifests as a writhing mass of shapeshifting vines. These vines wind and twist across your body providing a protective natural armor. While wearing no other armor, your Armor Class is 15. You may still wield a shield and benefit from its AC bonuses.

Outside of combat, the Living Armor can take the shape of most simple, single-handed tools such as a staff, club, hammer, or crowbar. 

The Living Armor cannot be directly targeted, destroyed, or removed from your body while you are alive. When you die, the vines rapidly wither and die without your life force to sustain them. The Living Armor fully returns when you are resurrected. 

Synergy of the Living Forest

3rd-level Circle of the Living Forest feature

You gain the ability to channel magic into your Living Armor. As a bonus action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape feature to empower the armor, rather than transforming into a beast form, and you gain 4 temporary hit points for each level you have in this class. While this feature is active, you gain the following benefits:

• You gain +1 AC.
• Your melee weapon is empowered by the Shillelagh spell.

These benefits last for 10 minutes, until you lose all these temporary hit points, or until you use your Wild Shape again.

RULE TIP: TEMPORARY HIT POINTS DON'T STACK

If you have temporary hit points and receive more of them, you don’t add them together, unless a rule says you can. Instead, you decide which temporary hit points to keep. For more information on temporary hit points, see chapter 9 of the Player’s Handbook.

Strengthened Synergy

6th-level Circle of the Living Forest feature

Your bond with the Living Armor has strengthened. Now, when you expend a charge of Wild Shape to empower your Living Armor, choose which of the following forms it takes; your choice gives you additional benefits for your Living Armor:

Leaf. The Living Armor becomes form-fitting and impossibly light while sacrificing no protection. While this form is active, your movement speed is increased by 10 feet and your movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. 

Branch. The Living Armor lends its power to your offensive capabilities. While this form is active, you may attack twice with your Shillelagh-empowered weapon on your turn. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with your Shillelagh-empowered weapon, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d6 force damage to the target. 

Root. The Living Armor assumes a form of maximum protection. While this form is active, you gain an additional +1 to AC and have advantage on Constitution and Strength checks and saving throws. 

Arboreal Gateway

10th-level Circle of the Living Forest feature

Your bond with the Living Armor has revealed the hidden paths of the World Tree across the planes. 

As an action, you and up to five willing creatures within 5 feet of you instantly teleport to a previously planted Sapling. You and any creatures that teleport with you appear in the nearest unoccupied space to the Sapling. If you use this ability without first planting a Sapling, it has no effect.

You must plant a Sapling by using this ability while standing on ground suitable for plant life. If the Sapling cannot take root at your location, the ability has no effect. You can only have on Sapling planted at a time. When you use this ability create a new Sapling, the active sapling is destroyed. 

After taking root, a Sapling appears as a tiny spectral tree. It has no physical form and cannot be damaged. Dispel magic destroys the Sapling. 

 

Full Synergy

14th-level Circle of the Living Forest feature

The Living Armor has become an extension of yourself. Your bond with the armor allows you to move faster and hit harder without sacrificing protection. Your unarmored AC is now 16. The three empowered forms of the Living Armor gain additional benefits listed below. With your action, you may switch between forms at anytime during the duration without expending further Wild Shape charges. 

Leaf. The bonus to your movement speed increases to 20 feet. You gain advantage on Dexterity checks and saving throws. 

Branch. Your Empowered Strike now deals 2d6 force damage. When you use your action to cast a spell on your turn, you may make an attack with your Shillelagh-empowered weapon as a bonus action.  

Root. Your AC now increases by +2. Attackers who attempt to grapple or strike you with melee attacks receive 1d6 piercing damage from thorns growing from your armor.