Circle of Buds

There is magic in plants, and all druids know it. The Circle of Buds is no exception, and they rely on these properties for healing and protection.

Druids of the Circle of Buds are inspired by plants and their role in the world. They are avid gardeners, and accept that growth exists for all creatures and for all manner of purposes. These Druids tend to be more sociable than those of other circles, taking delight in talks about plants and gardening, interesting experiences and trade secrets that aren't secret for long.

Many methods are used to draw out the properties of plants, including chopping, boiling, or sometimes leaving them be. They can be ground into powder for salves, or boiled into a potion. Fire draws out characteristics that other methods often can't gain access to, and it's one of the fastest ways to extract such benefits. This convenience makes burning an effective option in combat when employed properly. As such, Druids of this circle often prioritize growing plants that can burn especially quickly to access these effects, and use them regularly in spellcasting and rituals.

Circle of Buds Features

Druid Level	FEATURE
2nd	Circle Spells, Grower's Touch, Smoky Aura
6th	Among Plants
10th	Relaxing Sesh
14th	Relaxed Mind

The druids of the east have cultivated unusual plants that burn gently and smoke ever so pleasantly. I have found the inhalation of these smokes to be quite relaxing, and stimulating to the creative mind.

-Grichel

Circle Spells

2nd-level Circle of Buds feature

Your connection with the essence of plants and the power of smoke grants you access to certain spells. At 2nd level, you learn the produce flame cantrip.

At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to the spells listed for that level in the Circle of Buds 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 Buds Spells

Druid Level	Spells
2nd	produce flame
3rd	fog cloud, unseen servant
5th	gaseous form, stinking cloud
7th	confusion, private sanctum
9th	cloudkill, creation

Grower's Touch

2nd-level Circle of Buds feature

You gain proficiency with an herbalism kit if you don't already have it. Using an herbalism kit, you can create a number of magical buds per day equal to your Druid level + 1. These buds lose their potency when you take a long rest. Your buds need to burn and smoke to release their effects, so they do not function in areas without air and creatures who do not breathe are immune to their effects.

The buds have magical properties, and burn gently and harmlessly when squeezed. When you or another creature burns a bud as a bonus action, they can inhale the smoke and choose one of the following benefits:

• Regain 1d4 hit points.
• Remove all effects causing you to be frightened.
• Cause the space you occupy to be heavily obscured until the start of your next turn.

Smoky Aura

2nd-level Circle of Buds feature

As a bonus action, you burn three buds to emit an aura in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on you for the next minute. The area is lightly obscured. When a creature enters the aura for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw equal to your spell save DC. You can choose creatures that you can see to automatically succeed on the saving throw. On a failure, you can make a target indifferent about creatures of your choice that it is hostile toward. This indifference ends if the target is attacked or harmed by a spell or if it witnesses any of its friends being harmed. When the creature leaves the aura, it can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. When the effect ends, the creature becomes hostile again unless the DM rules otherwise.

Once a creature's saving throw is successful against this effect, it is immune to your Smoky Aura for the next hour.

Additionally, you can burn more buds to increase the radius of the sphere. The radius increases by 5 feet for every three additional buds that you burn.

Among Plants

6th-level Circle of Buds feature

When using your Wild Shape feature, you can choose to transform into creatures of the plant type. When transforming into a plant, you can become a creature with challenge rating as high as your druid level divided by 3, rounded down. All other rules of Wild Shape still apply.

Relaxing Sesh

10th-level Circle of Buds feature

You or another creature can spend 10 minutes burning one of your buds. If they do, they gain the benefits of a short rest, and they have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or intimidated for the next hour. A creature can gain this benefit only once per day.

Relaxed Mind

14th-level Circle of Buds feature

Your exposure to plants has granted you calmness in the face of all troubles. You are immune to being frightened or intimidated, and have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks to calm others, potentially making them non-hostile to you and your allies. Additionally, when you cast a spell or other effect that a creature would resist due to being hostile to you, it does not gain such resistance.