Circle of the Rebirth/Circle of the Sun

The Circle of Rebirth is incredibly isolated, consisting of only a few familial units who have safeguarded their knowledge for generations. Their magic is given to new members through extensive rituals and sacrifices of one's own self, leaving their material belongings and earthly connections behind in favour of the land itself.

Druids belonging to The Circle of Rebirth were the first beings to discover the magic of Wild Shape, even if it was at its rawest, most bestial form. After returning to their humanoid bodies, a druid maintains physical adaptations or features that their previous form exhibited, this process is called Rebirth. For example becoming a wolf would leave the druid with claws or an unnatural sense of smell (DM's discretion as to what the effect of the Rebirth is, although one should refer to the levelling for a guide).

To gain a Wild Shape, a druid in The Circle of Rebirth must find a corpse, dying animal, or raw spirit of some kind and take on the Soul of the creature itself. It is important that the Soul is willing, and must not be under the effects of any magic that may change its decision. A druid belonging to The Circle of Rebirth learns the Speak with Dead spell instantly when they are fully converted but only for use with a Beast. You may use the Speak with Dead spell to communicate with a dead humanoid or other being by rolling a DC 16 Arcana skill check.

Because of the Rebirth system, the typical levelling system that limits what creatures a druid may Wild Shape into does not apply here, it is entirely up to the DM to decide what Souls a druid may come across.

Because of this, The Circle of Rebirth has gained an immediate negative connotation due to its affiliation with death, though it should be noted most Reborn druids, as they are commonly known, do not hold death higher than life; more rather, they hold all stages of creation dearly and equally as they do all things.

Being a druid of The Circle of Rebirth means your magic is deep and primal, ingrained into everything that physically exists, while some druidic Circles may specialize in a certain area of magic or a specific element, the magic you use depends on what Souls you maintain in your body, though you can learn other spells or magics outside of that. For example, a druid in The Circle of Rebirth that harbours mostly aquatic creature's Souls would typically use water and ice magic over anything else, while a druid who harbours mostly desert-dwelling Souls may use magic to do with fire or dust and sand.

Though many Druids that belong to this circle specialize in one type of magic, they hold the magic of the sun above everything. The sun is the driving force for everything, the decider of life and death.

Wild Shape Rebirth

After using the Wild Shape ability, a druid belonging to The Circle of Rebirth maintains a feature or adaptation exhibited by the creature they turned into, the Rebirth wears off after a Long Rest or after using Wild Shape again. Though there are no set parameters to decide the extend of the Rebirth, using the table below may prove useful for DMs.

LEVEL	REBIRTH EFFECT
3	Simple effects like maintaining strong sensory ability such as smell or sight.
6	Maintain a minor physical feature such as claws, teeth, suckers, or fur.
9	Maintain major characteristics like wings, horns, size, skin or internal features.
15	Maintain major special features like Pack Tactics or Blood Frenzy.

 

Communion of The Departed

You can channel the echo of beasts and spirits you’ve bound, letting their wisdom, senses, and will seep into you temporarily.

• Guided by Souls. As an action, you may call upon a bound Soul to aid you. For 10 minutes, you gain one of the following benefits (chosen when you activate it):

  • Beast’s Instinct. Add your Wisdom modifier to Initiative rolls and gain advantage on Perception checks.

  • Predator’s Might. Once on each of your turns, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack or cantrip, you can deal extra damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.

  • Guardian’s Endurance. You gain temporary hit points equal to twice your druid level.

• Soul’s Voice. You can cast speak with animals or speak with dead without expending a spell slot, but only to communicate with a beast or the lingering echo of a beast’s soul. Once you do so, you cannot use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.

Cycle Unending

You are no longer a single being — you are a chorus of lives, endlessly reborn.

• Undying Rebirth. When you are reduced to 0 hit points, you may instead expend a use of Wild Shape to immediately shift into one of your beast forms, with hit points equal to that form’s normal maximum. Any excess damage carries over as normal. Once that form is reduced to 0, you revert to humanoid form as usual. This feature can trigger once per long rest, unless you expend two uses of Wild Shape to activate it again.

• Many-Souled. You may maintain the lingering adaptations of up to two different Wild Shapes at once when you revert to your humanoid body, instead of just one.

• Death’s Familiar. You gain resistance to necrotic damage, and advantage on saving throws against effects that would age you, kill you outright, or sever your soul (such as finger of death, blight, or soul cage).

Level 3: Circle of the Rebirth Spells

Whenever you finish a Long Rest, choose one type of Beast Soul you specialize in: aquatic, polar, arid, poisonous, ancient, and airborne. Consult the table below that corresponds to the chosen type; you have the spells listed for your Druid level and lower prepared.

You also instantly receive a small list of additional spells due to your affinity to the sun.

Airborne Souls

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3	Gust, Featherfall, Levitate
5	Fly
7	Whirlwind
9	Control Weather

 

Ancient Souls

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3	Mold Earth, Meld Into Stone, Stoneskin
5	Conjure Elemental
7	Earthquake
9	Meteor Swarm

 

Aquatic Souls

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3	Misty Step, Shocking Grasp, Shape Water
5	Lightning Bolt
7	Freedom of Movement
9	Hallucinatory Terrain

Arid Souls

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3	Blur, Burning Hands, Fire Bolt
5	Fireball, Dust Devil
7	Fire Storm
9	Wall of Stone

Poisonous Souls

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3	Acid Splash, Ray of Sickness, Web
5	Stinking Cloud
7	Polymorph
9	Insect Plague

Polar Souls

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3	Fog Cloud, Hold Person, Ray of Frost
5	Sleet Storm
7	Ice Storm
9	Cone of Cold

Level 10: Echoes of The Many

The multitude of souls you carry begins to spill out from you, surrounding you in whispers, shadows, and lingering instincts. You may draw on their essence to empower yourself or others.

• Soul Manifestation. As a bonus action, you may manifest the echoes of the souls bound to you. For 1 minute, spectral forms of beasts ripple faintly around your body. While this is active, you gain the following benefits:

  • When you take damage, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage by an amount equal to your Wisdom modifier + your druid level, as the souls interpose themselves between you and harm.

  • Once per turn, when you deal damage with an attack, spell, or Wild Shape, spectral beasts lash out. You deal an extra 1d8 damage of the same type (or necrotic if none applies).

  • Allies within 10 feet of you gain advantage on saving throws against being frightened, as the souls’ presence steadies them.

  You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

• Whispers Beyond. You can cast commune with nature once per long rest without expending a spell slot, but its revelations often come as unsettling dreams, phantom voices, or visions of death.