Circle of the Many Masks

Druids of the Circle of the Many Masks believe that every creature leaves an echo behind: a shape in the world, a rhythm in the blood, a memory in the bone, a skill in the hands. These druids do not steal souls or raise the dead. Instead, they craft ritual masks from remnants such as bark, bone, cloth, hair, teeth, ash, feathers, or grave-soil, allowing them to briefly borrow the outer shape and talents of what once was.

To outsiders, these druids are unsettling figures: silent wanderers wearing carved faces, red ribbons, funeral charms, and masks that seem to breathe when no wind is present. Some serve as spies, scouts, undertakers, monster hunters, or keepers of old battlefields. Others walk darker paths, collecting faces from the dead and using them to move unnoticed through courts, cults, ruins, and enemy camps.

The circle teaches that a mask remembers skill, not destiny. A mask may lend a voice, a stance, a tool-hand, or a predator’s instinct, but it does not grant the soul, memories, full power, or divine fate of the creature it imitates. A druid who wears too many faces risks forgetting which one was truly their own.

Level 2: Maskcraft

At 2nd level, you learn the old rites of the Circle of the Many Masks. You can craft ritual masks from remnants such as bark, bone, cloth, hair, feathers, teeth, ash, grave-soil, shed skin, or other symbolic remains approved by your DM.

A mask does not contain a creature’s soul, memories, full identity, or destiny. Instead, it holds a faint echo of the creature’s shape, voice, instincts, training, and copied abilities. The mask remembers skill, not destiny.

You can collect mask materials during your travels. The DM decides what materials are suitable and what kind of mask they can become. A guard’s broken badge might help create a watchman’s mask, a wolf’s fang might help create a predator mask, a wizard’s burned spell notes might help create a mage mask, and a cultist’s torn veil might help create a mask suited for deception or dark rites.

You have two kinds of masks: Temporary Masks and Permanent Masks. Temporary Masks are unstable and crumble after use. Permanent Masks are stronger ritual-bound masks gained at higher levels.

When you wear a mask, you do not replace your character sheet with the source creature’s stat block. You continue to use your own hit points, Armor Class, saving throws, class levels, spell slots, equipment, and features unless a mask feature specifically changes them. The mask only grants the benefits listed by the feature, such as appearance, voice, a borrowed ability score, proficiencies, skills, and Echoes.

An Echo (Ability) is a copied ability remembered by the mask’s source. An Echo might be magical, martial, defensive, social, movement-based, or combat-focused, depending on the source and the feature granting it.

Unless a feature, spell, or DM-approved effect says otherwise, wearing or using a mask does not grant a creature’s full stat block, full class levels, full spellcasting, memories, legendary actions, lair actions, mythic traits, divine power, or magic item properties.

One mask can serve only one purpose at a time. A mask worn by you cannot animate a maskbearer, and a mask animating a maskbearer cannot be worn, activated, or used for another mask feature.

Level 3: Temporary Masks

At 3rd level, you can create and use Temporary Masks. A Temporary Mask is a fragile ritual mask made from collected remnants. When activated, it borrows a limited echo of the creature, role, or identity it represents.

You can activate a Temporary Mask as a bonus action. You can dismiss it at any time with no action required. While active, the mask lasts for 1 hour, until you dismiss it, until you are incapacitated, or until you die. Once the mask ends, it crumbles and cannot be used again.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier per long rest, minimum of once. If you have no uses remaining, you can expend a use of Wild Shape to activate a Temporary Mask instead.

While wearing a Temporary Mask, you gain the following benefits, chosen with your DM when the mask is created:

• You take on the general appearance and voice of the mask’s source or role.
• You can borrow one ability score from the source if it is higher than your own, to a maximum of 20.
• You gain weapon proficiencies appropriate to the mask’s role, class, job, or creature type.
• You gain one skill proficiency appropriate to the mask.
• You gain one Echo (Ability) approved by your DM.

An Echo (Ability) is one copied ability from the mask’s source. For a Temporary Mask, this Echo is limited and unstable. If the Echo is magical, it may be one cantrip or one 1st-level spell from the mask’s source or theme. A cantrip Echo can be used while the mask is active. A 1st-level spell Echo can be cast while the mask is active, but you must expend one of your own spell slots to cast it unless your DM rules otherwise.

If the Echo is martial, defensive, movement-based, social, or combat-focused, it should be comparable in power to a cantrip or 1st-level spell effect and must reflect the source’s role or training.

The DM determines which ability scores are appropriate for a mask’s source. For example, a guard mask might offer Strength or Constitution, a spy mask might offer Dexterity or Charisma, a scholar mask might offer Intelligence or Wisdom, and a bard mask might offer Charisma or Dexterity.

Maskbearer Tether. While you have an active maskbearer within 100 feet of you, you can see and hear through its senses and speak through it as if you were in its space.

While using a maskbearer’s senses, you remain aware of your own surroundings, but you cannot see or hear through more than one maskbearer at a time.

A Temporary Mask does not grant full class levels, full spellcasting, a full spell list, a full stat block, memories, legendary actions, lair actions, mythic traits, divine power, or magic item powers.

While wearing a Temporary Mask, you cannot use normal Wild Shape or activate another mask. You can still cast your normal druid spells, but the mask does not grant additional spellcasting beyond its Echo unless a feature says otherwise.

Level 6: Permanent Masks

Starting at 6th level, your maskcraft deepens. You can create one Permanent Mask through a ritual using suitable remnants approved by your DM. A Permanent Mask is stronger than a Temporary Mask and does not crumble after use.

Creating a Permanent Mask requires a ritual lasting at least 1 hour, which can be completed during a short or long rest. The ritual requires a symbolic remnant connected to the creature, role, or identity the mask is meant to echo.

You can maintain one Permanent Mask at a time. If you create a new Permanent Mask beyond this limit, one of your existing Permanent Masks loses its power and becomes an ordinary mask.

You can activate a Permanent Mask as a bonus action. You can dismiss it at any time with no action required. Once activated, the mask lasts for your normal Wild Shape duration, until you dismiss it, until you are incapacitated, or until you die.

You can activate a Permanent Mask once per short or long rest. If you have no uses remaining, you can expend a use of Wild Shape to activate a Permanent Mask instead.

While wearing a Permanent Mask, you gain the following benefits, chosen with your DM when the mask is created:

• You take on the general appearance and voice of the mask’s source or role.
• You can borrow one ability score from the source if it is higher than your own, to a maximum of 20.
• You gain weapon proficiencies appropriate to the mask’s role, class, job, or creature type.
• You gain two skill proficiencies appropriate to the mask.
• You gain two Strong Echoes (Abilities) approved by your DM.
• You can cast your normal druid cantrips while wearing the mask.

A Strong Echo (Ability) is one copied ability from the mask’s source. Each Strong Echo may be a cantrip Echo, a spell Echo, a weapon technique, a defensive reaction, a movement ability, a combat feature, or another limited ability that reflects the source.

If a Strong Echo grants a spell, the spell counts as an Echo spell for you. You can cast it using your own spell slots, spell save DC, and spell attack bonus. You must expend a spell slot of the spell’s level or higher to cast it, unless the Echo specifically says otherwise.

No two spell Echoes from the same mask can be the same spell level unless your DM allows otherwise.

For example, a 6th-level druid can normally cast up to 3rd-level spells. A wizard Permanent Mask at that level might hold Fire Bolt as a cantrip Echo and Misty Step as a 2nd-level spell Echo, or Magic Missile as a 1st-level spell Echo and Fireball as a 3rd-level spell Echo, if approved by your DM. These spells are not free; you still spend your own spell slots to cast spell Echoes unless your DM rules otherwise.

The DM determines which ability scores are appropriate for a mask’s source. For example, a guard mask might offer Strength or Constitution, a spy mask might offer Dexterity or Charisma, a scholar mask might offer Intelligence or Wisdom, and a bard mask might offer Charisma or Dexterity.

A Strong Echo does not grant full class levels, full spellcasting, a full spell list, a full stat block, memories, legendary actions, lair actions, mythic traits, divine power, or magic item properties. All Echoes require DM approval and must reflect the mask’s source.

Maskbearer Exchange. As a bonus action, you can swap places with one active maskbearer you can see or sense within 100 feet of you. You appear in the maskbearer’s space, and the maskbearer appears in your previous space.

Once you swap places this way, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

This mask follows the normal Mask Limitations.

While wearing a Permanent Mask, you cannot use normal Wild Shape or activate another mask.

Level 10: Deepened Echoes

At 10th level, your bond with your Permanent Masks deepens. You can maintain two Permanent Masks at a time instead of one. If you create a new Permanent Mask beyond this limit, one of your existing Permanent Masks loses its power and becomes an ordinary mask.

You can now activate your Permanent Masks two times per long rest. If you have no uses remaining, you can expend a use of Wild Shape to activate a Permanent Mask instead.

In addition, your Permanent Masks improve. While wearing a Permanent Mask, you gain the following improved benefits:

• You can borrow up to two ability scores from the mask’s source if they are higher than your own, to a maximum of 20.
• You gain two skill proficiencies appropriate to the mask.
• Your Strong Echo (Ability) becomes a Deepened Echo (Ability), as approved by your DM.
• You can cast your normal druid spells while wearing a Permanent Mask.

A Deepened Echo (Ability) is an expanded copied ability from the mask’s source, approved by your DM. When a Permanent Mask’s Strong Echo deepens, the mask may hold one cantrip Echo and up to three spell Echoes from the mask’s source or theme.

Each spell Echo must be of a spell level you can normally cast as a druid, and no two spell Echoes from the same mask can be the same spell level. Each spell Echo can be used once per long rest, unless your DM rules otherwise.

For example, a 10th-level druid can normally cast up to 5th-level spells. A wizard mask at that level might hold Fire Bolt as a cantrip Echo, Burning Hands as a 1st-level Echo, Scorching Ray as a 2nd-level Echo, and Fireball as a 3rd-level Echo. It could not also choose another 3rd-level spell Echo from the same mask.

A Deepened Echo does not grant full class levels, full spellcasting, a full spell list, a full stat block, legendary actions, lair actions, mythic traits, divine power, or magic item properties. All Echoes require DM approval and must reflect the mask’s source.

The DM determines which ability scores are appropriate for a mask’s source. For example, a guard mask might offer Strength or Constitution, a spy mask might offer Dexterity or Charisma, and a scholar mask might offer Intelligence or Wisdom.

This mask follows the normal Mask Limitations.

You still cannot use normal Wild Shape or activate another mask while wearing a Permanent Mask.

Level 14: Master of Many Faces

At 14th level, you become a master of borrowed faces and deep echoes. You can maintain three Permanent Masks at a time instead of two. If you create a new Permanent Mask beyond this limit, one of your existing Permanent Masks loses its power and becomes an ordinary mask.

Your Permanent Masks become stronger. While wearing a Permanent Mask, you gain the following improved benefits:

• You can borrow up to three ability scores from the mask’s source if they are higher than your own, to a maximum of 20.
• You gain three skill proficiencies appropriate to the mask.
• You gain one Major Echo (Ability) approved by your DM.
• You can cast your normal druid spells while wearing a Permanent Mask.

The DM determines appropriate ability scores as described in Temporary Masks.

A Major Echo (Ability) is the highest expression of a Permanent Mask’s copied power. It improves the same source or theme as the mask’s existing Echoes rather than granting an unrelated power.

If the mask’s Echoes are magical, the Major Echo may add one additional spell Echo of a spell level you can normally cast, improve one existing spell Echo’s power or uses, or grant one stronger spell-like effect approved by your DM. When you cast a spell Echo, you still use your own spell slots, spell save DC, and spell attack bonus unless the Echo specifically says otherwise.

If the mask’s Echoes are martial, defensive, movement-based, social, or combat-focused, the Major Echo may improve the mask’s damage, healing, uses, range, action economy, defenses, or special effects instead.

A Major Echo does not grant full class levels, full spellcasting, a full spell list, a full stat block, memories, legendary actions, lair actions, mythic traits, divine power, or magic item properties.

In addition, once per long rest, you can awaken a Permanent Mask you are wearing for 1 minute, no action required. While awakened, the mask’s Echoes become more powerful, as approved by your DM.

Examples of awakened Echoes might include a rogue mask dealing extra sneak-style damage, a warrior mask gaining a brief extra attack, a mage mask empowering one spell Echo, a hunter mask dealing extra damage to marked prey, a bard mask creating a stronger charm or performance effect, or a death mask releasing a necrotic aura.

The awakened Echo should be roughly comparable in power to a strong limited combat benefit, one additional attack, or a spell-like effect approved by your DM. It should feel powerful, but it still should not turn you into the full source creature or class.

This mask follows the normal Mask Limitations.

While wearing a Permanent Mask, you still cannot use normal Wild Shape or activate another mask.