Circle of Land: Avernus

While most druids choose to reflect the natural world around them on the material plane, choosing a circle of land they've grown up on, there are a few that differ from this idea.  In the deep pits of Avernus there is a natural or albeit unnatural nature which few wish to see, let alone travel in these wastes themselves.  Far fewer wish to emulate and spread this nature to other realms but still there are some.  The Circle of Land: Avernus druid wishes to spread the nature of the Plane of Existence known as Avernus.  Spreading the corruption of the fiends into the very existence of "life", whether it be beasts, plants, or sentient beings.

 

Savagery of Avernus

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you learn the druid cantrip primal savagery, if you already know this cantrip you learn one additional druid cantrip of your choice.

Avernus Hierarchy

Starting at 2nd level, once per day you can attempt to beguile a humanoid into a devil's contract, ensuring their soul to Avernus upon death.  The humanoid must willingly sign into the contract of their own choice.  Spells that remove the choice such as suggestion have no effect; you can not force them to sign the contract.  You can however use spells to influence their decision such as friends or put them in a situation that would influence them into believing it is in their well behing.  You must offer something in return for their signature; it can be money, a favor, a payment of debt, or something of sufficient value to. 

You gain two contracts per level and each contract is worth a single soul and you may use your action to offer a contract once per day if you have an unsigned one.  This action is a persuasion check vs a DC decided by the DM.   Once signed, these contracts must stay intact, if they are destroyed then the contract is void and you lose their soul.

When you use your wild shape you can change into any of the forms matching the number of souls and corresponding to their hierarchy, you ignore the Max. CR column of the Beast Shapes table.  In these forms you may use their abilities and speak if the form is intelligent enough but you can not cast any spells until 18th level.  

 With zero souls you may only change into

Soul Shapes

NUMBER OF SOULS	FIEND OR BEAST	# of Wildshape cost
0	Lemure, (CR 0)	1
1	Abyssal Chicken (CR 1/4)	1
3	Nupperibo (CR ½), Dretch (CR ½)	1
5	Imp (CR 1), Quasit (CR 1), Vargouille (CR 1)	1
10	Spinned Devil (CR 2)	1
15	Bearded Devil (CR 3), Bulezau (CR 3), Hell Hound (CR 3), Nightmare (CR 3)	1
20	Incubus (CR 4), Merregon (CR 4)	2
24	Barbed Devil (CR 5), Hellwasp (CR 5), Bulgura (CR 5), Cambion (CR 5)	2

Circle Spells

Your mystical connection to the land infuses you with the ability to cast certain spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to circle spells connected to the land where you became a druid. 

Once you gain access to a circle spell, 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.

Avernus

Druid Level	Spells
3rd	hold person, heat metal
5th	fireball, bestow curse
7th	wall of fire, hallucinatory terrain
9th	conjure elemental, dominate person

 

Fire walking

Starting at 6th level, Moving through non-magical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement. You can also pass through non-magical fire and effects on the terrain without being slowed and without taking damage.  Examples of such are fires caused by torches, campfires, oil slicks that have been ignited, or similar hazard.  You still take damage from magical fire and direct fire attacks.

Hellish Embrace

When you reach 10th level, you can’t be charmed or frightened by elementals or fiends.

Fiendish Sanctuary

When you reach 14th level, creatures of the unnatural plane of existence sense your connection to Avernus and become hesitant to attack you. When a fiend creature attacks you, that creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your druid spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature must choose a different target, or the attack automatically misses. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours.

The creature is aware of this effect before it makes its attack against you.