Base Class: Druid
Unlike druids of other circles who connect to nature through the conduits of animal and plant life, Druids of the Circle of the Earth believe true power comes from the Earth itself. These Druids train to be able to tap into the magical potential of the land itself and influence it to their will. They are less likely to be protectors of other living creatures and tend to be as impassive as the earth itself. A natural disaster that kills hundreds or destroys a vast forest to them is not a tragedy but a natural occurance. However, once roused to anger, they are as difficult to placate as they were to provoke. The abilities of these Druids are shaped by the terrain where they make their home, and so there are as many diverse types of Earth Circle druids as there are environments. Their connection with the land enables them to survive in harsh and inhospitable places where few others could live, but they are always aware that should they slip up, the earth will not hesitate to harm them or those they care about. For this reason they tend to be solitary and rarely welcome those who manage to find them in their remote dwellings.
Not matter whether they draw power from the icy heart of glaciers, the stony core of mountains or the burning sands of the desert, a Druid of the of the Circle of the Earth makes a powerful ally and a frightening enemy.
Bonus Cantrip
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you learn one additional druid cantrip of your choice.
Essence of the Earth
Instead of Natural Recovery, at 2nd level you gain the ability to manipulate the environment around you. As a bonus action you can expend a use of wild shape to invoke one of the following effects. All effects besides Quake last for 1 minute and are not concentration but cannot be removed until the duration of the effect. You are immune to all effects but ally creatures are not.
Sandstorm: Swirling sand and debris fills a point within a 30ft range in a 10ft radius cylinder. As a bonus action you can continue to move it to a maximum of 20ft per round. When a creature is inside the cylinder, they have disadvantage to any ranged attacks outside of the sandstorm and ranged attacks from outside the sandstorm have disadvantage on them. You are immune to this effect, and while within the sandstorm you have advantage (surprise) on any creature also within the sandstorm.
Quicksand: The ground in a 10ft radius around you becomes viscous and muddy. Any creature within the radius must make an athletics check against being grappled by the sand, the DC is your spell save. At the end of their turn if they are still grappled they must make another saving throw or become restrained as the sand hardens around them. They can use their action to make another athletics check to remove the restrained effect on them, but they are still grappled. They must make another check to remove the grappled effect. Once the creature has saved against being grappled the quicksand no longer effects them. If a creature is still grappled when the effect ends, the ground hardens around them back to its original material and the creature becomes restrained. You are immune to this effect, but your allies are not.
Quake: You cause a shock wave to ripple through the ground in a 15ft cone from you. Any creature within the cone must make a strength saving throw against your spellcasting DC, or be knocked prone and take 1D6 bludgeoning damage per druid level. The damage is halved on a successful save and they are not knocked prone.
Jagged Rocks: The ground in a 20ft radius at a point within a 30ft range becomes jagged and rough, and it becomes difficult terrain for any creature moving through it. A creature takes 2d4 piercing damage for every 5ft they move through it, whether voluntary or not. You are immune to this effect.
Create Cliff: You move rocks and earth around you into a pillar beneath your feet. You are lifted a maximum of 30ft into the air, and provoke no opportunity attack. A creature can attempt to climb this pillar by making an athletics check, the DC of which is 10+ plus 1 for every 5 ft of height to the max of your spell save DC. While a creature is climbing you have advantage on attacks against them.
Shifting sands: you can burrow for your movement speed for a minute. This is normal terrain for dirt or sand, difficult terrain for rock or other more dense earth, and does not work through metal, wood or other non earthen materials. You create a 5ft by ft tunnel behind you which collapses/returns to its previous state after the minute is up.
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. Choose that land — arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, or Underdark — and consult the associated list of spells.
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.
Arctic
| Druid Level | Spells |
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3rd |
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5th |
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7th |
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9th |
Coast
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
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3rd |
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5th |
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7th |
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9th |
Desert
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
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3rd |
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5th |
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7th |
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9th |
Forest
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
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3rd |
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5th |
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7th |
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9th |
Grassland
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
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3rd |
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5th |
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7th |
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9th |
Mountain
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
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3rd |
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5th |
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7th |
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9th |
Swamp
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
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3rd |
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5th |
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7th |
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|
9th |
Underdark
| Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
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3rd |
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5th |
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7th |
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9th |
Land’s Stride
Starting at 6th level, moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement. You can also pass through nonmagical plants without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard.
In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against plants that are magically created or manipulated to impede movement, such those created by the entangle spell.
Nature’s Ward
When you reach 10th level, you can’t be charmed or frightened by elementals or fey, and you are immune to poison and disease.
Nature’s Sanctuary
When you reach 14th level, creatures of the natural world sense your connection to nature and become hesitant to attack you. When a beast or plant 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.