Circle of the Deep

The dark depths of the ocean floor is home to a plethora of creatures, so strange and alien to those closer to the surface and of the land that they might seem to come from another world entirely. Druids who join the Circle of the Deep often hail from coastal- or island-based communities, spending much of their time amongst the ocean waves, and were called, often through curiosity or daring, down to the limits of survivability, at the edge of abysses and trenches. There, they would catch glimpses of the wonders and horrors of what swim in the darkest waters. These powerful, yet often forgotten creatures and their habitat are the source of the Deep Druid's magic, and they pose a reminder to the civilised world that even the most distant and secretive aspects of the natural world can be a force to be reckoned with.

Wave Strider

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the ability to breath both air and water, as well as a swimming speed of 30 feet.

Deep Adaptations

Starting at 2nd level, your body takes on adaptations that mimic those of the creatures who enhabit the oppressive darkness of the ocean floor. Choose on of the following adaptations for your body to undergo. You can choose another adaptation at 7th and 15th level.

You can decide the aesthetic aspects of how this effect manifests. For example: Your bioluminescence might manifest as glowing tattoos that depict sea life, or a flowing shimmer beneath the skin; your hyper-alertness might manifest as having translucent eyelids, or catfish-like whiskers that register electrochemical changes in the air or water; your chemosythesis might manifest as you appearing more sallow and pale, or developing cilia-like hairs over your body; your deep sea giantism might manefest as you becoming more tall, muscular, and/or more dense, or perhaps you develop a crustacean-like carapace over your body; your icy acclimation might manifest as you  becoming more rotund with extra fatty tissue, or having a frosty body temperature.

Bioluminescence

You have adapted to the pitch-black ocean depths by effectively utilising the invisible spectrum. You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet or, if you already have it from another feature, your darkvision range increases by 60 feet. Additionally, you can cause some or all of your skin to glow in limited light through chemical phosphore. As an action, you can shed bright light to a range of 10 feet while in dim light, and can shed bright light to a range of 30 feet while in darkness. This light is considered daylight, for creatures sensitive to daylight, and the effect lasts until you dismiss it as a bonus action.

Chemosythesis

You have adapted to the low oxygen and scarce food in the deepest oceans through the efficient use of resources. You can hold your breath for 1 hour at a time, so long as your last breath was of safely breathable air or water. If you breath air or water for at least 8 hours, you do not need to consume food for that day, as your body synthesises the necessary sustenance from oxygen and molecular carbon absorbed by your breath.

Deep Sea Giantism

You have adapted to the high pressures of the watery depths by becoming larger and more dense. You now count as a large creature when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

Hyper-Alertness

You have adapted to constant threat of the monsters and predators of the deep seas by remaining on constant guard. You now only need 4 hours of sleep to complete a long rest. Additionally, while sleeping, you can keep watch by taking perception checks at disadvantage, so long as those checks do not already suffer disadvantage from another source.

Icy Acclimation

You have adapted to the freezing cold of the deep by developing freeze-resistant fatty tissue and proteins. You gain resistance to cold damage.

Circle Spells

Your mystical connection to the creatures of the deep 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 oceanic depths. 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.

Druid Level	Spells
3rd	darkness, misty step
5th	tidal wave, wall of water
7th	control water, black tentacles
9th	cone of cold, maelstrom

Oceanic Aegis

When you reach 6th level, your skin becomes covered in a thin protective film of magical sea water, making you more slippery and harder to pin down. Your swimming speed increases to 60 feet, you have advantage on acrobatics checks made to avoid or escape being grappled, and advantage on dexterity saving throws. You also gain immunity to acid damage, as the protective ocean layer dilutes and neutralizes even the most potent corrosives. These protections also extend to your wildshape forms.

Bioelectric Shock

Starting at 10th level, you can use a bonus action to charge your attacks with powerful electric shocks. For the next minute, your melee weapon attacks, including those of your wildshape forms, are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage, and deal an additional 2d8 lightning damage on a hit. When you reach 17th level, the additional lightning damage increase to 3d8.

This feature can be activated while in your wildshape form as well as your normal form, and you can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses on a long rest.

Horror of the Deep

When you reach 14th level, you gain a new option for your wildshape feature, being able to transform into a monstrous creature from the ocean floor. The duration of this transformation is the same as that as that of your wildshape, and any other feature that would apply to your wildshape form applies to this. The bonuses of your oceanic aegis feature are already incorporated into horror of the deep's stat block.

While in this form, you can use the following stat block:

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 The horror is an amalgamation of horrifying oceanic life. You can decide on the horror's aesthetics, but it does include a large maw of long, piercing teeth, limbs long enough to reach a creature within melee range, and stomach cavity large enough to hold a medium sized creature.