Circle of the Fox Shepherd (CotFS)

For Druids who like foxes and transformations, this subclass offers both.  Take control of the battlefield with the cunning and mystical force of the foxes!

Speech of the Woods

At 2nd level, you gain the ability to converse with beasts and many fey.

You learn to speak, read, and write Sylvan. In addition, beasts can understand your speech, and you gain the ability to decipher their noises and motions. Most beasts lack the intelligence to convey or understand sophisticated concepts, but a friendly beast could relay what it has seen or heard in the recent past. This ability doesn’t grant you friendship with beasts, though you can combine this ability with gifts to curry favor with them as you would with any nonplayer character.

Spirit Totem

Starting at 2nd level, you can call forth nature spirits to influence the world around you. As a bonus action, you can magically summon an incorporeal spirit to a point you can see within 60 feet of you. The spirit creates an aura in a 30-foot radius around that point. It counts as neither a creature nor an object, though it has the spectral appearance of the creature it represents.

As a bonus action, you can move the spirit up to 60 feet to a point you can see.

The spirit persists for 1 minute or until you’re incapacitated. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

The effect of the spirit’s aura depends on the type of spirit you summon from the options below.

Fox Spirit. The fox spirit aids you and your allies with its trickery and cunning, giving you and your allies advantage on intelligence checks and intelligence saving throws while in the aura. You can chose one willing creature within the aura to grant them the ability to cast Disguise Self on themselves per summoning. At 6th level, all willing creatures can cast Disguise Self while in the aura. At 10th level, creatures that try to see through the Disguise Self granted by the spirit have disadvantage on any skill check to see through it. At 15th level, all willing creatures in the aura can cast Alter Self without concentration.

Bear Spirit. The bear spirit grants you and your allies its might and endurance. Each creature of your choice in the aura when the spirit appears gains temporary hit points equal to 5 + your druid level. In addition, you and your allies gain advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws while in the aura.

Hawk Spirit. The hawk spirit is a consummate hunter, aiding you and your allies with its keen sight. When a creature makes an attack roll against a target in the spirit’s aura, you can use your reaction to grant advantage to that attack roll. In addition, you and your allies have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks while in the aura.

Unicorn Spirit. The unicorn spirit lends its protection to those nearby. You and your allies gain advantage on all ability checks made to detect creatures in the spirit’s aura. In addition, if you cast a spell using a spell slot that restores hit points to any creature inside or outside the aura, each creature of your choice in the aura also regains hit points equal to your druid level.

Fox Magic

You are friends with kitsune, who can offer you aid in and out of battle. Kitsune have the ability to transform into a plethora of creatures, and can lend that ability to you and your allies. Starting at 3rd level, for every kitsune in your skulk, you can look at any creature in the next level of CR rating, starting at 0 (1 kitsune = CR 0, 2 kitsune = CR 1/8, 3 kitsune = CR 1/4, etc.). You can request that they transform into any creature from CR 0 to the highest CR equal to the number of kitsune in your skulk. Additionally, for each level up in the CR rating the creature chosen is, it takes that many kitsune to complete the transformation (CR 0 = 1 kitsune, CR 1/8 = 2 kitsune, CR 1/4 = 3 kitsune, etc.). Each kitsune can transform once per short rest and must be within 10 feet of each other to transform. The transformation lasts for an hour or until dismissed.  If the player wishes to extend the transformation, they must succeed a Charisma check of 1 + the number of hours passed since the transformation.

If the creature chosen is canine in form, they have no issue transforming. However, if the creature chosen is not canine in form, there is a chance for the magic to go awry. When members of your skulk transform into non-canine forms, roll a d20 per kitsune involved in the transformation. The rolls must succeed 15 minus half your druid level rounded up. If all the rolls are successful, the transformation goes off without an issue. On a fail, every kitsune that failed the roll has its speed cut in half and can only take the dodge action for their next 2 turns. For every kitsune that succeeded the roll, they can transform into any number of creatures who's CR level equals the number of kitsune who succeeded, chosen at random, but the transformation lasts for 1d8 rounds. I.E., 9 kitsune rolled and 5 succeeded, so creatures of CR 1 or less can be chosen. The player chooses to have their kitsune turn into 1 CR 1/4 and 2 CR 0s, and then rolls to find out which of those CR rating creatures they turn in to, lasting for 3 turns (1d8).

Any kitsune who reaches 0 HP when transformed transforms back and falls unconscious, in stable condition with 0 HP. If a damaged kitsune transforms back, their HP returns to what it was before the transformation, unless the transformation's HP is less than that value, in which case, the kitsune's HP is now that amount.

For custom made foxes specifically made for this subclass, search for (CotFS) in the homebrew monster section.

Mighty Summoner

Starting at 6th level, beasts and fey that you conjure are more resilient than normal. Any beast or fey summoned or created by a spell that you cast gains the following benefits:

• The creature appears with more hit points than normal: 2 extra hit points per Hit Die it has.
• The damage from its natural weapons is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming immunity and resistance to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Guardian Spirit

Beginning at 10th level, your Spirit Totem safeguards the beasts and fey that you call forth with your magic. When a beast or fey that you summoned or created with a spell ends its turn in your Spirit Totem aura, that creature regains a number of hit points equal to half your druid level.

Faithful Summons

Starting at 14th level, the nature spirits you commune with protect you when you are the most defenseless. If you are reduced to 0 hit points or are incapacitated against your will, you can immediately gain the benefits of conjure animals as if it were cast using a 9th-level spell slot. It summons four beasts of your choice that are challenge rating 2 or lower. The conjured beasts appear within 20 feet of you. If they receive no commands from you, they protect you from harm and attack your foes. The spell lasts for 1 hour, requiring no concentration, or until you dismiss it (no action required).

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.