Circle of Preservation

Unlike most other druid circles, druids of the circle of preservation have close ties to the undead. While those of the circle of spores accept the undead as a coexistence to the natural cycle, druids of the circle of preservation venerate the undead and their eternal life, with these druids often drawing their strength from areas warped by a powerful undead's magic, such as a vampire or mummy lord.

Many druids of this circle are drawn to the undead through an event such as the death of a loved one or being turned into a pawn for a powerful undead creature. While the majority of undead creatures are evil and thus so are many druids of this circle, not all druids of the circle of preservation are. Some may simply be curious about undead and their nature, even worshipping less malevolent gods of undeath such as Jergal or the Evening Glory. 

Bonus Cantrips

You gain the chill touch and spare the dying spells. These count as druid cantrips for you, but do not count against your spells known. 

Undead Resilience

At 2nd level, you can use your druidic magic to preserve your own life. As a reaction when you take damage, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape feature to gain some of the fortitude of undead creatures. When this feature is activated, you gain the following benefits:

• You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to four times your druid level
• You can spend a number of hit dice up to your Wisdom modifier to heal for the total rolled as if you completed a short rest. You can choose for this healing to occur before or after the triggering damage is dealt. 

Circle Spells

Your powerful connection to the undead grant you the ability to cast certain spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to other 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.

Druid Level	Spells
3rd	blindness/deafness, wither and bloom
5th	speak with dead, summon undead
7th	blight, death ward
9th	cloudkill, danse macabre

Undead Thralls

Starting at 6th level your connection to the undead allows you to bind some of them to your will permanently. By spending 10 uninterrupted minutes performing this ritual with a spellcasting focus or component pouch, you can raise the remains of one or more creatures into undead creatures. Undead created in this way become your thralls. You maintain control over your thralls indefinitely. Stat blocks for zombies and skeletons are the statistics you use for your thralls, with other undead thrall stat blocks being allowed with the permission of your DM. 

If you are conscious, you can mentally control all of your thralls, without using any actions. If you are unconscious, your thralls will move to protect your body from harm, but will not attack. In combat, your thralls share your initiative count, but take their turns immediately after yours. All thralls collectively share one reaction and bonus action, which a single thrall can use each round. Thralls use your spellcasting modifier to make their attacks.

You can animate and control thralls with up to a total of challenge rating (CR) 1. As you gain levels in this class, you can animate more thralls (CR 2 at 9th level, CR 3 at 13th level, and CR 4 at 17th level) and the total number of thralls under your control can never exceed your proficiency bonus. At any time, you can use your action to sever your connection to one or more thralls, releasing them. Corporeal undead crumple into a heap and incorporeal undead flee to the Ethereal Plane

Empowered Thralls

When you reach 10th level, undead thralls under your control have the following benefits:

• The thrall's current and maximum hit points increase by 2 per Hit Die it has.

• The damage from its weapon attacks are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming immunity and resistance to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Undead Nature

At 14th level, your druidic magic and its connection to the undead has permanently altered you: you can't be exhausted, frightened, or poisoned, and you have resistance to cold, necrotic, and poison damage. In addition, you no longer need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep and magic can't put you to sleep. You can finish a long rest in 4 hours if you spend those hours in an inactive, motionless state, during which you retain consciousness.