Circle of the Winter

The Circle of Winter is an anomaly in paradigm, with these druids being by far the most destructive of the seasonal circles. Wielding powers of cold, snow, and ice, this circle is the embodiment of the destruction of life, and yet, these druids emphasize the power of the wheel of nature by being not only a circle of death, but of resurrection. Groves of these druids gather more as the days grow shorter, and they are often gathered to encourage the winter frosts with their potent magic. After the winter's solstice, the resurrection of life begins, and these druids gather less often as they go forth throughout the lands to begin to coax life from the cold, hard earth. Thus do they cultivate the wheel of seasons, pruning the weak from the wheel of life and seasons, returning the dead to the earth so that the new life my grow again in the spring.

As behavior beyond this great seasonal practice goes, these druids are destroyers and avengers, bearing freezing wrath upon the enemies of life. The abomination they seek most to abolish by far is the undead, as these are the deviants to nature's cycle of death and rebirth that they refuse to tolerate. As such, all these druids are trained in unique magical tactics which punish the undead especially, using powerful freezing magic to halt them and quell their threat. At their most powerful, the Archdruids of this circle are capable of conjuring blizzard tempests that sheath an area in magical ice, and they lock down undead enemies in ways which render them helpless to their power.

Circle Spells
2nd-level Circle of Winter feature

Your knowledge of the ways of winter and the wheel of rebirth grant you magical capability. At 2nd level, you learn the Ray of Frost cantrip.

At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to the spells listed for that level in the Circle of Winter Spells table. Once you gain access to one of these spells, 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.

Circle of Winter Spells

Deathly Cold

2nd-level Circle of Winter feature

When you choose circle at 2nd level, you learn the fundamentals of wintry magic for both biting icy cold and the process of rebirth. You learn the Spare the Dying cantrip.

Additionally, you always have the Ice Knife spell prepared, and whenever you deal cold damage with a spell or cantrip, you may add 1d8 cold damage to the damage dealt to one target of that spell, once each round. This bonus damage improves to 2d8 cold damage at 10th level.

Frozen Tracks

6th-level Circle of Winter feature

At 6th level, you learn the powers of nature that freeze motion and invoke powerful lethargy, forcing nature's halting spell, punishing especially the undead, as they are anathema. You add Hold Person to the Druid spell list and you always have it prepared. Whenever you cast Hold Person on an undead humanoid, that creature suffer disadvantage on the Wisdom saving throw for this spell.

Additionally, you add Slow to the Druid spell list and always have it prepared.

Dead of Winter

10th-level Circle of Winter feature

At 10th level, you have proven mastery over forces of death and life, and you can cause motion to cease for the enemies of nature. You add Hold Monster to the Druid spell list and you always have it prepared, and when you cast this spell, you can affect undead targets with it, and undead targets of the spell suffer disadvantage on the Wisdom saving throw at the end of their turns.

Additionally, whenever you cast the Raise Dead spell, creatures you return to life suffer a -2 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks, instead of -4.

Lastly, the damage of your Deathly Cold feature improves to 2d8.

Longest Night

14th-level Circle of Winter feature

At 14th level, you learn the most powerful spells of winter's dire power. You add the Freezing Sphere, Wall of Ice, Resurrection, and Time Stop spells to the Druid spell list. Whenever you cast a Circle Spell or one of these spells, choose one: you create an ice barrier in front of you in your square which grants partial cover for as long as you remain in that square and remains for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier, or alternately, you may choose to deal 1d8 cold damage to any creatures affected by spells you are concentrating on.

Additionally, whenever you deal 7 or greater damage dice of cold damage to a creature before the end of a turn, creatures dealt that damage must also make a Constitution saving throw at your spell save DC when they take that damage, or they are restrained by ice until the beginning of your next turn.

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