Circle of Enlightenment (Final Version)

Druids of the Circle of Enlightenment see all life as connected. They believe that all living creatures, at their very cores, are no different from one another. From their perspective, a beast is no different from a humanoid, a monstrosity, or even a fiend or celestial being. Undead and constructs are the only exceptions, as they are outside the bounds of life. These druids unlock the secrets of the essence of life itself through open-minded study with special catalogues called Life Compendiums, allowing them to shape into any form of life that they understand.

Druids of this circle may be found traveling the planes as nomads, blending in with all the forms of life around them like a chameleon to stay safe as they explore and learn about the mysteries of the universe. Aside from the undead or constructs, any creature someone encounters could be one of these druids in disguise. 

Life Compendium

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you have either made or been granted a magical item known to druids of this circle as a Life Compendium. Your Life Compendium is a catalogue of all the creatures you have ever understood through your circle's practices. It takes the form of a magical book with limitless pages, and it is unable to be destroyed in any way. If it ever leaves your inventory, you may cause it to instantly reappear back within your possession or within 5 feet of you (your choice) as a bonus action.

When you spend an hour studying any creature other than an undead or a construct through meditation, which means observing the creature for the whole duration while doing nothing more than light activity, information about that creature is magically added to a page of your Life Compendium, and it cannot be removed or added again. You can also attempt to more quickly understand a creature by opening your mind and calling upon your circle's magic, reducing the required time to study a creature in this way to one action. To do so, you must succeed on an Intelligence (Nature) check with a DC equal to 15 + the creature's Challenge Rating (rounded down, a minimum of 0), and you may only do this once per long rest, whether you succeed or fail. Regardless of the method you use, the creature must be alive during the whole duration of your study of it.

As an action while holding your Life Compendium in at least one hand, you can flip to the page of a creature you've added and gain the knowledge of all damage immunities, damage resistances, damage vulnerabilities, condition immunities, or senses that it may have. 

You can also use your Life Compendium to prepare a certain amount of creatures within it that you can transform into with Wild Shape. When you finish a long rest, choose a number of creatures in your Life Compendium equal to your Intelligence modifier (a minimum of 1) which are of a Challenge Rating you can Wild Shape into. You gain the ability to transform into these creatures with Wild Shape until you decide to prepare a new list.

If the creature you Wild Shape into this way can cast spells, you do not gain access to those spells unless the creature can cast them as part of the Innate Spellcasting feature. If you cast a spell as another creature in this way, the spell counts as a druid spell for you.

You do not gain access to any creature's Legendary Actions, Mythic Actions, Lair Actions, or Regional Effects when using Wild Shape in this way.

You also do not gain any equipment that a typical example of that creature wears or carries. This means you may not be able to perform certain actions that creature can take, such as a hobgoblin's longsword attack, unless you find an equivalent item to use on your own; it also means your AC may differ from a typical example of that creature, etc.

Lastly, you do not gain the ability to speak any language the creature can speak that you do not already speak.

Starting at 8th level, you can transform into any creature in your Life Compendium with a challenge rating as high as your druid level divided by 4, rounded down (you ignore the Max. CR column of the Beast Shapes table, but must abide by the other limitations there).

Fluid Shifting

Starting at 6th level, you also gain the ability to use Wild Shape on your turn as a bonus action, rather than as an action.

Life in Many Forms

Your knowledge of the magic of life has broadened. Starting at 6th level, you can expend two uses of Wild Shape at the same time to slightly alter your form, choosing one of the options below.

- Offensive Alteration. You gain a +1 to attack and damage rolls while in your new form. This bonus increases to +2 at 14th level.

- Defensive Alteration. You gain a +1 to AC and saving throws while in your new form. This bonus increases to +2 at 14th level.

- Speed Alteration. Your speed increases by 10 feet while in your new form, and your movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.

- Aquatic Alteration. You gain a swimming speed of 30 feet and the ability to breathe underwater while in your new form.

Improved Life Magic

Starting at 10th level, any spell you cast which turns a creature into a beast can now be used to turn a creature into any creature you have prepared in your Life Compendium. As normal, you follow the spell’s Challenge Rating limitations. A creature transformed in this way follows the rules of your Wild Shape ability as described by your Life Compendium feature.

You may now also prepare a number of creatures equal to twice your Intelligence modifier in your Life Compendium, as you have come to understand life on an even greater level.

All Life is Connected

Starting at 14th level, you gain the ability to cast Animal Shapes without using a spell slot. You can't cast Animal Shapes with this feature again until you finish a long rest.