Circle of Thorns

Nature is not known for it's propensity to destroy. It simply grows, soaking in whatever is around it to spread it's roots deep and wide. However, some plants grow thorns. Thorns are protectors, only meant for the foolishly aggressive. But sometimes, static thorns will not do. Nature rises against it's foes, and sends out a new kind of thorn, that will find it's attackers and pierce them before they can think of striking.

Nature Armor

2nd-level Circle of Thorns feature

Beginning at 2nd level, your propensity for natural defenses have led to you making armor of proper material, instead of metal, making an excellent conduit for druidic magic. As an action, you can turn a suit of armor you are wearing into Nature Armor, which can be a mess of roots, bark, or anything else that occurs naturally, like water or honey. 

You gain the following benefits while wearing this armor:

• If the armor normally has a Strength requirement, the Nature Armor lacks this requirement for you.

• You can use the Nature Armor as a spellcasting focus for your druid spells.

• The armor attaches to you and can’t be removed against your will. It also expands to cover your entire body, although your head can be free to breathe. The armor replaces any missing limbs, functioning identically to a body part it is replacing.

• You can doff or don the armor as an action.

The armor continues to be Nature Armor until you don another suit of armor or you die.

Awakened Thorns

You gain the ability to channel magic into your defenses, sprouting thorns on your held weapons and armor. As a bonus action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape feature to make these spikes appear, rather than transforming into a beast form. While this feature is active, you gain the following benefits:

• When a creature hits you with an attack with a natural weapon or grapples you, they take piercing damage equal to your Nature skill bonus plus your level
• Your melee weapon attacks deal an extra 2d4 peircing damage to any target they hit.

These benefits last as long as a normal wild shape, or until you use your Wild Shape again.

In addition, You learn the Blade Ward cantrip, and can cast it as a bonus action an amount of times equal to your wisdom modifier. 

 

Armor Mold

6th-level Circle of Thorns feature

Beginning at 6th level, you can customize your Nature Armor. When you do so, choose one of the following armor models: Warrior or Sage. The model you choose gives you special benefits while you wear it.

You can change the armor's model whenever you finish a short or long rest, provided you have smith's tools in hand.

Warrior. You design your armor to be in the front line of conflict. It has the following features:

• Nature Strikes. You can attack twice, rather than once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. In addition, your armor can incorporate one weapon into itself, transforming it to be made of the same or similar material. While wearing the armor, that weapon only requires one hand to use, and gains the distinction of being a natural weapon.

• Defensive Thorns. As a bonus action, you can gain temporary hit points equal to your wisdom score. You lose these temporary hit points if you doff the armor. You can use this bonus action a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Sage. You customize your armor for less dangerous tasks in battle. It has the following features:

• Light Steps. If your armor would impose disadvantage on stealth checks, it no longer does. In areas with all natural terrain, you may make add your wisdom modifier to stealth checks.

• Loamed Steps. You gain a burrow speed equal to half of your walking speed

 

Spreading Thorns

10th-level Circle of Thorns feature

While holding a shield, you may take an action to incorporate it into your armor's design, allowing it to appear as if it were apart of the armor. While transformed in this way, the shield fires back at attackers; Creatures that you can see that attack you with ranged attacks take piercing damage equal a roll of your Nature skill bonus plus your level. While holding this shield, it's confers it's armor class bonus to any constitution saving throw you make, except concentration checks.

In addition, all damage you deal is considered to be magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity. 

Rose Symbiosis

14th-level Circle of Thorns feature

Thorns take root inside of your very body, changing your physiology to something more akin to a nature spirit, rather than a simple man. If a creature hits you with a critical hit from a melee attack, they take the critical damage in piercing damage, instead of you. Thorny roots are constantly protruded from your body in a 20ft radius from you; you and friendly creatures in this radius have 3/4ths cover while inside.  Hostile creatures in this area instead get a minus to their attack rolls and dexterity saving throws from this cover equal to the bonus it would have gave. 

Lastly, you gain immunity to piercing damage and resistance to lightning damage.