Circle of Thorns

The Circle of Thorns is made up of druids who have taken up the task of defending others, both natural and civilized. These druids combine magic and might in order to face threats head on and utilize the natural world to protect others.

Thorn Strike

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you learn to use the spirit of thorns to protect those in need.

You learn the Thorn Whip cantrip, and can cast it using only a somatic component. This cantrip doesn’t count against the number of druid cantrips you know. If you already know this cantrip, you learn an additional Druid cantrip of your choice.

When you deal damage with Thorn Whip, add your wisdom modifier to the damage it deals on a hit.

When you cast Thorn Whip, the vine lashes out from your wrist, and remains there for 1 minute or until you dismiss it (no action required.) The vine can be used as a spellcasting focus for your druid spells, but it does not occupy your hand.

While the vine persists, you may use the whip to make a melee spell attack at a target within 30' as an action or a bonus action, dealing piercing damage on a hit equal to 1d6+your wisdom modifier, and if the creature is Large or smaller, you pull the creature up to 5 feet closer to you. 

Circle Spells

Your mystical connection to the spirit of thorns infuses you with the ability to cast certain spells. At 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to circle 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
2nd	shield, entangle, thorn whip
3rd	mirror image, spike growth
5th	haste, plant growth
7th	freedom of movement, grasping vine
9th	hold monster, wrath of nature

Unrelenting Thorns

At 6th level, you learn to use your thorns to fight in a larger variety of situations.

When you use your action to make an attack with an existing vine, you can make an additional attack with the vine as part of that action. These vine attacks can only force movement once per action.

When using an existing vine to make an attack as an action, this attack's damage die increases by one level when you reach 6th level (1d8), 11th level (1d10), and 17th level (1d12) in this class.

After you use your action to cast Thorn Whip, you can cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action as a bonus action. You can cast a spell in this way a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Finally, any time you would make an attack with your vine on your turn, you can make a ranged spell attack and throw it up to twice the normal range. Whether the attack hits or misses, the vine vanishes. 

Domain of Thorns

At 10th level, you learn to extend your thorns beyond normal reach.

Starting at 10th level, your whip's reach is extended, and you have learned to utilize its whip-like movement to attack multiple foes simultaneously.

The range of your Thorn Whip cantrip and your vine attack becomes 60'. In addition, once per turn when you hit a creature with Thorn Whip or a melee attack with your vine, you may target another creature who is positioned within 15' of the first, dealing the same damage to both targets if the attack roll would have also hit the second target. 

Additionally, when a creature provokes an opportunity attack from you while the whip is on your wrist, you may attack with the vine instead of a weapon, treating your reach as 5 feet.

Your Thorn Whip cantrip and vine attack can now move a creature that is huge or smaller. 

Crown of Thorns

When you reach 14th level, you gain a passive protection of thorns. 

Starting at 14th level, you gain resistance to piercing damage. 

In addition, if a creature's movement speed is affected by your spells or other abilities, or immediately after you've hit a creature with Thorn Whip, as a bonus action you can cause a halo of spectral thorns to surround them. While affected in this way, the first time the affected creature makes an attack roll, it must make a wisdom saving throw, taking 1d6 piercing damage on a failure and subtracting the number from the attack roll. A creature can be affected in this way only once per turn, and the halo disappears after the attack or at the start of your next turn.