Druids of the Circle of the Swarm believe that no power is greater than the power of a collective will. Gathering in secretive councils to make any important decisions, they strive to emulate the cooperative power of animals that form swarms, hordes, or flocks. When their secluded communities are threatened, they can shapeshift into many animals at once to overwhelm attackers.

Many druids of this circle dedicate themselves to a particular kind of swarm, such as ravens, rats, snakes, bats, spiders, locusts, or beetles, especially those who worship such animals. Others transform into whatever swarm is best adapted for their environment at the time.

Circle Spells

This subclass provides no additional spells.

Enter the Swarm

At 2nd level, you can split your body into separate parts when you transform into an animal, becoming a unified swarm of wild beasts instead of a single creature.

When you use your Wild Shape to transform into a beast, you can choose to transform into a Wild Swarm, a special beast spirit that takes the form of a swarm of animals. See its game statistics in the Wild Swarm stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. You determine the nature of the beasts in your swarm; your choice has no effect on its game statistics, and you can't use hands even if your beasts have them.

Each time you become a Wild Swarm, choose three of the following traits. At least one of the traits that you choose must be Aerial, Aquatic, or Terrestrial. You gain each of the chosen traits while the transformation lasts.

Aerial. You have a flying speed equal to your walking speed, but you aren't immune to the prone condition while using this flying speed. This option can only be chosen once you have reached your 8th level as a druid.

Aquatic. You have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed, and you can breathe both air and water. This option can only be chosen once you have reached your 4th level as a druid.

Echolocation. You have blindsight out to 30 feet, but it doesn't function while you are deafened. In addition, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing.

Keen Senses. You gain darkvision out to 60 feet, and you have proficiency in Perception. When you enter this form, choose either hearing, smell, or sight. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks using that sense.

Grasping Tails. You have advantage on ability checks made to climb. While climbing, you also have advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws to avoid being pushed or pulled.

Sneaky. You have proficiency in Stealth, and you can try to Hide even when you are only lightly obscured.

Spiderlike. You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check, and you ignore all movement restrictions caused by webbing when walking or climbing.

Swift. When you enter this form, choose either flying, swimming, or walking. If you have that speed, you increase it by 10 feet and don't provoke opportunity attacks when you use it to move out of an enemy's reach.

Terrestrial. When you enter this form, you choose to have either a burrowing speed of 5 feet or a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.

Improved Wild Shape

Also starting at 2nd level, you gain the ability to use Wild Shape on your turn as a bonus action or as an action. You choose which each time you use the feature.

Instinctive Horde

At 6th level, you embrace the instincts and reflexes of the swarm and begin to embody its role in nature. While you are a Wild Swarm, you gain the following benefits.

• You don't treat other creatures as difficult terrain.
• Your attacks and traits count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
• You have resistance to all damage dealt by your druid spells, and damage from your druid spells can't cause you to lose concentration. You also have advantage on saving throws against your druid spells, and you take no damage on a successful saving throw if your druid spell would normally deal half damage on a success.

Sacrificial Spawning

At 10th level, you learn how to quickly transform part of your body into a swarm to absorb injury.

Whenever you would take non-psychic damage while you are not a Wild Swarm, you can use your reaction before you take the damage to gain temporary hit points equal to your druid level and resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, which both last until the end of that turn.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Primeval Swarm

Starting at 14th level, you become one with the ancient primeval swarms, including the extinct and forgotten ones. Whenever you transform into a Wild Swarm or you start your turn as one, you can change your size to Medium, Large, or Huge, so long as there is enough space around you for your new size.

While you are a Wild Swarm, creatures of your choice don't treat your space as difficult terrain. For all other creatures, your space is difficult terrain that costs 3 feet of speed for every 1 feet of movement. A prone creature that is affected by this difficult terrain must spend twice as much speed as normal to stand up.

Also, whenever you transform into a Wild Swarm, you can choose four traits to gain instead of only three, and one can be chosen from the following traits in addition to the traits listed in your Enter the Swarm feature.

Hearty. You have resistance to poison damage, and you have advantage on saving throws against infection by any disease that you don't already have.

Hive Mind. You have resistance to psychic damage and advantage on saving throws against being charmed or having your thoughts read against your will.

Iceborn. You have resistance to cold damage, and you ignore all movement restrictions caused by ice or snow.