Circle of the Lycan (PapaLoup v1.6)

The curse of Lycanthropy is a fate feared by many who take to nature. Between the bestial forms those inflicted take on and their transformations occurring on nights of full moons, werebeasts of all forms are oft the subject of nightmares and children's stories as threats to be avoided. Despite this common conception, there are those that strive to control their condition be it through sheer force of will, forbidden blood magic rituals, or a blessing and link to nature itself. Those who pursue the latter solution make up the Druids of the Circle of the Lycan.

Lycanthropic Transformation

Whether bitten, born, or the result of the Lunar Sacrament, lycanthropy doesn't always show itself on the first full moon as most legends state. The few factions most familiar with the affliction know that it can lay dormant for years.

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the ability to awaken the beast within by using your newfound shapeshifting abilities. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Wild Shape to transform into a Lycanthropic Form associated with your strain of lycanthropy: either the Beast Form or Hybrid Form.

 

In the Character Builder, set the option for Lycanthropic Transformation to Humanoid Form or Lycanthropic Form to activate the bonuses for that form on the character sheet.

Humanoid Form

Your character is in their Humanoid Form. Change this option to "Lycanthropic Form" when the character has transformed.

Lycanthropic Form

Selecting this option has updated the character sheet with the features of your Lycanthropic Form.

 

Lycanthropic Form Features

When you take on your Lycanthropic Form you gain the following benefits:

Fierce Vitality. Your current hit points and your hit point maximum increase by 10 + (your druid level x 4). While you are transformed, you may use your bonus action to expend one use of your Wild Shape to regain the same number of hit points.

Feral Strike. You gain an unarmed strike which deals 1d6 slashing damage. You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of these unarmed strikes. Alternatively, you can make a bite attack, dealing 1d6 piercing damage. However, this attack runs the risk of transmitting lycanthropy on a hit. (MonsterManual p.207) These unarmed attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

Feral Swipe. When you take the attack action using your Feral Strike, you can make one additional Feral Strike as a bonus action.

Lycan's Hide. While you are not wearing heavy armor, you gain a +1 bonus to your AC.

Bloodlust. If you start your turn with fewer hit points than half your hit point maximum, you must succeed on a DC 8 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, you must move directly toward the nearest creature and use the Attack action against that creature. If you have your Extra Attack feature, you can choose whether to use it for this frenzied attack. If more than one creature is equally near to you, roll randomly to determine your target. Once your attack is resolved, you regain control of yourself. When you reach 10th level in this class, you make this roll with advantage.

While in your Hybrid Form, you cannot wield weapons or shields, but you can speak intermittently, use equipment, and wear armor. However, your ability to cast spells in your hybrid form is diminished. In order to cast a spell with verbal or somatic components and a casting time of 1 action or 1 bonus action, you must spend both your action and bonus action in order to complete the casting.

In the Character Builder, set the option for Lycanthropic Transformation to Lycanthropic Form to activate the bonuses for that form on the character sheet.

Bloodlust

If you start your turn with fewer hit points than half your hit point maximum, you must succeed on a DC 8 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, you must move directly toward the nearest creature and use the Attack action against that creature. If you have your Extra Attack feature, you can choose whether to use it for this frenzied attack. If more than one creature is equally near to you, roll randomly to determine your target. Once your attack is resolved, you regain control of yourself. When you reach 10th level in this class, you make this roll with advantage.

Feral Strike

You gain an unarmed strike which deals 1d6 slashing damage. You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of these unarmed strikes. Alternatively, you can make a bite attack, dealing 1d6 piercing damage. However, this attack runs the risk of transmitting lycanthropy on a hit. (MonsterManual p.207)
These unarmed attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

Feral Swipe

When you take the attack action using your Feral Strike, you can make one additional Feral Strike as a bonus action.

Fierce Vitality

Your current hit points and your hit point maximum increase by 10 + (your druid level x 4). While you are transformed, you may use your bonus action to expend one use of your Wild Shape to regain the same number of hit points.

Lycan's Hide

While you are not wearing heavy armor, you gain a +1 bonus to your AC.

Bestial Nature

When you reach 2nd level, you gain a bonus to a few skills depending on your particular strain of lycanthropy.

Bear

You gain advantage on Athletics and Nature checks.

Boar

You gain advantage on Athletics and Intimidation checks.

Rat

You gain advantage on Acrobatics and Sleight of Hand checks.

Tiger

You gain advantage on Survival and Nature checks.

Wolf

You gain advantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws.

Circle Spells

2nd-level Circle of the Lycan feature

You learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Circle of the Lycan 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 the Lycan Spells

Druid LEVEL	SPELLS
2nd	hunter's mark, alarm
3rd	invisibility, enlarge/reduce
5th	haste, nondetection
7th	greater invisibility, death ward
9th	antilife shell, commune with nature

Dumb Placeholder Due to DnDBeyond Bug

Druids shouldn't get a 3rd level feature from their Circle, but DnDBeyond makes us put one here.

Empowered Strikes

Starting at 6th level, your attacks in beast form and hybrid form count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

You also gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with your unarmed strikes and natural weapons. This bonus increases to +2 at level 10 and to +3 at level 14.

Extra Attack

At level 6, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the attack action.

Feral Agility

Starting at 10th level, your speed increases by 10 feet. You can also add 10 feet to your long jump distance and 5 feet to your high jump distance.

Ceaseless Vigor

By 14th level, your mastery of the lycanthropic condition grants you a taste of the beast's potent vitality. At the start of each of your turns while in your Lycanthropic Form, you regain hit points equal to 1 + your Constitution modifier (minimum of one) if you have at least 1 hit point and no more than half of your hit points left. You gain these hit points before you determine if you must roll for Bloodlust.

Ceaseless Vigor

By 14th level, your mastery of the lycanthropic condition grants you a taste of the beast's potent vitality. At the start of each of your turns while in your Lycanthropic Form, you regain hit points equal to 1 + your Constitution modifier (minimum of one) if you have at least 1 hit point and no more than half of your hit points left. You gain these hit points before you determine if you must roll for Bloodlust.