Circle of the Hive

Druids of the Circle of the Hive share their body with a plethora of tiny arthropods—insects, arachnids, or even crustaceans. These symbiotes call such druids home, living within their skin, clothes, and hair. This habitation might manifest as a honeycomb-like hive, a silky subcutaneous trapdoor (below which lurks a spider), or butterfly chrysalids hanging from their hair.
Druids of this circle relish creating a moving biosphere that sustains a variety of organisms, often seeking out new and exotic species as symbiotic lodgers. These creatures are a part of the druid, nourishing and protecting the druid as the druid nourishes and protects its tenants.

Swarm Flair

Consider using arthropods and swarms in the manifestation of your Circle of the Hive spells; for example, arcane eye or mislead could be a swarm of flies you conjure and imbue with different properties.

Circle Spells

2nd-level Circle of the Hive feature.

Your symbiotic link to arthropods and their versatility grants you access to certain spells. At 2nd level, you learn the swarm cantrip.

At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level, you gain access to the spells listed for that level in the Circle of the Hive 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.

All these spells use arthropods in their manifestation; for example, arcane eye or mislead could be a swarm of flies you conjure and imbue with different properties.

Circle of Hive Spells

Druid Level	Spells
2nd	Swarm
3rd	blur, web
5th	fly, hypnotic pattern
7th	arcane eye, giant insect
9th	insect plague, mislead

Symbiotic Biosphere

2nd-level Circle of the Hive feature
The symbiotes that inhabit your body flit in and around you, harmless until threatened. As a bonus action, you can release pheromones, stimulating hyper-aggression in your symbiotes for the next minute. The first time you are hit by a melee attack from a creature within 15 feet of you on its turn, the swarm retaliates, forcing the attacker to make a Constitution saving throw against your druid spell save DC. On a failure, the attacker takes1d4 poison damage. The poison damage increases to 1d6 at 6th level, 1d8 at 10th level, and 1d10 at 14th level. After you activate this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest. In addition, you can communicate with arthropods using pheromones, conveying basic emotions and ideas.

Swarm Shape

2nd-level Circle of the Hive feature

Starting at 2nd level, you can use your action to magically assume the shape of a swarm that you have seen before. You can use this feature twice. You regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Your druid level determines the swarms you can transform into. At 2nd level, for example, you can transform into any Swarm that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower that doesn’t have a flying or swimming speed.

Swarm Shapes

You can stay in a swarm for a number of hours equal to half your druid level (rounded down). You then revert to your normal form unless you expend another use of this feature. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the swarm, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature’s bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can’t use them.
• When you transform, you assume the swarm’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn’t reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren’t knocked unconscious.
• You can’t cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn’t break your concentration on a spell you’ve already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as call lightning, that you’ve already cast.
• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can’t use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.
• You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature’s shape and size. Your equipment doesn’t change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can’t wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.

Protect the Monarch

6th-level Circle of the Hive feature
Your connection to the arthropods you host becomes deeper; they regard you as a worker bee would its queen, and they gladly sacrifice themselves to protect you. As a reaction when you take damage from a source you can see, you can command your insect symbiotes to swarm in front of you, deflecting some of the incoming energy. You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your druid level, which take as much of the triggering damage as possible.
You lose any remaining temporary hit points at the end of the current turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum once), regaining all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Honeydrenaline

10th-level Circle of the Hive feature
You have attracted a species of flying arthropod that produces a mixture of sugar and adrenaline with amazing, stimulating properties. As a bonus action, you can send these creatures to invigorate a willing creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The creature regains hit points equal to your druid level and can immediately use its reaction to move up to its speed. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Swarmsense

14th-level Circle of the Hive feature

Hosting such a variety of tiny beings has permanently altered your personal biosphere. You gain the following benefits:
• Blindsight and tremorsense out to a range of 10 feet.
• Resistance to poison damage.
• Immunity to the poisoned condition.
• Advantage on initiative rolls.