Circle of the Shaman

"A pale, tall man walks onto the battlefield. The wounded groan as he kneels beside them, whispering in an ancient tongue. Dark energy flows from his hands, sealing wounds in unnatural ways. He stands, facing the enemy, his body twisting as strange mutations spread across his form. This is no mere cleric—this is a druid of the Circle of the Shaman."

Druids who follow this path embrace the forbidden arts of twisted nature magic. They bind their spirits to unnatural forces, tapping into the power of curses, mutations, and sacrificial rituals. Their connection to the Weave is warped, allowing them to alter their bodies and inflict dreadful afflictions upon their foes.

 

Curse Shape

Beginning at 2nd level, you can use your Wild Shape feature to assume a Curse Shape, allowing you to adopt specific features or abilities from beasts, monstrosities, or aberrations. When you activate this feature, you choose two features from creatures that meet the following criteria:

• The creature must have a Challenge Rating (CR) equal to or lower than one-third of your Druid level (rounded down).
• The chosen feature must be one of the following types: a movement option, an action, a reaction, a sense, or a trait.
• The chosen feature cannot be any of the following:
  • Legendary Actions or Legendary Resistances.
  • Any magical ability, including:
    • Spellcasting or Innate Spellcasting.
    • Any ability that requires a melee or ranged spell attack.
    • Psionics.
    • Any ability that forces a target to make a saving throw against a spell save DC.
    • Any other supernatural or magical effect.
• If the chosen feature is an attack, it must be a natural weapon (such as a claw, bite, or tail attack).

Your Curse Shape lasts for a number of minutes equal to your Druid level or until you choose to end it as a bonus action. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Black Magic

 

At 2nd level, you gain access to Black Magic, a set of arcane enhancements that allow you to twist your spells with spirit energy. When you cast a spell, you can choose one of the following modifications. Each option grants a unique benefit but also inflicts a corresponding drawback on you.

You cannot use Black Magic and Curse Shape at the same time.

Black Magic Options:

• Blood Sacrifice:
  When you cast a spell, you may sacrifice hit points equal to twice the spell’s level. If you do, the spell deals additional damage equal to twice that amount or, if it is a healing spell, heals for twice that amount instead.

• Soul Link:
  As a bonus action, you can mark a creature within 30 feet, linking your spirits. While linked, any damage you take is also taken by the target, and vice versa. This link lasts for 10 minutes or until you or the target drops to 0 hit points. You can only have one Soul Link active at a time.

• Resonance:
  When you cast a spell that inflicts a condition (such as Paralyzed, Blinded, or Frightened), the target is affected automatically—no saving throw or attack roll is required. However, you also suffer the same condition for the spell’s duration.

• Split Spirit:
  When you cast a summoning spell that creates a creature under your control, you may sacrifice hit points of your choice. The summoned creature's maximum hit points increase by twice the amount of HP you sacrificed.

• Twisted Weave:
  You may change the damage type of a spell you cast to any other damage type. Additionally, you can make a target vulnerable to that damage type for 1 minute. However, you become vulnerable to the original damage type of the spell for the same duration.

• Aberrant Armor:
  If a spell increases or decreases a creature’s AC, you may double the amount added or subtracted. However, your AC is reduced by the same amount for the spell’s duration.

• True Horror:
  When you cast a spell that frightens creatures, its range and number of targets are doubled. However, 1d4 friendly creatures of your choice within 30 feet are also frightened of you for the same duration.

• Greater Weakness:
  When you cast a spell that imposes disadvantage on a creature’s roll, you may triple the effect (the creature rolls three times and takes the lowest result). However, you suffer disadvantage on your next 1d6 d20 rolls.

Balance of Power

The unnatural forces within you demand a price. When you use Curse Shape or Black Magic, you gain one level of Corruption. Corruption fades after a long rest or can be reduced through rituals. As Corruption increases, you suffer the following effects:

• 1 Level: You gain disadvantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

• 2 Levels: You suffer disadvantage on Perception checks relying on sight or smell.

• 3 Levels: You gain one level of exhaustion.

• 4 Levels: Your speed is halved.

• 5 Levels: You can no longer regain hit points through magical means.

• 6 Levels: Your body collapses under the corruption, and you die.

Removing Corruption: A long rest reduces 1 level of Corruption. A Greater Restoration spell removes all Corruption.

 

Expanded Spell List

.

You gain access to the following spells at the specified Druid levels. These spells are always prepared and do not count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

Druid Level	Spells
3rd	Inflict Wounds, Hex
5th	Blindness/Deafness, Alter Self
7th	Bestow Curse, Fear
9th	Phantasmal Killer, Blight
11th	Contagion, Dominate Beast

Greater curse Shaping

At 6th level, your mastery over Curse Shape improves, allowing you to take on features from more powerful creatures. You can now select features from any Beast, Monstrosity, or Aberration with a CR equal to or lower than half your Druid level (rounded down), as long as it still meets the restrictions outlined in the Curse Shape feature and its CR is equal or lower then 8.

Forbidden Rituals

 

At 10th level, your mastery over Black Magic allows you to perform Forbidden Rituals, devastating modifications to your spells that channel raw spirit energy. You can choose to enhance your spells using one of the following Forbidden Rituals, but each comes with a severe drawback. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier, regaining all uses after a long rest.

You can apply a single Forbidden Ritual to a spell as you cast it.

Forbidden Ritual Options:

1. Pact of Blood

   • When you cast a spell that targets a single creature, you can choose to maximize its effect (damage, healing, or temporary hit points).
   • Drawback: You take necrotic damage equal to twice the spell's level. This damage ignores resistance and immunity.

2. Corrupting Spiral

   • When you cast a spell with a radius or cone effect, its area of effect increases by 10 feet.
   • Drawback: All creatures (including allies) in the area suffer -2 AC until the start of your next turn.

3. Ritual of Submission

   • When you cast a spell that forces a creature to make a Wisdom, Charisma, or Intelligence saving throw, the target has disadvantage on their first saving throw against it.
   • Drawback: Whether the spell succeeds or fails, you have disadvantage on all saving throws of the same type (Wis, Cha, or Int) for 1 minute.

4. Shroud of the Unseen

   • When you cast a self-targeting spell that grants invisibility, resistance, or movement bonuses (e.g., Greater Invisibility, Haste, Fly), the effect lasts twice as long.
   • Drawback: You have disadvantage on all attack rolls for the duration.

5. Malefic Echo

   • When you cast a spell that deals psychic, necrotic, or force damage, the spell ignores resistance and treats immunity as resistance.
   • Drawback: You cannot regain hit points from any source until you finish a long rest.

Twisted Fusion

At 14th level, you have achieved complete mastery over Curse Shape and Black Magic, allowing you to blend their powers.

• You can now use Black Magic while in Curse Shape without restriction.
• When using Black Magic, you can ignore its negative side effect a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1) per long rest.
• If you use two different Black Magic enhancements on the same spell, you must take both drawbacks, even if you have uses of this feature remaining.