Circle of the Deep

Druids of the Circle of the Deep, sometimes called Deacons, are enigmatic guardians who channel the unknown and ancient magics of the deepest oceans. Unlike their woodland kin, these druids draw their power not from sun-dappled groves or whispering forests, but from the crushing darkness of the ocean's abyssal trenches. There, where no light penetrates and strange leviathans roam, they commune with primordial forces older than the surface world itself.

Bending eldritch power to their will, these druids wield magic that is both awe-inspiring and unsettling. Their spells echo with the voices of forgotten sea gods, and their rituals often involve offerings cast into the black depths. They speak in murmured tongues, learned from coral-carved runes and the dreams of slumbering sea titans.

Rather than repelling the unnatural, Circle of the Deep druids embrace it—manipulating the mind with waves of psychic influence, conjuring illusions from shimmering currents, or calling forth tentacled horrors to drag enemies into watery graves. To them, nature includes not only the familiar tides and coastal ecosystems, but the alien and unknowable forces that dwell in the ocean’s deepest vaults.

Though many view them with suspicion, mistaking their power for that of warlocks or cultists, the Deacons see themselves as stewards of a vast and mysterious domain—protecting the balance between surface and sea, and ensuring that the abyss remains sealed… or opened, only when absolutely necessary.

Glitch Bandage

Glitch Bandage

Circle Spells

The connection you hold to the mysteries beneath the sea, the vast unexplored unknowns of the world grants you access to certain spells. At 2nd level, you learn the Eldritch Blast cantrip.

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

Profound Puddle

When you select this circle at 2nd level, you gain access to an inkling of the magics hidden beneath the waves.

As an action, you may expend a use of your Wildshape feature to create a Profound Puddle within 30 feet of you for the next 24 hours. If this ability is used within the same place every day for a year, then the Profound Puddle becomes permanent. The Profound Puddle is a sphere with a radius equal to your proficiency bonus times ten, is difficult terrain and all space within it is considered breathable water. When a creature begins their turn within the Profound Puddle, you may choose to force them to make a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of their turn. If a creature is frightened in this way, they may move freely but become frightened of any space that is not considered water and cannot enter such a place.

Additionally if you Wildshape into a beast with a swim speed, you may choose to summon an additional amount of that beast equal to half your proficiency bonus. These beasts are under your control and have half as much hit points as your current Wildshape. If your Wildshape ends then these beasts immediately calcify into coral, effectively disappearing.

Unfathomable Forms

When you reach 6th level in this class, your understanding of the Deep also extends to the profane life that extend throughout it all. You gain proficiency in the Religion and may speak underwater. Your speech while underwater sounds like absolute nonsense, only understandable if a creature can understand Deep Speech.

As a bonus action while you are within water, you may call upon the beings of the deep for their aid. You choose from one of three effects to reproduce from the options listed below:

Tendril Lash - A milky slurping tendril of complete darkness erupts outward from a point you can see within water. This tendril creates a 60 foot line, all creatures within must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1/4th your Druid level in magical bludgeoning damage and have their speed reduced by 10 feet. If a creature fails this save by 5 or more, they are also restrained until the end of their turn.

Deep Drone - You create a droning sound centered around yourself extending outward to 10 feet. If you are within your Profound Puddle when you create this droning sound, it echoes and bounces off the puddle, additionally affecting all creatures within 30 feet of the puddle. Any creature that can hear this droning must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed for the next minute. While charmed in this way, the creature can act normally but at the end of its turns must expend all of its remaining movement to approach you through the most direct path that is not obviously harmful until it is within 5 feet. If a creature charmed in this way is within 5 feet of you and has remaining movement, they fall prone in a gesture of prostration. If a creature already charmed in this way fails the saving throw again, then they begin to emit this drone within 10 feet of themselves until they're reduced to 0 hit points.

Creeps - From the water emerges a creep of the deep, using the Kuo-Toa statblock. This creep is under your control, understands all of your spoken languages, has twice your Druid level in hit points and an AC equal to your spell save DC. You may have a number of Creeps on the field equal to your proficiency bonus at a time, these Creeps take the dodge action on their turns unless you verbally command them to take a different action (no action required). Creeps emit a 10 foot radius aura centered around themselves that is considered part of your Profound Puddle.

The Fear of the Unknown

At 10th level, your ability to channel the unknown improves further to the point where your magic now preys upon a primordial fear of all life. The fear of the dark. The fear of the unknown.

When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you normally immune to the frightened condition fails a saving throw to resist or avoid the frightened condition, you may use your reaction to empower the fear felt in that moment. For the next minute the creature is no longer immune to the frightened condition.

Additionally, your Profound Puddle sees improvement at this level. If a creature already frightened then fails a saving throw to resist becoming frightened within the radius of your Profound Puddle then they're inflicted with Sinking until no longer frightened. A creature inflicted with Sinking has their proficiency bonus lowered by 1 (minimum of 1) and if they start their turn within 30 feet of a hostile creature larger than them, they must succeed on a Wisdom check with a DC of 5 + wisdom modifier + proficiency bonus or be paralyzed until the end of their turn.

Vows by the Sea

Finally at 14th level, your control of the deep reaches its apex. Your own faith in the unknown has paid itself back to you. Like it or not, it's undeniable that... something... has started to pay attention to you. Has noticed you.

You gain the ability to mark a creature with Insight for one minute when it fails a saving throw against your class abilities. A creature marked with Insight gains an inky black brand across their neck and arms, which grants advantage on History, Insight and Religion checks. When a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus are inflicted with Insight, you may choose to immediately mark them all with Sacrifice as well. When creatures are marked with Sacrifice, you summon a deep horror (as if you had casted the Illusory Dragon spell) with hit points equal to your Druid level multiplied by your Constitution modifier. This deep horror can only damage creatures marked by Sacrifice, mindlessly targeting them through the most direct path it can take regardless of danger present.