Circle of Steel

More and more often in today's increasingly civilized world, the bounty and beauty of nature comes under threat by humanoid, giant, dragon and others intent upon selfishness and destruction.  The druids of the Circle of Steel, along with their Circle of Thorns brethren, band together around these endangered environments in defense of life against the arms and armaments of these collective threats.

While druids of other circles are mostly solitary creatures, coming together only for celebrations, for training, or to share news of the utmost import, druids in the Circle of Steel and the Circle of Thorns form military ranks and work together as a matter of course to defend the natural environments threatened by warlords and their armies.

The Circle of Steel druids are nature's warriors.  Capable of entering a state of trance-like focus and adopting the combat abilities of beasts, they wield their scimitars in a deadly dance of death and take on aspects of beasts to enhance their combat ability.

Circle Spells

Your circle grants you access to certain spells. At 2nd level, you learn the Steel Claw cantrip.  At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to the spells listed for that level in the Circle of Steel 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 Steel Spells
Druid Level	Spells
3rd	Magic Weapon, Burning Steel
5th	Mantle of the Porcupine, Venomous Steel
7th	Primal Beast, Putrid Steel
9th	Nature's Strike, Shocking Steel

Nature's Focus

Starting at second level, you can use a bonus action and expend one use of your Wild Shape ability to enter a trance-like focus.  When you do so, you take on the aspect of one beast of your choice, morphing your form into an anthropomorphic version of the animal and gaining a related combat ability.  While focusing, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armor:

• You have advantage on Wisdom checks and Wisdom saving throws.
• You can add your Wisdom modifier to your AC instead of your Dexterity modifier.  If the armor imposes a maximum Dexterity modifier bonus, that maximum is also applied to Wisdom.

You gain a combat ability based on the animal form you choose when you enter the trance.

• Wolf (Pack Tactics) - You have advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
• Boar (Charge) - If you move at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hit it with an attack on the same turn you deal an extra 1d8 damage.  If the target is a creature, it must then succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
• Lion (Pounce) - You can make one melee weapon attack against a prone target as a bonus action.
• Hyena (Rampage) - When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack, you can use your bonus action to move up to half your speed and make another attack.
• Bear (Maul) - You do additional damage equal to your proficiency modifier when you make a melee weapon attack.
• Elk (Swiftness) - Your can use a bonus action to dash.
• Ape (Climb) - You gain a climbing speed equivalent to your walking speed.

Your focus lasts for 1 minute and ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you can not detect a hostile creature. You can also end your focus on your turn as a bonus action.

Fighting Style

At 3rd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Extra Attack

Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn

Improved Focus

Starting at 10th level, your mastery of Nature's Focus increases.  While you are focusing, you gain the following abilities.

• Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.
• When you score a critical hit or reduce a creature to 0 hit points on your turn, you can move up to your speed and make another attack as a bonus action.
• When you are hit by a ranged weapon attack, you can use your reaction to deflect or catch the missile, reducing the damage done by 1d10 + your Wisdom modifier + your druid level.

Nature’s Avatar

Beginning at 14th level, the divine power that fuels your focused trance allows you to shrug off fatal blows.

While you are focused, having 0 hit points doesn’t knock you unconscious. You still must make death saving throws, and you suffer the normal effects of taking damage while at 0 hit points. However, if you would die due to failing death saving throws, you don’t die until your rage ends, and you die then only if you still have 0 hit points.