Circle of the Aurora (2024)

From high atop the tallest of mountain peaks and glaciers, the elusive druids of the Circle of the Aurora illuminate the Polar night sky with dazzling colors to guide and protect all who find themselves traveling the snow-covered wastelands of the Tundra. From their high vantage points, these druids are able to see potential threats from hundreds of miles away and use the Aurora's lights to warn distant travelers and villages of danger. When confronted, the Circle of the Aurora will not hesitate to vaporize assailants with bursts of spectacular, multicolored plasma rarely seen outside of the planet's stratosphere.

The phenomenon of the Aurora and its origins are highly contested topics amongst the academic world, leading many scholars to debate its connections to various deities, the Winter Court of the Feywild, the Para-Elemental Plane of Ice, and even Wild Magic zones. Regardless of its mysterious origins, the Aurora is widely accepted as a benevolent force that guides and consoles weary travelers.

The druids of the Circle of the Aurora are seldom seen by the neighboring villages under their protection. However, on rare occasions, they have been known to serve as highly respected expedition leaders, weather advisors, and private tutors to students of astronomy, ecology, and the arts. 

Polar Night's Vigil

As a Bonus Action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape to summon a localized Aurora centered on a point you can see. The Aurora shines multicolored Dim Light in a 30-foot-radius, 100-foot high cylinder that lasts for 10 minutes. While the Aurora is active, you may use your Bonus Action on subsequent turns to move it up to 20 feet. The Aurora ends early if you dismiss it (no action required), summon it again, or have the Incapacitated condition.

When the Aurora first appears, creatures of your choice in the cylinder become Winter Blessed until the start of their next turn. All other creatures in the cylinder must pass a Wisdom saving throw or become Frostlit until the start of their next turn. A creature also makes this save (or becomes Winter Blessed) when a creature enters the cylinder for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there.

Winter Blessed and Frostlit creatures roll 1d6 when first afflicted with their condition and keep track of its value until the condition expires or is refreshed at the start of their next turn. This value will be referred to as their Winter Whimsy level:

Winter Blessed creatures add their Winter Whimsy level to all saving throws.

Frostlit creatures cannot benefit from being invisible and subtract their Winter Whimsy level from all saving throws.

In addition, you learn the sacred flame cantrip. For you, this spell has unlimited range when targeting Frostlit creatures.

Circle of the Aurora Spells

When you join this circle at 3rd level, you form a bond with the Aurora. Your link with this awe-inspiring phenomenon grants you access to additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Circle of the Aurora Spells table. Additionally, the multicolored plasma of the Aurora manifests in the magic you cast, allowing you to change the Fire damage you deal with your Druid spells into Radiant damage. 

Circle of the Aurora Spells

Druid Level	Spells
3rd	burning hands, color spray, ray of frost
5th	fireball, hypnotic pattern
7th	wall of fire, fire shield
9th	flame strike, teleportation circle

Boon of Boreal

Your strengthened connection to the Aurora allows its magic to flow through you and other creatures more easily: 

When a spell you cast with a spell slot restores Hit Points to a creature, it becomes Winter Blessed until the start of its next turn. When you deal Cold or Radiant damage to a creature with a Druid spell, it becomes Frostlit until the start of its next turn. 

In addition, when a creature rolls a Winter Whimsy value of 6, they roll on the Winter Whimsy table to receive an additional effect that expires at the start of their next turn.

Winter Whimsy Table

1d6	Winter Blessed / Frostlit effects
1	Add 1d6 to Attack rolls when targeting Frostlit creatures / Subtract 1d6 from Attack rolls when targeting Winter Blessed creatures
2	Increases speed by 15 / Decrease speed by 15
3	Gain 1d6 Temporary Hit Points that expire at the start of your next turn / Take 1d6 additional damage when taking Cold or Radiant damage (once per turn)
4	Add 1d6 to your next Ability Check (once per turn) / Subtract 1d6 from your next Ability Check (once per turn)
5	Gain Half-Cover against ranged attacks / Opportunity Attacks are made at Disadvantage
6	Roll on this table again, rerolling this result on subsequent rolls. The rerolled effect now lasts until the creature starts its turn outside of the Aurora. Acquiring a duplicate effect does nothing but multiple different effects can affect a creature concurrently.

Polar Passage

Your strengthened connection to the Aurora allows you to invoke the night sky of your homeland to guide and protect your party along your adventures, granting you the following benefits:

Peace is Solitude. You gain Resistance to Cold and Radiant damage.

Sphere of Silent Night. After Concentrating for 10 minutes, you can emanate a 30-foot radius Sphere of Silent Night. The sphere is centered on you, moves with you, and lasts until you choose to end it or die. The sphere is filled with Dim Light, hedges out all non-magical environmental effects*, and freezes over the surface of liquids to allow passage across bodies of water (follows water walk rules). This feat requires Concentration to be used in combat.

Creatures within the sphere witness the skies shift to the peaceful night of the Tundra; their breath becomes foggy, their steps crunch with frost, and the brilliance of the Aurora illuminates their path forward, granting them advantage on Survival checks.

*Effects nullified are up to the DM's discretion, but may include: smoke, fire, mud, snow, sunlight, moonlight, precipitation, extreme temperatures, lack of oxygen, etc.

Australis Amplification

The Aurora recognizes your dedication and allows you to fully tap into its power. You become a conduit of the Aurora, granting you the following benefits:

Expanded Domain. The Aurora's height and radius expands up to 1 mile and can last up to 1 hour. As a Bonus Action, you can move the Aurora up to 50 feet in any direction. 

Bleak Night's Watcher. While the Aurora is active, you can cast your Druid spells that deal Cold or Radiant damage from your space or any space within the Aurora.