Circle of Light

"I was very young. My appearance changed due to time... understanding... and a shift of values. I was a dragon that didn't care about people. Unalloyed gold. But my mother. My father. My sister. My family. Humanity. Blue is the color of the sky they are all under. It is endlessly beautiful. I wanted people to see that blue sky when they look at me. I am still gold but I am endlessly beautiful. We all live under the same sky. And I love that we do." ~ Qingamel

It's oftentimes that Druids are depicted as simple elementalists. Weavers of frost or fire. On the surface this stands true; yet the astute recognize too that in nature there are ways of life and that in nature there too are scholars. For part of life too is enlightenment, venerable sages that aim to truly understand the world around them through virtue and humanity. In this way, light is the most humane element of all. Light is yearning.

Tucked away in groups hidden, scholars learn to manifest their own yearning into a strength. An ideal to band around. There is no true Circle of Light, just as there too is no Elysium. There are those who are desperate to get in, and those who are desperate to get out. Perhaps Elysium is not a place one can ever truly reach. And though to create a paradise without borders or distinctions upon a land overflowing with bitterness and sorrow — though it might be but a childish delusion, it may yet be a foundation for the future. Seldom do we share the same dreams of paradise. Covenants of Light take many names, some simple and some complex; Heroes, Flower-seekers, Mirror Seers. Yet all are dreamers united by this ideal, this yearning.

The Enlightenment

Upon selecting this circle at 2nd level, you become enlightened and learn the Minor Illusion cantrip. This cantrip doesn't count against the number of Druid cantrips you know. You also gain proficiency in one skill of your choosing between Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, or Religion and add your Wisdom bonus to checks made with any of the listed skills. Finally, you become aware of an inner power; a light held within yourself that you can shape and meld. See the Inner Light class feature for more information.

At 13th level, you gain an additional skill proficiency from the listed options above.

Multiclassing into or out of this subclass prevents a student of the Circle of Light from using later subclass features, representing straying from the path of wisdom and humanity.

Arcana

You become proficient in Arcana

History

You become proficient in History

Investigation

You become proficient in Investigation

Nature

You become proficient in Nature

Religion

You become proficient in Religion

Inner Light

Your inner light is a manifestation of the control, dedication, and temperance put into reaching a higher enlightenment. This inner light manifests as an emanation around you with an appearance of your choosing and a size equal to your proficiency bonus multiplied by your Wisdom modifier (rounded up in multiples of five). This light starts out unrefined and chaotic, yet as you gain Druid levels your light takes on a more refined and dignified appearance. Inner Light techniques may be used as a free action on your turn unless stated otherwise, and you may have any amount of these techniques active equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded up). You may also choose at any time to make your light glow, your Inner Light creates a 10 ft. radius of bright light around yourself that may be snuffed at any time. You start with the following Inner Light techniques;

• En. You enhance a special sense in which you perceive light. Until the start of your next turn, you concentrate on one of the following spells without any spellcasting components; Detect Evil and Good, Detect Magic, Detect Poison and Disease, or Locate Object. These spells have a range equal to the range of your Inner Light. Hostile creatures may make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC to avoid being detected in this way, where the spell then fails to detect them, but are regardless unaware that they're being targeted. Willing creatures perceived in this way additionally have their own Inner Light shown to you; a chaotic and unrefined aura around the creature that takes an appearance of their choosing accurately reflecting what elements or supernatural effects they lean towards using. This information is not provided directly to you and instead must be intuited through the appearance of the creatures light, and this instance of inner light does not exude any form of brightness. Viewing a creatures light in this way reveals to you the following information; creature type, class abilities, level/cr, and alignment.

• Ren. You expand the emanation representing your inner light out an additional amount of feet equal to your level multiplied by 5. While your light is expanded, you gain advantage on Charisma checks made against creatures within your light. As an action while your light is expanded, you may exude ill intent to creatures of your choosing within; when this happens creatures must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened of you until they leave your lights range.

• Ten. You envelop your inner light around yourself, engulfing hostile aura effects. For the duration you lose any other benefit of the affected light and instead any ongoing harmful aura effects (such as a Nightwalker’s Aura of Annihilation) are suppressed until the effect ends if your light has a greater range. Additionally while enveloped by your light, your unarmed strike die is changed to 1d6 and considered magical if you do not have an unarmed die, and you gain bonus movement speed equal to half your lights size (rounded up in multiples of five).
  
  
• Zetsu. You contain your light in a concealing field within yourself. You concentrate on this ability and for the duration cannot be perceived through sensory magic

Nascency

Additionally upon selecting this circle, you gain the power to manifest and invoke the light born of strong emotions throughout your life into a source of powerful energy. As a bonus action at the cost of a Wildshape charge, you clear your mind and manifest this light around yourself in the form of a flickering golden flame of life for the next minute. While this flame is manifested, you enter the Heart state. While in the Heart state, the life energies you manifest burn in a protective manifestation around you. Your base movement speed is increased by 10 feet and the first time on a turn you would be damaged you reduce the damage by an amount equal to your proficiency bonus (minimum of 1). This does not stack with other forms of damage reduction, and is applied before resistances. Your magic too is drawn to your light; you may target your light with spells while in this state as if always in range. Finally while in this state, you become immune to effects that would outright kill you.

As a free action on any turn, you may expend a spell slot of a level equal to your proficiency bonus to convert this state from Heart into Hope. Hope manifests as bands of light that form around parts of your body. These bands multiply the strength behind the attacks you make and exude bright light within a range of 10 ft. around you when they're conjured. While in the Hope state, you add your proficiency bonus to the damage roll of the first attack you make that hits on a turn.

Expanded Spell List

You additionally learn the following spells on the table below. These are considered Druid spells that are always prepared, and do not count against the number of spells you may have prepared;

Extra Attack; Despair

Upon reaching 6th level in this class, you come to understand the sorrow found in light. The light that follows you is an ephemeral thing, destined to one day fade away. Through recognition of this despair, you gain a new strength. When you take the attack action, you may attack twice instead of once. Making a Melee weapon attack while in the Hope state allows you to additionally conjure bands of light around your weapon that empower the strike. A number of bands of light may be conjured on the turn you attack total equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) and divided in any amount of your choosing between any amount of attacks you make. One band of light each adds an additional die count to your weapons base damage. Alternatively when you manifest a band of light, you may use it to bolster a Strength, Dexterity or Constitution ability or skill check that you make. You add a flat +2 bonus to  checks made for each band of light that bolsters it in this way.

Finally your Inner Light becomes more refined. You gain the following abilities as an expansion of the Inner Light feature;

• In. You may now choose to concentrate on this effect (as if concentrating on a spell) to hide your light from others. While concentrating on this effect, features from the Inner Light class feature are now invisible to creatures that cannot perceive your inner light (most creatures cannot perceive your inner light in this way, the few exceptions including other druids of this subclass or creatures with true-sight).
  
  
• Shu. You may attach your light to a creature, object or space; this creature, object or space is instead what your light is centered around for the duration. If centered around an object then the object additionally becomes magical for the duration and has a magical damage die of 1d4 if it did not have one. This deals either bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage chosen when you make these attacks. Your DM may add additional effects to these objects at their discretion. An unwilling creature targeted by this effect may make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC, on a success avoiding bearing your light.

Tinged Memories

Upon reaching 10th level in this class. you grow ever proficient in manifesting your light. You now gain the ability to tinge it with the powerful emotions drawn from memories of your life. Once during your turn, you may align your light to one of three emotions; Joy, Wrath or Sorrow. While aligned to one of these memories, you gain the following benefits until you change your alignment;

Joy. Your light is invigorating, a joyful memory of life that makes creatures want to get up and go. While your light has Joy alignment, you and friendly creatures within your light may use their reaction to an allied creatures turn starting or ending to move up to their movement speed. Additionally you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws. Finally while you are in the Heart or Hope state, you may convert the damage done of spells you cast to Lightning damage.

Sorrow. Your light is pensive, a sorrowful memory of life that suppresses strong emotions. While your light has Sorrow alignment, you and friendly creatures within your light become indifferent about creatures of your choice that you are hostile toward and your light now exudes dim light within 5 ft. of the source at all times. Finally while you are in the Heart or Hope state, you may convert the damage done of spells you cast to Cold damage.

Wrath. Your light is burning and righteous, a wrathful memory of life that incites retribution. While your light has Wrath alignment, you and friendly creatures within your light may take their level or challenge rating in fire damage that cannot be reduced to make an attack as a bonus action. If this attack is made, creatures have advantage on attacks made against the attacker until the start of their next turn. Finally while you are in the Heart or Hope state, you may manifest an additional band of light and may convert the damage done of spells you cast to Fire damage.

Additionally as part of this feature, you gain the ability as an action to manifest the light of your memories in a 5 ft. space around you as an illusion. Doing so allows you to access details from your own past with perfect accuracy. You may expend a spell slot when you use this action to multiply the space in which this illusion takes up by an amount equal to the spells level.

Renaissance

Upon reaching 14th level in this class, you gain the first semblances of true mastery towards light. Your mastery becomes something you can share, something you can cultivate in others. When you take an action, you may also force a creature within 10 ft. of yourself to make a saving throw using their spellcasting stat (or alternatively Constitution if the creature is not a spellcaster) on a failure forcing them to be encased in your light for the next minute. Only one creature at a time may ever bear your light, and while doing so is always considered within your light. An unwilling creature may repeat this saving throw at the end of their turns, ending the effect on a success. Additionally as part of your mastery of light, you gain one final upgrade to your Inner Light feature and your Ren feature is now improved;

• Ren (Enhanced). You expand the emanation representing your inner light out an additional amount of feet equal to your level multiplied by 5. Additionally the first time on a turn where you use Ren, you may choose to instead release it in a violent burst that takes the form of a 30 ft. cone or 60 ft. line. Creatures within range must succeed on a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC or be shoved away up to 10 feet and knocked prone. If a creature carries your light when they fail this saving throw, your light violently tears through them; the affected creature gains the poisoned condition until the end of their next turn. While your light is expanded, you gain advantage on Charisma checks made against creatures within your light. As an action while your light is expanded, you may exude ill intent to creatures of your choosing within; when this happens creatures must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened of you until they leave your lights range. This frighten effect pierces immunity to the frightened condition.

• Inner Light: Conjuration. You may choose as a bonus action to emit your inner light as a tiny object that fills a space within 5 feet. You may freely move this object an amount of feet equal to your proficiency bonus multiplied by 5. Each object created in this way counts as a separate instance of an Inner Light ability being used.

When a friendly creature bears your light, they have their own personal light awakened for a time. They may use the Ten, Ren, Zetsu and En features of Inner Light with the following changes; the range of their light is now calculated as half their level or challenge rating multiplied by the stat used in the initial saving throw of this ability.