Circle of the Sycophant

Druids of the Circle of the Sycophant revere not the land nor the sky, and neither do they concern themselves with the balance between elements. A Sycophant is a guardian of another, more enigmatic force of nature: the parasite.

Give and take. Benefit and burden. There is no tenet but this: one must bleed to feed another.

As a Druid of Spores might protect the cycle of decay and rot, a Sycophantic Druid seeks to conserve the balance between the relationship of host and parasite—a form of life many find terrifying and abhorrent, but it is in this process that this Circle finds their unconditional love. If one argues that the Circle of the Sycophant is an evil, then they would be forced to admit that it must be a primal, natural form of evil.

Instead of choosing a Wild Shape, a Sycophantic druid can instead choose what form of parasitic life they would like to wed themself to. Writhing worms, hungry larvae, or even the burrowing roots of a corpse flower — you have tangled the line that entwines "host" and "parasite." Adherents of this Circle, though grotesque, are thoroughly accepting of those from any walk of life and tend to fall into neutral alignments.

Go, host, and spread your parasite's loving kisses.

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Circle of the Sycophant Features

Druid Level	Feature
2nd	Circle Spells, The Kissing Bough
3rd	Wriggling Embrace
6th	Host of the Lovefeast
10th	And Forsake All Others
14th	Till Death Do Us Part

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Circle of the Sycophant Spells

Your link to parasites grants you access to certain spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to the spells listed for that level in the 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.

At 2nd level, you learn the infestation cantrip.

Druid Level	Spells
3rd	spider climb, warding bond
5th	conjure animals, vampiric touch
7th	blight, confusion
9th	insect plague, geas

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Our Chittering Vows

Available from 1st level, Our Chittering Vows is a ritual allowing communication with the parasites that surround you. A parasite's host does not need to be aware of this and will not notice unless alerted. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, and you regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Our Chittering Vows

1st level divination (ritual)

Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: Self
Components: F S
Duration: 10 Minutes

You gain the ability to comprehend and communicate with parasites for the duration, and can speak with them as in a normal conversation. The knowledge and awareness of many parasites is limited, but if applicable, parasites can give you information about the host and its immediate surroundings, including the host's actions within the past day. You might be able to persuade a parasite to exert its will, however small, at the GM's discretion.

If applicable, you are able to ask parasites questions about its host by passing a Wisdom check. You may only commune with beings of the natural world.

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The Kissing Bough

Starting at 2nd level, you are aware of the nature of the parasite — your devotion has allowed you to understand the essence of host and guest, of benefit and burden. By sacrificing the energy of one creature, you are able to heal another.

In Sickness and in Health

One creature will take necrotic damage that is equal to your hit dice. In turn, the other creature will heal for the damage inflicted in a 1:1 ratio. The amount of damage inflicted scales with your hit dice (eg. 2nd level druid takes 1d8 damage, 3rd level takes 2d8 damage, etc.) Should the drained creature's hit points reach 0 during the process, it will fall unconscious. There is no such thing as mutual benefit.

At 6th level, you are able to instead sacrifice the health of an available Cradled host to heal a target: you or another companion. The host does not need to be willing. Unlike with the above choices, should a Cradled's hit points reach 0 when it is being drained, it will die.

Mine Dower. You take damage, and one willing target you touch regains a number of hit points equal to your damage.
Thy Dowry. You may regain your own health by leeching the hit points of a willing target. The chosen creature will take damage equal to the scaling of your hit dice, and you will gain that amount.
Thine Wedded Bliss. By placing your hands upon two willing creatures, you are able to transfer health between them. As above, the necrotic damage taken/healed is equal to your hit dice scaling, rather than the stats of either party. You do not benefit nor come to harm from the transfer.

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Wriggling Embrace

Starting at 3rd level, your body is home to the parasitic life that you have devoted yourself to. Your parasite-riddled body is unsuited for transformation, leaving you unable to use your Wild Shape to take on a beastly form, and it is replaced by the Wriggling Embrace. You can use this feature a number of times as equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1.) You will regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.

When a visible creature moves into a space within 5 feet of you, you can expend a use of Wriggling Embrace to hurl parasites in a cone towards that creature unless it succeeds on a Dexterity saving throw against your Druid Spell Save DC.

If it fails, the target will become Cradled and infested by 1d4 of your parasites, taking 1d2 piercing damage per parasite. If it succeeds, a creature takes 1d2 piercing damage and avoids becoming infested. A target has until the end of its next turn to remove the parasites before they burrow inside.

The Cradled

While the target is Cradled, it takes 1d4 necrotic damage per burrowed parasite each turn. The necrotic damage increases to 1d6 at 6th level, 1d8 at 10th level, and 1d10 at 14th level. If the target's hit points reach 0 while Host of the Lovefeast is not active, it becomes unconscious. If this creature removes the parasites at any point or becomes affected by the Host of the Lovefeast, then it will cease to take the necrotic damage.

• any effect that cures disease kills all parasites
• target cannot regain hit points while the condition is active
• undead and creatures without corpreal flesh cannot become Cradled; undead can receive the piercing damage of the initial burrowing but cannot become infested

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Host of the Lovefeast

Starting at 6th level, the parasites you have gifted gain the ability to control the behavior of their Cradled host. As a druid of the Circle of the Sycophant, you have the chance of also extending your influence to the infested target as well. The target is functionally a zombie, but is not undead.

If a creature affected by Wriggling Embrace reaches 0 hitpoints, you can use Host of the Lovefeast to gain influence over the target, and it "reanimates" itself with 1 hitpoint. The target functions as if it were charmed and you can attempt to issue simple commands to the creature. If prompted, the target makes a Charisma saving throw against your command: if it is successful, the target will ignore you and instead follow the Will of the Sycophant. If it fails, you control the creature's action for the next turn.

Any effect that cures disease will kill all parasites infesting the target and it will become unconscious.

Will of the Sycophant

The infested will ignore your commands and instead begin to function as a neutral party. It will operate in an almost zombified state and values only self-preservation; however, it is still charmed towards you and any other Cradled. They have a tendency to wander off if not being controlled or interacted with.

This is a GM-controlled state, unless the target's saving throw against a command fails. 

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And Forsake All Others

Starting at 10th level, the mass within you grants resistance to certain status condition, and you cannot be charmed or blinded.

If only you knew how much of your will was already not your own. It is not only your eyes that are looking out.

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Till Death Do Us Part

Starting at 14th level, you can channel the power of nature to gain full mastery over parasitic creatures. To command a parasite, you must be able to speak with it via your Our Chittering Vows ritual, though you may issue your commands mentally if desired. The number of times per day that you can use this ability is equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.

The effectiveness of this ability is highly variable, as while most creatures have at least one parasite joined to them in some form, it is not always able to exert noticeable control over a host's behavior. Even so, do not forget the infected mouse that seeks out the cat, insects that are forced to climb into the sky, or the worm that compels a cricket to drown itself...

Can you compel a parasite to damage its host immune system, leaving it poisoned or prone? Can you force the monstrous worm to burrow out of the Giant Spider it resides in; the woodworms from the Treant? Consider the magical creatures that inhabit this world—what life might dwell within them? In most situations, the potential of this ability rests upon both the creativity and biological knowledge of your GM: seek nature for inspiration.

Till Death Do You Part

6th level enchantment

Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 60 feet
Components: F S
Duration: Concentration

You attempt to beguile a parasite that you can see within range. It must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for the duration. If you or creatures that are friendly to you are fighting against its host, it has advantage on the saving throw. While the parasite is charmed, you have a telepathic link with it as long as the two of you are on the same plane of existence. You can use this telepathic link to issue commands to the creature while you are conscious (no action required), which it does its best to obey. You can specify a simple and general course of action that is possible within the situation.

If the target has been fully infested by your own parasites, then you are able to take total and precise control of the target, without need of an initial Wisdom saving throw. Until the end of your next turn, the creature takes only the Actions you choose, and doesn't do anything that you don't allow it to do. During this time, you can also cause the creature to use a Reaction, but this requires you to use your own Reaction as well.

Each time the target takes damage, it makes a new Wisdom saving throw against the spell. If the saving throw succeeds, the spell ends.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell with a 6th-level spell slot, the Duration is Concentration, up to 1 hour. When you use a 7th-level spell slot, the Duration is Concentration, up to 8 hours. When you use a spell slot of 9th level or higher, the Duration is Concentration, up to 24 hours.