Circle of the Reef

Druids of the Circle of the Reef are guardians of the sea, protecting it from those who would damage the life within them. They draw upon the power of the reefs themselves, calling upon the crashing of waves and shifting of tides to conjure and control powerful torrents of water, washing away all enemies in sight. However, they are not cruel in their practices. Much like the sea itself, they are just as often tempestuous and merciless as they are serene and peaceful.

The animal shapes that druids of this circle transform into are almost never quite the same. Just as the power of the reef influences the shifting and changing of tides, it can also grant those that draw upon it the aquatic mutation and adaptation of its environmental denizens. Those who have witnessed those who wield this power report transformations into wolves with gills and fish fins, sharks with gull-like wings, and boars encrusted with marine shells or venomous barbs.

Druid Level	Feature
2nd	Circle Spells, Aquatic Mutation, Torrential Brine
6th	Rain Dancer, Spirit of Shoals
10th	Seaside Adaptation
14th	Guardian of the Reef

Circle Spells

Your link with the ever-changing waters of the sea grants you access to some spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Circle of the Reef Spells table. At 2nd level, you learn the shape water cantrip.

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

DRUID LEVEL	SPELLS
2nd	shape water
3rd	alter self, misty step
5th	tidal wave, wall of water
7th	control water, watery sphere
9th	cone of cold, maelstrom

Aquatic Mutation

The rites of your circle grant you the ability to transform into aquatic animal forms earlier than other druids. Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Wild Shape to transform into a beast with a swimming speed (but you must still abide by the other limitations of the Beast Shapes table). 

Additionally, you have learned to utilize the aquatic adaptivity of the reef to mutate your animal forms. When you use your Wild Shape feature, you can choose to give your new form the ability to breathe in water, as well as to have a swimming speed of 30 feet. If your wild shape already has a swimming speed, it increases by an additional 30 feet. These benefits end when your Wild Shape does.

Torrential Brine

Also at 2nd level, you can batter your foes with a torrent of pressurized brine. As an action, you can make a ranged spell attack at a creature you can see within 60 feet. On a hit, that creature takes 1d8 cold damage and must make a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, it is also knocked prone.

You can also make this attack while you are transformed by Wild Shape. While you are not using your Wild Shape feature, you gain a +1 bonus to your attack rolls with this feature. However, while using your Wild Shape feature, the +1 bonus is instead applied to your damage rolls. This bonus increases at different levels in this class, becoming +2 at level 6, and +3 at level 10.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Rain Dancer

Starting at 6th level, your body takes on the fluidity of water, allowing you to move with ease on the battlefield. Whenever you are hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to move 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.

Spirit of Shoals

Also at 6th level, you can create a mutative connection between yourself and your allies, emulating a pod of squid or a school of fish. When you use your Aquatic Mutation feature to grant yourself a swimming speed and the ability to breathe underwater, you can choose to apply the same benefits onto any friendly creatures of your choice within 60 feet of you. The number of creatures you can grant this ability to is equal to your proficiency bonus. These benefits last until your Wild Shape ends.

Seaside Adaptation

At 10th level, you learn to augment your animal forms with more than just gills and fish fins. When you use your Aquatic Mutation feature, instead of granting your Wild Shape form a swimming speed and the ability to breathe underwater, you can select one of the following five marine mutations:

• Barnacles, seashells, or fishlike scales cover your body, granting your Wild Shape form resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and also granting advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
• Crablike claws, octopus tentacles, or other such appendages sprout from your Wild Shape's back. You can try to grapple a target as a bonus action, and at the start of each of your turns, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to one creature grappled by you. This damage counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
• Deep-sea bioluminescence glimmers across your skin, causing your Wild Shape form to shed bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. Additionally, attacks with your wild shape's natural weapons deal additional radiant damage equal to 1d6 + your Wisdom modifier on a hit.
• Poisonous spines protrude from your skin, like a sea urchin or a pufferfish, deterring your enemies from attacking. A creature that touches you or hits you with a melee attack while within 5 feet of you takes poison damage equal to your proficiency bonus.
• You sprout seabird wings, manta flaps, or flying fish fins that grant your Wild shape form a flying speed of 20 feet. If your wild shape already has a flying speed, it increases by an additional 20 feet.

These benefits end when your Wild Shape does.

Guardian of the Reef

By 14th level, your connection to the reef enhances your ability to control the ebb and flow of the battlefield. As an action, you can cause a vibrant coral reef to grow around you in a 60 foot radius circle of difficult terrain that will remain there until 10 minutes have passed. You can select any creatures of your choice, including yourself, to treat this area as if it were not difficult terrain. These selected creatures also gain a bonus to all saving throws equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of +1).

Additionally, when you target a creature that is within the radius of this coral reef with your Torrential Brine feature, the +3 bonus becomes +4.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.