Circle of Elemental Beasts

A circle for druids who want to unleash the fury of the elements through their fragile but deadly Wild Shapes.

A wolf's maw crackles with lightning. It pounces on its prey, jaws closing around the jugular, as the prey's body convulses with electric shock. An hawk with wings aflame scouts through a burning forest to find safe passage for its allies. A black bear is hit by an axe only to explode with icy energy, freezing its attackers solid.

Druids of the Circle of the Elements study the wild and devastating forces that test the resilience of any ecosystem - blizzards, wildfire, lightning storms and other elemental phenomena. They learn to imbue themselves with the energies of these elements - for research, survival, or power.

In combat, these druids use their Wild Shape enhanced by an Elemental Aura to strike fast and hard against their enemies. These forms are usually short-lived but devastating - reflecting the natural phenomena from which they take their inspiration.

Elemental Aura

At 2nd level, you learn to cloak your beast form in an Elemental Aura. When you are in a beast form granted by the Wild Shape feature, you may use a bonus action and expend a spell slot of first level or higher to summon an Elemental Aura. Each time, you can choose from fire, cold, or lightning aura. When the aura is summoned, all creatures within 5 ft of you must succeed on a saving throw or take 2d6 damage of that element type, plus an additional 1d6 for each slot level above 1st. Save DC is your Druid Spell Save DC. Save type is Con for Cold, Dex for Fire and Lightning.

You can only have one active aura at a time. When cloaked in this aura, you replace the beast's attack modifier with your spell attack modifier. Also, while the aura is active, all damage from your beast-form attacks is converted to the active aura's element (fire, cold, or lightning).

While the aura is active, you have resistance to the chosen element.

The aura has obvious visual effects. Creatures with sight can recognize the type of element that envelopes you.

The Elemental Aura, and all associated effects, end when you revert to your normal form.

Elemental Burst

At 6th level, when an aura ends, you can release the energy in an Elemental Burst. When you revert to your normal form while under an active Elemental Aura, you can use a reaction to expend a spell slot. When you do so, each creature of your choice within 20 ft of you makes a saving throw. On a failed save, they take 2d6 damage for each level of spell slot expended. On a successful save, they take half damage.

Save DC is your Druid Spell Save DC. Save type is Con for Cold, Dex for Fire and Lightning.

Dazzling Aura

At 10th level, you learn to control the visual effects of the aura for your purposes. In combat, the shimmering or obscuring of the aura covers any obvious openings in your defenses. When you activate an Elemental Aura, you gain temporary hit points equal to twice your level in this class. They are lost when you revert to your normal form.

Additionally, you can control the visual effects of the aura to awe, entertain, or intimidate. When you have an active Elemental Aura, you have advantage on Performance checks. If the beast form under the aura is of CR 1, you also have advantage on Intimidation checks.

Fury of the Elements

At 14th level, when you have an active Elemental Aura, each successful attack in your beast form deals an additional 1d8 damage. When an attack hits, it can be further empowered with one spell slot of upto 5th level. The added damage from the spell slot is 1d8 per slot level.

Lingering Energy

At 14th level, you continue to draw on traces of elemental power even outside the Elemental Aura. When you have no active Elemental Aura and a creature takes damage from one of your spells or attacks, you deal an additional 1d8 damage to that creature. This damage can be fire, cold, or lightning. Once you deal this damage to one creature, you cannot use this feature again until the start of your next turn. This feature affects your normal form and your non-elemental beast forms.