Circle of the Dead

Druids have always been attuned to the cyclical nature of... well nature. There's an ebb and flow to nature, an up and down, peace and chaos, life and death. They know that all good things must come to an end, and that the end of one thing is just the beginning of something new. There's a circle of druids that focus on that "something new". They focus on taking the end of one thing, being death, and turning it into something new, being undeath.

Circle Spells

2nd-level Circle of the Dead feature

Your ability to tap into the cycle of life and death grants you access to certain spells. At 2nd level, you learn the sapping sting and spare the dying cantrip.

You gain access to the Circle of the Dead Spell List

Circle of the Dead Spells

Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, Animate Dead, Blight, Circle of Death, Clone, Cloudkill, Confusion, Contagion, Create Undead, Danse Macabre, Decompose, Enervation, False Life, Finger of Death, Gaseous Form, Gentle Repose, Harm, Inflict Wounds, Life Transference, Negative Energy Flood, Power Word Kill, Raise Dead, Resurrection, Sapping Sting, Soul Cage, Spare the Dying, Speak with Dead, Summon Undead, Time Ravage, Vampiric Touch

Foster Carcass

3rd Level Circle of the Dead feature.

You've learned to bolster the life of a carcass. Twice per long rest, you may use your action to cast Animate Dead at 3rd level without expending a spell slot. The level of the spell increases to 4th level when you reach a Druid level of 9, 5th at level 13, and 6th at level 17.

Forsaken Mutation

2nd Level Circle of the Dead feature.

As a Circle of the Dead druid, your Wild Shape forms are less attuned to your connection to nature and magic, but rather to your studying of the dead.

You may spend 1d10 minutes to study any carcass. Once you do you may add the creature to your Wild Shape forms list if it is a Beast or Undead carcass. Any other creatures will use the zombie stat block.

When transforming into a beast, your body twists and turns and reshapes itself into a muscle and bone construct of the beast. When turning into an undead, you temporarily decay your body into its form. When turning into another humanoid, your move your bone structure into the position of the humanoid, with imperfections like skin tears, skin decoloration, and exposed bone (a creature may make a perception check decided upon by your DM to notice these imperfections). Any other creature you transform into, you reshape your body into a muscle and bone construct of it, unable to utilize any of its abilities.

Other Wild Shape restrictions still apply.

Subjugate the Perishing

6th-level Circle of the Dead feature
Your spores gain the ability to infest a corpse and animate it. If a beast or a humanoid that is Small or Medium dies within 10 feet of you, you can use your reaction to animate it, causing it to stand up immediately with 1 hit point. The creature uses the zombie stat block in the Monster Manual. It remains animate for 1 hour, after which time it collapses and dies.

In combat, the zombie’s turn comes immediately after yours. It obeys your mental commands, and the only action it can take is the Attack action, making one melee attack.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

You have discovered a way to utilize the large amount of remaining energy in a body that has just passed on, giving the body a bolt of adrenalistic energy. If a beast, humanoid, or undead that is Small or Medium dies within 10 feet of you, you can use your reaction to animate it, causing it to stand up immediately with 1 hit point. The creature uses the zombie stat block in the Monster Manual. It remains animate for up to 1 hour, after which time it collapses and dies.

In combat, the zombie’s turn comes immediately after yours. It obeys your mental commands, and the only action it can take is the Attack action, making one melee attack.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

 

Corpse Explosion

10th-level Circle of the Dead feature

As a bonus action, you may cause a carcass or pile of pones to rupture, causing an explosion. Creatures within 15 ft of the corpse must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or take 2d8 bludgeoning damage, if a carcass, or piercing damage, if a pile of bones, half on a successful save.

You may do a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier per long rest.

Feeblation

14th-level Circle of the Dead feature

You may use your action, bonus action, reaction, and movement to force a creature within 60 feet of you to make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. If they fail, roll a d10. They age that many years, take that much damage, and suffer a single point of exhaustion. If they succeed nothing happens.

You may opt to retain concentration on the spell, lending you motionless and defenseless until the end of your next turn. If you do, all attacks made against you are at advantage, any hits auto crit, and you make concentration checks at disadvantage until your concentration breaks, giving you a single point of exhaustion, you release your concentration, or the target dies. The creature you have targeted is stunned and may use their action to make another Constitution saving throw to break free. All subsequent turns that you maintain concentration on this ability, roll an additional d10 when determining the age and damage, and they take an additional point of exhaustion.

Once you have used this ability, you must spend an entire week resting before using this ability again.