Circle of Death, A Druid Subclass

The Circle of Death is dedicated to the study and manipulation of the energy of death. These druids see death as a necessary and natural part of the cycle of life, and believe that by understanding and accelerating this process, they can better serve the world around them.

These druids were drawn to the Circle of Death due to a life-altering event that brought them face-to-face with death. The Death Origin table provides examples.

Death Origin

d6	Origin
1	You witnessed a natural disaster that resulted in many deaths, such as a wildfire or earthquake.
2	A close friend or loved one died of an incurable illness.
3	You survived a near-death experience and realized the fragility of life.
4	Discovering an ancient burial site, you were inspired by the reverence shown to the dead.
5	The destruction caused by undead made you determined to combat their unnatural existence.
6	You helped a lost spirit move on to the afterlife.

Accelerated Demise

2nd-Level Circle of Death Feature

You wield the tools necessary to cause death. You know the chill touch cantrip and have the inflict wounds spell prepared. These count as druid spells for you, and they don’t count against the number of cantrips you know or the number of spells you can have prepared.

Form of Death

2nd-Level Circle of Death Feature

As a bonus action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape feature to take on a death form, rather than transforming into a beast.

While in your death form, you retain your game statistics, but your body becomes wreathed in shadow; your eyes are pitch black and your skin becomes pale. The form lasts for 10 minutes. It ends early if you dismiss it (no action required), are incapacitated, die, or use this feature again.

While in your death form, you gain the following benefits:

• Resistance. When you deal damage, you ignore resistance to necrotic damage.
• Morbid Strike. When you hit a creature with an attack, you can use your own endurance to wound your foe. Expend a number of hit dice up to half your level. Roll those dice. You deal necrotic damage to the creature equal to the total.
• Siphon Life. When a creature within 60 feet of you is reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to draw on their remaining vitality to fortify an ally. Choose a creature within 60 feet of you (you can choose yourself) to gain temporary hit points equal 1d6 plus half your druid level.

Ceremony of Death

6th-Level Circle of Death Feature

You and up to eight creatures can take part in a 10 minute ceremony of death to harness the energy of the fallen. You lead each creature in focused meditation for the duration. At the end of the ceremony, each creature gains the benefit of a short rest.

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

Deathless Slumber

10th-Level Circle of Death Feature

As an action, you use your magical energy of death to place a creature you can see within 120 feet into a death-like slumber. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute, appearing as if they are dead. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns and each time it is dealt damage.

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

Drain Life

14th-Level Circle of Death Feature

You draw on the very nature of death to restore your own life. You have the harm spell prepared. It counts as a druid spell for you, and doesn’t count against the number of spells you can have prepared.

Additionally, when you deal damage with the harm spell, you can choose to gain hit points equal to the damage dealt. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. You can gain an additional use of this feature at 17th-level.

Further Reading

Sylvan scale armor is perfect for a druid!

Looking for an ice wizard subclass? Take a look at the Frostweaver.