Circle of Monsters (5e Subclass)

Circle of Monsters

AI generated image of Circle of Monsters druid making new friends.

Druid Subclass

The natural world includes more than just the plants and beasts. There are exotic and terrifying life forms that are just as alive and natural as any wolf or bird or alligator. Druids of the Circle of Monsters accept these bizarre creatures as part of the ecosystem to be cherished and protected. They feel a kinship to the monstrosities of the world, and the monsters feel that kinship back. Sometimes.

Monstrous Presence

At 2nd level, monstrosities see you as one of their own and will not attack you unprovoked. Any monstrosity within 60 feet of you is charmed by you. Beasts and abominations with intelligence 5 or below are also susceptible. This is an innate ability which is always active for you.

This benefit can be expanded into a 15-foot aura to allow your allies to also charm monstrosities. To summon this aura, use an action to expend a spell slot of any level. The aura lasts 10 minutes and requires your concentration. Leaving the aura or doing anything harmful to the monstrosity or one of its allies will break the benefit of this charm.

While your aura is active, you can also attempt to influence monstrosities within 60 feet of you. If you make a simple request (“Don’t attack my friends” or “Go away” or “Fetch me that potion”), the monstrosity attempts a Wisdom save versus your spell save DC. The level of the spell slot used to trigger the aura is added to the DC; the monstrosity adds its CR to its roll (minimum +1). If they succeed, they are no longer charmed by you and no longer see you as one of their own. A failed save means they will comply. A request to do harm to themselves or one of their allies automatically breaks the charm. Once an individual monstrosity has broken your charm, you can’t attempt to charm that one again until you finish a long rest.

At 12th level and above, the aura no longer requires concentration. Monstrosities immune to the charmed condition are immune to this effect.

Monstrous Familiar

Also at 2nd level, you can expend a use of your wild shape to summon a monstrosity familiar with a CR up to 1/2. As a bonus action, you can command the familiar to take the Attack action, and/or when you take the Attack action, you can forgo one of your own attacks to allow your familiar to use its reaction to make one attack. It may use any of the actions in its stat block but does not get multiattack. It also has half the hit points of a true specimen (this one is a fey, like familiars from the Find Familiar spell). If it forces a save, it uses your spell save DC. Everything else is as in the Find Familiar spell.

At 9th level, this familiar can be up to CR 1. At 15th level, it can be up to CR 2. Since not all monstrosities are well cataloged, the familiar you summon might be some new monstrosity instead of one with a fixed CR. In that case, the monstrosity will have a combination of abilities as described in the Unknown Monstrosity Stats section at the end of this listing.

Monstrous Transformation

At 6th level, your affinity with monstrosities allows you to become one of them. You can use your wild shape to transform into a creature classified as a monstrosity with a CR of up to one fourth your Druid level, rounded down. You gain all the properties and abilities of the monstrosity except any legendary actions, legendary resistances, or lair actions. You maintain your mental attributes, but if the monstrosity has penalties to a mental attribute, you incur that penalty. You may maintain this shape for a number of minutes equal to 5 times your proficiency bonus.

When you gain the Archdruid feature at level 20, you can still only transform into a monstrosity three times between long rests.

Monstrous Attack

At 10th level, your attacks gain monstrous effects. Once per turn when you deal damage with a melee attack or a druid cantrip, the target must make a save or suffer an effect as in the table (your choice each time):

Save vs.	Consequence
Strength	knocked back 10 feet or knocked prone (your choice)
Dexterity	reduce speed by 15 feet
Constitution	poisoned until the end of your next turn
Intelligence	-1d4 on attack rolls until the end of your next turn
Wisdom	take extra 1d12 + your Wisdom modifier psychic damage
Charisma	disadvantage on saving throws until the end of your next turn

Summon Monstrosities

At 14th level, you can pull monstrosities to your location and unleash them on your foes. As an action, expend a spell slot of 6th level or higher to summon monstrosities that you have seen before. The monstrosities appear in empty spaces that you can see within 120 feet of you. The combined CRs of the summoned monstrosities is equal to 1 + the level of the spell slot expended.

You have no control over these monstrosities beyond what your Monstrous Presence feature provides, however your aura is active while you concentrate on this feature. They will most likely be hostile toward you, your allies, and your enemies. Their presence requires your concentration as if concentrating on a spell. If your concentration is relinquished or after 10 minutes, the monstrosities return to wherever they came from. If a summoned creature drops to zero hit points, it is deceased and does not disappear when the spell ends.

Unique Familiar Stats

Your monstrous familiar is unique. Its appearance can be anything you wish, but its features are purchased from the table below. You can spend 4 points plus 6 for each CR level (3 for CR 1/2).

AI generated image of several unique monstrousities.

Unique Monstrosity

Tiny Monstrosity, Neutral

Armor Class 11 (natural armor)

Hit Points 18 (5d6)

Speed 25

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
12 (+1)	12 (+1)	12 (+1)	7 (-2)	12 (+1)	7 (-2)

Saving Throws Proficient in one of choice

Skills Pick 2 of Athletics, Acrobatics, Stealth, Perception

Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 11

Languages Understands one language you speak

Challenge varies

Proficiency Bonus +2 + CR

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage.

Claw/Limb Attack Melee Weapon Attack: + 5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) slashing or bludgeoning damage. The above are the baseline statistics. Add to them by spending points on the table below.

Unique Monstrosity Table

Point Cost	Trait
1	Add 10 (3d6) hit points
1	Add 2 to AC
1	Add 1d6+1 to one attack's damage (same or different type) and +1 to hit with that attack.
1	Add one skill
2	Add a damage resistance
3	Add a damage immunity
2	Fly speed equal to walking speed (no hover)
3	Fly speed equal to walking speed (with hover)
1	Swim or burrow speed equal to walking speed
1	Increase one speed by 20 ft. or all speeds by 10 ft.
2	Teleportation: use half movement to teleport 30 ft. once per turn
2 ea.	Bigger size (ex. tiny to small or small to medium); add +1 to all damages
2	Ranged attack: +4 to hit, range 30/60, one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) bludgeoning/piercing/acid/poison damage.
1	Claw/Limb attack has reach.
1	Increase ranged attack range by 20 ft.
2	Special sight/sense: one of the following: blindsight 10 ft., truesight 30 ft. tremorsense 40 ft., or see invisibility 40 ft.
1	Add a save proficiency
2	Add a 1st level spell effect (Wis-based; no concentration; cast once per initiative)
3	Add a 1st level spell effect (Wis-based; with concentration; cast once per initiative)
2	One attack type triggers save-or-consequence (DC 11 + CR) Choose one: Str vs. knocked 10 ft.; Dex vs. prone; Con vs. poisoned; Int vs. no reactions; Wis vs. frightened; Cha vs. -1d4 next attack; Time-relevant consequences last until the start of the monstrosity's next turn.
3	Multiattack (2 different attacks per turn)
1	Breathe underwater
2	Turn invisible until it uses any action

Other special abilities can be substituted. Consult with your DM to determine the cost and viability of your ideas.

2.00

(one vote)

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