Circle of the Subtle Realm (5e Subclass)
Circle of the Subtle Realm[edit]
The Subtle Realm is another reality that exists just at the edge of human perception. It is a dark reflection of the mortal realm, filled with aberrations and monstrosities that defy description and which warp and distend reality with their constant efforts to escape into the world of the living. The realm is closer to the mortal universe than any other, and yet at the same time it is infinitely distant from it. This contradiction is maintained by the presence of the Old Ones within the Subtle Realm- Ged, Nul and M'shukk, monstrous godlike abominations that are contradictions of all the laws of logic and reality.
A druid never sets out to become a member of the circle of the Subtle Realm. Instead, their powers are warped and distorted by the influence of the Subtle Realm as it bleeds into the universe, corrupting the natural world that the druid had bound themselves to. After a time, the influence of the other reality warps the druid's mind, pushing them to the very brink of madness and often beyond if the druid's will is not great enough. Those that fail to master the power of the Subtle Realm become gibbering, useless wrecks. Those that maintain their lucidity can draw some level of power out of the Subtle Realm for their own use as well as summoning some of its horrors to serve them- though it's never truly clear whom is the servant and whom the master.
- Reality Distortion
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the ability to flicker in and out of reality. By spending a bonus action on your turn, you can impose disadvantage on each attack roll made against you until the beginning of your next turn. During this period, whenever an attack misses you, you may teleport up to 10 feet. Once you have used this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
- Bring Forth the Strange
Starting at 2nd level, you can call creatures out of the Subtle Realm to do your bidding. By spending a minute in meditation, you may call forth any number of different aberrations from the Subtle Realm with total challenge rating of up to 5 or lower and no greater than half your druid level. The creatures remain for one hour, until they drop to 0 hit points or until you use an action to dismiss them. The aberrations are friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for each of them, as they have their own turns. They only obey verbal commands that you issue them (no action required). If you don't issue any commands to the aberrations, they defend themselves from hostile creatures but otherwise take no actions. If your concentration is broken, as though concentrating on a spell, you lose control of the aberrations and they become hostile towards you and your companions and might attack. They disappear when they drop to 0 hit points or one hour after they were summoned. You may only control creatures with total challenge rating of 5 or lower at one time and, once you have summoned a number of creatures with total challenge rating equal to half your druid level, rounded up, you can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
- Distortion Strikes
Starting at 6th level, your weapons slip in and out of the Subtle Realm when you attack, rippling and distorting as they deliver deadly blows. You may use your wisdom modifier for the attack and damage rolls of weapon attacks you make, rather than your strength or dexterity modifier. These attacks deal force damage rather than their normal damage type.
- Aberrant Leash
At 10th level, you gain a greater control over those creatures of the Subtle Realm that you summon. When you lose control of a creature that you summon, either because it has been one hour since you summoned it or you lose concentration, you may expend a spell slot with level equal to or greater than its challenge rating as a reaction to regain your control over it. If you lose control of multiple creatures, you may expend separate spell slots for each of them selectively, or regain control of all of them with a single spell slot of level equal to or greater than their total challenge rating. Doing so extends the time that their summoning lasts for one hour.
- Subtle Selves
At 14th level, you can pull flickering, warping versions of yourself from the Subtle Realm to protect you from enemy attack. You may cast the Mirror Image spell at will, without expending a spell slot. Once you've used this feature, you can't use it again until you've finished a short or long rest.
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