Druid:Circle of Fungi
Preamble
The purpose of this homebrew is to supplant the existing Circle of Spores druid as presented in the upcoming WotC book on Ravnica. I was immensely disappointed to read what Wizards had come up with; a class that was incredibly weak and uninspired, with poorly budgeted power,and incoherent vision. The circle of spores druid can't decide if it wants to be a front-line fighter, an area denial specialist, or a summoner, and it's terrible at all of these aspects. Finally, and most importantly, I really feel that the subclass as presented doesn't exemplify a lot of the more commonly envisioned aspects of fungi, namely their role in breaking down and thriving on decaying matter, and that of their infamous poison. I have endeavored to keep these in mind when designing the class, and I would like feedback on my successes or failures from a narrative standpoint just as much as I would like one from the mechanical and numerical side.
Emissaries of Decay
When you choose this circle at second level, you gain the ability to expend a spell slot to summon overgrown mushrooms to aid you as an Action. The number of mushrooms you create is equal to the spell slot you expended, so a fourth level spell slot allows the druid to create four mushrooms. These mushrooms may be attached to any surface that can reasonably support a medium sized creature within 150 feet. The mushrooms cannot be shoved, knocked prone, or subjected to any condition. They have an AC of 8 and HP equal to three times the druid's level. The mushrooms have a size of medium and grant partial cover to creatures adjacent to them. The mushrooms persist for one hour or until this ability is used again, at which point they crumble into benign spores of local fungi species.
Each mushroom looses its spores in a 5 foot radius around itself perpetually. When an enemy enters an affected space or starts it turn there, it must make a Constitution saving throw against the druid's spell DC or take poison damage equal to twice the druid's level,taking half damage on a successful save. The area affected by the spores is lightly obscured.
Deadly Bloom
When you select this circle at second level, you lose the ability to wildshape as other druids do. Instead, your single-minded devotion to the knowledge of Fungi has given you the means to greatly increase the potency of your creations for a short span of time.
Upon using your Deadly Bloom feature as a Bonus Action, all of your summoned mushrooms are fully healed and gain resistance to all damage. Additionally, their spore radius extends to 15 feet, the damage of the spores is doubled, and enemies that fail their saving throw against the damage are poisoned until the start of their next turn. These benefits last until the start of your next turn, and you have two uses of this ability. You regain expended uses when you finish a long or short rest.
Parasitic Growth
At sixth level, the spores your summoned mushrooms create have gained the ability to undergo explosive growth in freshly slain enemies.When an enemy dies and has taken damage from your Emissaries of Decay class feature since its last turn, a new mushroom grows from the creature's body, having identical statistics to those summoned by Emissaries of Decay.This consumes the creature's corpse in its entirety.
Fruits of Death
At sixth level, you gain the ability to draw out nutrients from the recently departed. If you spend one full minute of incantations over the corpse of a creature of at least ¼ CR, a number of edible mushrooms bloom from the body and can be harvested and consumed.These mushrooms are identical in effect to the goodberries produced by the Goodberry spell, and you receive a number of mushrooms equal to your wisdom modifier.
Symbiotic Senses
At tenth level, you gain the ability to symbiotically link yourself to another willing creature. This requires that you and the target creature spend eight hours undergoing a lengthy ritual in which the target creature ingests magical fungal offerings prepared by the druid. When the ritual is complete, the druid may perceive through the linked creature's senses at will as long as they are on the same plane of existence. While doing so the druid is considered to be Incapacitated, Blinded, and Deafened. Swapping between sensory input takes a bonus action in combat.
The recipient creature is fortified by the druid's spores in its body, gaining resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws against disease. If the creature is already has poison resistance, it instead gains poison immunity.
Avatar of Rot
At fourteenth level you have become an incarnation of nature's cycle of death giving way to new life, and your magics speeding the decay of your foes become irresistible. Creatures that have immunity to poison instead take half damage when affected by your spells that deal poison damage or Emissaries of Decay. Creatures that have poison resistance do not reduce the poison damage dealt by you or your Emissaries of Decay.
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If you made it through, I'd like to offer my thanks for taking to the time to look over my ideas for the subclass and please let me know what you think!
