The Circle of Withering: A Druid Subclass

Druidic necromancy is among the most well-known druidic traditions in Aotra. The Witherers are the archetypal necromancers, but they are not the only druids to practice necromancy; nevertheless, many Aotrans think first of the Witherers when they think of the grim arts. At its core, druidic necromancy is a gentle, respectful tradition, one as bound up in preserving life as it is in giving the dead dignity and purpose after death.

By nature of Aotran beliefs about souls, necromancy is far from a taboo in Aotra; after all, once the soul passes on into the Myth, the body is nothing but food for the worms. Many are at least a little squeamish about necromantic practices, and few would choose to be the one to perform the rituals that turn corpses to laborers, but the vast majority are comfortable reaping the rewards of this sort of necromancy.

Circle of Withering Features

Druid Level	Features
2nd	Circle Spells, Mercy-Bringer, Witherer's Lore
6th	Grim Totem
10th	Skillful Resurrectionist
14th	Master of Undeath

Circle Spells

Your intuitive understanding of the life and death cycle grants you power over it. You learn the spare the dying and toll the dead cantrips.

At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to the spells listed for that level in the Circle of Withering Spells table. Once you gain access to one of these spells, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn’t appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you.

Circle of Withering Spells

Druid Level	Spells
2nd	spare the dying, toll the dead
3rd	gentle repose, healing spirit
5th	animate dead, revivify
7th	aura of life, death ward
9th	antilife shell, raise dead

Mercy-Bringer

In your hands lies the power to defend the lives of those not meant to perish yet, and to bring a swift and precise death to those whose time has come. At 2nd level, when you or a creature you can see within 30 feet hits with an attack roll, you can use your reaction to turn that hit into a critical hit. Additionally, when a creature you can see within 30 feet of you lands a critical hit, you can use your reaction to turn that attack into a normal hit.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus, rounded up. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Witherer's Lore

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you have advantage on Intelligence and Wisdom ability checks to identify, track, and recall information about undead creatures and necromantic magic.

Grim Totem

At 6th level, you can perform a ritual to perfect your necromantic summons. When you cast animate dead, you can spend an additional 10 minutes casting the spell to create a grim totem for each undead you create with the spell, crafting it from a shard of bone from the corpse and a piece of your own hair. While you possess the grim totems of any undead created by that spell, you gain the following benefits:

• The undead linked to a grim totem remains under your control as long as its totem exists; you do not need to re-cast animate dead to maintain control over it.
• If you give a grim totem to one of your companions, that creature can mentally command the undead linked to that totem, as long as that creature is within 60 feet of the undead.
• You can use a bonus action and expend a use of your Wildshape feature to bolster the undead under your command, granting them temporary hit points. Each undead whose grim totem is in your possession gains temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier plus your druid level.

You can have a number of grim totems equal to your Wisdom modifier plus half your druid level, rounded up. If you create another grim totem when you already have your maximum number of totems, the oldest one in your possession crumbles into dust.

Skillful Resurrectionist

Starting at 10th level, your talent at manipulating the boundaries of life, death, and undeath makes it easier for you to drag others back from an untimely death. When you cast revivify, raise dead, or any other spell that returns a dead creature to life, any cost associated with material components for the spell is halved.

Master of Undeath

When you reach 14th level, you have achieved mastery of druidic necromancy. You learn the create undead spell; it counts as a druid spell for you, and you always have it prepared, though it does not count against the number of spells you have prepared. You can use your Grim Totem feature with this spell in the same way as with the animate dead spell.

Furthermore, the undead that you create are unusually strong and hardy. When you create an undead, it gains a bonus to its maximum hit points and to its attack rolls equal to your Wisdom modifier.