Circle of the Arbiter – Druid Subclass

Druid – Class of the Arbiter

Members of the Circle of the Arbiter understand that the material world is just one aspect of reality. These planar defenders are sworn to protect the natural world from the denizens and influence of the outer planes. The druids of this circle are drawn from many different sects, and in this order an Ashbound stands shoulder to shoulder with a Greensinger as the last bulwark between Eberron and the beyond. This diversity strengthens the circle, as every tradition offers unique advantages and techniques that to counter different threats.

Level 3: Student of Tradition

When you choose this circle at 3rd level, you gain one of the following features of your choice passed down by tradition:

• Absolve the Unnatural: When you cast a divine spell that reduces a creature’s hit point total to 0 and would kill it, you can choose to reduce the creature to 1 hit point instead. If you do, the creature is charmed by you for 1 hour.
• Scent of Decay: You know the detect poison and disease and the protection against poison spells, you always have them prepared, and they don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. You can cast each once without expending a spell slot. Once you do, you must complete a short or long rest before you cast these spells again in this way.
• Darkvision: You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, its range increases by 30 feet.
• Woodsong: You gain proficiency in the Charisma (Performance) skill and whenever you make a Charisma check when interacting with fey creatures, your proficiency bonus is doubled if it applies to the check.

Level 3: Shape of the Arbiter

Also at 3rd level, you can use your action and expend two uses of Wild Shape at the same time to magically assume the shape of a planar being of energy whose origin and composition are as pure as the multiverse itself, called an arbiter.

The rules of Wild Shape apply with the following changes. Your statistics don’t change but you gain temporary hit points equal to your hit point maximum. While these temporary hit points remain, you are always considered to be under the effects of the levitate spell, and you have resistance against all damage except force and psychic damage.

You gain a special melee and ranged spell attack option that you can use with the Attack action. This special attack has a range of 30 feet and can hit creatures on the Ethereal Plane. You are proficient with it, and you add your Wisdom modifier to its attack and damage rolls. On a hit, this spell attack deals 1d8 + your druid level force damage. You can stay in this shape for a number of minutes equal to half your druid level (rounded down). You then revert to your normal form. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, you have no more temporary hit points, or die.

Additionally, while you are transformed by Shape of the Arbiter, you can use a bonus action to expend any number of Hit Dice up to your Wisdom modifier to regain 1d8 of these temporary hit points per Hit Die expended.

Level 6: Hated Foe

Starting at 6th level, your sect is charged with maintaining the balance between some of nature’s deadliest enemies. You choose one sect listed in the Hated Foes table. When you hit a creature type associated with that sect, you gain a bonus to the damage you deal with your melee and ranged spell attacks against that creature equal to your proficiency bonus, and you gain a bonus on saving throws against the associated creatures equal to your Wisdom modifier.

Druid Sect	Creature Types
Ashbound	Celestial and Elemental
Child of Winter	Plants and Undead
Gatekeepers	Aberrations and Fiends
Greensingers	Beasts and Fey
Wardens of the Woods	Constructs and Monstrosities

Level 10: Elder Gifts

At 10th level, you gain one of the following magical abilities gifted by your an elder of your sect.

• Ashes to Arbiter: You can expend one use of your Wild Shape feature to cast the counterspell spell without using a spell slot. As part of the same reaction, you can expend an additional use of your Wild Shape to immediately refocus the energy you defuse to assume the shape of the arbiter. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
• Chillbane: You are immune to poison and disease, and have resistance to cold damage and effects of cold weather.
• Gates of Mind: You gain immunity to psychic damage and resistance to force damage.
• Singer’s Haunt: You gain proficiency in Charisma saving throws and you can’t be charmed, frightened, or put to sleep against your will.
• Warden’s Last Stand: When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

Level 14: All Paths

At 14th level, you know the plane shift spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. You can cast it once without expending a spell slot. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t cast it again using this feature until you finish a long rest.

Additionally, while in Wild Shape, you can see into the Ethereal Plane out to a range of 30 feet.

Level 14Arborescent Omen

Also at 14th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice, an omen as to the trials the lay before your kind:

• Bound to Unravel: Once on each of your turns, when you make a melee attack against a creature that is concentrating on a spell, you can deal additional damage to that creature. The additional damage type is force and is equal to your proficiency bonus.
• Contagious Chill: You know the contagion spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. When you cast it, you can expend a number of Hit Dice equal to your Constitution modifier to increase the spell save DC by 1 for each Hit Die you spend. Once you use this feature, you can’t cast it again in this way until you finish a short or long rest.
• Gates of Wrath: Whenever you reduce one of your hated foes to 50 hit points or fewer, you can expend one of your Wild Shapes to banish it. If the target is native to a different plane of existence than the one you’re on, the target disappears, returning to its home plane. If the target is native to the plane you are on, the creature vanishes into a harmless demiplane. While there, the target is incapacitated. It remains there for one minute, until you are incapacitated, or you use this feature again, at which point the target reappears in the space it left or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied.
• Song of Madness: You know the crown of madness spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. Also, when you cast it using this feature, it affects all humanoids within 30 feet of you that can hear or see you. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t cast it again using this feature until you finish a long rest.
• Fell Sacrifice: When you hit a creature with a melee attack while in Wild Shape, you can expend one of your Hit Die to sacrifice some of your life force to deal damage equal to your druid level to your target, in addition to the attack’s normal damage. Each time you do, roll the Hit Die, and subtract the number from your hit point total.

Source: MM 31