Circle of Pestilence
Druids of the Circle of Pestilence delve into the darker aspects of nature's cycle, mastering the art of disease and decay to maintain balance or punish those who threaten the wild. By binding themselves to virulent contagions, they learn to infect and weaken individual foes, spreading corruption through targeted afflictions. Whether inflicting wasting fevers, festering wounds, or debilitating blights, these druids command the power of sickness to sap the strength of their enemies and manipulate the flow of battle. While their methods may seem grim, their dedication to preserving nature’s equilibrium is unwavering—and often ruthless.
Circle of Pestilence Spells
3rd Ray of Sickness, Blindness/Deafness
5th Stinking Cloud, Bestow Curse
7th Blight, Contagion
9th Cloudkill, Insect Plague
Blighted Touch
At 2nd level you gain the ability to infect your foes with virulent maladies.
Infecting Strike: When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you can use your bonus action to inflict it with a Blight Mark. A creature with a Blight Mark takes poison damage equal to your Wisdom modifier at the start of each of its turns for 1 minute. The creature can make a Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns (DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Wisdom modifier) to end the effect early. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.
Virulent Affliction
At 6th level your mastery over disease allows you to manipulate its spread and effects.
Plague Carrier: You become immune to poison and disease, and any disease or poison affecting you can be transferred to another creature when you touch it as an action.
Contagion Burst: When you use your Wild Shape, you can expend one use to release a burst of disease instead of transforming. All creatures within 15 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Wisdom modifier) or become poisoned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Virulent Contagion
Your mastery over diseases allows you to inflict debilitating infections on your enemies, customizing the effects to weaken and control them.
Tailored Afflictions: As an action, you can touch a creature and infect it with a powerful disease of your choosing. The target must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier). On a failed save, choose one of the following afflictions to affect the creature for 1 minute (the creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success):
Withering Blight: The target’s Strength and Dexterity scores are reduced by 2 (minimum of 1). Attacks based on these abilities deal half damage.
Wasting Fever: The target gains disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks, and any healing it receives is halved.
Festering Wounds: The target cannot regain hit points, and whenever it takes damage, it takes an additional 1d8 necrotic damage.
Contagion Spread: If a creature dies while under the effect of one of your afflictions, you can use your reaction to cause the disease to leap to another creature within 30 feet that you can see. The new target must make a Constitution saving throw or suffer from the same affliction for 1 minute.
Avatar of Decay
At 14th level you become a living embodiment of disease and rot, gaining control over the forces of blight.
Aura of Pestilence: As a bonus action, you can exude a 30-foot aura of disease and decay for 1 minute. Enemies within the aura take poison damage equal to your Wisdom modifier at the start of their turns, and any healing they receive is halved. You can activate this ability once per long rest.
Corrupting Touch: When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you can choose to unleash a powerful blight upon them. The target must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Wisdom modifier) or suffer from one of the following effects of your choice for 1 minute: blindness, paralysis, or intense fever (disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws). A creature can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. This can be used once per short or long rest.
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