Circle of Crashing Waves
Druid Subclass
These fell druids are the priests of Wydra, the Elemental Water Tyrant, responsible for spreading the worship of the The Endless Well, extending the reach of the insidious Cult of Crashing Waves, increasing the Crashing One's presence in the world.
Optional Class Features
Druids of this circle do not gain the Wild Companion optional feature, but they do gain the Cantrip Versatility optional feature.
Wild Shape
Your Wild Shape feature is modified, as follows. Starting at 2nd level, when using your Wild Shape feature you may only transform into water elementals. However, you ignore the Beast Shapes table entirely and can use your Wild Shape to transform into an water elemental with a challenge rating as high as your druid level divided by 2, rounded down.
Combat Wild Shape
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the ability to use Wild Shape on your turn as a bonus action, rather than as an action. Additionally, while you are transformed by Wild Shape, you can use a bonus action to expend one spell slot to regain 1d8 hit points per level of the spell slot expended.
Circle Spells
Your connection with the Elemental Plane of Water grants you access to the following circle spells at 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level. 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.
Some of the spells offered by this feature normally allow a caster the choice of one of the four elements when the spell as cast, but when cast by you water is automatically chosen. For instance, when you cast Summon Elemental it always summons an elemental water spirit.
Druid Level | Spells |
|---|---|
2 | Create or Destroy Water, Fog Cloud |
3 | Binding Ice, Snowball Swarm |
5 | Sleet Storm, Tidal Wave |
7 | Summon Elemental [Water], Control Water |
9 | Conjure Elemental [Water], Maelstrom |
Elemental Strike
Starting at 6th level, you are able to invest yourself with primordial power when Wild Shaped. Your unarmed and natural weapon attacks while you are transformed by Wild Shape count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Elemental Transformation
Starting at 10th level, your connection to the primordial allows you to take on certain elemental attributes. You can expend a use of your Wild Shape feature to partially transform yourself, retaining your normal form and abilities but temporarily manifesting elemental-like traits for a number of hours equal to half your druid level (rounded down). This is a Wild Shape transformation; thus other class features such as Archdruid, Combat Wild Shape, and Elemental Strike are applicable. While Wild Shaped in this way, you are considered to be an elemental creature in addition to your own normal creature type, and can be targeted by spells and abilities that affect elemental water creatures. However, your native plane remains the plane you were born on.
Your appearance is altered. You are completely hairless, and you grow fins along your forearms, calves, back, and perhaps even as a crest upon your head. Your skin becomes semi-transluscent and some shade of blue or blue-green. Your pupils widen and become more spherical and darker while the whites of your eyes become opalescent and change to any of a variety of colors ranging from pearly white to bright gold or aquamarine. You gain the following benefits:
- You have resistance to acid, bludgeoning, and cold damage.
- If you cannot already breathe underwater, you develop gills and can now breathe underwater (or in any liquid).
- If you do not already have Darkvision, you gain it with a range of 60 feet. Otherwise your existing Darkvision's range is increased by 60 feet. In either case, your underwater visibility distance is doubled.
- If you do not have a swim speed, you grow webbing between your fingers and toes and gain a swim speed equal to double your walking speed; otherwise your existing swim speed improves by a number of feet equal to your walking speed.
- You may move across any liquid surface as if it were harmless solid ground
- While you are not wearing any armor, your armor class equals 15 + your Wisdom modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.
- Your biological processes are suspended; you don't need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep, and magic can't put you to sleep.
While you are on or in liquid you also gain the following additional benefits:
- You are immune to the stunned condition.
- You may Disengage or Dash as a bonus action.
- You have advantage on all Acrobatics and Athletics checks.
- You have advantage on all grappling related attacks, checks, and saving throws.
Elemental Empowerment
Starting at 14th level, the Water Tyrant gifts you with sufficient authority to command the obedience of water elementals in his name. You may cast the spell Dominate Elemental without using a spell slot, and without need of a spellcasting focus or spell components, on any number of water elementals that you can see within range that have a combined challenge rating equal to or less than your total character level. Affected water elementals that are evil or neutral have disadvantage on their Wisdom saving throws against this spell when cast by you in this way. You may use this feature once per proficiency bonus per long rest.