Unearthed Arcana: Circle of the Titan (Druid)

Description

When civilization violates the natural world, by deforesting ancient groves, polluting sacred waters, or hunting wildlife to the brink of extinction, Druids of the Circle of the Titan intervene.

Druids of this order believe that for nature to thrive, society must sometimes fall. To this end, they assume towering, monstrous forms to mete out cataclysmic retribution and forcibly restore the natural order.

I like this pitch a lot. It immediately feels like a druid taken to an extreme: not a gentle guardian of the woods, but a force of nature that tears civilization down so the natural world can recover. That fantasy comes through very clearly. It feels huge, strange, and a little apocalyptic, which is exactly what I would want from something called the Circle of the Titan.

Level 3: Circle of the Titan Spells

When you reach a Druid level specified in the Circle of the Titan Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared. In addition, you can cast the spells from this feature while you’re in your Titan Form.

Druid Level	Prepared Spells
3	Cure Wounds, Longstrider, Thaumaturgy
5	Fear
7	Stoneskin
9	Destructive Wave

This spell list is mostly solid for the theme. Cure Wounds and Longstrider are always useful, and Thaumaturgy is not especially powerful, but it is flavorful in a way that makes sense for a transforming, larger-than-life druid. Fear fits well. Destructive Wave also feels right once you imagine how much space this subclass wants to control. The one spell I am less convinced by is Stoneskin. It is not bad, but it does not hit me as a particularly exciting always-prepared spell at that level, and I think that slot could maybe be stronger or at least more evocative.

Level 3: Titan Form

When you use Wild Shape, you can adopt a Titan Form, choosing from the Behemoth, Leviathan, and Insectoid stat blocks presented later in this subclass’s description.

You determine what your Titan Form looks like. Roll on or choose from the Titan Appearance table to inspire aspects of your form’s appearance.

1d4	Behemoth	Leviathan	Insectoid
1	Reflective scales	Many-tentacled	Iridescent wings
2	Multiple heads	Translucent and bloblike	Compound eyes
3	Reptilian tail	Lamprey-like mouth	Chitinous horns
4	Woolly and simian	Serpentine body	Bioluminescent exoskeleton

Titan Form is where the subclass really starts to sell itself. The appearance table alone makes it easy to picture what kind of monster you become: Godzilla, King Kong, a kraken, Mothra, or something even stranger. I also really like the progression baked into the form sizes. Starting Large, then becoming Huge at level 10 and Gargantuan at level 14, is a very fun visual and mechanical progression. It makes the subclass feel like it is escalating in exactly the way a kaiju druid should.

Level 6: Dire Impact

Your Titan Form brings greater devastation. You gain the following benefits.

Elemental Rend. Whenever you hit with your Titan Form’s Rend attack, you can cause it to deal your choice of Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Thunder damage rather than its normal damage type.

Shock Wave. Your transformation upheaves your surroundings. Immediately after you assume a Titan Form or by taking a Bonus Action to expend a level 1+ spell slot while in your Titan Form, you can create a shock wave in a 15-foot Emanation originating from you. Each creature in the Emanation must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or have the Prone condition.

This level feels fine, though it is more functional than flashy. Elemental Rend is useful, but mostly as a thematic rider unless vulnerabilities matter. Shock Wave is the more interesting part. Getting it for free when you transform is nice, and knocking creatures Prone in an area feels very appropriate for a massive titan crashing into the battlefield. It also starts to set up some good synergy with the later Behemoth features.

Level 10: Primal Havoc

The unbridled power of nature surges within you, granting you the following benefits.

Improved Titan Form. You can choose to become Huge when assuming your Titan Form. Each Titan Form also gains an additional benefit, as noted in its respective stat block.

Above It All. While you are Huge or larger in your Titan Form, Difficult Terrain caused by heavy snow, ice, rubble, or undergrowth doesn’t cost you extra movement.

This is the first level where I feel the subclass gets a little text-heavy without giving a lot that feels new outside the stat blocks themselves. Becoming Huge is cool, obviously, but that is already communicated by the form progression, so repeating it here is not especially exciting. Ignoring some forms of Difficult Terrain is flavorful, but for a level 10 feature it reads a bit light. I think this tier could use a little more punch in the subclass text itself rather than relying so heavily on the form stat blocks to carry it.

Level 14: Monstrous Appetite

Your transformation embodies the vast size and terror of nature’s titans. You gain the following benefits.

Gargantuan Size. You can choose to become Gargantuan when assuming your Titan Form.

Grappling Rend. Once per turn when you are Huge or larger and hit a creature with your Rend attack of your Titan Form, you can give the target the Grappled condition (escape DC equals your spell save DC). You can have only one target grappled in this way at a time.

Swallow. As a Bonus Action while you are Gargantuan, choose one Large or smaller creature Grappled by you. The target makes a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, you swallow the target, and the Grappled condition ends on it. A swallowed creature has the Blinded and Restrained conditions, has Total Cover against attacks and other effects outside of your stomach, and takes 2d8 Acid damage at the start of each of your turns.

The number of creatures you can have swallowed at a time equals your Wisdom modifier (minimum of one creature). You must maintain Concentration to hold swallowed creatures in your stomach. If you lose Concentration or leave your Titan Form, you regurgitate all swallowed creatures, each of which falls in a space within 10 feet of you and has the Prone condition.

This is very fun. The free grapple rider makes Rend matter more, and Swallow is exactly the kind of ridiculous late-game monster ability I want from this subclass. It is powerful, but the Concentration requirement helps keep it from feeling totally out of line. More than anything, it creates a great table moment. If you become Gargantuan and start eating enemies, everyone will remember it.

Titans Stat Block

Behemoth

Large, Huge (Requires Druid Level 10+), or Gargantuan (Requires Druid Level 14+) Monstrosity; Your Alignment Doesn’t Change

• AC. 11 + your Wisdom Modifier
• Temp HP. 2 times your Druid level
• Speed. 40 ft., Climb 40 ft.
• Str., Dex. Your Strength and Dexterity scores are equal to your Wisdom score in this form.
• Con., Int., Wis., Cha. Your Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma don’t change.
• Senses. Darkvision 60 ft.
• Languages. Your languages don’t change.
• CR. — (PB is your Proficiency Bonus)

Traits

• Rampager (Requires Druid Level 10+). When you enter the space of an enemy that is at least one size smaller than you for the first time on a turn, that creature is subjected to the following effect. Strength Saving Throw: DC equals your spell save DC. Failure: The target has the Prone condition. If the target already has the Prone condition, it instead takes 2d6 Bludgeoning damage.
• Siege Monster. You deal double damage to objects and structures.

Actions

• Multiattack (Requires Druid Level 5+). You make two Rend attacks.
• Rend. Melee Attack Roll: Bonus equals your spell attack modifier, reach 10 ft. Hit: 1d8 plus your Wisdom modifier Bludgeoning damage.
• Incandescent Breath. You expend a level 1+ spell slot. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC equals your spell save DC, each creature in a 5-foot-wide, 60-foot-long Line. Failure: 2d8 Radiant damage per level of the spell slot expended plus your Wisdom modifier. Success: Half damage.

Behemoth is the one that jumps out to me immediately. The climb speed is cool, Rampager is fun once it comes online, and Siege Monster is exactly what I want from a giant wrecking-ball form. The real standout here, though, is Incandescent Breath. This is the Godzilla beam, and that alone makes the form incredibly easy to picture. If I am choosing based on first impression, this is probably the form I would want to use the most.

Leviathan

Large, Huge (Requires Druid Level 10+), or Gargantuan (Requires Druid Level 14+) Monstrosity; Your Alignment Doesn’t Change

• AC. 10 + your Wisdom Modifier
• Temp HP. 2 times your Druid level
• Speed. 40 ft., Swim 40 ft.
• Str., Dex. Your Strength and Dexterity scores are equal to your Wisdom score in this form.
• Con., Int., Wis., Cha. Your Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma don’t change.
• Senses. Darkvision 60 ft.
• Languages. Your languages don’t change.
• CR. — (PB is your Proficiency Bonus)

Traits

• Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.
• Toxic Stench (Requires Druid Level 10+). Constitution Saving Throw: DC equals your spell save DC, each creature of your choice that starts its turn in a 10-foot Emanation originating from you. Failure: 2d4 Poison damage, and the target has the Poisoned condition until the start of its next turn.

Actions

• Multiattack (Requires Druid Level 5+). You make two Rend attacks.
• Rend. Melee Attack Roll: Bonus equals your spell attack modifier, reach 10 ft. Hit: 1d8 plus your Wisdom modifier Slashing damage.

Reactions

• Ink Cloud. Trigger: You take damage. Response: You expend a level 1+ spell slot and release an inky cloud that fills a 15-foot-radius Cube centered on yourself, and you move up to your Speed. The Cube is Heavily Obscured. It lasts for 1 minute or until a strong current or wind, such as one created by Gust of Wind, disperses it.

Leviathan is flavorful, but this is where I start comparing the forms against each other and feeling that Behemoth wins pretty easily. Amphibious is great in the right campaign, and Toxic Stench is solid control. Ink Cloud is fun too, but I do wish there were an easier way to dismiss it early, and I think the cloud should scale up as your form grows. Once you are Gargantuan, a 15-foot effect starts to feel proportionally small.

Insectoid

Large, Huge (Requires Druid Level 10+), or Gargantuan (Requires Druid Level 14+) Monstrosity; Your Alignment Doesn’t Change

• AC. 8 + your Wisdom Modifier
• Temp HP. 2 times your Druid level
• Speed. 40 ft., Fly 40 ft.
• Str., Dex. Your Strength and Dexterity scores are equal to your Wisdom score in this form.
• Con., Int., Wis., Cha. Your Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma don’t change.
• Senses. Darkvision 60 ft.
• Languages. Your languages don’t change.
• CR. — (PB is your Proficiency Bonus)

Traits

• Flyby. You don’t provoke an Opportunity Attack when you fly out of an enemy’s reach.
• Hive Mind (Requires Druid Level 10+). When you assume this form, you forge a telepathic link with a number of creatures of your choice you can see and that can communicate in at least one language; the maximum number of creatures is equal to your Druid level. You and the chosen creatures can communicate telepathically with each other whether or not you share a language as long as you are on the same plane.

Actions

• Multiattack (Requires Level 5+). You make two Rend attacks.
• Rend. Melee Attack Roll: Bonus equals your spell attack modifier, reach 10 ft. Hit: 1d8 plus your Wisdom modifier Piercing damage.
• Energizing Pollen. You expend a level 1+ spell slot and emit a cloud of healing pollen that can restore a number of Hit Points equal to 2d8 plus five times the expended spell slot’s level. Choose any number of creatures within 15 feet of yourself, and divide those Hit Points among them.

Insectoid is the form I am least convinced by right now. Fly speed and Flyby are genuinely useful, and Hive Mind is flavorful, but the form feels a little fragile and a little too niche compared to the others. I would probably simplify Hive Mind and make it stronger at the same time, because right now it is a lot of text for an effect that feels situational. Energizing Pollen is cool, but I almost want it to do more than just heal. Some kind of buff for allies or debuff for enemies would make the form feel more distinct and more worth choosing in combat.

Overall, I like this subclass a lot. The fantasy is excellent, the size progression is fun, and turning into giant monster forms is just inherently appealing. I do think some of the stat blocks, especially Insectoid and parts of Leviathan, could use another pass, and I would probably tighten some of the repeated text in the higher-level features. Even so, this already feels like a subclass I would absolutely want to play with a few tweaks.