Do you wish to crush the bones of your enemies into flour for your bread? Do you want to shake the ground with heavy footfalls and rattle windows with your uttered breaths? Live your big dreams with this giant-themed subclass for druids!
Circle of Behemoths
Druids of the Circle of Behemoths venerate the largest of creatures, embodying the adage of “might makes right”. They druids have little qualm with occupying space, being the loudest in a crowd, or earning their place through shows of force.
Whether playing the role of a gentle giant and protecting small creatures who cannot protect themselves or challenging apex predators on equal footing, goodly druids of this circle take it upon themselves to fill the spaces in nature that mankind creates as byproducts of civilization and advancement.
At the other end of the spectrum are druids who see it as their privilege and right to lord their size and strength over others. Meanwhile, more neutrally-inclined Circle of Behemoths druids seek for all things to grow in peace unfettered, even waging war to achieve that peace for others.
Circle Spells
When you grow into this circle at 2nd level, your affinity for the gigantic grants you access to a small but mighty selection of extra spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Circle of Behemoths 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 Behemoths Spells
Druid Level | Spells |
3rd | enlarge/reduce, gust of wind |
5th | conjure animals*, plant growth |
7th | giant insect, polymorph* |
9th | arcane hand, hold monster |
*only beasts with “giant” in their name
Behemoth Shape
Starting at 2nd level, you learn how to expand your physical horizons. You can use a bonus action to expend one use of your Wild Shape to grow in size. You retain your shape, but become larger, with exaggerated features as befits a behemoth.
While in behemoth shape, you retain your game statistics but you increase in physical proportions and mass, occupying more space than before. You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground around you or expands along with your new size. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the GM decides whether it is practical for you to effectively use any equipment or items with proficiency or accuracy in your new size.
Your behemoth shape lasts for 10 minutes or until you dismiss it (no action required), are incapacitated, die, or use this feature again. Additionally, you cannot cast spells while in behemoth shape.
You gain the following benefits while in your behemoth shape:
- Your size category increases by one step, such as from Small to Medium or Medium to Large.
- You gain advantage on Strength and Consititution checks and saving throws.
- You gain a Slam natural weapon that you are proficient in. This attack deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier bludgeoning damage.
- You can expend a spell slot to empower your next weapon attack, doubling the damage dice rolled on a hit with a simple or natural weapon you are proficient in, such as your Slam.
Voice of Thunder
Also at 2nd level you gain proficiency in the Giant language if you do not already know it. Additionally, creatures within 10 feet of you who hear you speak verbal components to spells in the Giant language must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or be deafened until the end of their next turn.
Improved Behemoth Shape
At 6th level, your control over your behemoth shape improves. While in behemoth shape, you deal max damage to structures and objects. In addition, the damage you deal with your Slam while in behemoth shape increases to 1d8 and further increases to 1d10 at 10th level, and 1d12 at 14th level.
Walk of the Giants
At 10th level, you imbue a select few of your circle spells with gigantic power. When you cast enlarge/reduce with a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can target an additional creature for every spell slot above 2nd level.
Additionally, when you cast conjure animals, you can expend an additional spell slot at the same time to affect the animals you conjure with an enlarge/reduce spell. When you do so, the duration of conjure animals is reduced to just 1 minute with concentration.
Titanic Shape
At 14th level you have fully mastered your behemoth shape and can grow into an enormous titan with earthshaking appeal. When you use your Wild Shape feature, you can grow up to two size categories larger, such as Small to Large or Medium to Huge.
Additionally, as an action, you can perform a Tremor Stomp that reduces all cover within 10 feet by one step, such as full cover to three-quarters or partial cover to none. All creatures within 10 feet must make a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC or take 4d12 bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. A creature who succeeds on its saving throw takes only half damage and is not prone.
You can only perform a Tremor Stomp once per use of your Wild Shape feature.
Find giants and other big threats in the latest Kobold Press monster book, Tome of Beasts 3.
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So in love with this, I love my druids, and happy that you are taking this approach to a GIANT themed one, since other companies did not offer much options in their future up coming book
The only thing I would change/add to not make it so underpowered is to say you gain a number of slam attacks equal to your proficiency modifier. Then, while your hp and armor are most likely mediocre. Your damage is consistent and relatively decent.
Yes a multi attack is needed
Nope, I do not recommend that and actively steered away from it during the design. Multiple attacks belong at higher tiers of play and to more martially focused PCs. Careful consideration was taken into scaling this appropriately, looking at comparable creatures with similar attributes and features. If you want to attack multiple times per turn, consider multiclassing or choosing a different playing option.
At early tiers of play, this subclass can effectively grapple and control areas of the field of play in ways other player options cannot. Besides acting as a healer, the druid at its design core is ideally suited to controlling the battlefield rather than operating as a striker, blaster, or tank. This subclass is another way to achieve that. In higher tiers of play, that sphere of focus widens of course
Maybe I’m misunderstanding. When you say, “You can use a bonus action to expend one use of your Wild Shape to grow in size. You retain your shape, but become larger…” is that stating I am expending a use of Wild Shape just to increase in size? Or to actually Wild Shape AND increase in size?
E.g. I’m a medium elven Druid. *Wild shape* I’m a large elven Druid. Behem-elf.
OR.
I’m a medium elven Druid. *Wild shape* I’m a large mastiff. Behe-mastiff.
The wild shape is the resource cost (as opposed to a spell slot, hit die, etc) that you are expending to gain the effects of behemoth shape. The bonus action is the action economy cost to spend the resource.
When you use the wildshape ability with this subclass you can choose to be a beast as per the Druid’s class feature OR gain the effects of behemoth shape subclass feature. Because the text here does not explicitly say you can combine the class feature and the subclass feature, trust that you cannot do so (there is precedent for contextual wording like this in previous works such as Tome of Heroes).