by u/Quantext609

Circle of the Crimson

W
here many druids believe death to be a natural
part of the cycle of life, a select few believe
death to be an aberration. To these druids, the
pursuit of preserving life is futile without first
rejecting the enemy of life: death.
And so these druids tap into a force forbidden
by most druids: The Crimson, a hive mind of
eternal life and flesh connected to every world. They use this
connection to cause cancerous mutations to their own body
and become more powerful. Others may be disgusted with
their ways, believing it to be unnatural and horrific. But they
know that they will one day free the world from the shackles
placed upon it by the gods of the grave and have everything
become Crimson.
Crimson Malformities
Using Crimson magic often results in the user developing
physical malformities due to their body constantly mutating
and defying death.
At your option, you can pick from or roll on the Crimson
Malformities table to give a malformity your character.
d8 Malformity
1 Whenever you transform into an animal with Wild
Shape, you instead have your body contort into the
shape of that beast.
2 You have grown an extra vestigial limb, or three.
3 After not moving for a while, web like patterns of
sinew grow between your limbs that easily break away.
4 Your body is now an amalgamation of various animal
parts replacing your own.
5 Objects on your person start to become more organic,
growing sinew, eyes, and veins.
6 Most of your skin has peeled off revealing muscle
underneath. It is surprisingly painless.
7 Everything you touch becomes stained with blood,
even if you are not injured.
8 A tumor has grown over the mouth you were born
with, but you have grown two other mouths on your
body that you can talk and speak through.

Circle of the Crimson Features

Druid
Level Feature
2nd Limb Restoration, Circle Spells, Gruesome
Transformation, Curse of Flesh, Organic Combat
Training
6th Horrid Mutation, Extra Attack, Volatile Strikes
10th Limb Bequeathal, Perfected Transformation,
Advanced Curses
14th Defy Death
Limb Restoration
At 2nd level, whenever one of your body parts is severed, it
grows back in 1d10 days.
You may choose to have it grow in the same position and
shape it was originally or in a different one of your choice, but
it always retains the same properties.
Circle spells
Your connection to the Crimson grants you access to certain
spells. At 2rd level, you learn the Primal Savagery cantrip. At
3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to the spells listed
for that level in the Circle of the Crimson Spells table.
Druid Level Spell
3rd Alter Self, Enlarge/Reduce
5th Mass Healing Word, Revivify
7th Black Tentacles, Stoneskin
9th Antilife Shell, Mass Cure Wounds
CRIMSON MAGIC
Crimson magic is the rawest form of druidic magic,
conjuring and manipulating bones, muscle, skin,
and other raw organic material. When describing
your spellcasting, consider how your Crimson
magic affects how your magic manifests.
An entangle spell may appear as a large tumor
filled with eyes growing out of the ground,
wrapping everything around it in blood-soaked
tentacles. An erupting earth spell cast using
Crimson magic could have the druid throw a bone
which then erupts into many larger bone shards.
This doesn't limit you or benefit you in any way
but can help making your Crimson druid feel
distinct from other magic users.
Gruesome Transformation
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to use your Crimson magic to
mutate your own body. As an action while outside of a beast
form, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape feature to
undergo a horrific mutation, rather than transforming into a
beast form, and force each creature of your choice that can
see you and you can see within 20 feet of you to make a
Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature becomes
frightened of you for 1 minute. The frightened creature can
repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending
the effect on itself on a success.
While this feature is active, you gain the following benefits:
You have natural armor in the form of bone like growths
all over your body. When you aren’t wearing armor, your
AC is 13 + your Constitution modifier. You can use your
natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear
would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply
as normal while you use your natural armor.
Your arms mutate into natural weapons which you can
use to make unarmed strikes. They each deal slashing or
piercing damage (your choice) equal to 1d6 + your
strength modifier instead of the bludgeoning damage
normal for an unarmed strike.
These arms are crude and can't wield weapons or shields
effectively. If you make an attack roll while holding a
weapon or shield, you have disadvantage on that attack
roll.
At the start of each of your turns, you gain temporary hit
points equal to your Constitution modifier + your Druid
level (minimum of 1 temporary hit point).
If a creature dies within 5ft of you and it was cursed by a
Druid feature of yours, you gain temporary hit points
equal to your Constitution modifier + twice your Druid
level (minimum of 1 temporary hit point).
These benefits last for 10 minutes, until you use your Wild
Shape again, or end it as a bonus action.
RULES TIP: UNARMORED DEFENCE
AND TEMPORARY HIT POINTS DON'T
STACK
If you would gain unarmored defence or natural
armor from two or more sources, you choose one
to calculate your AC, not both.
Additionally, if you have temporary hit points and
receive more of them, you don’t add them
together, unless a rule says you can. Instead, you
decide which temporary hit points to keep.
For more information on unarmored defence, see
chapter 6 of the Player’s Handbook. For more
information on temporary hit points, see chapter 9
of the Player’s Handbook.
Curse of Flesh
Using the power of the Crimson, you can curse the living to
have their own body turn against them at 2nd level. The first
creature that isn't a construct or undead you hit with an
unarmed strike from a natural weapon on your turn becomes
cursed until the start of your next turn. When you apply this
curse, choose one of the following:
Curse of Tendons. When the cursed creature hits a
creature other than you with an attack, the cursed
creature has tendons grow out from its body and attempt
to trip it, forcing it to make a Strength save. On a failure,
the creature is knocked prone. The tendons fall limp and
are easily removed afterward.
Curse of Migraines. When the cursed creature hits a
creature other than you with an attack, the cursed
creature must make a Wisdom save as the Crimson
attempts to attack its mind. On a failure, the creature
takes 1d6 psychic damage. The psychic damage increases
to 2d6 at 6th level, 3d6 at 10th level, and 4d6 at 14th level.
Organic Combat Training
At 2nd level you've become familiar with how to use the
weapons nature has given you in combat. When you use the
Attack action with an unarmed strike from a natural weapon
on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike with a
natural weapon as a bonus action. For example, if you take
the Attack action and attack with a natural weapon, you can
also make an unarmed strike with a natural weapon as a
bonus action, assuming you haven’t already taken a bonus
action this turn.
Horrid Mutation
After mutating yourself many times using the Crimson, you've
grown useful but disturbing mutations. At 6th level, choose
one of the following options:
Overgrown Physique. You grow two additional arms.
These arms can't wield weapons or shields, but can
manipulate equipment, use magic items, make unarmed
strikes, and grapple.
Everchanging Flesh. The Crimson has allowed you to
mold your own flesh into whatever form you wish. At the
end of a long rest, you can change your appearance and
your voice. You determine the specifics of the changes,
including your coloration, hair length, and sex. You can
also adjust your height and weight, but not so much that
your size changes. Your race can't be changed, and your
clothing and equipment aren't changed by this trait.
Unstable Psyche. Your brain becomes mutated to the
point where it repels psychic intrusion. Whenever a
creature attempts to read your mind or sense your
emotions, it instead receives an indecipherable message
of squishing meat, grinding bones, and anguished
screams.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once,
whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Volatile Strikes
Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes made with natural
weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming
resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Images Used: "Grand Karcist Ion" by Osatanelaya and
"Ion Ascendant" by Niram.
Limb Bequeathal
At 10th level, you've learned how to give the gift of the
Crimson to others. Over the course of 10 minutes, you can
plant a Crimson seed into a creature's severed body part.
That creature's severed body part will grow back in 1d10
days. You may choose to have it grow in the same position
and shape it was originally or in a different one of your
choice, but it always retains the same properties.
Perfected Transformation
At 10th level, you've practiced enough with Crimson magic to
improve your mutations caused by it. You gain the following
benefits while in your Gruesome Transformation.
When you make an unarmed strike with a natural weapon
on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than
normal.
The damage die of your natural weapons increases to a d8
You may apply two curses to a single target instead of one
whenever you use your Curse of Flesh feature.
Advanced Curses
At 10th level, you've learned more Crimson curses. Whenever
you use your Curse of Flesh feature, you may choose one of
these curses or one of the options you acquired at 2nd level.
Curse of Pests. When the cursed creature hits a creature
other than you with an attack, a small glob of Crimson
attacks its face, forcing it to make a Dexterity save. On a
failure, the cursed creature is blinded until the start of its
next turn by the glob covering its eyes.
Curse of Confusion. When the cursed creature attacks a
creature other than you, it must make a Wisdom saving
throw. On a failure, the cursed creature must instead
attack you or lose the attack.
Defy Death
The unwavering devotion to the Crimson has given you the
ability to deny the gods who desire to divert the world from
its true destiny. At 14th level, you gain an aura that goes out to
20ft. You and friendly creatures in this aura regain hit points
equal to your Druid level whenever the creature roll an 18, 19,
or 20 when making a death saving throw and require four
death saving throw failures instead of three to die. If a
creature with three death saving throw failures that has 0 or
less hit points leaves this aura, it dies as normal.