Circle of the Cinder: A Pyromancer Druid

[Wartex1]

The Circle of the Cinder originated in the great swamps of the land, understanding that the destruction of some life is necessary for the rest to grow. Many forest fires are caused by druids of this circle, but they rarely go out of hand. Charred trees and ashen soil often mark the meeting places of this circle.

Circle Spells
Like Druids dedicated to specific habitats, Druids of the Circle of the Cinder gain new spells to fit the teachings at the circle's core. When you choose this circle at 2nd level, and again at 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th levels, you gain access to new spells that you can always cast using your spell slots, not counting against your total prepared spells each long rest. In addition, you may use a Pyromancy Flame as a spellcasting focus.

2nd level: Burning Hands, Hellish Rebuke
3rd level: Flaming Sphere, Pyrotechnics*
5th level: Fireball, Stinking Cloud
7th level: Fire Shield, Stoneskin
9th level: Flame Strike, Immolation*

*From the Elemental Evil Player's Companion

Bonus Cantrips
As pyromancers, druids of this circle gain an increased capacity for the manipulation of flames. You gain the Fire Bolt, Control Flames, Produce Flame, and Create Bonfire cantrips as druid cantrips if you do not have them already.

Blaze
As a specialist in the art of flame magic, Druids of this circle may add their Wisdom modifier to the damage of spells that deal fire damage.

Drenched
At 10th level, you have mastered an old technique created by the original pyromancers of the great swamp to protect them from particular potent spells. You draw moisture from the air and even your own sweat to create a protective barrier of water, gaining resistance to fire damage.

Wildfire
Once you reach 14th level, your flames spread to engulf more to return to nature as ash. Whenever you target a single creature with a spell that deals fire damage, you may also target one other creature within 5 feet of that target.

[JNAProductions]

Seems pretty balanced. The Draconic Sorcerer of Druids, basically.

[Wartex1]

Should I move anything around, like swapping Wildfire and Tempered Body?

[Ralanr]

Drenched
Water, despite being the elemental opposite of fire, is also a product of fire. At 10th level, you gain resistance to fire damage, soaking yourself with the water created by your own flames.

I'm sorry what? It's late so my mind might not be working, but how does that make sense?

Now I can make my Pumpkin King character! Sadly with less levels in trickery Cleric than I hoped, but 2 levels is enough for it.

[Wartex1]

Water is a common by-product of fire that is produced by the combustion of Hydrogen.

Hydrogen gas reacts with oxygen to produce water. The reason why water can put out fire instead of being burned itself is because its a product of fire to begin with.

Basically, the Pyromancer uses the water produced by his spells to increase his resistance to fire.

[JNAProductions]

How many catgirls went blind because of that ability? :P

Honestly, it'd make more sense to keep it purely fire themed. Get rid of the science mumbo-jumbo (read as: Facts) and just keep it elemental.

[Wartex1]

I just like the fluff better than the boring old "you're now resistant to fire because you're used to it yadda yadda yadda..."

Anyways, this was also sort of a Prototype for a Swamp Pyromancer for a Dark Souls-type game using 5E. The class feature sorta represents Flash Sweat (and Tempered Body is like Iron Flesh), but since they make for simple, easy-to-use class features instead of making/limiting spells, I decided to do that instead.

[PotatoGolem]

Honestly, it'd make more sense to keep it purely fire themed. Get rid of the science mumbo-jumbo (read as: Facts) and just keep it elemental.

Agreed. Just say you resist fire because you're so attuned to fire. You're a magical shapeshifting hippy, you don't need a fully scientific explanation

Tempered Body seems a bit weak at 14th level. Druids get medium armor, and it's only +1 AC over studded leather if the DM won't allow non-metal medium armors.

[ZenBear]

You should identify in the heading and OP that this is a Dark Souls port. It will clear up the confusion, for the most part.

[Amechra]

I just like the fluff better than the boring old "you're now resistant to fire because you're used to it yadda yadda yadda...

You are resistant to Fire because you are already Fire. You can't be more Fire than you already are. No more fire.

You have all the fire.

[DracoKnight]

You are resistant to Fire because you are already Fire. You can't be more Fire than you already are. No more fire.

You have all the fire.

Lol. This is hilarious.

[Ralanr]

The problem with the level ten is that this implies the process to create water through fire. That just seems a bit complicated and out of the way for fire resistance.

It's yours so it's up to you whether you change it.

[DiBastet]

Fire druids that value the creation of life... originated from the swamps... Sorry if someone already asked that, but is this based on the witches of izalith from Dark Souls? Because it really fits.

[Ziegander]

The Circle of the Cinder originated in the great swamps of the land, understanding that the destruction of some life is necessary for the rest to grow. Many forest fires are caused by druids of this circle, but they rarely go out of hand. Charred trees and ashen soil often mark the meeting places of this circle.

Circle Spells
Like Druids dedicated to specific habitats, Druids of the Circle of the Cinder gain new spells to fit the teachings at the circle's core. When you choose this circle at 2nd level, and again at 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th levels, you gain access to new spells that you can always cast using your spell slots, not counting against your total prepared spells each long rest. In addition, you gain the Fire Bolt cantrip.

2nd level: Burning Hands, Hellish Rebuke
3rd level: Agnazzar's Scorcher*, Pyrotechnics*
5th level: Fireball, Stinking Cloud
7th level: Fire Shield, Wall of Fire
9th level: Flame Strike, Immolation*

*From the Elemental Evil Player's Companion

Blaze
As a specialist in the art of flame magic, Druids of this circle may add their Wisdom modifier to the damage rolls of spells that deal fire damage.

Wildfire
Once you reach 6th level, your flames spread to engulf more to return to nature as ash. Whenever you target a single creature with a spell that deals fire damage, you may also target one other creature within 5 feet of that target.

Drenched
Water, despite being the elemental opposite of fire, is also a product of fire. At 10th level, you gain resistance to fire damage, soaking yourself with the water created by your own flames.

Tempered Body
As iron is strengthened by the flames of the forge, your body has been strengthened by its own fire. Upon reaching 14th level, your flesh becomes strong like iron, giving you an unarmored AC equal to 13 + your DEX modifier.

To me this is all a little weird. At 2nd level, you gain what no other caster gains until at earliest 6th level, so that's too early. At 14th level you gain what the Draconic Sorcerer gains at 1st level, so that's far too late. Wildfire is potentially amazingly good just using Fire Bolt alone, though it is situational, 6th level feels a little early for it.

I see what you did there with Drenched and Tempered Body, but I'd rather see at least Iron Flesh as a new spell and Flash Sweat you can probably at least explain a little better. Water is not a product of fire. It can sometimes either be forced out of burning wood or other materials, or it can (far more rarely) be produced during a chemical reaction that occurs as a byproduct of certain burning materials, but fire, intrinsically, does not produce water. I would just go with the source material here. You sweat a lot. You could even throw in a nod to the hydration ruling in the PHB and suggest that you suffer only half damage from fire, but after taking fire damage you need additional water to keep up your protection.

I'll work on putting up my Way of the White archetypes today.

[Wartex1]

For Iron Flesh I could give him Stoneskin.

So, I should make Blaze the 6th level feature, Wildfire the 14th level feature, and make a new 2nd level feature?
Having "Flash Sweat" require hydration sort of seems like a waste, since a person could just dump the water that they would have drunk on their clothes.

Also, should I change Stinking Cloud to Melf's Minute Meteors or keep it as-is?

[Ralanr]

For Iron Flesh I could give him Stoneskin.

So, I should make Blaze the 6th level feature, Wildfire the 14th level feature, and make a new 2nd level feature?
Having "Flash Sweat" require hydration sort of seems like a waste, since a person could just dump the water that they would have drunk on their clothes.

Also, should I change Stinking Cloud to Melf's Minute Meteors or keep it as-is?

Stinking cloud is closer to swamps, but the meteors are more fire damage and allow damage on a bonus action.

I'd go melf's, but I like that spell a lot.

[ZenBear]

For Iron Flesh I could give him Stoneskin.

So, I should make Blaze the 6th level feature, Wildfire the 14th level feature, and make a new 2nd level feature?
Having "Flash Sweat" require hydration sort of seems like a waste, since a person could just dump the water that they would have drunk on their clothes.

Also, should I change Stinking Cloud to Melf's Minute Meteors or keep it as-is?

Iron Flesh as Stoneskin works.

Those are good changes I think. Dunno what the 2nd level should be.

Keep in mind that the Poison//Acid pyromancies were perversions created by Engyi. I get that you want them included, but if it's available to Druids anyway I wouldn't put it in the Circle list.

[Wartex1]

Really, the only one on the list that's poison/acid is Stinking Cloud, which I sort of see as a smoke fumes with sulfur and stuff.

It gives the archetype more than "murder it with fire".

[Ralanr]

Really, the only one on the list that's poison/acid is Stinking Cloud, which I sort of see as a smoke fumes with sulfur and stuff.

It gives the archetype more than "murder it with fire".

Pyrotechnics covers smokescreen. I ran into the same kind of dilemma when writing, that spell got me out.

[DiBastet]

You don't need to goo too far for the fluff of drenched. Something like "your mystical connection to the waters of the swamp [or something else] allows you to draw power from surrounding humidity or even your own sweat to protect yourself from the flames. you gain resistance to fire damage"

What about the chaos pyromancies? You could give some kind linked to it to replace the last ability, or at least make it one of those Choose One class abilities.

[Gr7mm Bobb]

So from the ashes comes rebirth?

What if you had a capstone that has a similar ideal. Like if you drop something and it dies to your fire, or you destroy its corpse with fire it can release the malevolent juju attached and keeps it from being attached. Undead can't be raised from things you drop, curses of poor souls broken and burned away with the purity of rebirth to go and rest in the after. I know i'm not mentioning a lot of mechanical stuff I just have the imagery of the fluff but not much in the way of solid mechanics. Anyway hope it helps in some way.

[Wartex1]

You don't need to goo too far for the fluff of drenched. Something like "your mystical connection to the waters of the swamp [or something else] allows you to draw power from surrounding humidity or even your own sweat to protect yourself from the flames. you gain resistance to fire damage"

What about the chaos pyromancies? You could give some kind linked to it to replace the last ability, or at least make it one of those Choose One class abilities.

So, replace Wildfire with Chaos Flames (puddle should deal not too much damage, say, spell level plus your Wisdom modifier each time a creature enters the puddle or starts its turn in the puddle. It would only apply to squares in the area of a spell that deals fire damage (only works with AoE, not single or multi-targeted spells). Alternatively, I could make it a 1/short rest ability that deals more damage.

I still need a new 2nd level feature. I could go with weapon proficiencies, but ehh...

[Ralanr]

So, replace Wildfire with Chaos Flames (puddle should deal not too much damage, say, spell level plus your Wisdom modifier each time a creature enters the puddle or starts its turn in the puddle. It would only apply to squares in the area of a spell that deals fire damage (only works with AoE, not single or multi-targeted spells). Alternatively, I could make it a 1/short rest ability that deals more damage.

I still need a new 2nd level feature. I could go with weapon proficiencies, but ehh...

Extra Druid cantrips? Conjure flame?

[Wartex1]

I already put Fire Bolt in the extra spells text.

Plus, Land Druid gets another extra feature besides the spells and cantrips.

Although Land Druid doesn't get 1st-level spells...

[Ziegander]

I like it as is now, I think it's pretty solid and balanced without the need for anything else.