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KOLE
2019-03-22, 01:35 PM
Somewhere between the pragmatic martial talent of Rangers and the fierce devotion of the Druids lies the Circle of Ironwood. While more dedicated Circles often eschew the material world in favor of more primal pursuits; Ironwood Druids recognize the practicality of martial pursuits in defense of the lands they hold sacred. It is generally thought that the small circle's unique ways began after fending off Aberrations from the deepest part of nature, specifically Beholders, who could easily shut down the magical talents of Druids and evade the reach of their wildshape forms.

Regardless of their origin, the Ironwood Circle is prepared to do whatever it takes to guard the wild places of this world, from both otherworldly and more mundane sources, even if it is requires less conventional means.

Bonus Proficiency
Your Circle has taught you how to fight when your natural magics are restrained or expended. You gain proficiency in martial weapons.

Form of Iron

The Circle of Ironwood has learned ancient means of bolstering their bodies for defensive purposes. At 2nd level, these secrets are known to you. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your wild shape to enter the Form of Iron. For one minute, your skin hardens, your vision becomes clearer, and the forces of nature seem to be driving you into battle. While in this form, you gain the following benefits. You may dismiss this form at any time, no action required.


You gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of +1).
You ignore difficult terrain.
You gain darkvision out to 60 feet. If you already had it, the range expands by 60 feet.
You gain temporary HP equal to half your Druid level, rounded up.


Circle Spells

Your Circle gives you access to unique magics that typically fall outside of a Druid's purview, often knowledge granted by friendly Rangers. Once you gain access to a circle spell, 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.

Druid Level 3: Blur, Cordon of Arrows
Druid Level 5: Elemental Weapon, Blinding Smite
Druid Level 7: Fire Shield, Locate Creature
Druid Level 9: Circle of Power, Hold Monster


Extra Attack
Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Empowered By Nature
At the end of a long rest starting at 10th level, choose one type of damage: acid, cold, fire, lightening, or thunder. You can resistance to this damage. Additionally, when you make a weapon attack, you can choose to make the damage dealt of the type chosen instead. You can only deal this damage once per turn.

Master of the Iron Form

At 14th level, your experience and dedication to the art of your circle have improved you abilities while using it. You gain the following benefits while using your Form of Iron, in addition to those you already possessed:


You may add your wisdom modifier (minimun of +1) to the damage of a weapon attack. You may only do so once per turn.
You gain advantage on any saving throw you are proficient in.


Deep within the wildest places reside the small and dedicated Circle of Ironwood, who have taken a solemn pledge to fight off extraplanar influences from the hidden places where they may take root, protecting nature in her most untamed and vulnerable places. To do so, they have taken pragmatic approaches to adapt to an unusual enemy. Ironwood druids are more resourceful than other circles, and will never pass up the opportunity to gain the upper hand. Their frequent interaction with the otherworldly has left them ready for nearly anything that comes their way. They rely more on martial prowess as many aberrations are resilient against the elements, and they've adapted defenses to more readily withstand these horrific encounters.

Bonus Proficiency
Your Circle has taught you how to fight when your natural magics are restrained or expended. You gain proficiency in martial weapons.

Form of Iron

The Circle of Ironwood has learned ancient means of bolstering their bodies for defensive purposes. At 2nd level, these secrets are known to you. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your wild shape to enter the Form of Iron. For one minute, your skin hardens, your vision becomes clearer, and the forces of nature seem to be driving you into battle. While in this form, you gain the following benefits. You may dismiss this form at any time, no action required.


If you are wearing armor you are proficient in, you gain a bonus to your AC equal to half your profiecency bonus, rounded down.
You ignore difficult terrain.
You gain darkvision out to 60 feet. If you already had it, the range expands by 60 feet.
You gain temporary HP equal to half your druid level, rounded up.


Circle Spells

Your Circle gives you access to unique magics that typically fall outside of a Druid's purview. Once you gain access to a circle spell, 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.

Druid Level 3: Blur, Misty Step
Druid Level 5: Blink, Elemental Weapon
Druid Level 7: Fire Shield, Locate Creature
Druid Level 9: Banishing Smite, Commune With Nature


Extra Attack
Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Nature's Warden
At 10th level, your experience in combating extraplanar forces have made you a force to be reckoned with. You gain resistance to psychic damage and can deal an extra 1d6 force damage on a weapon attack. You can only deal this damage once per turn.

Master of the Iron Form

At 14th level, your dedication to the art of your circle has improved you abilities while using it. You gain the following benefits while using your Form of Iron, in addition to those you already possess:


You may add your wisdom modifier (minimum of +1) to the damage of a weapon attack. You may only do so once per turn.
You gain advantage on any saving throw you are proficient in.


Bonus Proficiency
Your Circle has taught you how to fight when your natural magics are restrained or expended. You gain proficiency in martial weapons.

Form of Iron

The Circle of Ironwood has learned ancient means of bolstering their bodies for defensive purposes. At 2nd level, these secrets are known to you. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your wild shape to enter the Form of Iron. For one minute, your skin hardens, your vision becomes clearer, and the forces of nature seem to be driving you into battle. While in this form, you gain the following benefits. You may dismiss this form at any time, no action required.


If you are wearing armor you are proficient in, you gain a bonus to your AC equal to half your proficiency bonus, rounded up.
You ignore difficult terrain.
You gain darkvision out to 60 feet. If you already had it, its range expands by 60 feet.
You gain temporary HP equal to twice your druid level.



Circle Spells

Your Circle gives you access to unique magics that typically fall outside of a Druid's purview. Once you gain access to a circle spell, 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.

Druid Level 3: Blur, Misty Step
Druid Level 5: Blink, Elemental Weapon
Druid Level 7: Fire Shield, Locate Creature
Druid Level 9: Banishing Smite, Commune With Nature


Extra Attack
Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Nature's Warden
At 10th level, your experience in combating extraplanar forces have made you a force to be reckoned with. You gain resistance to psychic damage and can deal an extra 1d6 force damage on a weapon attack. You can only deal this damage once per turn.

When you reach 14th level, this extra damage increases to 2d6.

Master of the Iron Form

At 14th level, your dedication to the art of your circle has improved you abilities while using it. You gain the following benefits while using your Form of Iron, in addition to those you already possess:


You may add your wisdom modifier (minimum of +1) to the damage of your weapon attacks.
You gain advantage on any saving throw you are proficient in.



I wanted a decent Druid gish, but wanted it to be unique, and stand in its own flavor-space. I like the idea of pragmatic druids adapting to a strange enemy, so here are the gish druids that hate aliens!

Rukelnikov
2019-03-22, 06:54 PM
Another martial druid, there's been quite a few lately.

Here are some thoughts:

Form of Iron is very strong, too strong probably. Wis is already your att and dam stat, you are adding Wis to AC, with a 1 lvl dip in Monk that means you add it to AC twice.

Compare it to symbiotic entity, it adds 1d6 damage to your attacks, and scaling damage to your reaction which starts at 1d4, it also grants you 4 temp hp per level. However these bonuses last as long as your temp HP do, so at 2nd level taking 8 damage means it's gone, that's 2 hits, with a bit of bad luck it's one hit. Comparatively this feels far better.

KOLE
2019-03-23, 03:04 PM
That’s a really good point, specifically the monk dip. I hadnt factored in multiclassing when I was building this. Its not as crazy as it looks at first because you’re sacrificing armor and shield all the time, but its still potent and too cheesy for me to be comfortable with. Plus, shillelagh is perfectly compatible with martial arts. I may have unwittingly created the ultimate dip for a monk here.

I’m going to go back to the drawing board. I built this comparing it to Valor Bard and Bladesinger, mostly Bladesinger, but I forgot to take into account Druid’s higher hit die and shield prof as I was doing that. You also have a good point that this should be directly compared to the Circle of Spores. I’m not as familiar with Spore Druid as I am other subclasses, so I’ll look at that more. I may not need to buff AC as much as I thought. Problem is the Metal restriction is really rough on them. I want this class to gish like a Cleric but still be distinctly Druidic. I’m contemplating giving them the ability to transform nonmagical armor into Ironwood instead of the Form of Iron. That seems interesting, both mechanicslly and flavorwise. Thoughts on this?

Rukelnikov
2019-03-23, 09:20 PM
That’s a really good point, specifically the monk dip. I hadnt factored in multiclassing when I was building this. Its not as crazy as it looks at first because you’re sacrificing armor and shield all the time, but its still potent and too cheesy for me to be comfortable with. Plus, shillelagh is perfectly compatible with martial arts. I may have unwittingly created the ultimate dip for a monk here.

I’m going to go back to the drawing board. I built this comparing it to Valor Bard and Bladesinger, mostly Bladesinger, but I forgot to take into account Druid’s higher hit die and shield prof as I was doing that. You also have a good point that this should be directly compared to the Circle of Spores. I’m not as familiar with Spore Druid as I am other subclasses, so I’ll look at that more. I may not need to buff AC as much as I thought. Problem is the Metal restriction is really rough on them. I want this class to gish like a Cleric but still be distinctly Druidic. I’m contemplating giving them the ability to transform nonmagical armor into Ironwood instead of the Form of Iron. That seems interesting, both mechanicslly and flavorwise. Thoughts on this?

Maybe give them the ability to craft armor from Ironwood with "secret techniques" turning a metal armor into Ironwood seems kind of sidestepping my own belief as a druid. This creates a problem of not being able to equip looted magical armors (aside from those druids can normally equip), so IDK.

What if it was something like Barnskin, but better, Ironskin (that was a thing in previous editions btw). it could make you AC 14 + proficiency, being exactly like Barnskin early on, and improving later on.

Bjarkmundur
2019-03-24, 04:41 PM
Who multiclasses a homebrewed class, honestly?

If my DM gave me distinct permission to use a homebrew class, I'd feel like I would completely violate his trust if I'd then attempt to multiclass it just to cheese my early level stats. That's basically the fasted way to make him never allow homebrewes again, ever.

I like where this is going, definitely staying tuned. The idea of using wild shape to do something other than wild shape is particularly interesting to me^^

KOLE
2019-04-08, 07:27 PM
Deep within the wildest places reside the small and dedicated Circle of Ironwood, who have taken a solemn pledge to fight off extraplanar influences from the hidden places where they may take root, protecting nature in her most untamed and vulnerable places. To do so, they have taken pragmatic approaches to adapt to an unusual enemy. Ironwood druids are more resourceful than other circles, and will never pass up the opportunity to gain the upper hand. Their frequent interaction with the otherworldly has left them ready for nearly anything that comes their way. They rely more on martial prowess as many aberrations are resilient against the elements, and they've adapted defenses to more readily withstand these horrific encounters.

Bonus Proficiency
Your Circle has taught you how to fight when your natural magics are restrained or expended. You gain proficiency in martial weapons.

Form of Iron

The Circle of Ironwood has learned ancient means of bolstering their bodies for defensive purposes. At 2nd level, these secrets are known to you. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your wild shape to enter the Form of Iron. For one minute, your skin hardens, your vision becomes clearer, and the forces of nature seem to be driving you into battle. While in this form, you gain the following benefits. You may dismiss this form at any time, no action required.


If you are wearing armor you are proficient in, you gain a bonus to your AC equal to half your profiecency bonus, rounded down.
You ignore difficult terrain.
You gain darkvision out to 60 feet. If you already had it, the range expands by 60 feet.
You gain temporary HP equal to half your druid level, rounded up.


Circle Spells

Your Circle gives you access to unique magics that typically fall outside of a Druid's purview. Once you gain access to a circle spell, 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.

Druid Level 3: Blur, Misty Step
Druid Level 5: Blink, Elemental Weapon
Druid Level 7: Fire Shield, Locate Creature
Druid Level 9: Banishing Smite, Commune With Nature


Extra Attack
Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Nature's Warden
At 10th level, your experience in combating extraplanar forces have made you a force to be reckoned with. You gain resistance to psychic damage and can deal an extra 1d6 force damage on a weapon attack. You can only deal this damage once per turn.

Master of the Iron Form

At 14th level, your dedication to the art of your circle has improved you abilities while using it. You gain the following benefits while using your Form of Iron, in addition to those you already possess:


You may add your wisdom modifier (minimum of +1) to the damage of a weapon attack. You may only do so once per turn.
You gain advantage on any saving throw you are proficient in.


After mulling on this for a bit, I've made a revision! Form of Iron is still a pretty strong feature up front, but multiclassing shenanigans are now discouraged. It also gets better specifically with druid levels, which should discourage any dips. I decided to hone in on the flavor of this class with this revision and make them more focused on taking on Aberrations specifically, partially inspired by the Horizonwalker but hopefully not overlapping too much. I liked the Level 10 ability a lot; but realized most Aberrations are resistant to elemental damage which sort of defeated the point, so I honed in on features that made sense for the pray a Ironwood Druid would take on.

I'm pretty fond of the new rounded down proficiency fix to AC. It keeps druids competitive in melee AC without violating the no metal rule, stacks with shields, doesn't break on multiclass, and scales in a more toned down manner methinks.

Is the Circle Spell list too strong? I know Banishing Smite is a biggy but it's so, so flavorful for this build. I didn't want to take the Paladins smites but it just fits this subclass so well. I also didn't want Banishment itself on the list despite how well it fits because it is really potent. This seems like an okay tradeoff, but I'd like to hear what you think.

Rukelnikov
2019-04-09, 04:14 PM
Looks good, I'd make the 14th lvl wis to damage to work on every attack while in FoI.

KOLE
2019-04-13, 02:18 PM
Looks good, I'd make the 14th lvl wis to damage to work on every attack while in FoI.

I thought about this for a minute but was worried about overshadowing the Ranger capstone... But then I remembered the Ranger capstone is mud. I think I may just do that. After comparing this class to Nature Cleric, I don't think it would be too much. I'm also considering making the Armor bonus at level 2 proficiency bonus rounded UP, as rounding down keeps you at only +1 until level 9. I don't want to front load this too much, and the Circle Spells are plenty potent, but I'm wondering if it's a still a little lackluster.

Rukelnikov
2019-04-13, 03:13 PM
I thought about this for a minute but was worried about overshadowing the Ranger capstone... But then I remembered the Ranger capstone is mud. I think I may just do that. After comparing this class to Nature Cleric, I don't think it would be too much. I'm also considering making the Armor bonus at level 2 proficiency bonus rounded UP, as rounding down keeps you at only +1 until level 9. I don't want to front load this too much, and the Circle Spells are plenty potent, but I'm wondering if it's a still a little lackluster.

Yeah, round up

KOLE
2019-04-21, 11:57 PM
Bonus Proficiency
Your Circle has taught you how to fight when your natural magics are restrained or expended. You gain proficiency in martial weapons.

Form of Iron

The Circle of Ironwood has learned ancient means of bolstering their bodies for defensive purposes. At 2nd level, these secrets are known to you. As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your wild shape to enter the Form of Iron. For one minute, your skin hardens, your vision becomes clearer, and the forces of nature seem to be driving you into battle. While in this form, you gain the following benefits. You may dismiss this form at any time, no action required.


If you are wearing armor you are proficient in, you gain a bonus to your AC equal to half your proficiency bonus, rounded up.
You ignore difficult terrain.
You gain darkvision out to 60 feet. If you already had it, its range expands by 60 feet.
You gain temporary HP equal to twice your druid level.



Circle Spells

Your Circle gives you access to unique magics that typically fall outside of a Druid's purview. Once you gain access to a circle spell, 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.

Druid Level 3: Blur, Misty Step
Druid Level 5: Blink, Elemental Weapon
Druid Level 7: Fire Shield, Locate Creature
Druid Level 9: Banishing Smite, Commune With Nature


Extra Attack
Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Nature's Warden
At 10th level, your experience in combating extraplanar forces have made you a force to be reckoned with. You gain resistance to psychic damage and can deal an extra 1d6 force damage on a weapon attack. You can only deal this damage once per turn.

When you reach 14th level, this extra damage increases to 2d6.

Master of the Iron Form

At 14th level, your dedication to the art of your circle has improved you abilities while using it. You gain the following benefits while using your Form of Iron, in addition to those you already possess:


You may add your wisdom modifier (minimum of +1) to the damage of your weapon attacks.
You gain advantage on any saving throw you are proficient in.


Here it is, new and improved. I had the opportunity to play with a Spore Druid... Those things are no joke, man. They do some serious damage, and certainly earned my respect. After picking the subclass apart in no small measure, I've instituted a few tweaks, pretty much all of them are buffs. I tried to keep this very reserved at first, but I'd like this to be a valid alternative to the Spore Druid.

I think it still needs some work. Level 10, for example, feels pretty meh. I'd like something a little more special but can't immediately think of anything. The capstone also feels a bit subpar. It's good, but maybe a little boring. Any ideas, playground?