5e: Mind Control Spores Druid?

[PangolinPie]

Soooooo I have this idea for my next character; a Tortle Swarmkeeper Ranger 3/Circle of Spores Druid 17. Basically he has an entire biome sprouting from his shell with fungus, plants and insect colonies. Yeah I know it’s not an original idea but it appeals to me.

However I recently came across something that adds a unique connecting thread between the two classes; Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, commonly known as zombie-ant fungus. Basically mind control fungus that can control insects and now I’m thinking maybe I could extend that to others by reskinning some mind control stuff like the telepathy feat or maybe some enchantment spells.

Plus the zombie aspect also works with Spores really well; as a Druid he’s very much all about the death/decay/rebirth part of the circle of life.

So I guess i’m looking for ideas for like feats, items, spells, etc…I dunno the idea is kind of all over the place right now and just trying to find some solid ground LOL

PS: also really wanted to add something to do with poison use as it also fits well with the theme even if that just ends up being the poisoner feat.

[Sorinth]

Well there are a decent number of charm like spells. Charm Person/Monster, Hold Person, Confusion, Dominate Beast which would all fit with a mind control vibe.

You can reflavor most fey related charms to your spore theme. So Fey-Touched can be a good feat.

[Psyren]

I'm not sure what the Swarmkeeper 3 is adding here that you couldn't achieve by going straight Spore Druid and refluffing your key abilities like Halo and Symbiotic Entity. If you want the spores to be/represent a cloud of cordyceps ants or wasps, I would just ask for that. This would also get you to access the control spells you want for this concept that much faster.

If on the other hand you want to strengthen your melee side to better take advantage of Symbiotic Entity's per-hit damage bonus, I would consider going for 5 levels of Ranger instead of 3 so you get Extra Attack, as well as a feat like Polearm Master or War Caster.

[RogueJK]

Well there are a decent number of charm like spells. Charm Person/Monster, Hold Person, Confusion, Dominate Beast which would all fit with a mind control vibe.


The Fey Touched feat would allow you to grab Command as well. And unlike many of the other mind control spells, it still works on enemies who are immune to Charm effects (or fey-related creaturs who have Advantage against charm effects).



If on the other hand you want to strengthen your melee side to better take advantage of Symbiotic Entity's per-hit damage bonus, I would consider going for 5 levels of Ranger instead of 3 so you get Extra Attack, as well as a feat like Polearm Master

Because Spores Druid's damage bonus is tied to your remaining Temp HP, and your pool of Temp HP is generally quite low, it's unlikely to last for multiple rounds in a serious combat. (One of that factors that makes Spores Druid a subpar subclass...)

As a result, if you're wanting to build around taking advantage of that damage bonus, you want to be able to maximize the number of melee weapon attacks you can generate per turn. Psyren's recommendation of gaining 3x attacks from Ranger 5 with PAM is a way to go about that, and it also synergizes well with Shillelagh to allow you to focus more on WIS and CON without worrying about STR too. But the double-edged sword is that those 5 levels of Ranger will make your Symbiotic Entity Temp HP pool even that much smaller...

If you're not married to Tortle, the Goliath race's damage mitigation racial ability can allow you to stretch your Temp HP out further than usual.

Spores Druid is one of those subclasses that has really cool flavor, but typically ends up being very underwhelming in actual play, as the mechanics of the subclass abilities just don't work that well. Your Halo of Spores is weak, and eats your Reactions for either minimal damage (2.5) or zero damage if they make a CON save (which is the most common good save for enemies, especially those that are intended to close into melee with PCs). Your Symbiotic Entity ability is weak, and incentivizes you getting up in melee range, which is not what a (non-Moon) Druid typically wants, and closing with enemies only serves to further shorter the lifespan of your already small Temp HP pool. Your zombies are really weak and have just 1 HP each, and you can only generate 3-5 per day. Etc. It feels like someone came up with a really neat concept but then it was published without enough playtesting and tweaking... It needed more time in the oven.

[Psyren]

Yeah, protecting your temp HP are definitely a weak point of the subclass.

If you go the Rgr 5/Drd X route, one thing you might want to check in with your DM about is the metal armor restriction. Both BG3 and 1DnD are throwing it out, so suggest to your DM that you should simply be allowed to wear scale mail and a shield (or ask if the scale mail can be dinosaur scales or something if you pay more) and pick up defense fighting style from your Ranger side. Then wield a quarterstaff in one hand + a shield with PAM for three attacks at level 5, all of which will get boosted Hunter's Mark and later by Symbiotic Entity. Because you're using a quarterstaff, as RogueJK mentioned you can cast Shillelagh to attack with your Wisdom stat and not need any Str. You'll have at least 19 AC to protect your temp HP with, and unlike a moon druid you'll be able to continue casting spells while you melee. You'll also have better scaling once you find some magic staves and armor (e.g. dragonscale) and/or magic shields.

A solid alternative to both Tortle and Goliath is Githzerai, as they will give you the Shield spell for even more protection of your temp HP.

Lastly, as Rogue JK said I wouldn't bother with the zombie past Tier 2 or so. Your reason for sticking with Spores is more temp HP and more spellcasting, the other subclass features are meh until you hit Fungal Body.

[yerschhhh]

I played a tortle spore circle druid. Here's a spore zombie we used:

FUNGUS ZOMBIE Medium plant, neutral AC 11 HP 1 SPEED 20’, climb 20’
STR 13 (+1) DEX 6 (-2) CON 16 (+3) INT 3 (-4) WIS 6 (-2) CHA 5 (-3)
(Stats for STR/CON are as the fallen creature was in life)
SAVES: WIS +0 DAMAGE IMMUNITIES: Poison
CONDITION IMMUNITIES: Blinded, Charmed, Exhausted, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned
SENSES: Darkvision 60’, Blindsight 30’ PASSIVE PERCEPTION: 8
LANGUAGES: Understands what it knew in life, but cannot speak
PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 CHALLENGE: ¼
UNDEAD FORTITUDE: If damage reduces the zombie to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the zombie drops to 1 hit point instead.
ACTION: Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage.
DESCRIPTION: These creatures are the dead raised by the animating spores of the Spore Druid symbiotic entity. Their animating energy fades after an hour as the fungal tendrils turn to mush.

Something else to consider--read the Basinidrond fungus description from the MM2.

[PangolinPie]

Well I think you’ve all successfully and thankfully dissuaded me from playing a Spores Druid. It really did sound better than it is in application. I’ve got some other characters ideas to mull over but thanks a bunch guys!

[RogueJK]

Yeah, it's a major missed opportunity. I really think it's overall the most disappointing subclass published so far, with the widest gulf between how cool the flavor is/could be, and how unsatisfying the mechanics actually are. (Even more so than a Cavalier that can't afford to remain mounted past Level 5ish!)