Circle of the Ancient Guardians

Druids of the Circle of the Ancient Guardians utilize and maintain powerful magical allies that take many different forms. These allies help them to protect the wild lands from those that would disrupt the natural order.

Heart of the Guardians

At 2nd level you obtain a magical item that the form of your guardian will shape itself around. This item is called an ancient heart and allows you to grow a plant construct called an ancient guardian.

The number of magic items you may be attuned to is reduced by 1.

With 4 hours of work, you grow a plant construct of tangled vine and wood to serve as your guardian. At the end of the 4 hours, your guardiann appears and once you place the ancient heart within it, gains all the benefits of your Guardian’s Bond ability. You can have only one active guardian at a time.

If your guardian is ever slain, the magical bond you share allows you to return it to life. With 4 hours of work you may use the ancient heart to call forth your guardian’s spirit and use your magic to create a new body for it. You can return a guardian to life in this manner, even if you do not possess any part of its body, as long as you have the ancient heart. If you use this ability to return a former guardian to life while you have a current guardian, your current guardian becomes a living statue and is replaced by the restored guardian.

If you lose your Ancient Heart or it is destroyed, you can perform a 2-hour ceremony to summon it or to receive a replacement from the wilds.

Guardian's Bond

Your guardian gains a variety of benefits while it is linked to your ancient heart.

The guardian obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your guardian acts on its own.

For each level you gain after 2nd, your guardian gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly.

Your guardian’s ability save DC is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + its Strength modifier.

Your guardian's spell save DC is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + its Wisdom modifier.

Your ancient guardian adds your proficiency bonus to its saving throws.

Your guardian is proficient in two skills of your choice.

Your guardian has two hands that it uses to make grapple and slam attacks.

You can find the base statistics for the ancient guardian on page 4.

Living Statues

Once you have animated a guardian, as an Action you may command it to eject the ancient heart causing your ancient guardian to be petrified into solid wood as the heart drops to the ground. The vegetation that is left behind retains the guardians shape and hit points but loses all other features and becomes firmly planted into the ground.

You may animate this petrified form by spending 10 minutes in concentration after placing the ancient heart against it.

The vegetation that is left behind retains the guardians shape and hit points but loses all other traits, abilities, focae, and features. The living statue can be used for cover, blocks line of sight and effect, and has an AC of 16. Creatures that are grappled or restrained by your guardian when you reclaim the heart remain trapped in its clutches and can escape with a succesful athletics check against your guardians's ability save DC + 2. Creatures that have been engulfed by your guardian must succeed on an athletics check agains a DC equal to your guardian's ability save DC + 5 to escape.

For every point of damage dealt to help the creature break free the escape DC is reduced by 1. In addition, ¼ of the damage rounded up, caused by area of effect spells or abilities that hit both the guardian statue and the creature it holds is applied as if it was helping the grappled creature escape. If the guardian catches fire with a grappled or engulfed prisoner, the prisoner takes damage until the guardian can no longer hold them or they escape.

Versatile Growth

At 2nd level you gain access to a resource known as growth points. You have a pool of growth points equal to your druid level.

You may add or remove features granted by growth points by spending a number of minutes equal to ten times the growth point cost. Adding or removing versatile growth options that change your ancient guardians size requires an hour of growth time per growth point cost of that option. When you remove a feature from your guardian you regain a number of growth points equal to its cost

Growth points return once the guardian they were spent on becomes inactive (it dies or is petrified by removing the ancient heart).

You may not purchase the same Versatile Growth Option more than once unless it says otherwise.

You can find a list of Versatile Growth Options on pages 2 and 3.

Enchanted Wood

At 6th level your ancient guardian's magical heart enhances its AC by 2. If it has Barkskin its AC is 18. In addition, your guardian immune to harmful effects caused by plants, such as those caused by the spells entangle and spike growth.

Ancient Wellspring

At 10th level your power over nature infuses the ancient heart, granting your guardian enhanced regeneration. At the start of each of your turns your ancient guardian regains hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier + ½ your druid level rounded down.

If your ancient guardian takes necrotic, fire, or cold damage this regeneration does not occur at the start of your next turn. The guardian must have more than 0 hit points to receive the benefits of this feature.

Master of the Heart

At 14th level You may select one of the following options to represent your mastery of the ancient heart.

Abundant Growth. You gain 4 additional growth points.

Awakening. You grant your guardian sentience. While awakened your ancient guardian has an Intelligence and Charisma of 8 and it's Wisdom increases by 4. It also gains the ability to speak one language you know. Your ancient guardian must still follow your commands but can make its own choices if you allow it to.

Living Armor. As a Bonus Action on your turn, if you are standing within 5 feet of your ancient guardian you may fuse with it’s form. Your guardian may fuse with you on its turn if you command it to do so on your turn.

You can revert to your normal form by using a Bonus Action on Your Turn. Your guardian may revert you to your normal form by using a Bonus Action if you command it to do so on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall Unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.

While you are fused with your guardian the following rules apply:

Your guardian it may only act on its turn to revert you back to your normal form.

You are treated as though you had used Wild Shape to transform into your ancient guardian. This ability does not expend any uses of Wild Shape.

You may cast spells as normal.

If you fall to 0 hit points, your ancient guardian dies and falls to the ground in a heap around you in addition to the normal Wild Shape rules.

Versatile Growth Options

Growth options are broken into three categories: Actions, Traits, and Focae. Actions are features that may be used by your guardian on its turn. Traits are features that modify your guardians passive capabilities. Focae are abilities that you may activate on your turn as an Action.

When your guardian increases in size its hit dice and damage dice increase to the next size. For example, Xd8 becomes Xd10.

If you aren't sure what options appeal to you as a player you can use the guardian templates table as starting point.

1 Growth Point

Trait - Bird Song

Prerequisite: None

The guardian can call birds to it by passing wind through the fluted channels in its branches. These birds regard the golem and its controller as friendly creatures.

Focus - Fruit Bearer

Prerequisites: None

You may cast goodberry without using a spell slot or material components through your guardian once per long rest.

Action - Windwood

Prerequisite: None

Your guardian can shoot spines from channels grown into its form granting it the Dart attack.

Dart: Ranged Weapon Attack, range: 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: (1d4 + Dex) Piercing. This attack requires no ammunition.

2 Growth Points

Action - Aggravating Dart

Prerequisites: Windwood

Your guardian can shoot a dart at a target within 60 feet that angers nearby birds, inciting them to attack it. The creature takes 1d6 Slashing damage at the end of each of its turns and is blinded and deafened. The creature may use its action to attempt an Investigation check against your guardian's spell save DC to remove the dart.

Trait - Bramblewhip

Prerequisites: Lashvine

Your guardians Lash attack deals 1d4 additional slashing damage. Grapple checks made with your lash attack have a +2 bonus. Creatures that attempt to escape your lash take 1d6 slashing damage.

Action - Briartooth

Prerequisites: None

Your guardian grows a set of briar teeth allowing it to make a bite attack.

Bite: Melee Weapon Attack, Range: 5 ft., one target. Hit: (2d8 + Str) piercing damage. When your guardian hits a creature with this attack it may attempt a Grapple for free against the target. Until the grapple ends your guardian may not use its' bite attack on another target.

Ability - Lashvine

Prerequisites:None

Your guardian grows a long and sturdy vine that it may use to make a Lash attack.

Lash: Melee Weapon Attack, range: 15 ft., one target. Hit: (1d4 + Str) slashing damage. If the target is a creature, the guardian may attempt to Grapple it. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, the guardian must have at least one hand free to make a lash attack. Your guardian must use one of its hands to maintain a grapple initiated with a lash attack.

Trait - Swift Stride

Prerequisites: None

Your guardian’s movement speed increases by 15 ft. This Versatile Growth Option may be purchased twice.

Trait - Oakfists

Prerequisites: Hulking Mass

The guardian’s slam and smash attacks deal double damage to structures and objects.

Trait - Trampling Charge

Prerequisites: Willowsteed

Your guardian gains the ability to charge into combat. If the guardian moves at least 20 ft. straight toward a creature and then hits it with a slam Attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a Strength saving throw against your guardians ability save DC or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the guardian can make one slam Attack against it as a Bonus Action.

Trait - Willowsteed

Prerequisites: None

Your guardian’s form becomes that of a four legged creature and it grows features allowing it to be a suitable mount. The guardian retains its' other limbs.

3 Growth Points

Focus - Bird Storm

Prerequisites: Aggravating Dart, Bird Song

The guardian shoots a dart at a point within 60 feet of it. Birds swarm to attack creatures within 20 feet of the dart, heavily obscuring the area for 1 minute. Creatures that start their turn in the area take must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or take 2d6 slashing damage. Creatures that succeed take half damage.

Your may use this ability once per long rest.

Ability - Double Fisted Smash

Prerequisites: Hulking Mass

Your guardian gains the ability to use a slow but powerful two handed smash attack. Your guardian must have both hands free to make a smash attack.

Smash: Melee Weapon Attack, -5 to hit modifier, Range: 5 ft., one target. Hie: 14 (4d6 + Str) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your guardian's ability save DC or it is knocked prone.

Focus - Entangling Bramblevines

Prerequisites: Bramblewhip

You may cast the spells entangle and spike growth centered on the same point through your guardian without spending a spell slot or requiring material components. Your guardian concentrates on these spells as if they were one spell for 1 up to 1 minute. While concentrating on these spells your guardian is incapacitated and its speed is 0. You may command your guardian to stop concentrating on these spells, which it does as a Bonus Action on its turn.

You may use this ability once per long rest.

4 Growth Points

Trait - Barkskin

Prerequisites: None

Thick bark protects the exterior of your guardian permanently granting it the effects of the Barkskin spell.

Focus - Engulf

Prerequisites: Hulking Mass

You select one creature of that is at least one size category smaller than your guardian within 10 feet of it. That creature makes an Athletics or Acrobatics check against your druid spell save DC. If it fails the creature is pulled by grasping vines into the Oakfist Colossus and may use an Action on each of its turn to attempt check to escape with an Athletics check against your guardian's ability save DC. The engulfed target is blinded, restrained, and unable to breathe, and it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your guardian’s ability save DC at the start of each of the guardian's turns or take 12 (2d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the guardian moves, the engulfed target moves with it. The guardian can have only one creature engulfed at a time. A successful Athletics or Acrobatics check avoids these effects. You may command the guardian to release an engulfed target as a bonus action.

You may use this ability once per long rest.

Ability - Spellbreaker

Prerequisites: level 8 druid

Your guardian is imbued with the essence of the elderwood granting it the following benefits.

When a creature within 5 feet of it casts a spell, it can use its reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature. If it does so it may not use its action to attack on its next turn.

When it damages a creature that is concentrating on a spell, that creature has disadvantage on the saving throw it makes to maintain its concentration.

Trait - Spark of Magic.

Prerequisites: level 8 druid

Your guardian gains the Magic Initiate feat. It selects druid for its class and spells of your choosing.

Trait - Spellward

Prerequisites: Spellbreaker

The guardian suffers no harmful effects when it succeeds on a saving throw to resist magical abilities or spells.

Focus - Spellquake

Prerequisites: Spellbreaker, Spellward

The Elderbranch Spellbreaker releases a powerful pulse of disruptive magic that causes all temporary magical effects to falter. You may attempt to dispel magic in a 10 foot radius from a point within 20 feet of your elderbranch spellbreaker. Spells of 3rd level and lower are not automatically dispelled. To determine which spells are dispelled you roll 1d20 + your Wisdom ability modifier and subtract ten from the result. Effects caused by spells of levels less than or equal to this result are dispelled.

6 Growth Points

Trait - Hulking Mass

Prerequisites: None

Your guardian’s size category increases from Medium to Large, its Strength increases by 4, its Dexterity decreases by 2, and its Constitution increases by 2. Your guardian's Strength and Constitution scores may not exceed 22.