Druid Circle: Circle of the Pact

Druids of the the Circle of the Pact form a bond with a bestial benefactor. This benefactor becomes their primal guide calling them to protect weaker creatures under the benefactor's protection from the evils of the world. This pact may be the result of a being spared in a close encounter with one of the entity's subjects, a particularly wild druid drawn to this power, or the bestial entity may have sought the Druid out themselves.

While possessing the ability to morph into many lesser forms, druids of this circle prefer to take the form of their benefactor. While taking this form, their benefactor is able to amplify the wild power running throught their veins allowing them to transcend the power their bestial cousins.

Your benefactor may be a bear, panther, snake, ape, horse, or crocodile. Or benefactor may be another beast, at your DM's discretion (and balancing by your DM).

Combat Wild Shape

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the ability to use Wild Shape on your turn as a bonus action, rather than as an action.

Additionally, while you are transformed by Wild Shape, you can use a bonus action to expend one spell slot to regain 1d8 hit points per level of the spell slot expended .

Primal Guide

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the ability to use Wild Shape to turn into an avatar of your spirit guide. This avatar follows the Wild Shape rules, except it always takes the same form (color, scars, gender, etc). Your guide's power fills you when you take this form granting you +3 AC, additional HP equal to your druid level times 4, and you may speak though it sounds bestial (reminiscent of your avatar form).

The primal power granted to you affects your untransformed body as well. At your option, you also gain minor physical attributes that are reminiscent of your primal guide. For example, a bear pact may make you hairier or a crocodile pact may give you scaly skin.

Elemental Primal Strike

Starting at 6th level, choose lightning, cold, fire, or poison. You may infuse your attacks in avatar form to change the damge to your choosen damage type. All attacks in avatar form count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. You may choose to replace the damage

Bestial Fury

Beginning at 10th level, while in avatar form you can make two attacks when you use the Attack action.

Bestial Avatar

Starting at 14th level, when you transform into your animal avatar, you may choose a size class up to two sizes greater or smaller than your normal form. You may not be smaller than tiny, nor larger than huge. If you do so, your avatar form is affected in various ways, see table below. (Note: your damage dice cannot be reduced below d4, nor increased above d12)