Circle of the Strange (5A)

This is a Druid circle for 5A.

Source: Rachel Williamson in En5ider 467 under the name Circle of Corruption.

For some druids the world is a place of nature and gentle beauty, for others it is a place of brutal cycles, and still more see it as a home for terrible yet beautiful fey. For those among the Circle of the Strange however, the world is one step off from what it could be. Often afflicted by terrible visions of eldritch horrors or touched by an otherworldly presence, these corrupted wardens of nature simply choose a version of it that is more fitting to their eye.

Blighted Touch

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, your very presence mutates nonmagical plants in your vicinity and bend them to your will. You and allies ignore nonmagical difficult terrain caused by plants within 10 feet of you. However, the mutated plants are strange and foreboding. Anyone trying to track you through difficult terrain caused by plants have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track.

Strange Form

Also at 2nd level, you can manifest strangeness in yourself. You can enter a strange form by expending a use of Wild Shape, transforming yourself into any beast or monstrosity of a challenge rating equal to half your druid level or less, whether you have seen it or not. Beast forms you adopt this way appear sickly and mutated. Any lasting condition or modification except damage your Strange Form has inflicted on anther creature ends when you leave your corrupted form. Otherwise this feature functions as a normal use of Wild Shape.

Bile Shape

Starting at 6th level your corrupted form improves, adding aberrations and oozes to your list of potential Strange Forms.

Plague Lands

At 10th level the strangeness you harbor grows in power, allowing you to unleash it upon the world to horrifying effect. You can use an action to afflict all land within 150 feet of you, causing it to become a twisted and resembling the Far Realm. Doing so causes the area to become nonmagical difficult terrain. You may exclude one or more areas of any size or shape from this effect. Normal plants in the area are mutated and can no longer be harvested or foraged from until after the next winter. Aberrations, monstrosities, and oozes may forage food from a defiled area with no adverse effect, but otherwise a creature that eats it must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or become poisoned for 1 hour. If the area is not cleansed, some of this alien plant growth might survive and affect future vegetation at the DMs option.

You can use this Plague Lands a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, regaining all uses when you end a long rest.

Adapt or Perish

Beginning at 14th level your body and self are altered so drastically by the roiling strangeness you hold that you gain the shapechanger subtype, and you can cast Alter Self at will using a bonus action.

Editor's Notes

The name was changed to avoid collision with the undead-themed Circle of Corruption.

The Wild Shape abilities are based on the Circle of the Moon. This has more and more powerful options, but less synergies.