Circle of Oaks
Ayloth focused on the roots of the trees below, as he began to transform, his skin becoming bark and his arms growing into long, talon-like branches. The interlopers would pay for what they had done to his forest…
Ayloth, Circle of Oaks Druid
There is power in the ancient trees of the world—a quiet, abiding power. Those who live among trees, like the elves, are aware of this power, and they treat it with respect, even reverence. Some druids learn to tap into this power. These are the members of the Circle of Oaks. By suffusing themselves with the vitality and strength of the ancient green, they can perform mighty feats. Although they commonly hail from the ancient forests of the world, Circle of Oaks druids can be found anywhere there are trees of sufficient age from which to draw power.
Building a Circle of Oaks Druid
Druids who join the Circle of Oaks are empowered by the trees they revere with powerful abilities that allow them to move swiftly through a forest, and to even empower their innate shapeshifting abilities:
Tree Step allows you to spend half your movement to transport yourself a short distance from one tree to another.
Might of the Oak empowers your shapeshifting ability, allowing you to transform into a powerful treant-like figure rather than a beast.
Rouse the Grove is your capstone ability, granting you the ability to animate all nearby trees to aid you and your allies in combat.
In addition to these abilities, these druids gain access to a spells such as Locate Animals or Plants, Speak with Plants, and Conjure Woodland Beings, which don’t count against the number of spells they can prepare in a day. With these abilities, Circle of Oak druids make particularly powerful allies when travelling through forested terrain. Their Tree Step ability can be used offensively or defensively, either to get within striking distance of an enemy, or to make a quick escape. Might of the Oak is an incredibly powerful ability, but requires to uses of your wild shape, so it should be used wisely. Their additional domain spells grant them some versatility, with spells that are helpful whether in a forest or even a city, such as Pass without Trace or Locate Creature. As a note, you may want to consider talking to your GM before taking this subclass to get a sense of how much time they expect your party to spend in the wilderness. A heavily urban-centric campaign may prove a challenge for this subclass.
As with all classes, any race is suitable for playing a Circle of Oaks druid, but there there are a few races whose innate abilities may synergize particularly well. The Woodland Elf ability to hide in plain sight will allow you to stay hidden in the forest if you find yourself in a dangerous situation, separated from your party, and their natural proficiency with the shortbow and longbow offer you some additional options for ranged combat. Similarly, the Green Halfling innate advantage against being surprised means that if you are acting as a forward scout for the group, you’ll rarely be caught off guard.
Roleplaying Tips
When playing a Circle of Oaks druid, a good first step is to ask yourself what has motivated you to leave your Circle and join an adventuring party. Is a sacred grove you swore to protect in some sort of danger? Or did you simply get bored spending all of your time in the woods talking to squirrels? Another great question is what first drew you to the trees. Was it a connection you were born with, or something you sought out? Knowing the answers to these questions can help inform your roleplaying interactions going forward. When talking to other party members or NPCs, consider whether your character would have any social quirks, spending more time talking to trees and animals than people. These can be more playful than disruptive. For example, perhaps your character uses strange aphorisms that make no sense to others, like, “A man without purpose is like a tree without roots,” or “Never ask a tree how many rings are in its trunk.” When choosing a background, Forest Dweller is the most obvious choice, with Nomad and Fey-touched similarly well-suited for anyone who spent much of their formative years living in the forest. You could consider something a bit less obvious however, such as a Politician, elected by your Circle as an emissary to travel into the world to seek aid, or a Transformed Familiar, once the servant of a powerful magic user who died in the forest of old age, leaving you to wander the forest…the choice is yours! Each of these backgrounds are available in the Core Content Pack.
How to Access this Content
This subclass was created by our partners at Kobold Press, and it is one of the many available to subscribers, along with others like the Soulspy or the College of Entropy, as well as races such as the Shade or Spindrift Dwarf. Build your own Circle of Oaks druid and tell us about it in the comments below or on any of our social channels. Join us on Discord, Reddit or Facebook to meet other members of the community and take your game to the next level, or follow us on Twitter @shardtabletop for regular updates.
