Those who know how to listen know the sound of the dying earth
and hear the hissing of souls trapped between this world and
others. Innocent creatures and totemic spirits seeking solace: these
beings speak to us and we give them a voice, while our body takes
on the ghostly appearance of those children of creation whose steps
no longer walk the earth.
The Druids of the Circle of Masciari, also known as the Circle
of Death, have learned to perceive the darkest and most dreary
face of nature, and consequently to tap into it. They are
the descendants of ancient pagan cults, and as such they pass
on the spirituality of those ancestors who first studied the
esoteric arts that bind mortals and creation in order to shape
the primeval energies according to their will.
With the death of the Primes, darkness has hopelessly
corrupted the world of the living, and the Masciari are ready
to use this evil against death itself. They usually adhere to the
religion of the Apostates of Rahidra, but it is not unusual to
see them venerate older entities that dominated the world
in the past. A druid of this circle, however disturbing their
abilities may seem in the eyes of many, often turn out to be
a great ally and a fierce sentry against the corruption of the
Dark Mirror.
Nectrotic Caress
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you learn the
poison
spray cantrip.
Dark Wild Shape
At 2nd level, when using the Wild Shape feature, you can
accept a reduction to your Maximum and Current Hit Points
equal to your character level. In doing so, the chosen Wild
Shape will become a Dark Wild Shape, permeated by the
energies of Ènferun. The loss of Maximum Hit Points is recovered
after a long rest.
A Dark Wild Form gains the following features in addition
to (or in place of, where specified) those of the Beast you
transform into:
• The type of creature changes from
Beast to
Undead
• Resistance to necrotic damage, poison, and cold
damage, and also resistance to bludgeoning, slashing,
and piercing damage when inflicted by non-magical
weapons.
• Weakness to radiant damage.
• Darkvision (60 feet).
• Maximum Hit Points increased to 15, unless the chosen
Beast already has a higher amount; for each of your
druid levels above the 2nd, increase said Maximum Hit
Points amount by your Wisdom modifier.
• Each attack of the Dark Wild Shape deals 1d6
additional damage, cold or necrotic, depending on the type chosen during transformation; this additional
damage increases at 6th level (1d8), 10th level (1d10)
and 14th level (1d12).
•
Shadow Stealth: As long as you are in dim light or
darkness, you can use Hide as a bonus action.
Unholy Bond
At 6th level, you have Advantage on Saving Throws against
effects that cause the Frightened condition. You also have access
to additional spells related to the netherworld, as shown
in the following table:
| Druid Level |
Unholy Bond Spells |
| 6th |
speak with dead |
| 9th |
animate dead |
| 12th |
circle of death |
| 15th |
finger of death |
Dread Necromorphosis
At 10th level, you can spend two uses of Wild Shape simultaneously
to transform into a Dread Shambler.
Dread Shambler
A Dread Shambler is an Undead elemental, consisting of animal
carcasses, mud, branches, topsoil, and bones. This being
is the most literal manifestation of the corruption of the natural
world at the hands of Ènferun and usually represents the
death that lingers in the wilds. It cannot be animated by spells
or formed spontaneously, but it is the result of the druid practices
of the Masciari, who have learned to harness the necrotic
energies of dying nature. Those in the Circle of Death take
this form to unleash the wrath of the dead Primal.
Dread Shambler
Lord of Bones
At 14th level, your connection to nature's corruption and
knowledge of death allows you to command the
Undead.
When an
Undead attacks you, you can use your Reaction to
spend a spell slot and attempt to take control of it. If the target’s
Challenge Rating is equal to or below the level of the spell slot
spent, the
Undead must make a successful Wisdom Saving Throw
against your spell DC or fall under your control; otherwise, the
feature has no effect. Targets with Intelligence 10 or higher have
Advantage on the Saving Throw to resist this feature.
As long as it stays within 60 feet of you, the
Undead can receive
simple telepathic commands, of one or two words, which
it will obey to the best of its abilities. Some commands, for
example, can be: "protect me", "attack", "patrol", "wait here",
"drag this". In the absence of a specific command or if unable
to carry out the assigned task, the
Undead will only defend
itself (using the Dodge action in combat), remaining within a
60 feet of you, if possible .
The
Undead will stay under your control until it is destroyed,
until the Full Moon rises, or until you use this feature
against another
Undead. If the effect ends without the
Undead
being destroyed, it will remain Incapacitated for a round, only
to become hostile afterwards.