Circle of Spores Druid – Revised

This is my revised ‘circle of spores druid’ I revised this subclass because it is lacking in power and usefulness compared to the moon druid and the necromancer it lacks the raw damage and health of the moon druid and the versatility of all the different animals you can turn into this new version is good at tanking and preventing damage from hitting the party

Circle spells 2level

 chill touch, booming blade (does necrotic damage)

3level stinking cloud, blindness/deftness

5 level animate dead, gaseous form

7level blight, confusion

9level cloudkill, contagion

Level2 Halo of spores

 as a reaction you can activate invisible necrotic spores around you. When a enemy that goes within 10 feet of you of starts its turn with in 10 feet of you use your reaction to deal 1d6 necrotic damage to the target and you can spent a spell slot to make the target poisoned for a number of rounds equal to the level of the spell slot and while poisoned they take dame of the halo of spores damage = to level of the spell slot. at 6 level this increases to 1d8 at 10th 1d10 and 14th 1d12 

 Level 2 Symbiotic enhancement

 as an action you can use a use of your wild to transform in to fugal infested form and gain the following benefits;

For the duration your type is plant and fey instead of humanoid

You gain 5 temporary hit points for each level you have in this class

You deal extra halo of spores damage = to your wisdom

Your unarmed strikes deal 1d8 and are magical, can use wisdom instead of strength and acts as a weapon for purposes of booming blade.

Your melee weapon attacks and unarmed strikes deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage and must make a saving throw against your spell save dc or be paralysed for 1 minute it can make anther on the start of each turn and at the start of the effect you can chose to give this effect to an ally within 30 feet

This last for 10 minutes or if you lose all temporary hit points or you use your wild shape again.

Fugal infestation

 when a medium or small beast or humanoid dies within 10 ft of you in your spreading spores or 5 ft zombie under your control as a reaction to reanimate them as a zombie (in the monster manual) with hit points = to your level and stay for 1 hour. If a humanoid or beast die of your halo of spores damage, by your zombie or spreading spores it can instantly rise as a zombie no extra reaction required. The only action it can take is the attack action or the restrain action. Each zombie created by fungal infestation or by spells has an aura spores target that starts it enters a monster space within 5 feet of the zombie you chose whether it must make a dc 13 constitution saving throw or take 1d4 necrotic damage (can’t expend spell slot for zombies and counts as halo of spores for the purpose of razing the dead and for symbiotic encasement). The number of zombies you can reanimate using this ability is equal to your wisdom (minim of 1). The zombie that you reanimate with this ability of your zombie are vulnerable to fire damage and slashing. 

Spreading spores

At 10th level, you gain the ability to seed an area with deadly spores. As a bonus action while your Symbiotic Entity feature is active, you can hurl spores up to 30 feet away, where they swirl in a lightly obscured 10-foot cube for 1 minute. The spores disappear early if you use this feature again, if you dismiss them as a bonus action, or if your Symbiotic Entity feature is no longer active. Your zombie do not take damage from this affect

Whenever a creature moves into the cube or starts its turn there, that creature takes your Halo of Spores damage. A creature can take this damage no more than once per turn. Dance macabre and raise dead, are all added to your prepared spells and count as druid spells you can cast these once a day with out expending a spell slot.

While the cube of spores persists, you can’t use your Halo of Spores reaction.

Fungal body

 At 14th level, the fungus in your body alters you. You can’t be blinded, deafened, frightened, or poisoned, and any critical hit against you counts as a normal hit instead, unless you are incapacitated.

This make the spores druid more viable compered to the moon druid and is a decant necromancer. And has spell that manipulate fugus and spores and try and make an equivalent to the moon druid, wild fire and stars. It has pros and cons like the undead minions are vulnerable to common damage types. But still deal damage and can protect your self and allies. And can area control with spreading spores and your added spells   

Rime of the Frostmaiden – Your Top 12 Questions Answered!

A dark and eery forest lake

Choosing your next D&D 5e campaign is a big decision. Before you dive into it or spend the money on the resource, it’s really helpful to have a good idea of what you’re getting into. You might be considering Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden and have a few questions about it. This guide aims to answer the most common questions about Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, from someone with experience DMing it!

Is Rime of the Frostmaiden Fun?

A dark and eery forest lake

If you’ve run any DnD games, then you probably know that how fun any campaign turns out depends in large part on your group. With the right group of people, most modules can be fun. That said, Rime of the Frostmaiden has many exciting features that make it an excellent adventure to play. Lots of these features can be modified or just used as they come with your group.

For most of my players, they’ve got a real kick out of the secrets. These are character backstory points that you can randomly assign to players. Some of them are small and just add flavor, and some can add real benefits for the players. I’ve given each player one big secret and one flavor secret in the campaigns I’ve run. That way, everyone feels fairly done by. But, I suggest giving out the secrets early on in character creation as it can significantly impact backstory and character design.

What are the Themes in Rime of the Frostmaiden?

One of the exciting things bout Rime of the Frostmaiden is that there are many different themes all packed into one adventure. The first couple of chapters are primarily about exploration in a desolate and bleak environment. But as the story progresses, there are some added sci-fi elements and even the potential for time travel.

Some sections do have slight horror movie vibes to them. However, you can decide how much you want to lean into them based on your group. Nothing is so baked in that you can’t change it to suit your needs.  

When Does Rime of the Frostmaiden Take Place?

As written in the book, the story takes place in 1489 DR, or later. But, the exact date isn’t important. You can easily change the time and, honestly, even the world it’s set in to suit your needs. 

Is Drizzt in Rime of the Frostmaiden?

Based on the dates in the book, the story takes place about 100 years after the events of R.A. Salvatore’s novel The Crystal Shard. This was the book that introduced Drizzt Do’Urden to the Icewind Dale. So Drizzt isn’t in the story. However, he is mentioned in the story and is a vital part of one of the character secrets: a nice little easter egg.

Where Does Rime of the Frostmaiden Take Place?

Rime of the Frostmaide is set in Icewind Dale. On a map of Faerun, that’s the very northern edge of the continent. During the adventure, the players will be able to explore the whole region, not just the towns but also the outlands. 

Where Does Rime of the Frostmaiden Start?

The story begins in Ten Towns. Because the story’s beginning is open-ended, you can choose any of the ten towns to start with. Each place a quest that players can pick up. You can also choose from two starter quests to encourage your players to explore the other towns a little more.

One of the advantages of having so many starting points is that if the dice are against you and you end up with an early TPK (total party kill), you can start with new characters from a different town.

Illustration of a curved bridge with snow

How Long Does Rime of the Frostmaiden Take?

Rime of the Frostmaiden is not a small campaign. It consists of seven chapters, which is nothing on Curse of Strahd’s 15 but, the first two chapters are sprawling. How long it will take will depend on how you structure the game, if your players want to attempt every quest, and how often they get sidetracked. For most groups, there are easily 70 hours of playtime involved. 

How Many Sessions is Rime of the Frostmaiden?

Rime of the Frostmaiden is really well divided into manageable chunks. It just depends on how long your sessions run. Since most folks usually aim for three-hour sessions, you should expect Rime of the Frostmaiden to take between 20-30 sessions to complete.  

How Many Players is Rime of the Frostmaiden For?

Rime of the Frostmaiden is aimed at 4-6 players. If you run with a group of 6, you may want to adjust the encounters a little. Otherwise, the players are likely to roll right through the fights without much challenge.

What Level Does Rime of the Frostmaiden Go To?

The first chapter is aimed at players levels 1-3. The final chapters are for player level 9+. If you want to run it to higher levels, modifying some of the encounters would be pretty straightforward. You may need your players to be at least level 10 to complete the story with a smaller group.

How Hard is Rime of the Frostmaiden?

For players, Rime of the Frostmaiden is possibly not the easiest of campaigns. There are many threads to weave together, and it can be a dauntingly large world for absolutely new players. However, with some thoughtful DMing, it’s possible to make it an enjoyable game for any player level.

Is Rime of the Frostmaiden Easy to DM?

The honest answer is yes and no. The info is really well organized, and it’s quick and easy to prepare for each session you’ll be playing. There is enough information to make it easy to get going, and you can use as much as you want.

On the other hand, there are a few things about the organization of the story that make it a little more challenging to run. However, with a bit of early preparation and planning, these are things you can overcome. My advice is to add more foreshadowing of the events later in the story; this will give players a reason to keep moving through the story. Also, keep in mind that although the adventure is named for the Frostmaiden, she’s not the last chapter. So you might want to plan how you’re going to keep your players invested after her chapter is done. 

Planning out the whole arc and considering how you’re going to sprinkle adventure hooks throughout will help you keep your game moving and your players engaged. It’s true of most campaigns you’ll run but especially so for Rime of the Frostmaiden. Once you’ve got that sorted, it’s plain sailing and a lot of fun!