Homebrew:Circle of the Spiritlords

(OOC: This is an implementation of the Circle of the Spiritlords subclass from Xanathar's Lost Notes to Everything Else)

Base Class: Druid

Ages ago, nature priests with a greater connection to the spirit realm believed the world itself to be formed from a group of elemental and primordial spirits, each specifically charged to harness a major element of creation. This band of tribal druids developed ritual practices that allowed them to summon these spirits, whose essence now resides in every rock, tree, and breath of air, controlling the ebb and flow of nature not only in their homeland, but in all lands beyond. This order of priests were known as spiritlords.

Spiritlords begin their journey with the rites handed down by those before them, specifically, the ritual to create a special mask from an ironwood tree. This mask allows the spiritlord to play host to the spirit-elementals roaming this world.

As the spiritlord grows in power and gains a heightened level of attunement to the spirit world, their mask transforms along with them, being altered with new carvings, ritual paints, and brands that symbolize the bond between the druid and the spirits they carry within.

Spirit Bond

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you learn a ritual that creates a magical mask that bonds you with one of nature’s elemental spirits. When you gain this feature, choose one spirits-types from the Spirit Bond table to host within the mask. While the mask is on your person, you gain the cantrip associated with your spirit in the fledgling conduit column and can cast it at will. It doesn’t count against your number of cantrips known. If it doesn’t appear on the druid spell list, it is nonetheless a druid spell for you.

You can only have one mask at a time and once this bond is formed, you can’t change the spirit-element within your mask. If the mask is lost or destroyed, creating a new mask for your spirit-element takes 8 hours of uninterrupted time, which you can accomplish during a long rest.

Additionally, you can cast the find familiar spell, which bears features similar to your chosen spirit (glowing skin, fiery eyes, a thorny tail, etc.). Once you cast find familiar using this feature, you can’t cast it again until you finish a long rest.

Spirit Bond

Spirit Type	Fledgling Conduit	Empowered Conduit	Damage Type
Earth	mold earth	magic stone	Poison
Fire	control flames	create bonfire	Fire
Water	shape water	frostbite	Cold
Wind	gust	thunderclap	Lightning
Light	dancing lights	sacred flame	Radiant
Shadow	minor illusion	chill touch	Necrotic

Empowered Conduit

At 6th level, your connection with the spirit realm strengths enough to host an additional spirit within the mask. When you do, choose a second spirit-type from the Spirit Bond table, and pick which one is currently active, while the other lay dormant within the mask. You can switch between them by spending 10 minutes to perform a ritual that replaces your active spirit with the other that resides in your mask. At 10th level, you choose a third elemental spirit to host within the mask.

Additionally, the spirits empower you to channel their destructive elements. You gain the cantrip associated with your current spirit in the empowered conduit column of the Spirit Bond table and can cast it at will. If it doesn’t appear on the druid spell list, it is nonetheless a druid spell for you.

Vigilant Spirits

Starting at 10th level, you gain resistance your current spirit’s damage type and you add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any druid cantrip.

Honored Host

At 14th level, you have become a beacon for the spirits who wish to affect the world through you. You gain access to all of the spirit-elements listed on the Spirit Bond table, and can perform the ritual to switch between them with an action, instead of 10-minutes.

Additionally, your spells ignore resistance, but not immunity, to your mask’s current damage type.