Circle of Spores |
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Initial Circle of Spores Features |
Inherited Druid Features |
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Initial Features & Actions |
Circle of Spores is a Subclass of Druid in Baldur's Gate 3. Circle of Spores primary ability is Wisdom, their saving throw proficiencies are Intelligence and Wisdom, and they have a Hit Dice of 1d8. They have proficiency with Simple weapons, Light Armour, Medium Armour and Shields. (Note this class is unavailable in EA and all info is either data mined or based on DND 5e materials and are subject to change.)
Druids of the Circle of Spores find beauty in decay. They see within mold and other fungi the ability to transform lifeless material into abundant, albeit somewhat strange, life. These druids believe that life and death are parts of a grand cycle, with one leading to the other and then back again. Death isn't the end of life, but instead a change of state that sees life shift into a new form.
Druids of this circle have a complex relationship with the undead. They see nothing inherently wrong with undeath, which they consider to be a companion to life and death. But these druids believe that the natural cycle is healthiest when each segment of it is vibrant and changing. Undead that seek to replace all life with undeath, o
Circle of Spores Subclass Initial Features
- Halo of Spores: Starting at 2nd level, you are surrounded by invisible, necrotic spores that are harmless until you unleash them on a creature nearby. When a creature you can see moves into a space within 10 feet of you or starts its turn there, you can use your reaction to deal 1d4 necrotic damage to that creature unless it succeeds on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. The necrotic damage increases to 1d6 at 6th level and 1d8 at 10th level.
- Symbiotic Entity: Also at 2nd level, you gain the ability to channel magic into your spores. As an action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape feature to awaken those spores, rather than transforming into a beast form, and you gain 4 temporary hit points for each level you have in this class. While this feature is active, you gain the following benefits:
- When you deal your Halo of Spores damage, roll the damage die a second time and add it to the total.
- Your melee weapon attacks deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage to any target they hit.
These benefits last for 10 minutes, until you lose all these temporary hit points. or until you use your Wild Shape again. - Fungal Infestation: At 6th level, your spores gain the ability to infest a corpse and animate it. If a beast or a humanoid that is Small or Medium dies within 10 feet of you, you can use your reaction to animate it, causing it to stand up immediately with 1 hit point. The creature uses the Zombie stat block in the Monster Manual. It remains animate for 1 hour, after which time it collapses and dies.
In combat, the zombie's turn comes immediately after yours. It obeys your mental commands, and the only action it can take is the Attack action, making one melee attack.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest. - 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 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.
Whenever a creature moves into the cube or starts its turn there, that creature takes your Halo of Spores damage, unless the creature succeeds on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. A creature can take this damage no more than once per turn.
While the cube of spores persists, you can't use your Halo of Spores reaction.
Inherited Druid Features
- Spell Slots Unlocked: Casting Spells consumes spell slots. You gain 2 level 1 spells slots, which are restored on a long rest.
- Wisdom Saving Throw Proficiency: Add your Proficiency Bonus to Wisdom Saving Throws.
- Intelligence Saving Throw Proficiency: Add your Proficiency Bonus to Intelligence Saving Throws.
- Light Armour Proficiency: Wearing Light Armour will not impose disadvantage on your attacks or prevent the casting of Spells.
- Medium Armour Proficiency: Wearing Medium Armour will not impose disadvantage on your attacks or prevent the casting of Spells.
- Shield Proficiency: Wearing a Shield will not impose disadvantage on your attacks or prevent the casting of Spells.
- Club Proficiency: Add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls (your chance to hit a target) with Clubs.
- Dagger Proficiency: Add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls (your chance to hit a target) with Daggers.
- Dart Proficiency: Add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls (your chance to hit a target) with Darts
- Javelin Proficiency: Add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls (your chance to hit a target) with Javelins
- Mace Proficiency: Add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls (your chance to hit a target) with Maces
- Quarterstaff Proficiency: Add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls (your chance to hit a target) with Quarterstaffs
- Scimitar Proficiency: Add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls (your chance to hit a target) with Scimitars
- Sickle Proficiency: Add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls (your chance to hit a target) with Sickles
- Sling Proficiency: Add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls (your chance to hit a target) with Slings
- Spear Proficiency: Add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls (your chance to hit a target) with Spears
- Druids can speak to animals while in their wild shape forms.
Circle of Spores Progression
- Note that Druids begin the game with 8 HP + their Constitution Modifier, and then gain 5 HP + their Constitution Modifier every level thereafter.
Level 2
Druid Features
- Spell Slots Unlocked (1 Lvl 1 Slot)
Circle of Spores Features
- Halo of Spores: Starting at 2nd level, you are surrounded by invisible, necrotic spores that are harmless until you unleash them on a creature nearby. When a creature you can see moves into a space within 10 feet of you or starts its turn there, you can use your reaction to deal 1d4 necrotic damage to that creature unless it succeeds on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. The necrotic damage increases to 1d6 at 6th level, 1d8 at 10th level, and 1d10 at 14th level.
- Symbiotic Entity: Also at 2nd level, you gain the ability to channel magic into your spores. As an action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape feature to awaken those spores, rather than transforming into a beast form, and you gain 4 temporary hit points for each level you have in this class. While this feature is active, you gain the following benefits:
When you deal your Halo of Spores damage, roll the damage die a second time and add it to the total.
Your melee weapon attacks deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage to any target they hit.
These benefits last for 10 minutes, until you lose all these temporary hit points. or until you use your Wild Shape again.
Prepare 5 Spells From
Circle of Spores Actions
Wild Shape
Wild Shape: Badger
Wild Shape: Bear
Wild Shape: Cat
Wild Shape: Spider
Wild Shape: WolfCircle of Spores Spells
- ??
Level 3
Druid Features
- Spell Slots Unlocked (1 LvL 1 Slot)
- Spell Slots Unlocked (2 LvL 2 Slots)
Prepare 6 Spells From
You may only prepare spells you have already learned
Jump
Longstrider
Speak with Animals
Thunderwave
Darkvision - new
Barkskin - new
Enhance Ability - new
Flame Blade - new
Flaming Sphere - new
Heat Metal - new
Spike Growth - new
Protection from Poison - new
Pass without Trace - new
Moonbeam - new
Lesser Restoration - new
Hold Person - new
Level 4
Circle of Spores Features
- Spell Slots Unlocked (1 Lvl 2 Slot)
- ??
- ??
Guidance
Poison Spray
Produce Flame
Resistance
Shillelagh
Thorn WhipPrepare 7 Spells From
You may only prepare spells you have already learned
Animal Friendship
Charm Person
Create or Destroy Water
Cure Wounds
Entangle
Faerie Fire
Fog Cloud
Goodberry
Healing Word- Jump
- Longstrider
- Speak with Animals
- Thunderwave
- Darkvision
- Barkskin
- Enhance Ability
- Flame Blade
- Flaming Sphere
- Heat Metal
- Spike Growth
- Protection from Poison
- Pass without Trace
- Moonbeam
- Lesser Restoration
- Hold Person
Pick 1 Feat From
- Ability Improvement
- Athlete
- Defensive Duelist
- Dual Wielder
- Great Weapon Master
- Lightly Armoured
- Magic Initiate: Bard
- Magic Initiate: Cleric
- Magic Initiate: Druid
- Magic Initiate: Sorcerer
- Magic Initiate: Warlock
- Magic Initiate: Wizard
- Martial Adept
- Mobile
- Moderately Armoured
- Shield Master
- Skilled
- Tough
- Weapon Master
Level 5
Call Lightning
Protection from Energy
Plant Growth
Sleet Storm
Daylight
Feign Death
Circle of Spores Tips & Builds
- Note 1
- Note 2
AnonymousThis subclass is extremely fun to play and I'd like to recommend it to all those who cherish versatility:
1. You can do summoning (with Animate Dead, Fungal Infestation, Conjuring Elementals at minimum)
2. You can be a tank (medium armor proficiency, amazing HP boost from Symbiotic Entity, yet you have wildshape possibilities when things go south)
3. You can be a spell-caster (Circle's spell choice is wide and strong enough on pretty much every level)
4. You can take over a support role (many utility/supporting skills and spells available)
Also, there are some unique items (incl. armor set) designed for this subclass exclusively, adding to your already impressive spell choice some useful, unique-looking spells, that are centered around wielding spores. It impacts the battlefield in an instant. So, role-playing with this one is dope. I really felt like a shroomy dark wizard all the way.
= This subclass has trully blown me away, having comparison with Rogues, Monks and Warlocks by now.
- Anonymous
The subclass features on this entry need to be updated. These are the subclass features from the 5e PHB. There are some significant differences between tabletop rules and how the subclass was implemented in Baldur's Gate 3. The fungal infestation zombies are more useful than the tabletop ones, the feature itself is also a lot more useful and doesn't require that enemies die while the Spores druid is in range to raise them.
Similarly Halo of spores does use a reaction, but can't be used reactively in BG3. It needs to be used during the druid's turn, but consumes their reaction. Spreading Spores also does not prevent a Spores druid from using their Halo of Spores, the way that it does in Tabletop. I'm not sure if using Halo while Spreading Spores is active will despawn Spreading Spores, though.
- Anonymous
Very fun when dual wielding early game
Also multiclassing into rogue/thief gives an extra bonus action. For that fun call lightning+double melee or stealth attack or double healing word etc. very versatile but not as strong as a pure melee or pure spellcaster.
I like it though. I think its kewl
- Anonymous
A level 2 Spore Druid dual-wielding shillelagh torches has some hilarious early game damage potential.
- Anonymous
There are some problems with this subclass so listen up:
1) You can be knocked out of its best benefits. Symbiotic Entity (SE) gives 4 temp HP for each Druid level. Thus, if you take it to level 12, you'll get 48HP. If you do Spores Druid 7/ Fighter 5, you'll get 28HP. SE gives you 1d6 of necrotic damage on melee hit as well. Furthermore, your Halo of Spores damage is doubled. You' lose ALL of this if you lose your temp HP.
2) Polearm Master with Shillelagh used to be the go to build. This is because you hit with the Halo of Spores, then Attack of Opportunity, the Polearm Master on the bonus action. However, in BG3 Polearm Master does not proc with SE. It only works on ranged attacks with a weapon and this is likely a bug. If this is fixed, you will hit hard.
3) Your zombies will hit hard, but most people are respeccing after level 6 Spores Druid because they find the subclass too weak. In the later game, the zombies can't hit much.
4) It's greatest value may be in multiclassing with Fighter, as Extra Attack and Action Surge work well with the Spores Driud. Choosing the defensive fighting style will provide +1 AC. Choosing the Battlemaster subclass and choosing the WIS-based maneuvers (if they are in the released full game) will help tremendously. Many people have reported an outright unwillingness to play a pure Spores Druid do to it being too weak and not fun in the mid to late game. Respec away.
5) This is one of the two WORST subclasses for Driud as the Circles of Shepherd, Stars, and Wildfire outplay in virtually every way and I fear that most players have missed out. It is FAR inferior to both the Circle of the Land and the Circle of Moon, especially. It IS super tanky at first and you should in the hardest in the first 1-5 levels. (Basically, its an early game subclass.)
One thing that you should consider is the CC that the Druid has as its strength. Casting any spell that reduces movement, like Spike Growth and Plant Growth, followed by throwing your Halo of Spores at them, will accumulate damage. Unlike the TT, throwing the spores does NOT erase the reaction.
Another way to pump up the value of the Spores Druid is to take Magic Initiate: Cleric and Take Sacred Flame, Toll the Dead, and either Guiding Bolt or Shield of Faith as your 1st level spell.
I added the extra bit because I did not want only point out the problems, I also wanted to provide solutions. Even on TT, people largely ranked the Circle of Spores as near-garbage, and only better than the near-completely-useless Circle of Dreams.
- Anonymous
The zombies in the game are amazing. Each time they hit they apply a two turn condition that means that if the enemy dies within that time, a new 9HP zombie raises from their corpse for free (all raised zombies have this effect). These free zombies take 1 damage every round, but you can super fast chain your zombie swarm way out of control in fights against a lot of enemies. They also do not count for the number of summons you can have at any time.
In one fight I ended up with one Raise Dead zombie, all 4 Fungal Infestation zombies, and then those zombies were just making more zombies from almost every enemy that we killed as they only needed to tag an enemy once and then anyone could finish them off and get another free zombie out of it. There was just an shambling tide of mushroom zombies by the end of it.
- Anonymous
Anyone know what attacks get the halo of spores bonus 1d4 necro dmg? cuz i muti with monk and the monks bonus attacks dont get the +1d4 in or out of spore mode
- Anonymous
Well probably not the strongest, I'm having alot of fun with it!
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
I have a lot of respect for this class, despite the fact that its fairly mundane as far as Druid subclasses go (at least in the actual 5th Edition). It opened up a lot of the way for druid classes that do other things with their wild shape charges and made for more unique options. Maybe we'll get circle of Wildfire or Circle of Stars in some DLC content?
- Anonymous
Circle of Spores is somewhat tanky. You can multiclass it with a martial class fairly well.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
This subclass is extremely fun to play and I'd like to recommend it to all those who cherish versatility:
1. You can do summoning (with Animate Dead, Fungal Infestation, Conjuring Elementals at minimum)
2. You can be a tank (medium armor proficiency, amazing HP boost from Symbiotic Entity, yet you have wildshape possibilities when things go south)
3. You can be a spell-caster (Circle's spell choice is wide and strong enough on pretty much every level)
4. You can take over a support role (many utility/supporting skills and spells available)
Also, there are some unique items (incl. armor set) designed for this subclass exclusively, adding to your already impressive spell choice some useful, unique-looking spells, that are centered around wielding spores. It impacts the battlefield in an instant. So, role-playing with this one is dope. I really felt like a shroomy dark wizard all the way.
= This subclass has trully blown me away, having comparison with Rogues, Monks and Warlocks by now.
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