Heliana's Guide to Monster Hunting, pg. 181
Druids of the Circle of the Hive share their body with a plethora of tiny arthropods—insects, arachnids, or even crustaceans. These symbiotes call such druids home, living within their skin, clothes, and hair. This habitation might manifest as a honeycomb-like hive, a silky subcutaneous trapdoor (below which lurks a spider), or butterfly chrysalids hanging from their hair.
Druids of this circle relish creating a moving biosphere that sustains a variety of organisms, often seeking out new and exotic species as symbiotic lodgers. These creatures are a part of the druid, nourishing and protecting the druid as the druid nourishes and protects its tenants.
Circle Spells
3rd-level Circle of the Hive feature
Your symbiotic link to arthropods and their versatility grants you access to certain spells. At 3rd level, you learn the swarm cantrip (see page 512).
At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level, you gain access to the spells listed for that level in the Circle of the Hive Spells table. Once you gain access to one of these spells, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn’t appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you. All TotV spells must be taken from the Primordial spell list unless otherwise allowed by a class feature.
All these spells use arthropods in their manifestation; for example, arcane eye or mislead could be a swarm of flies you conjure and imbue with different properties.
Circle of the Hive Spells
Druid Level | Spells
3rd | blur, web
5th | fly, hypnotic pattern
7th | arcane eye, giant insect
9th | insect plague, mislead
Swarm Shape
3rd-level Circle of the Hive feature
When you use your Wild Shape feature, you can turn into a swarm of creatures, adhering to the normal limitations on CR and speed.
Symbiotic Biosphere
3rd-level Circle of the Hive feature
The symbiotes that inhabit your body flit in and around you, harmless until threatened. As a bonus action, you can release pheromones, stimulating hyper-aggression in your symbiotes for the next minute. The first time you are hit by a melee attack from a creature within 15 feet of you on its turn, the swarm retaliates, forcing the attacker to make a Constitution saving throw against your druid spell save DC. On a failure, the attacker takes 1d4 poison damage. The poison damage increases to 1d6 at 7th level, 1d8 at 11th level, and 1d10 at 15th level.
After you activate this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
In addition, you can communicate with arthropods using pheromones, conveying basic emotions and ideas.
Protect the Monarch
7th-level Circle of the Hive feature
Your connection to the arthropods you host becomes deeper; they regard you as a worker bee would its queen, and they gladly sacrifice themselves to protect you. As a reaction when you take damage from a source you can see, you can command your insect symbiotes to swarm in front of you, deflecting some of the incoming energy. You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your druid level, which take as much of the triggering damage as possible.
You lose any remaining temporary hit points at the end of the current turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum once), regaining all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Honeydrenaline
11th-level Circle of the Hive feature
You have attracted a species of flying arthropod that produces a mixture of sugar and adrenaline with amazing, stimulating properties. As a bonus action, you can send these creatures to invigorate a willing creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The creature regains hit points equal to your druid level and can immediately use its reaction to move up to its speed. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Swarmsense
15th-level Circle of the Hive feature
Hosting such a variety of tiny beings has permanently altered your personal biosphere. You gain the following benefits:
• Blindsight and tremorsense out to a range of 10 feet.
• Resistance to poison damage.
• Immunity to the poisoned condition.
• Advantage on initiative rolls.