Circle of the Brew

Circle of the Brew druids respect nature like any druid should, but they do so in their own unique way. To them, nature is a giver of blessings, and it's the druids' duty to take those resources and transform them to suit their needs, a belief which makes them sort of the odd one out of the druid circles. They are also the most likely out of all druids to live close to or even in civilization, sharing their particular brand of magic with those who need them, some making quite a living for themselves in the process. A Circle of the Brew druid's main concern is not preserving nature in its purest, rawest state but adapting nature while respecting it, taking the raw materials nature generously offers and giving them new form. The form that Circle of the Brew druids choose just so happens to be brews.

With the help of their trusty cauldron, a Brew Druid creates magical liquids to assist them and their friends in and out of battle. These liquids can take any form--mysterious potions, hearty soups, fragrant soaps, or artisanal beers, to name a few--but they all have one thing in common: They are magical. The druid pours the power of nature itself into their brews, imbuing them with raw, natural magic that can be used by the druid themselves or any other person the druid gives their brews to.

The Druid Circle of the Brew is a very unique circle focusing on prep work, buffs, and debuffs. Their signature ability is their capacity to make Brews, which can hold specific spells and be used not only by the druid but by whoever drinks the brew.

This Brewing ability opens a world of possibilities. With their ability not only to use wild shape themselves but let other people Wild Shape, a frail wizard could become an emergency tank for the group without losing their mental capacities like someone under the polymorph spell does. There's just as many out-of-combat uses for their potion-brewing, making them extremely versatile as support, utility, and buffing and debuffing their allies and enemies. This subclass is highly technical and not suited for first time players. It's perfect for those players that enjoy planning and preparing before setting on adventures.

Level 3: Circle of the Brew Spells

Nature's gifts are plentiful, and your skills and spells are perfectly suited to harnessing and shaping those skills to suit your needs. At 3rd, 5tf, 7tf, and 9th level you gain access to circle spells perfect for imbuing brews with. These are the only spells you can make brews out of.

Once you gain access to a circle spell, 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.

Circle of the Brew Spells

Level 3: Collapsible Cauldron

You gain the ability to take a cauldron with you wherever you go by reducing it to the size of a thimble. As an action, you can collapse or expand your cauldron from its thimble size to its full size or vice versa. It takes a minute for the cauldron to complete the collapsing or expanding process. The cauldron's weight when collapsed in its thimble form is negligible, and in its expanded form it weights 70 lbs. You can make any cauldron worth at least 20 gold pieces become a collapsible cauldron by concentrating on it for 1 hour. Once a new cauldron becomes collapsible, the old one loses its collapsible property and reverts to its full size if it was a thimble form.

Level 3: Brew of Wild Shape

You can bottle your Wild shape ability into a brew of Wild Shape.

Making a brew of Wild Shape in your collapsible cauldron takes 10 minutes and spends one use of your Wild Shape ability. As an action, you or any willing creature can consume the brew of Wild Shape. The creature that has consumed the brew of Wild Shape immediately uses the Wild Shape ability as if they were a druid; they are limited by the same rules and enjoy the same advantages as a druid assuming the form of a beast. If the creature consuming the brew of Wild Shape is not a druid, they can only maintain their beast form for half the time you would be able to maintain it. When this time is over, they make a constitution saving throw against your Spell DC or are stunned for one round. If a creature consumes your brew of Wild Shape unknowingly or unwillingly, the brew of Wild Shape has no effect.

When a brew of Wild Shape is made, you can't regain that use of Wild Shape until the brew is ingested, destroyed, or until you take a long rest. At the end of a long rest, you regain all your uses of the Wild Shape ability, including those used to make brews of Wild Shape. Any brews of Wild Shape prepared but not consumed lose their magical effect.

Level 3: Magical Brew

As you acquire your first two circle spells, you can infuse a brew with any of your circle spells. Making a magical brew takes 10 minutes and uses a spell slot from one level lower than the spell slot level of the spell (minimum of 1). For instance, making a brew of Invisibility uses a level 1 spell slot instead of the level 2 spell slot it takes to cast the Invisibility spell. you cannot make a potion of a spell at a higher level than the base spell. Only spells from the Circle of the Brew spell list can be used to make magical brews. If a spell has a material component, it must still be used even when brewing a magical brew.

A magical brew's magic still takes effect even if the creature that consumed it did so unwillingly or unknowingly. If a creature that has consumed a magical brew needs to make a saving throw to avoid the effect of the brew, like with the Bestow Curse brew, the Polymorph brew, or the Hold Monster brew, they do so with disadvantage. you choose the beast a creature transforms to when brewing the Polymorph brew when you brew it. The choice of creature is subject to the same limits that the spell dictates.

Once you finish a long rest, you regain all spell slots, including those used while making magical brews. Any magical brews you prepared but not consumed lose their magical effect. You can have a number of magical brews equal to your wisdom modifier active at a time. Brews of Wild Shape do not count toward the total number of magical brews you can have active at a time.

Level 6: Refined Brew of Wild Shape

You have become an expert at crafting your brew of Wild Shape. Any creature that consumes it, even if they do so unknowingly or unwillingly, is turned into a beast. When an unknowing or unwilling creature consumes your brew of Wild Shape, you choose the beast form they assume from the array of forms you yourself can assume when creating the potion. Additionally, creatures that consume your brew of Wild Shape no longer need to make a Constitution saving throw against your spell DC once the Wild Shape ability ends, and therefore are not stunned when they turn back into their original form.

Level 10: Expert Ritualist

You have become an expert at ritual casting. When you cast a spell as a ritual, the casting time and cost of any material components is reduced by half, rounding down.

Level 14: Master Brewer

Brewing holds no more secrets for you. When you prepare your spells after a long rest, choose one spell from the druid spell list that you know and that can only affect one creature. You can make magic brews of that spell so long as you have it prepared, even if it's not on your circle spell list. You can change the spell you make magical brews with at the end of a Long Rest.