Circle of the Withering Bloom

This is a variant of the Mage of Witherbloom subclass, for use in this setting. It is as follows:

This is a path for those who want to master the ebb and flow of the energies of life and death. While they might take any stance on good or evil, lawful or chaotic, those who follow this tradition must remain at least somewhat centered. The most common alignment of those who follow this tradition is neutral with a more or less even mix of mild lawful, chaotic, evil, or good tendencies. When you would take a level in this subclass, including if you want to join this tradition at 2nd level, you may only take that level if some part of your alignment is currently neutral.

Druids of this circle do not gain the Archdruid, Beast Spells, or Wild Shape features or the Wild Companion optional feature of the base druid class, but they do gain the Cantrip Versatility optional feature.

You gain access to the following additional circle spells at 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level. 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.

Starting at 2nd level, you learn the Spare the Dying cantrip, which counts as a druid cantrip for you, does not count against your maximum number of druid cantrips known, and has a range of 30 feet when cast by you. You also have advantage on saving throws against disease and poison.

As you gain levels in this class, you learn recipes for various Witherbloom Brews, which are potent potions, unguents, tinctures, tisanes, powders, and the like. You are able to craft such concoctions that you know the recipes for and infuse them with magical power. You can keep them for your own use or hand them out for others to use, and each such brew retains its magical potency for 24 hours or until expended (whichever comes first).

At 2nd level, you can have one unused Witherbloom Brew in existence at a time. This limit increases by one when you gain your 6th level and 10th levels in this class, and by two when you gain your 14th level in this class. Saving throws made to resist your Witherbloom Brews are made against your spell save DC.

At 2nd level, you learn two Witherbloom Brew recipes of your choice from the Witherbloom Brews list, and you learn two more Witherbloom Brew recipes from that list that you don't already know when you take your 6th level, 10th level, and 14th level of this class. You can swap a Witherbloom Brew recipe you know for one you don't know when you gain an Ability Score Improvement.

To make Witherbloom Brews you know the recipe for, you must use an herbalism kit and spend 10 minutes per brew. At 2nd level, you may do so any number of times as part of a long rest, up to your limit. This improves at 6th level, when you gain the ability to make one Witherbloom Brew as part of a short rest, and improves again at 14th level when you gain the ability to make up to two Witherbloom Brews as part of a short rest. However, an attempt to make a Witherbloom Brew in excess of your limit simply fails.

Each Witherbloom Brew must be put into its own container, but what form such a container might take depends upon the type of brew. Some are drinkable liquids and are best stored in a flask, wineskin, or bottle. Others are powders best stored in a pouch or a vial, or salves or oils best kept in a pot or jar. And so on.

Starting at 2nd level, you gain the ability to cast a special ritual spell with a casting time of 10 minute and no spell components to transform a Medium dead plant into four twig blights or two needle blights or one vine blight. Starting at 18th level, you gain the additional option to transform a Huge dead tree into a tree blight. Blights created by you in this way know basic Druidic and have an initial disposition towards you of friendly. While they remain friendly they will agree to do simple favors for you that are within their capabilities, but more complicated requests require negotiation or magical coercion.

You can use this feature once for every four levels of druid you have (rounded up), regaining all uses after completing a long rest. This replaces the Wild Shape and Beast Spells features.

Starting at 6th level, as an action you may attempt to beguile any number of blight creatures within 150 feet that have a combined challenge rating equal to or less than your total character level. The affected creatures must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw with disadvantage, against DC 12 + half your druid level (rounded down). Any that fail their saving throw are charmed by you for a duration of concentration, 1 hour.

You have a telepathic link with all of the currently charmed creatures while you remain on the same plane of existence. You can use this telepathic link to issue commands to the charmed creatures while you are conscious (no action required), which they do their best to obey. You can specify a simple and general course of action, such as “Kill that creature,” “Run over there,” or “Bring me that object.” If a charmed creature completes the last order given, it will defend and preserve itself to the best of its ability while it remains charmed, until it receives another order from you.

Starting at 4th level, the duration improves to concentration, 4 hours. Starting at 8th level, the duration improves to concentration, 8 hours. Starting at 14th level, you gain a third use of this feature. You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest. Immediately before the duration of a use would end, you may expend a remaining use immediately to avoid ending the effect on the creatures that currently remain charmed and thus extend the duration further.

Starting at 10th level, you gain the ability to create a life-sucking burst of necrotic power. As an action during your turn, you may cause a dark streak to flash from your fingers to a point you choose within 120 feet where it expands into a sucking magical vortex of necrotic energy. Each creature that isn't a construct in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point takes 6d8 necrotic damage and becomes stunned until the end of their next turn unless they succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. If at least one creature fails their saving throw, you regain an equal number of hit points.

After you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before using it again.

At 20th level, you can cast Blight or Mass Cure Wounds without need of a spellcasting focus or spell components and as if you are using a 9th level spell slot. You can use this feature once per long rest, choosing which spell to cast each time you do. This replaces the Archdruid feature.