Circle of Bees

Druids of the Circle of Bees are friends to all stinging insects but focus their attention on honeybees and other pollinating insects. When not adventuring, they tend hives, either created by the insects or by themselves. They tap into the horror inherent in stinging insects to protect their allies or the fields hosting their bee friends.

Circle Spells

Your bond with bees and other stinging beasts grants you knowledge of certain spells. At 2nd level, you learn the true strike cantrip. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th levels, you gain access to the spells listed for those levels in the Circle of Bees Spells table.

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 Bees Spells

Druid Level	Spells
3rd	Blur, bombardment of stings*
5th	Fly, haste
7th	Giant insect, locate creature
9th	Insect plague, telepathic bond

Bee Bond

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain proficiency in the Acrobatics or Stealth skill (your choice), and you can speak and understand Bee Dance, a language shared by bees that involves flying in dance-like patterns. Bees refuse to attack you, even with magical coercion. When a beast other than a bee attacks you with a weapon that deals poison damage, such as a giant spider’s bite or a scorpion’s sting, it must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC or have disadvantage on its attack rolls against you until the start of its next turn.

Bee Stinger

Also at 2nd level, you can use an action and expend one use of your Wild Shape to grow a bee’s stinger, typically growing from your wrist, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with an unarmed strike while this stinger is active, you use Wisdom instead of Strength for the attack, and your unarmed strike deals piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Wisdom modifier + poison damage equal to half your proficiency bonus, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

The stinger lasts for a number of hours equal to half your druid level (rounded down) or until you use your Wild Shape again. When you reach 6th level in this class, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage, and the poison damage dealt by your stinger equals your proficiency bonus. In addition, the unarmed strike damage you deal while the stringer is active increases to 1d6 at 6th level, 1d8 at 10th level, and 1d10 at 14th level.

Bumblebee Rush

At 6th level, you can take the Dash action as a bonus action. When you do so, creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls against you until the start of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Hive Mind

At 10th level, when you cast telepathic bond, each creature in the link has advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma checks if at least one creature in the link has proficiency in a skill that applies to that check. In addition, if one creature in the link succeeds on a Wisdom (Perception) check to notice a hidden creature or on a Wisdom (Insight) check, each creature in the link also succeeds on the check.

Finally, when a linked creature makes an attack, it has advantage on the attack roll if another linked creature that can see it uses a reaction to assist it.

Mantle of Bees

At 14th level, you can use an action to cover yourself in bees for 1 hour or until you dismiss them (no action required). While you are covered in a mantle of bees, you gain a +2 bonus to AC, and you have advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks. In addition, when a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee weapon, it must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the attacker takes 1d8 piercing damage and 1d8 poison damage and is poisoned until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, the attacker takes half the damage and isn’t poisoned.

While the mantle is active, you can use an action to direct the bees to swarm a 10-foot-radius sphere within 60 feet of you. Each creature in the area must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, a creature takes 4d6 piercing damage and 4d6 poison damage and is poisoned for 1 minute. On a success, a creature takes half the damage and isn’t poisoned. The bees then disperse, and your mantle ends.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of 5th level or higher to create the mantle again.