Circle of the Stray

Cities are living, breathing things. They are an amalgamation of the entities wandering their streets. Tavern-goers, merchants, peddlers, beggars, a rich man’s heirs, and a king’s soldiers. These are the common sights and sounds that travelers and citizens alike experience day in and day out. However, they toss nary a glance, or only an occasional scrap to a mangy dog, or a hungry, howling feline. These are the forgotten children, scurrying through the hidden and ignored places.

Old travelers and adventurers oft tell the tale of the “urban druid”; a wandering soul who finds solace in the cobblestones of large cities and villages. It is rare to meet one who takes their calling not from the wild places, but from the spirit of the cities themselves. Yet in the wretched ally and dank sanitation culverts of the largest of cities, their exist all manner of hungry strays and lost pets. It is from these mongrels that a most unique individual receives a calling to a most unique task. The call of the strays is strong, and their loyalty stronger to those who answer.

Additional Spells

Upon reaching certain levels in this class, the druid gains access to spells listed for that level in the Calling Spells cart below. Once they gain access to the spell, the druid always has it prepared, and does not count against the number of spells that can be prepared each day. If the druid gains access to a spell that does not appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell.

Druid Level	Spell
3rd	Animal messenger
6th	Bestow curse
9th	Hold monster
13th	Eyebite
17th	Shapechange

Answering the Call of the Strays

It takes a unique druid to hear the mewing of distant hungry kittens, and the rumble of hungry canine bellies. It first comes as a silent whisper, but then draws into a cacophony of voices crying out for help once the druid lends their ear. They may have heard it before and not known what it was until passing by two or three times or remembering the faint meow from a city you visited in weeks past.

A Level 3, a Druid can both hear clearly, and subsequently answer the Calling of the Strays. When doing so, they gain a silent friend, a deadly stalker with many eyes, a hungry mongrel with many mouths. Nearby stray cats, dogs, and other forsaken animals find their way to the druid’s vicinity.

They are sated by the presence of the druid.

By expending one of your Wild Shape uses, you can summon the strays as a swarm. A small amalgamation of stray cats and dogs come out of the woodwork to either heed the druid’s will or protect their master with their dying breath. You can place the swarm in either an offensive or defensive state.

When placed in an offensive state, the swarm occupies the area of one medium or smaller target creature. The swarm does 1d4 piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning damage at level 3, increasing to 1d6 at 5th level, 1d8 at 11th, and 1d10 at 17th. The stray swarm hits automatically and also creates difficult terrain in its area. For the purposes of damage reduction, the swarm’s attacks are considered magical.

As a bonus action, you may choose to move the swarm to a different target at your current movement speed.

If you become unconscious or dead, the swarm will immediately disperse.

Once per round you can use a bonus action to change the status of the swarm from offensive to defensive and vice versa.

Eyes of the Legion

At 6th level, as an action, you can magically possess one of the strays. The creature can be no larger than small size. The possession lasts for up to one hour, at which point the connection to the creature becomes severed. For the duration, the creature has a speed of 40 feet, which it can use to walk or climb. The creature has your senses and telepathically relays what it sees and hears to you.

During your turn, you can speak to the possessed creature, telepathically command it to move, and it can Hide with a bonus to its normal roll equal to your proficiency modifier. The possessed creature has AC 18. If it takes damage, you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 10, or half the damage dealt, whichever is higher) or lose connection to the stray.

As an action, you can sever the connection to the stray early.

Once used, this feature cannot be used again until the druid finishes a long rest.

Hulking Legion

At 10th level, the offensive form of the swarm may encircle a creature of Large or smaller size.

The swarm can now make two attacks per round.

In defensive form, the AC bonus is now equal to half your druid level +1. The swarm’s speed also increases by 10 feet and it gains the Disengage action. It also gains a climb speed equal to its walking speed. It can climb difficult surfaces vertically but must find equal footing to the swarm’s size or risk falling.

Awesome Legion

At 16th level, in offensive form the swarm may encircle a creature of Gargantuan size or smaller.

In defensive form, the AC bonus is now equal to half your druid level +2. The swarm’s speed also increases by another 10 feet. When determining effects, acts as if the swarm is large size.