How To Build A Circle Of The Petal Druid In DND

Among the vibrant traditions of Obojima, the circle of the petal offers a druidic path infused with serene beauty and subtle power. These Dungeons & Dragons druids channel the island’s spirit through magical flower petals, blending grace with resilience.

Whether conjuring protective blossoms or striking with floral fury, they embody Obojima’s natural harmony. This subclass favors battlefield control, healing, and protective utility over brute force. If you’re looking to play a character who flows like the wind and blossoms in adversity, the Circle of the Petal offers an elegant and potent option. Here’s how to bring one to life at your table.

Circle Of The Petal Druid Highlights

The circle of the petal is a subclass that focuses on spellcasting and supporting allies, all while not sacrificing much damage or battlefield control. While it is all themed around petals, each mechanic found on this subclass works independently of the other, so they are best explained in isolation.

This subclass adds no new spells for druids, so consider these mechanics carefully before committing to this path.

Petal Dance

This first feature is acquired at level two with the 2014 rules or at level three with the 2024 ones. By using a Wild Shape charge, you can surround yourself with petals, gaining a plus one bonus to your armor class and a ranged attack as a bonus action; this attack gets improved as you level up.

The petal shield lasts for an hour, although you can end it earlier to prevent damage. As a reaction, you can shield yourself or an ally with the petals, reducing the damage taken by your level plus your Wisdom modifier, and dispeling the petals.

Petal Beast Mimicry

Summoning creatures is always a great way to control the battlefield, but you might want to save your spell slots to aid your party. This is why the circle of the petal lets you summon a special beast at level six, and while you can only summon it a limited number of times, it doesn’t use your spell slots or Wild Shape charges.

The beast can also fly, hover, and when defeated, it casts Faerie Fire where it dies. It represents an excellent frontline creature that can easily position itself and grant heavy advantages to your party, and as you level up, you get to summon more and more of these creatures.

Spirit Of Obojima & Winds Of Revival

The final two features aren’t as useful as the first two, but they still have their place. Spirit of Obojima lets you make an invulnerable wall of petals at level ten, while Winds of Revival can bring you back from death (once per long rest) at level 14.

Best Species Options

As a support-focused subclass, the circle of the petal has great synergies with the aasimar species. Their available celestial revelations and healing hands make them excellent support characters even when they lack spell slots or petal charges.

Best Stat Placements

Wisdom should be your main focus no matter what, with Constitution as a close second. Dexterity is always nice to have for the added armor class, but thanks to your petal effects, you can afford to have less Dexterity than most other druids.

Best Spells For Circle Of The Petal Druids

Thanks to the petal’s protection, you can focus your energy on aiding others, so focus on spells like Cure Wounds, Lesser Restoration and Revivify as you level up. Offensive spells aren’t recommended, mostly because if you want to be a damage-dealing druid, you are better off with other subclasses instead.

Best Starting Equipment

The basic equipment available for druids fits the idea behind a circle of the petal druid fairly well. The standout item is the shield, since it adds up with your armor and petals to make you quite the tanky character, being able to brave the front lines like any fighter or barbarian can.

Best Feats And Backgrounds

One of the better backgrounds for druids, at least when it comes to the 2024 Player’s Handbook, is Hermit. It lets you raise both Wisdom and Constitution, and it makes you adept at healing beyond magic; the items available, however, overlap too much with what the class already brings, so consider just taking the 50 gold pieces option.

In terms of feats, war caster is ideal, since maintaining concentration is key for either healing or dealing damage as a druid. No feature of the subclass helps you with concentration or its related saving throws, so making sure that you can keep your spells up is crucial.

Best Multiclassing Options

Due to the lack of spells on offer with this subclass, it is best to dip into this circle to gain the petal benefits rather than try to improve them with a few levels of other classes. This means that your main class could be fighter, using just a few levels of druid (only two if you’re using the 2014 rules) to gain a petal shield that improves your armor class.