Druid Grove: Grove is in the Heart

Usable By: Druid

Spell Level: 6

School: Abjuration

Casting Time: 10 minutes

Range: Touch

Duration: 24 hours

Components: V, S, M (mistletoe, which the spell consumes, that was harvested with a golden sickle under the light of a full moon)

You invoke the spirits of nature to protect an area outdoors or underground. The area can be as small as a 30—foot cube or as large as a 90-foot cube. Buildings and other structures are excluded from the affected area. If you cast this spell in the same area every day for a year, the spell lasts until dispelled. The spell creates the following effects within the area. When you cast this spell, you can specify creatures as friends who are immune to the effects. You can also specify a password that, when spoken aloud, makes the speaker immune to these effects. The entire warded area radiates magic. A dispel magic cast on the area, if successful, removes only one of the following effects, not the entire area. That spell’s caster chooses which effect to end. Only when all its effects are gone is this spell dispelled.

Solid Fog. You can fill any number of 5-foot squares on the ground with thick fog, making them heavily obscured. The fog reaches 10 feet high. In addition, every foot of movement through the fog costs 2 extra feet. To a creature immune to this effect, the fog obscures nothing and looks like soft mist, with motes of green light floating in the air.

Grasping Undergrowth. You can fill any number of 5-foot squares on the ground that aren’t filled with fog with grasping weeds and vines, as if they were affected by an entangle spell. To a creature immune to this effect, the weeds and vines feel soft and reshape themselves to serve as temporary seats or beds.

Grove Guardians. You can animate up to four trees in the area, causing them to uproot themselves from the ground. These trees have the same statistics as an awakened tree, which appears in the Monster Manual, except they can’t speak, and their bark is covered with druidic symbols. If any creature not immune to this effect enters the warded area, the grove guardians fight until they have driven off or slain the intruders. The grove guardians also obey your spoken commands (no action required by you) that you issue while in the area. If you don't give them commands and no intruders are present, the grove guardians do nothing. The grove guardians can‘t leave the warded area. When the spell ends, the magic animating them disappears, and the trees take root again if possible.

Additional Spell Effect. You can place your choice of one of the following magical effects within the warded area:

A constant gust of Wind in two locations of your choice

Spike growth in one location of your choice

Wind wall in two locations of your choice

To a creature immune to this effect, the winds are a fragrant, gentle breeze, and the area of spike growth is harmless.

Review by Sam West, Twitter:@CrierKobold

Hallow is a nifty little 5th level cleric spell that offers you your choice from a big chunk of effects to add to a creature specific bubble that builds a safe spot to camp out or defend on. Druid Grove is the druid version of Hallow: you get fewer choices, but get all of ‘em!

These effects aren’t all equal, but do offer their own utility. The Entangle affected area functionally is just difficult terrain. Solid Fog competes with it for space, but is also one sided heavily obscured space which is WAY better. Getting four awakened trees that obey your commands can offer up major aid in actually defending the space from moderate sized groups.

There additional is a choice of spell effects you’re offered from a list that you get one of: two one-sided Gust of Winds, one one-sided Spike Growth, or two one-sided Wind Walls. Each of these will have specific enemies they’re good against, but when in doubt, Wind Wall is offering your side a one way shooting range that entirely negates small creatures from entering, so I’d probably go with that.

Like Hallow, actually using Druid Grove can be tough. A lot of adventuring involves exploring the dangerous unknown; you aren’t going to consistently get ten minutes to set up your grove. In addition, if your DM isn’t invested in the idea, the components can be a non-starter entirely, as getting a golden sickle on its own can be a real endeavor. Because the spell consumes all the mistletoe on each use, you probably want to stock up when able if this is something you’re looking to use a bunch, but again, I doubt there will be a plethora of opportunities for it.

I really do like these kinds of effects. Making enemies fight you on your own turf that you can set up however you’d like is a fun way to offer players a chance to kind of build their own encounter. If you’re DMing, and have a player eager to try this out, I’d look to set up a fight ahead of time specifically, and get the whole party involved in planning their defensive plan. If you’re a player unsure if you’ll get a lot of opportunity to cast this but want to, ask your DM about it. If you do get to fight in a Druid Grove you make, it probably is going to go pretty well for you.

5e Spells

Druid Grove: Grove is in the Heart