Circle of the Land 5e druid subclass

The druid as a full spellcaster: extra spells from the land you call home, and slots that come back on a short rest.

Jump to: Features by level · Playing the Circle of the Land · 2014 features · What changed in 2024 · 2024 features · Common questions

Circle of the Land at a glance

Class: Druid
Subclass type: Druid Circle, chosen at 2nd level (level 3 in 2024)
2024 rules: Same name, revised in the SRD 5.2
Key abilities: Wisdom, then Constitution
Spells: 2014: Circle Spells; 2024: Circle of the Land Spells
Source: System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2 (Player’s Handbook 2014 and 2024)

The druid class page has the class features this subclass builds on, and the druid spell list the rest of your spells come from.

Circle of the Land features by level

The druid subclass features you gain at each druid level, in the 2014 rules and the 2024 rules. Each one links to its full text below.

Level	2014 rules (SRD 5.1)	2024 rules (SRD 5.2)
2	Bonus Cantrip, Natural Recovery	—
3	Circle Spells	Circle of the Land Spells, Land's Aid
5	Circle Spells	Circle of the Land Spells
6	Land's Stride	Natural Recovery
7	Circle Spells	Circle of the Land Spells
9	Circle Spells	Circle of the Land Spells
10	Nature's Ward	Nature's Ward
14	Nature's Sanctuary	Nature's Sanctuary

Who the Circle of the Land suits

The Circle of the Land is for players who want a druid that casts spells rather than turning into animals. It trades the Wild Shape combat focus of other circles for more spells prepared and more slots to cast them, so it suits someone who likes control, battlefield terrain and utility magic.

The land you pick also gives the character a place and a flavor: a desert druid with Blur and Wall of Stone, or a polar druid with Sleet Storm and Cone of Cold.

How the Circle of the Land plays

2014 rules. You join the circle at 2nd level and learn an extra druid cantrip. Natural Recovery lets you regain spell slots during a short rest, with a combined level up to half your druid level (rounded up), once per long rest. From 3rd level, Circle Spells gives you two spells at each of 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th level from the land you chose: arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain or swamp. They are always prepared and don’t count against your prepared spells. Land’s Stride (6th) lets you ignore nonmagical difficult terrain, Nature’s Ward (10th) makes you immune to poison and disease and to charm or fear from elementals and fey, and Nature’s Sanctuary (14th) makes beasts and plants attacking you choose another target unless they pass a Wisdom save.

2024 rules. The circle starts at level 3, and you choose among four lands, arid, polar, temperate or tropical, every time you finish a long rest. Each land’s list includes a cantrip. Land’s Aid spends a Wild Shape use to deal 2d6 necrotic damage to creatures of your choice in a 10-foot sphere and heal one creature 2d6 (3d6 at level 10, 4d6 at level 14). Natural Recovery arrives at level 6 and adds one free casting of a circle spell per long rest. Nature’s Ward gives resistance tied to your current land, and Nature’s Sanctuary creates a cube of spectral trees that gives you and your allies half cover.

Ability scores for a Land druid

Wisdom first, for your spell save DC and spell attacks. Constitution second, since many of your best spells need concentration. Dexterity third, because druids wear light or medium armor (in 2024 the Warden order adds medium armor; in 2014 druids already have it).

With the standard array: Wisdom 15, Constitution 14, Dexterity 13, Intelligence 12, Charisma 10, Strength 8. The point buy calculator adds your background’s or race’s increases.

Spells and feats to pair with it

Circle spells cover your land’s theme, so spend your own prepared spells on the druid’s best general picks: Healing Word, Entangle, Moonbeam, Spike Growth and Conjure Animals. Natural Recovery makes it cheap to spend a big slot early, knowing you can win some of it back on a short rest.

For feats, War Caster or a Constitution increase protects concentration. In 2024, Magic Initiate from the wizard list adds Shield or another level 1 spell, and Alert helps you get a control spell off before enemies move.

Circle of the Land features (2014 rules, SRD 5.1)

The Circle of the Land is made up of mystics and sages who safeguard ancient knowledge and rites through a vast oral tradition. These druids meet within sacred circles of trees or standing stones to whisper primal secrets in Druidic. The circle's wisest members preside as the chief priests of communities that hold to the Old Faith and serve as advisors to the rulers of those folk. As a member of this circle, your magic is influenced by the land where you were initiated into the circle's mysterious rites.

Bonus Cantrip

2nd level

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you learn one additional druid cantrip of your choice.

Natural Recovery

2nd level

Starting at 2nd level, you can regain some of your magical energy by sitting in meditation and communing with nature. During a short rest, you choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your druid level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher. You can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

For example, when you are a 4th-level druid, you can recover up to two levels worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd-level slot or two 1st-level slots.

Circle Spells

3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th level

Your mystical connection to the land infuses you with the ability to cast certain spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to circle spells connected to the land where you became a druid.

Choose that land—arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, or swamp—and consult the associated list of spells.

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.

Arctic

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3rd	Hold Person, Spike Growth
5th	Sleet Storm, Slow
7th	Freedom of Movement, Ice Storm
9th	Commune with Nature, Cone of Cold

Coast

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3rd	Mirror Image, Misty Step
5th	Water Breathing, Water Walk
7th	Control Water, Freedom of Movement
9th	Conjure Elemental, Scrying

Desert

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3rd	Blur, Silence
5th	Create Food and Water, Protection from Energy
7th	Blight, Hallucinatory Terrain
9th	Insect Plague, Wall of Stone

Forest

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3rd	Barkskin, Spider Climb
5th	Call Lightning, Plant Growth
7th	Divination, Freedom of Movement
9th	Commune with Nature, Tree Stride

Grassland

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3rd	Invisibility, Pass without Trace
5th	Daylight, Haste
7th	Divination, Freedom of Movement
9th	Dream, Insect Plague

Mountain

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3rd	Spider Climb, Spike Growth
5th	Lightning Bolt, Meld into Stone
7th	Stone Shape, Stoneskin
9th	Passwall, Wall of Stone

Swamp

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3rd	Acid Arrow, Darkness
5th	Water Walk, Stinking Cloud
7th	Freedom of Movement, Locate Creature
9th	Insect Plague, Scrying

Land's Stride

6th level

Starting at 6th level, moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement. You can also pass through nonmagical plants without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard.

In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against plants that are magically created or manipulated to impede movement, such those created by the entangle spell.

Nature's Ward

10th level

When you reach 10th level, you can't be charmed or frightened by elementals or fey, and you are immune to poison and disease.

Nature's Sanctuary

14th level

When you reach 14th level, creatures of the natural world sense your connection to nature and become hesitant to attack you. When a beast or plant creature attacks you, that creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your druid spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature must choose a different target, or the attack automatically misses. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours. The creature is aware of this effect before it makes its attack against you.

What changed in 2024

The 2024 Player’s Handbook revised the Circle of the Land, and the System Reference Document 5.2 has the new version. The biggest differences in play:

Seven lands become four (arid, polar, temperate and tropical), and you can switch land every time you finish a long rest instead of choosing once.
The land lists give one spell per level from 5 on, plus a cantrip and two level 1 or 2 spells at level 3, instead of two spells at each step.
Bonus Cantrip and Land’s Stride are gone. The new Land’s Aid turns a Wild Shape use into damage and healing, and Natural Recovery moves to level 6 with a free circle spell each day.

Feature by feature

You choose it at level 3 instead of 2nd level, like every subclass in the 2024 rules.
New features: Land's Aid (level 3).
Moved: Natural Recovery, 2nd level → level 6.
Renamed: Circle Spells → Circle of the Land Spells.
2014 features with no 2024 feature of the same name (some were reworked into others): Bonus Cantrip and Land's Stride.
Lands: arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain and swamp in 2014; arid, polar, temperate and tropical in 2024.

Circle of the Land features in the 2024 rules (SRD 5.2)

Celebrate Connection to the Natural World

The Circle of the Land comprises mystics and sages who safeguard ancient knowledge and rites. These Druids meet within sacred circles of trees or standing stones to whisper primal secrets in Druidic. The circle's wisest members preside as the chief priests of their communities.

Level 3: Circle of the Land Spells

Whenever you finish a Long Rest, choose one type of land: arid, polar, temperate, or tropical. Consult the table below that corresponds to the chosen type; you have the spells listed for your Druid level and lower prepared.

Arid Land

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3	Blur, Burning Hands, Fire Bolt
5	Fireball
7	Blight
9	Wall of Stone

Polar Land

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3	Fog Cloud, Hold Person, Ray of Frost
5	Sleet Storm
7	Ice Storm
9	Cone of Cold

Temperate Land

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3	Misty Step, Shocking Grasp, Sleep
5	Lightning Bolt
7	Freedom of Movement
9	Tree Stride

Tropical Land

Druid Level	Circle Spells
3	Acid Splash, Ray of Sickness, Web
5	Stinking Cloud
7	Polymorph
9	Insect Plague

Level 3: Land's Aid

As a Magic action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape and choose a point within 60 feet of yourself. Vitality-giving flowers and life-draining thorns appear for a moment in a 10-foot-radius Sphere centered on that point. Each creature of your choice in the Sphere must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC, taking 2d6 Necrotic damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. One creature of your choice in that area regains 2d6 Hit Points.

The damage and healing increase by 1d6 when you reach Druid levels 10 (3d6) and 14 (4d6).

Level 6: Natural Recovery

You can cast one of the level 1+ spells that you have prepared from your Circle Spells feature without expending a spell slot, and you must finish a Long Rest before you do so again.

In addition, when you finish a Short Rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your Druid level (round up), and none of them can be level 6+. For example, if you're a level 6 Druid, you can recover up to three levels' worth of spell slots. You can recover a level 3 spell slot, a level 2 and a level 1 spell slot, or three level 1 spell slots. Once you recover spell slots with this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a Long Rest.

Level 10: Nature's Ward

You are immune to the Poisoned condition, and you have Resistance to a damage type associated with your current land choice in the Circle Spells feature, as shown in the Nature's Ward table.

Nature's Ward

Land Type	Resistance
Arid	Fire
Polar	Cold
Temperate	Lightning
Tropical	Poison

Level 14: Nature's Sanctuary

As a Magic action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape and cause spectral trees and vines to appear in a 15-foot Cube on the ground within 120 feet of yourself. They last there for 1 minute or until you have the Incapacitated condition or die. You and your allies have Half Cover while in that area, and your allies gain the current Resistance of your Nature's Ward while there.

As a Bonus Action, you can move the Cube up to 60 feet to ground within 120 feet of yourself.

Common questions

How does Natural Recovery work?

During a short rest you recover expended spell slots with a combined level up to half your druid level, rounded up, and none of 6th level or higher. You can’t do it again until you finish a long rest. In 2024 it comes at level 6 and also lets you cast one of your circle spells without a slot once per long rest.

Which land should a Circle of the Land druid choose?

In 2014 the choice is permanent, so pick the list you’ll use most: grassland (Pass without Trace, Haste) and swamp are strong in play, while forest and mountain fit a front-line druid. In 2024 you can change land after each long rest, so pick the list that suits the day’s adventure.

Are circle spells always prepared?

Yes. In both editions they don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare, and in 2014 a circle spell that isn’t on the druid list still counts as a druid spell for you.

When do you join the Circle of the Land?

At 2nd level in the 2014 rules and at level 3 in the 2024 rules.

Does Land’s Aid use a spell slot?

No. It spends a use of Wild Shape and takes a Magic action, and the save DC is your spell save DC.

The Circle of the Land compared with other options

Page	How it compares
Druid class	Wild Shape, Druidic and the druid spell list every circle builds on.
Life Domain	The Wisdom caster built around healing instead of nature magic.
School of Evocation	Another full caster who recovers slots on a short rest, with Arcane Recovery.
Spike Growth	A 2014 arctic and mountain circle spell that any druid can prepare.

How to build a druid with the Circle of the Land

Open the builder, choose the 2014 or 2024 rules on the first step, pick Druid as your class, and choose the Circle of the Land as your druid circle once your character is 2nd level (3rd in the 2024 rules). The builder works out everything the rules can: hit points, Armor Class, attack bonuses, spell save DC and the subclass’s spells.

Other SRD subclasses

Back to the Druid class or all classes.