Druids of the Circle of Wildfire in DnD 5e harness the destructive and creative power of a forest fire. These druids receive a special list of fire and healing spells, along with a fire spirit they can summon with the Wild Shape ability. For this build, I’ll create a melee-fighting, shield-and-club druid who uses a fire spirit for field effects. Therefore, Wisdom and Constitution will be my top ability scores, followed by Strength or Dexterity.
When building a druid Circle of Wildfire in Dungeons and Dragons 5e, consider the following.
- Try a firbolg, lizardfolk, aarakocra or tortle race.
- Create initial druid for magic combat with shield.
- Circle of Wildfire abilities and spell list
- Wildfire Spirit abilities
- Druid spells and cantrips: flame blade, lesser restoration, Shillelagh
Try a firbolg, lizardfolk, aarakocra or tortle race.
Playing a druid relies heavily on Wisdom. Therefore, any build I make should have Wisdom as my top ability score. However, this build will enter the fray more so than most druids, so a strong Constitution will keep me alive and boost my HP.
Firbolgs offer a powerful +2 Wisdom/+1 Strength ability bonus. A large, furry man, this firbolg would be reminiscent of a bigfoot in the American West, where forest fires are annual. Firbolgs receive detect magic and disguise self with Firbolg Magic, along with the ability to turn invisible with Hidden Step. Also, I can talk to plants and animals with Speech of Beast and Leaf. My fire spirit could be bestial in form—I’m always partial to fire foxes.
A lizardfolk Circle of Wildfire druid could bring a salamander/draconic vibe to the build, with a +2 Constitution/+1 Wisdom ability bonus. Natural features like Bite (1d6 piercing), Hungry Jaws (bonus Bite attack) and Hold Breath give me cool actions to do during adventure and combat. I imagine this druid left his or her homeland and joined a clan of dragonborn. My Wildfire Spirit could have a small draconic appearance.
An aarakocra Circle of Wildfire druid could bring a phoenix theme to the character with the ability to Fly. Plus, I’ll gain a +2 Dexterity/+1 Wisdom ability bonus, giving me a Dexterity-based version of the character. Of course, my Wildfire Spirit looks like a phoenix.
Tortles come with a +2 Strength/+1 Wisdom ability bonus and make for a volcanic island version of the Circle of Wildfire. This build is a tank, with Natural Armor giving me a 17 base AC and a wooden shield increasing that further. Plus, I can retreat to my shell for Shell Defense, pumping that AC up +4.
Create initial druid for magic combat with shield.
Because my fire spirit is so capable with ranged attacks and movement around the field, my druid will act as a magic fighter with a shield. I’ll wear leather armor unless I’m a tortle, with a simple club or scimitar as a weapon. I can make magical weapons, so don’t let the poor weapon choice bum you out. Plus, I have plenty of magical ranged attacks to fire from behind my shield.
I want proficiencies in Animal Handling, Survival and Perception to play off my high Wisdom score and play style. Plus, I’ll have access and proficiency with an herbalism kit and know a secret Druidic language.
Level 2 is when I learn my Wild Shape ability, which transforms me into animals at ¼ CR to begin. As I level, this CR rating rises up to 1 and grants me swimming and flying forms. I can use Wild Shape twice a day, with a duration that equals half my druid level. I will use this feature to summon my Wildfire Spirit.
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Circle of Wildfire abilities and spell list
The 2 main features of this druid are the Wildfire Spells and Wildfire Spirit.
Circle of Wildfire Spells
These spells offer my druid fiery damage options and healing spells based on the forest fires’ cycle of destruction and rebirth.
Level 2
- Burning Hands: Creatures within a 15-foot cone must making a Dexterity saving throw or take 3d6 fire damage.
- Cure Wounds: Heal 1d8 + Wisdom modifier HP—add 1d8 for each spell slot above level 1.
3
- Flaming Sphere: A 5-foot sphere of fire appears on the field and each creature within 5 feet of it must make a Dexterity throw or take 2d6 fire damage. I can move this sphere around the field as an action.
- Scorching Ray: Create 3 rays of fire, hurling them at 1 target or 3. Each ray deals 2d6 fire damage.
5
- Plant Growth: I can create a 100-foot radius of thick foliage from existing plants in range. Enemies moving in this range spend 4 feet of movement for every 1 foot. Or I could bless the land long term—creating twice as much food harvested over 8 hours.
- Revivify: Touch a recently killed creature and bring it back to life with 1 HP. The creature can’t be dead from old age or missing body parts.
7
- Aura of Life: A 30-foot aura of healing energy gives me and my allies resistance to necrotic damage. Plus, our HP maximum can’t be reduced.
- Fire Shield: I radiate light for 10 feet (and dim light for another 10) and can create a warm shield or a cold shield. My warm shield grants me resistance to cold damage and deals 2d8 fire damage to foes who hit me. The cold shield gives me resistance to fire damage and deals 2d8 cold damage to foes who hit me.
9
- Flame Strike: A giant 40-foot tall, 10-foot diameter column of fire drops from the sky. Creatures within range must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 4d6 fire damage and 4d6 radiant damage.
- Mass Cure Wounds: Up to 6 creatures within a 30-foot radius gain 3d6 + Wisdom modifier HP in a healing wave of energy.
Circle of Wildfire abilities
I’ll also gain the ability to summon my Wildfire Spirit with a use of Wild Shape. With my fiery companion and set of healing and fire magic, my new abilities will enhance my thematic fire damage and healing capabilities.
Level 6 grants me Enhanced Bond. Now, I can add an additional 1d8 to fire damage or healing while my Wildfire Spirit is on the field. Plus, the additional spell effect can originate from me or the spirit. However, the spell must have a range other than self.
Cauterizing Flames (level 10) plays on this healing and fire damage aspect by producing a spectral flame that can heal or deal damage when a creature dies around me. The flame springs forward from place the creature died. Whenever a creature I can see enters that space, I can deal 2d10 + Wisdom modifier damage. Or I can heal 2d10 + Wisdom modifier HP if an ally needs it.
Finally, Blazing Revival comes at level 14, giving my Wildfire Spirit the ability to save me when I drop to 0 HP. If the spirit is within 120 feet of me, it can drop its own HP to 0 and grant me half my HP back. Essentially, the spirit is doing the whole phoenix thing, which I think is a nice addition.
Wildfire Spirit abilities
When I expend a Wild Shape use to summon my Wildfire Spirit, the spirit can take any form of my choosing as long as it is small. This spirit has the ability to fly and hover, with a speed of 30 feet. Plus, it has immunity to fire damage, charmed, frightened, grappled, prone and restrained. Its main stat block looks like this:
- AC: 13 (natural armor).
- HP: 5 + 5 X druid level. So, 15 at level 2 and 20 and level 3.
- STR: 10 (+0)
- DEX: 14 (+2)
- CON: 14 (+2)
- INT: 13 (+1)
- WIS: 15 (+2)
- CHA: 11 (+0)
This spirit has several abilities. First, when I summon my Wildfire Spirit, each creature within 10 feet of the spirit must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 fire damage. Then, I can take the Flame Seed or Fiery Teleportation as an action.
Flame Seed is a ranged spell attack that uses my Wisdom modifier to hit. It has a range of 60 feet and deals 1d6 + proficiency bonus fire damage. Fiery Teleportation can teleport my spirit and any willing creature within 5 feet of the spirit up to 15 feet away. Then, the creatures surrounding the space must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 + proficiency bonus fire damage.
Druid spells and cantrips: flame blade, lesser restoration, Shillelagh
Now, I have a collection of healing and fire spells just through my Wildfire spell list. Therefore, I’ll want to choose basic druid spells that fill in some missing pieces or play off my Wildfire abilities.
Cantrips
- Druidcraft: Manipulate small plant life, make natural effects and read the weather.
- Shillelagh: A club or staff is imbued with magic, dealing 1d8 + Wisdom modifier
- Resistance: Touch a willing creature. Target gains 1d4 to a saving throw of its choice.
- Produce Flame: I can either produce a small fire to shed light for 10 feet or as an attack. If I attack, I deal 1d8 fire damage—something I’ll increase another 1d8 with Enhanced Bond.
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1st-level Spells
- Speak with Animals: I can communicate simple ideas with animals and understand them in return.
- Healing Word: Heal a target I can see for 1d4. This healing spell increases my ability to heal at a range. Again, I can increase this with Enhanced Bond.
- Detect Magic: Detect a magic source and what school it comes from.
- Entangle: A 20-foot square of land grows grasping vines, snagging foes who end or begin their turn on a failed Strength saving throw. Until the creature succeeds on a Strength saving throw, it is restrained.
2nd-level Spells
- Flame Blade: Summon a blade of fire for an attack, dealing 3d6 + Wisdom modifier fire damage. This option gives me a fire spell option without burning friends.
- Lesser Restoration: Cure the conditions poison, blind, deaf and paralyzed.
- Summon Beast: I can summon a beast of the air, sea and earth. Each form gains special abilities, with an attack damage equal to 1d8 +4 +2 (spell level). I can summon this as a concentration effect along with my spirit or instead of it (if I’m out of Wild Shape uses).
From here, the druid will learn spells for continued healing, summoning and adventuring.