The Circle of the Sea Druid is a brand new DnD subclass appearing for the first time in the updated 2024 Players’ Handbook. If channeling the power of the land isn’t for you, and you’d rather harness the strength of wave and storm, then this is the subclass for you. The DnD Sea Druid is also a good choice if you want to hang out in a bubble of water and fly around splashing people.
We’ve had access to Dungeons and Dragon‘s new Player’s Handbook for some weeks now, and have been carefully scouring its pages to bring you news on all its major changes, like this brand new DnD Druid. Every DnD class has seen alterations, and there are some other new subclasses too, like the World Tree Barbarian and College of Dance Bard. For now though, here’s everything you need to know about the Circle of the Sea Druid.
Circle of the Sea Druid features
| Level | Feature |
| Level 3 | Circle of the Sea Spells, Wrath of the Sea |
| Level 6 | Aquatic Affinity |
| Level 10 | Stormborn |
| Level 14 | Oceanic Gift |
Circle of the Sea Spells
Like the other Druid subclasses, the Circle of the Sea Druid gets access to its own special list of spells. These spells are always prepared, and don’t count against the cap for the number of Druid spells you can prepare at a time.
Wrath of the Sea
As a Bonus Action, you can expend one use of your Wild Shape to create an aura-like ‘emanation’ of ocean spray that surrounds you. When you first create this, you can force another creature inside the effect to make a Constitution saving throw against your Spell Save DC.
If they fail, they take cold damage and (assuming they’re Large or smaller) get pushed up to 15 feet away from you. If you have good DnD stats, this can be pretty freaking strong, as to determine the damage, you roll a number of d6s equal to your Wisdom modifier! (it can’t be less than one die – not that you’re likely to have a Druid with a negative Wis modifier).
The emanation sticks around for 10 minutes, or until you dismiss it or get incapacitated. While it’s active, you can use the damaging/pushing feature as a Bonus Action.
Aquatic Infinity
The spray from your Wrath of the Sea effect gets even bigger – the size of the emanation now extending to 10 feet. You also master the doggy paddle, gaining a swim speed equal to your regular movement speed.
Stormborn
Your oceanic emanation gets even better. Firstly, you can now fly when it’s active – going as fast as if you were moving on the ground or through water. A neat little bonus is the effect also gives you resistance to a bunch of DnD damage types: Cold, Lightning, and Thunder.
Oceanic Gift
Someone else can join you under the sea, as Oceanic Gift lets you manifest your Wrath of the Sea emanation around another willing creature within 60 feet of you. They gain all its powers, using your spell save DC and Wisdom modifier for its splashy effects, not their own.
It would be sad if the Sea Druid’s capstone power was just making someone else cooler at their own expense, but fortunately that’s not how it works. If you use up two Wild Shape charges instead of one, you can give someone else and yourself the emanation at the same time.
Circle of the Sea Druid spells
| Level | Spells |
| 3 | Fog Cloud, Gust of Wind, Ray of Frost, Shatter, Thunderwave |
| 5 | Lightning Bolt, Water Breathing |
| 7 | Control Water, Ice Storm |
| 9 | Conjure Elemental, Hold Monster |
Level three Circle of the Sea Druid spells
Fog Cloud is a level-one Concentration spell that can be used to make an area Heavily Obscured. (Unchanged from 5e)
Gust of Wind is a level-two Concentration spell that creates a line of wind which can blow creatures away and makes it hard for them to approach you, as well as dispersing other clouds and fogs. The only change from 5e is the Strength save to avoid being blown away occurs if they end their turn in the line, rather than if they begin it.
Ray of Frost is a cantrip that can deal a little bit of Cold damage, and slow a creature down. (Unchanged)
Shatter is a level-two spell that can deal Thunder damage in an area of effect and is particularly strong against Constructs. (Unchanged)
Thunderwave is a level-one spell that deals Thunder damage to creatures near you and pushes them away. (Unchanged)
Level five Circle of the Sea Druid spells
Lightning Bolt is a level-three spell that creates a beam of lightning, dealing massive damage to all creatures in a 100-foot line. (Unchanged from 5e)
Water Breathing is a level-three spell that gives up to ten friends the ability to breathe underwater for 24 hours. (Unchanged)
Level seven Circle of the Sea Druid spells
Control Water is a versatile level-four spell that lets you control a large freestanding body of water, creating floods, large waves, parting the sea like Moses, redirecting a river, or creating a dangerous whirlpool. (Unchanged)
Ice Storm is a level-four spell that deals cold and bludgeoning damage in a cylinder-shaped area. This spell has been buffed very slightly in DnD 2024, dealing 2d10 Bludgeoning damage instead of 2d8.
Level nine Circle of the Sea Druid spells
Conjure Elemental is a level-five Concentration spell that lets you create a Fire, Water, Earth, or Air elemental to deal damage and restrain enemies. Like many other Conjuration spells, the effect is completely different in the 2024 rules.
You’re no longer summoning a stat block that takes its own turn, instead you’re creating an effect on a space that grabs stuff near to it and pummels it with damage. Unlike the 5e version, the thing just dissipates if you stop concentrating, it doesn’t turn on you.
Hold Monster is a level-five Concentration spell that can paralyze a foe. In the 2024 rules this spell now works on undead, who were previously immune.
For more information about One DnD, you might not want to know how the DnD 2024 feats differ from the 5e versions. Or discover the brand new rules around DnD 2024 backgrounds. We can also tell you exactly what we think of the new rules in our 2024 Player’s Handbook review.
Source: Wargamer
