Druids who tap into the powers of decay harness a perverted version of the druidic teachings. Instead, you learn to draw out life in order to create death, watching the nature around yourself decay and die at your touch, rather than grow and become more powerful.

Decay Specialization Spells

Druid Level - Spells

3rd - Gentle Repose, Wither and Bloom

5th - Plant Growth, Speak with Dead

7th - Blight, Death Ward

9th - Death Chain, Wrath of Nature

Decaying Cantrip

When you choose this specialization at 3rd level, you also learn the Sapping Sting cantrip.

Druidic Scourge

Starting at 3rd level, you are also to harness your druidic abilities into a necrotic art, and are able to infuse corpses with enough life to rise again under your control. From now on, you can no longer use your Spirit Shape feature.

Instead, you can cast Animate Dead without expending spell slots or using material components. When you cast the spell, the casting time becomes 1 Action, and you may choose to raise a Zombie or Skeleton.

You may use this class feature a total of 5 times, and regain all uses on a short or long rest. The maximum number of undead that serve under you is equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).

Improved Scourge

Starting at 6th level, when you raise an Undead with your Druidic Scourge class feature, you can apply the following to the summoned creature:

• The creature's maximum hit points are increased by an amount equal to your druid level.

• The creature adds your proficiency bonus to its weapon damage rolls.

Garden of Corpses

Starting at 10th level, your necrotic abilities are enhanced and start to impact both you and your minions. When you use your Druidic Scourge class feature, you may activate this ability. For the next hour, you gain the following benefits:

• All undead creatures within 60 feet of you that are under your control gain the spell’s bonus to attack and damage rolls, and become immune to the prone condition.

• You may command all undead creatures under your control with a single bonus action, regardless of how they were created or summoned.

• When using a bonus action to command your undead minions, you can choose to issue a different order for each individual creature you control.

• Whenever an undead under your control would take necrotic damage while within 60 feet of you, it regains an equal amount of hit points instead. Any excess healing is converted to temporary hit points, which last for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier.

Once you’ve used this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Nature's Thrall

At 14th level, you reach the ultimate stage of your necromantic arts.

Whenever a plant creature, a magical plant, or a non-magical plant of Large size or greater dies within 60 feet of you, you can use your reaction and expend a spell slot of 5th level or higher to raise that plant as an undead thrall, using the Ancient of War stat block.

Any additional traits pertaining to the Undead creature type are left to the DM's discretion. The thrall remains under your control as per the Animate Dead spell for 1 hour, after which it falls to the ground lifelessly.

Once you’ve used this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.