Keeper (Tales from Thedas)

"*The Dales are lost, but the Dalish are not. I am forsaken, but not conquered. Chased, but not caught. My people will have need of me, a need that demands patience, and wisdom, and strength beyond imagining. I will find that strength within me, and be their guide, their teacher, their shepherd of wayward souls and keeper of honored secrets."*

— The *Naes An Ghilana'in,* the Guiding Oath

Every Dalish clan has a keeper, a wise mentor dedicated to preserving the elves' ancient lore. Every keeper keeps at least one apprentice, their First, and may also keep a Second. Without a keeper, the clan's knowledge is lost forever. Every ten years, the Keepers of the Dalish clans convene in a meeting called the Arlathvhen, which lasts usually two days, to compare any recovered knowledge or artifacts. It is exceptionally uncommon for a keeper to teach anyone other than a fellow clan member about the unique Dalish understanding of nature magic, which focuses on control of the roots beneath the earth.

Adapted from the base 5E Druid, Circle of the Moon and Twilight subclasses.

(back to Character Creation)

* **Hit Dice:** 1d8
* **Saving Throws**: Intelligence, Wisdom
* **Proficiencies:** Light armor, staffs, herbalism kit, medicine kit
* **Skills:** Choose two from Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Medicine, Survival, and Religion

 4th
 8th

### **Equipment**

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your origin.

* Your personal mage's staff
	+ To hit: 1d20 + spellcasting ability modifier + proficiency modifier
	+ *Melee Attack:* 1d6 + spellcasting ability modifier of either bludgeoning, slashing, fire, cold, force, or lightning (choose **one**)
	+ *Ranged Attack:* 1d4 + spellcasting ability modifier of either fire, cold, force, or lightning damage (choose **one**) at 60 feet
	+ Two-handed, spellcasting focus
* An explorer's pack
* A spellbook

## **Spellcasting**

Drawing on the essence of nature itself, you can cast spells to shape that essence to your will.

### **Cantrips**

At 1st level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the keeper spell list. You learn additional keeper cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Keeper table.

### **Preparing and Casting Spells**

The Keeper table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these keeper spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of keeper spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the keeper spell list. When you do so, choose a number of keeper spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + your Keeper level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you are a 3rd-level keeper, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell Cure Wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.

### **Spellcasting Ability**

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your keeper spells, since your magic draws upon your devotion and attunement to nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a keeper spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

**Spell save DC** = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

**Spell attack modifier** = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

### **Ritual Casting**

You can cast a keeper spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.

### **Spellcasting Focus**

You can use your mage’s staff as a spellcasting focus for your druid spells.

## **Shapechange**

Starting at 2nd level, you can use your action to magically assume the shape of a beast that you have seen before. You can use this feature twice. You regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Your keeper level determines the beasts you can transform into, as shown in the Beast Shapes table. At 2nd level, for example, you can transform into any beast that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower that doesn't have a flying or swimming speed.

You can stay in a beast shape for a number of hours equal to half your keeper level (rounded down). You then revert to your normal form unless you expend another use of this feature. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

* Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature's bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can't use them.
* When you transform, you assume the beast's hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form, For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn't reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren't knocked unconscious.
* You can't cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn't break your concentration on a spell you've already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as Call Lightning, that you've already cast.
* You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can't use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.
* You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature's shape and size. Your equipment doesn't change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can't wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.

## **Features**

### **Combat Shapechange**

When you choose this circle at 3rd level, you gain the ability to use Shapechange on your turn as a bonus action, rather than as an action.

Additionally, while you are transformed by Shapechange, you can use a bonus action to expend one spell slot to regain 1d8 hit points per level of the spell slot expended.

### **One With Nature**

Starting at 3rd level, you can use your Shapechange to transform into a beast with a challenge rating as high as 1. You ignore the Max. CR column of the Beast Shapes table, but must abide by the other limitations there.

Starting at 6th level, you can transform into a beast with a challenge rating as high as your druid level divided by 3, rounded down.

### **Ability Score Improvement**

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

### **Whispers of Falon'Din**

At 6th level, you gain the ability to reach beyond the Veil in search of knowledge. Using this feature, you can cast Speak with Dead without material components, and you understand what the target of this casting says. It can understand your questions, even if you don’t share a language or it is not intelligent enough to speak.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

### **Warden of the Dread Wolf**

At 10th level, you gain resistance to necrotic and radiant damage. In addition, while you aren’t incapacitated, any ally within 30 feet of you has advantage on death saving throws.

### **Walker Between The Ways**

By 14th level, you have mastered enough of the ancient lore of the Dales that you are able to craft and activate an eluvian, a magical mirror that grants access to the Crossroads, the nexus of secret pathways beyond the Fade, once traversed by the sages of Arlathan. You are now able to navigate the Crossroads, and travel from one eluvian to another.

### **Beast Spells**

Beginning at 18th level, you can cast many of your keeper spells in any shape you assume using Shapechange. You can perform the somatic and verbal components of a druid spell while in a beast shape, but you aren't able to provide material components.

### **Arlathan's Grace**

At 20th level, you can use your Shapechange an unlimited number of times.

Additionally, you can ignore the verbal and somatic components of your keeper spells, as well as any material components that lack a cost and aren't consumed by a spell. You gain this benefit in both your normal shape and your beast shape from Shapechange.