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There are a few classes inBaldur’s Gate 3that allow you to raise an army to do your bidding. Perhaps the best of them is the Circle of Spores druid, which allows you to raise the dead through your reanimating spores. Your undead army will even surpass students of the School of Necromancy, provided you find enough corpses.
But a Circle of the Spores druid isn’t entirely about raising the dead. Your affinity for the cycle of death and rebirth will provide you with access to several necromantic spells, unnatural toughness through fungus, and area-of-effect spore clouds that damage anyone or anything unfortunate enough to breathe them in.
5 plus Constitution modifier
Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom
Of all the classes and subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3,Circle of the Spores druid loves summons the most. At level five, you can castRaise Dead. At level six, yourFungal Infestationability lets you raise four zombies per long rest. At level seven, you can castConjure Minor ElementalandConjure Woodland Being. At level nine, you canConjure Elemental, and at level 11, you can conjure a myrmidon.
For those keeping track,that’s a potential eight summonsbefore your dryad starts summoning wood woads. Large fights against multiple enemies will cause even a decent PC to struggle.
Summoning a bajillion critters isn’t all a Circle of the Spores druid can do. You’re alsoremarkably tough thanks to Symbiotic Entitygiving you a bunch of temporary hit points, and youdeal extra necrotic damagetoo.Halo of Sporeslets you use your reaction to deal yet more necrotic damage, andSpreading Sporeslets you use your bonus action to deal even more necrotic damage.
If being a walking cloud of damage and summons wasn’t enough, you can stillWild Shape and cast a wide selection of potent spellsjust like any other druid.
The efficiency of a Circle of the Spores druid cannot be overlooked.You’ll almost always have an action, bonus action, and reaction to play on every turn, making this subclass feel much more impactful than others.
8(-1)
16(+3)
14(+2)
10(0)
As with all druids,Wisdom is your most important statby far. It increases your spell power and lets you prepare more spells.Dexterity is second most importantas it increases your armor class, and you’ll occasionally wish to attack someone with a weapon (usually a bow—more on that later).
Constitutionis at 14 to provide a decent buffer of hit points and ensure that you can maintain concentration on your spells.IntelligenceandCharismaare at 10 to avoid negative modifiers for mental saving throws, andStrengthis at 8 as the minimum required to make certain jumps (although, you could just Wild Shape to be better at jumping).
As the best summoning subclass,your spells will be centered around creating lots of minionsand keeping them alive. That said, you’ll have very few summons at the start of the game, so you’ll need to focus on keeping yourself alive first.
Healing Wordhelps a lot there, as doesFaerie Firewhen fighting invisible enemies.Ice Knifeis a great level one damage spell that scales well when being upcast, and you may’t call yourself a druid if you can’tSpeak with Animalson demand.Guidanceis the greatest non-combat cantrip in the game, andProduce Flameis a decent ranged option for when you want something on fire.
At level two,Longstriderlets you increase the movement speed of your entire team (including your minions) for free.Bone Chillis a decent ranged cantrip option that’s especially useful on undead, whileMoonbeamat level three provides your first concentration-based damage spell.BlindnessandDetect Thoughtsare nice options provided by your subclass.
Level four bringsPoison Sprayas a decent short-range cantrip, whileHold Personcan keep someone nailed down andLesser Restorationcures what ails.Call Lightningat level five provides a lightning-flavored Moonbeam, whileAnimate Deadgives us our first minion.Gaseous Formis nice to have when you want to float into a pipe, but less useful otherwise.
At level six,Plant Growthprovides incredible crowd control, and at level seven,Conjure Woodland Beinglets you summon a dryad that can in turn summon a wood woad. You also getBlightandConfusionfor more AoE crowd-control. Level eight bringsConjure Minor Elementalfor your third spell-based summon andDominate Beastin case you felt like your menagerie needed a wolf or two.
Conjure Elementalat level nine brings the biggest, baddest minion to the party.CloudkillandContagionprovide yet more gross options to kill people, whileMass Cure Woundshelp heal a wide area of minions.Thorn Whipalso arrives as another cantrip, but feel free to pick whatever cantrip you prefer.
At level 11,Heroes' Feastprovides an incredible array of buffs for your squadron of undead, elementals, and woodland beings.Healdoes what it says on the tin, but to a single target.
Remember,increase your Wisdom at levels four and eight. At level 12,take Warcasterto make it easier to maintain concentration on your various concentration spells.
Best Races For A Circle Of The Spores Druid
Several races provide beneficial bonuses to a Circle of the Spores druid.Below we have the potential races ranked best to worst.
Elf
You already have armor and shield proficiencies, so thebow proficienciesprovided by being an elf help a ton. You also getcharm and sleep resistance,perception proficiency, andDarkvision.Go with wood elffor theextra movement speedandstealth proficiency.
Drow
Drow is second best. Although the weapon proficiencies aren’t too helpful,Dancing Lights,Faerie Fire, andDarknessare all good spells to have.Superior Darkvisionis also a boon for exploring dark dungeons.Perception proficiencyandcharm and sleep resistanceare also boons.
Dwarf
You’re not likely to use an axe or a hammer, and you already have light and medium armor proficiency, so shield dwarf is a nonstarter. Duergar is best foradvantageagainst being charmed, paralyzed, or fooled by illusions,Superior Darkvision, and theEnlargeandInvisibilityspells.Poison resistanceis nice too.
Halfling
Halfling Luckis great on any class, as isadvantage against being frightened. Lightfoot providesadvantage on stealthchecks, while Strongheart providesresistance to poison. Both are good.
Gnome
Gnome Cunningcan make for surprising resilience against spellcasters. Darkvision is nice to have. If you goForest Gnome,you can take a different level one spell than Speak with Animals, while deep gnome providesSuperior Darkvisionandadvantage on stealthchecks. Rock gnome provideshistory expertise, which is probably the least exciting thing a gnome could do.
Githyanki
The armor proficiency is wasted, butswords can be funto wield before you find a good staff.Astral Knowledgegives your druid skills it likely doesn’t have, and Githyanki Psionics providesMage Hand,Enhance Leap, andMisty Step—all great spells.
Half-Elf
You already have the shield and armor proficiency, and you’re unlikely to use a spear, pike, halberd, or glaive.Everything else you can get from being an elf, but with useful bow proficiencies.
Half-Orc
You’re not likely to be making melee attacks, soSavage Attacksis virtually useless. You’ll probably have so many temporary hit points from Symbiotic Entity that you won’t needRelentless Endurance, andintimidation proficiencyis wasted on a character with little Charisma.Darkvisionis nice though.
Tiefling
Resistance to fireandDarkvisionis nice, but the spells are either melee-focused or something you already learn as a druid.
Human
Spear proficiency is pointless, and you already have the armor and shield proficiencies. That leavesone skilland25 percent more carrying capacity, which isn’t much.
Amulet
Adamantine Scale Mail
16 AC. All incoming damage is reduced by one. Melee attackers are sent reeling for two turns. Attackers can’t land critical hits. Disadvantage on stealth checks.
Pearl of Power Amulet
As an action, regain a spell slot up to third level.
+1d4 to all ability checks while shapeshifted or disguised.
Ring #2
Disintegrating Night Walkers
Cannot be enwebbed, entangled, or ensared, and can’t slip on grease or ice. Cast Misty Step once per short rest.
Off-Hand Melee Weapon
Melf’s First Staff
1d6 bludgeoning damage. +1 to spell attack rolls and spell save DC. Cast Melf’s Acid Arrow at level two once per long rest.
Off-Hand Ranged Weapon
The Joltshooter(if proficient)
1d8 + 1 piercing, gain two Lightning Charges when dealing damage with this weapon.
None
N/A
In the early game, take advantage of your temporary hit points courtesy of Symbiotic Entity to be a front-line spellcaster.The Shadespell CircletandMelf’s First Staffadd to your spell save DC, improving your Moonbeam and Call Lightning spells, whilePearl of Powerrestores the spell slot you just expended.
To get the most out ofThe Joltshooter,Gloves of Dexterityprovides a Dexterity boost, improving your overall damage and chance to hit. Lightning Charges do the same, making you a decent ranged attacker, but don’t confuse yourself with a ranger. Spells are still your best damage option.
If you didn’t pick elfand are thus not proficient with bows,feel free to replace the Gloves of Dexterityandfocus entirely on spell damage and cantripsfor ranged attacks.
Defensively, it’s hard to go wrong withAdamantine Scale Mail. Even though you’re not getting the most out of your Dexterity score, it’s just such a high armor class that anyone who can wear medium armor should wear it until they find better armor in Act Two and Act Three.
Disintegrating Nightwalkersis a free Misty Step and prevents most forms of movement obstruction, whileRing of Protectionis yet more armor class and +1 to all saves.Safeguard Shielddoes the same thing.
Shapeshifter’s Boonis nice to have in the early game and can be obtained from the weird ox in the Druid Grove so long as you’re okay with cattle murder.
Hood of the Weave
+2 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls.
Cloak of the Weave
+1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls, cast Absorb Elements once per short rest.
Armor of the Sporekeeper
13 AC light armor. +1 to spell save DC. Increase necrotic damage dealt by 1. Using Symbiotic Entity now spreads Bibberbang Spores, Timmask Spores, or Haste Spores to a target within 60 ft.
Spellcrux Amulet
Replenish an expended spell slot as a bonus action once per long rest.
Ring #1
Helldusk Gloves
+1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls. +1 Strength saving throws. Weapon attacks deal an additional 1d6 fire damage, unarmed attacks deal an additional 1d6 necrotic damage and can inflict bleeding. Cast Rays of Fire as a cantrip once per short rest.
Helldusk Boots
You cannot be forcibly moved. When you fail a saving throw, use your reaction to succeed once per long rest. As a bonus action, teleport up to 60 feet once per short rest and deal 2d8 fire damage in a 10ft radius.
+1 to AC and all saving throws.
Markoheshkir
1d6 +2 bludgeoning damage. +1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls. Cast one spell without using a spell slot once per long rest. Cast Kereska’s Favour once per short rest.
Ketheric’s Shield(if proficient)
+2 AC, +1 to spell save DC and spell attack rolls. You can use your reaction to knock a melee attacker prone unless they succeed on a Dexterity saving throw. Advantage on Dexterity saving throws.
Darkfire Shortbow(if proficient)
1d6 + 2 piercing, gain resistance to fire and cold damage. Cast Haste at level three once per long rest.
Into the late game, we’ll abandon the pretense of being an armed attacker to allow our minions to do our dirty work. Instead of attack rating, focus on boosting your spells withCloak of the Weave,Hood of the Weave, andHelldusk Gloves. This will provide a substantial boost to spell attack and spell save DC, ensuring your Call Lightning and Cloudkill spells deal maximum damage.
Circlet of BonesorFistbreaker Helmin Act 2 is great to use until you find Hood of the Weave in Act 3.
Armor of the Sporekeeperis this subclass’s preferred armor. It also increases spell save DC, but it also improves your Symbiotic Entity with additional spore features. Bibberbang Spores deal poison damage and can poison enemies, Timmask spores deal poison damage and can cause confusion, and Haste Spores give an ally a single turn of the Haste spell without the exhaustion that usually comes afterward.
On the jewelry side,Spellcrux Amuletprovides another spell slot,Ring of Protectionenhances your AC and saving throws, andCrypt Lord Ringprovides yet another minion to add to your menagerie.Helldusk Bootsprovides a bonus action teleport that can be combined with your Halo of Spores to deal more damage to nearby enemies (although it does compete with Spreading Spores for your bonus action).
Markoheshkiris there to provide an extra spell slot and additional spell attack and spell save DC. Kereska’s Favour provides access to several spells you don’t have, such as Fireball, Lightning Bolt, and Hunger of Hadar.Ketheric’s Shieldfurther boosts spells and armor class, whileDarkfire Bowis purely for the fire and cold resistance as well as the free Haste.
Outside of equipment,your squadron of summons can really benefit from having a paladinclose by. Their auras will protect your minions fighting on the front lines while you support them with spells. ThePhalar Aluve sword is also great to haveon a companion as its Sing ability boosts attack rolls and saving throws.
