[2018] Phantasma del Mar, Sewer Druid

in ,

[Character Status: Not yet played.]

Oh man. I don’t think there’s another character concept that I want to play more than this. Ever since Circle of Spores Druid was teased in an Unearthed Arcana, I’ve fallen in love with the idea of slovenly, fungus-themed druid. Its final iteration in Xanathar’s Guide to Everthying is certainly interesting - not all that powerful, but super duper flavorful.

Phantasma del Mar (“Y’all can call me ‘Phanta’ for short…”) is a Simic Hybrid (basically an Elven mutant, from the Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica). She lives in a sewer underneath a port, and has a striking affinity for all things creepy, crawly, and slimy both on land and in the sea. She’s a friendly, agreeable sort, but her outgoing personality is somewhat hindered by a nauseating stench coming from her sticky blue skin - something akin to a “rotting fish with body odor” when dry, and a “wet dog in a drainpipe” when moist.

In combat, I want to play her as sort of a back line melee skirmisher, utilizing the damage bonus on melee hits from Circle of Spores, bolstered with a Shillelagh-powered staff and the ever-present spore damage. To top it all off, I want Phantasma to take the Magic Initiate Warlock feat, allowing her to cast Booming Blade through her staff, while providing some juicy story opportunities to introduce the Demon Lord Zuggtmoy as her part-time patron. Combined with the Druid’s potent support and control spells and the Circle of Spore’s more offense and debuff-focused signature spells, it should make for a fun “jack of all trades, master of none” gish build.

However, character-wise, everything I’d ever want to convey about Phantasma to someone - including Southern twang vocal mannerisms - is probably best summarized by this cover: