Homebrew Nymph Race Details

Some believe that every tree, bush, and pond in the material plane are connected to the Feywild, and that each contain a Spirit whose sole duty is to protect it. Whether or not this vastness of Fey is accurate or not, it is at least true that some trees, bushes, and ponds are connected to spirits of the Feywild. It is also true that on occasion, their sense of duty is overtaken by curiosity towards mortals, and mortals are overtaken by the qualities in the Spirit they find seductive. The children of these unions are nymphs, who have no sworn duty, but maintain their connection to nature.

Body of Nature

Nymphs, even though they are only partially connected to the blood of the Feywild, show numerous traits of their heritage. A nymph borne of trees may have hair like twigs or vines, and the ground may seem to bend around their gentle feet. One born of water may instead have flesh cool like water to the touch, and hair that drifts as if submergred.

Some nymphs carry the features of their mortal parent more noticeably. The elongated ears of the elves, or the stout face of a halfling, occasionally even the browned skintones of humans. Still, even if a nymph takes more after their mortal parent, there is little mistaking a nymph at a glance.

Creature of Curiosity

Nymphs are incredibly curious and love to explore, making them rabid adventurers. Each new place is an experience to behold, and every new person they meet is someone to call a friend. This has been known to get nymphs in trouble as they trust the wrong person, or they confusedly visit the wrong place.

Kindness Inborne

Nymphs hold an inherent drive to protect nature, making them staunch activists and often heroes to the creatures who call forests their home. While this can drive a wedge between themselves and more industrial-minded individuals, a nymph's grand sense of sympathy allows them to deal and charm their way to positive interactions. Even if initial appearances may be offputting, a nymph is one of the best friends one can have.

Nymph Names

Often a nymph will receive a name from their mortal parent, but as they grow older it is common for the nymph to choose a name based upon their Spirit parent's home. Whether that be the tree they protect, the river, or the bush, many nymphs find that name more representative of their true selves.

Nymph Names: Silvermist, Eldergleam, Midwater, Blackroot, Skybranch, Bluewave, Shallowdrop, Greenleaf, Pineneedle, Rippleloch, Sapsalt, Petalwood, Rosethorn.

Nymph Traits

As a nymph, you have the following traits in common with other nymph.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2.

Age

Nymphs reach adulthood around the same time as humans, but can live far longer at around 250 years.

Subrace

There are three subraces of nymph: dendryad, naiads, and alseides. These represent the different natures protected by nymphs. Choose one of these subraces.

Size

Nymphs have a vaguely human shape to them, but are shorter than humans, standing between three and four feet. Your size is Small.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Sylvan, and one other language spoken by your mortal parent.

Nature's Rest

Nymphs don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. Magic cannot put you to sleep. In addition, you do not need to eat, though you require more water than an average humanoid.

Speak with Nature

You can communicate with trees, bushes, flowers, and rivers as if they were beasts. They do not have words, but you can understand their basic needs, desires, and traumas. 

Alseides Nymph

The alseides have the shape of a humanoid, at least as they live and breathe as adults. As children, however, they are born of seeds and into bushes or flowers. As they grow, should they survive, they learn how to take on a more humanoid appearance inspired by their mortal parentage. Even in their humanoid form, the alseides have traits that clearly give away their appearance. Hair in the form of flower petals, ivy, thorns or weeds; and skin soft like a petal and in a wide variety of bright and beautiful colours. 

Alseides have the unique ability among nymphs to spread their pollen, and this has become their trademark. Their pollen is highly concentrated in comparison to that of a normal flower, and so their effects seem driven much more by magic than by nature.

Ability Score Increase

Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Petal Skin

Due to the floral nature of your body, you have vulnerability to Fire damage.

Thorned Strike

Beneath your beautiful petals is a sheen of prickly thorns, and your magic makes them a frightful threat. As an action you can lash out at a creature within 20 feet of you, making a ranged attack with Charisma against them. If your attack hits, the creature takes 1d6 Piercing damage, and if the creature is Large or smaller, you pull the creature up to 5 feet closer to you.

Pollinate

You can use your action to send out a burst of pollen. Your herbal ancestry determines the type of the burst. When you use your pollination ability, choose a number of creatures in a 15 foot radius equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1) to make a saving throw, the type of which is determined by your herbal ancestry. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature gains the listed condition on a failed save until the end of their next turn. Undead, Constructs, and Oozes automatically succeed on this saving throw.

After you use your pollination ability, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest. The save DC of this ability increases by +1 at 6th level, 11th level, and 16th level. 

Herbal Ancestry

 You have an herbal ancestry. Choose one type of herb or flower from the Herbal Ancestry table. Your pollination attack is determined by the herb type, as shown in the table. You may choose to work with your Dungeon Master to reflavor one of these options to better suit your character.

HERB CONDITION TYPE POLLINATION
Chamomile Exhaustion (2 Levels) 15 ft. cone (Con. save)
Hemlock Stunned 15 ft. cone (Con. save)
Hogweed Blinded 15 ft. cone (Con. save)
Nightshade Frightened 15 ft. cone (Wis. save)
Poppy Sleep (as per the Sleep spell's effects) 15 ft. cone (Con. save)
Rose Charmed 15 ft. cone (Wis. save)
Wolfsbane Poisoned 15 ft. cone (Con. save)

Dendryad Nymph

Born from a mortal and the soul of a tree, the dendryad takes much from its forested heritage. While they have the shape, and movement of a humanoid creature, their flesh is completely unlike that of a humanoid. Where skin would be, instead there is an inherently magical, extremely flexible wood. The particular kind of wood seems to vary based on the forest from which a dendryad was born, ranging from dark cherrywood to the lightness of balsa.

The dendryads have slender figures which make them incredibly agile. This allows them to move through forests and from tree to tree with ease. Compared to the more outgoing naiads and alseides nymphs, dendryads are quite shy, keeping to themselves unless something truly captures their awe or anger. 

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Twigskin

Due to the bark, branches, and leaves that make up the whole of your body, you are vulnerable to Fire damage.

Tree Stepping

The forest lives in your body. You have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.

In addition, once per short rest you can use 10 feet of your movement to teleport yourself between trees so long as they are within 30 feet of each other, and they are of at least Medium size, using their roots as a way to transport yourself magically. You appear in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the tree. If you do not attack, move, or cast a spell after using this feature you are considered invisible until the start of your next turn, or until you move, attack or cast a spell.

Rooted Body

You are able to spread roots from your feet to better hold yourself steady. As a bonus action a number of times per long rest equal to your Charisma modifier you can root yourself to the ground. While rooted you:

  • Gain advantage on any ability check or saving throw made to resist being pushed, grappled, or being made prone.
  • Cannot use your movement, Tree Step feature, or take the Dash action.
  • May spend your action absorbing nutrients. If you do, you gain 2 temporary hit points per character level. If you currently have temporary hit points from this feature, you cannot use this ability.

You may spend a bonus action to unroot yourself, ending the above effects.

Naiad Nymph

Whilst naiads have the shape and flesh of a humanoid, their movement is completely unlike one. They move almost as a liquid, able to change their shape to suit their needs or fit in a smaller space, and when in water, they have the ability to draw power from it. Some say that every free-standing lake in the material plane is a naiad who has died or been cursed, but no one is completely sure, especially since naiads don't seem to want to tell.

 Naiads have inherited through their fey ancestry a love of tricks and games, and their preferred way to interact with other mortals seems to be through those pranks. Now and then, however, a naiad is drawn to the settled world out of pure curiosity, and approaches other mortals with genuine interest.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Shape Water

 Your innate, magical understanding of water has granted you the Shape Water cantrip. Charisma is your spellcasting modifier for this spell.

Purify

While you are partially submerged in water, you are able to filter the impurities out of yourself. Once as an action while in water, you may end one condition currently affecting you. You regain use of this ability when you complete a short or long rest.

Liquid Form

Due to your liquid nature, you are to transform your body into water. As an action you may turn fully liquid until the end of your turn. While liquid, your speed is halved,  and you may move through spaces as small as 1 inch. You cannot cast spells, use race or class features, or take any actions other than the Dash action. This transformation ends when you choose to end it as a bonus action, or if you drop to 0 hit points, die, or fall unconscious. If this effect ends in a space too small for your regular form, you are pushed from the space to the nearest exit and take 1d4 Force damage per 5 feet you were pushed. You regain use of this feature at the end of a short rest.

Liquid Body

Due to your watery nature, your flexibility is susceptible to temperature. Whenever you take cold damage your speed is halved until the end of your next turn. In addition, when in freezing temperatures you have disadvantage on Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.

Amphibious

You can breathe air and water.
MellieDM

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