Homebrew Dryad Species Details

Some lesser fey spirits which have developed a will of their own can’t seem to take a physical form by themselves. Such fey spirits seek out different kinds of Flora to form a Symbiotic Pact with, becoming Partners for eternity. The fey spirit offers a way longer lifespan to their partner, who in return becomes the medium of the spirit's Worldly Body. They share all senses and normally even death can’t part them. Such a symbiotic creature is called a Dryad. A Dryad created in such a mutual and natural way often makes it their calling to tend to Nature and enjoy life in their own little Sanctum. Some tales tell of evil fey spirits being forcefully bound in such a way, having their freedom of movement stripped away, practically being sealed until the end of their life. But even if such a Dryad should exist somewhere, anyone who got close enough to confirm it would have probably died, leaving behind no records to prove their existence. It is also said that some Dryads are able to take their partnered plant with them or move far away from them, but that is generally a rare occurrence and normally only happens if there is a need for the Dryad to do so.

Some say the elegant Dryads resemble the most dazzling, female elves, with their golden skin is the color of sunlight, with the texture of smooth bark and their shapely forms are draped in flowing dresses, made of woven leaves or flower petals, as is their cascading hair. While others say they look like gnarly old Women with crinkly brown skin like the bark of a swamp tree. Since Dryads rarely show themselves to the many Humanoid Races, only few will be able to confirm any of these descriptions.

Dryads are shy creatures, leading few mortals to ever glimpse one — except for the druids, with whom they share the duty of forest guardianship. Those who do see one do so mostly from afar, stealing a mere glance from the corner of their eye. A lucky, mortal may be fortunate enough to be approached by one, for a Dryad is a curious creature, at the peril of the Dryad bewitching them with a fey spell. But most of these almost entirely Female beings have their thorns.

Dryads are typically neither evil, nor good. They do not harm without cause, and generally prefer to lure their foes away with their charming fey magic rather than confront them directly, but neither will they help someone in trouble if it's a natural phenomenon harming them. They are the protectors of the natural world, and that world has a dark side. The wolf must eat, the storm must blow. The Dryad, for all its grace and endless serenity, understands the savage truth of nature.

A Dryad may be bound to their Partner by a Symbiotic Pact, but can roam the area surrounding it freely. Certain Dryads are free to roam as far as their heart desires, but are aware that in the depths of their hearts, their home is Nature. They are intrinsically linked to their Partner. If their Partner suffers, the Dryad suffers. If their Partner dies, the Dryad goes mad. Only a difficult ritual, conducted by a powerful fey or Arch Druid, can save the wilting Dryad and bind it to a new type of Flora, healing it in the process.

Occasionally these Dryads leave their Sanctum, if only temporarily, and with heavy hearts. This is mostly to find some external threat to their Home, or to repay a debt to someone who once aided them. Whatever the cause may be, a traveling Dryad may pretend to be joyful to not arise suspicion, but may hold a deep secret that drives them forward.

Creating Your Character

At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation.

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can’t raise any of your scores above 20.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player's Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Creature Type

Every creature in D&D, including each player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. A race tells you what your character’s creature type is.

Here’s a list of the game’s creature types in alphabetical order: Aberration, Beast, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, Plant, Undead. These types don’t have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn’t work on a Construct or an Undead.

Life Span

The typical life span of a player character in the D&D multiverse is about a century, assuming the character doesn’t meet a violent end on an adventure. Members of some races, such as dwarves and elves, can live for centuries. If typical members of a race can live longer than a century, that fact is mentioned in the race’s description.

Height and Weight

Player characters, regardless of race, typically fall into the same ranges of height and weight that humans have in our world. If you’d like to determine your character’s height or weight randomly, consult the Random Height and Weight table in the Player's Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.

Dryad Traits

As a Dryad, you have the following racial traits.

Age

A Dryad's lifespan is highly depending on the power of their Fey Spirit and the type of Flora they formed a Symbiotic Pact with. This can range from around 100 to a few 1000 years.

Size

Your size is Medium or Small. You choose the size when you select this race.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 ft.

Creature Type

You are a Fey.

Woodland Magic

You are proficient in the Nature Skill, and you can cast the Druidcraft Cantrip at will.

Additionally, starting at 1st level, you can cast the Entangle spell, at 3rd level, you can cast the Barkskin spell, at 5th level, you can cast Speak with Plants and at 7th level, you can cast the Tree Stride spell with this trait, without requiring a material component. Once you cast either of these spells with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race)

Speech of Beast and Leaf

You have the ability to communicate in a limited manner with Beasts, Plants, and vegetation. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return. You have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them.