Homebrew Dreas Species Details

“SOMETIMES THE RUSTLING YOU HEAR IN HIGH

branches is just the wind, and nothing more. But most of the time it’s us—and we’re laughing at you.”
—Dreas joke

AS THE DAY-STAR RISES OVER THE FOREST

and the dew sparkles on the leaves, some trees sense the clans of mortals and wonder what it would be like to walk among them. The most curious and free-spirited of these, touched by magic and enlivened by the primordial nature of the world, choose to leave their parent forests and take on the shape of a humanoid. This departure, once made, is irreversible, and the resulting creature—called a dreas—lives the rest of its days as a tree who walks among people.

EXOTIC & MONSTROUS KINSHIPS

Time does not allow us to talk of all the wondrous kinships of Planegea. We cannot speak of the birdfolk, catfolk, lizardfolk, fishfolk, turtlefolk, the half-giants gentle or warlike, or the reincarnated spirits of the dead that dwell in stone-and-wood bodies. We will have to leave aside the elemental wastewalkers, the blessed children of greater gods, the half-beasts, the goblinfolk in all their many shapes, and the scaled ones who revere or defy the dragons of Blood Mountain. If only the clanfire could burn all night, we could speak of every bloodline under the stars. But since our time is short, remember that every kinship in 5th Edition has a place in Planegea, if you only know where to look.

TREE PEOPLE

Although dreas take on the form of people, their origins as trees are unmistakable, with green or barklike skin, leafy, mossy, or flowering hair or beards, and a tendency to stand in the sun and rain for hours on end, faces upturned towards the sky. Some dreas are more humanoid than others—there are those that have branching wooden antlers or more (or less) than the usual number of fingers, while some have a surface of such finely polished wood that it appears almost indistinguishable from skin. Dreas are capable of growing their own clothing, although some prefer to blend more seamlessly among mortals by donning the skins and woven cloth of the clans.

EAGER OUTSIDERS

Dreas are inherently curious and find mortal life fascinating. Having chosen to leave behind their rooted nature, they often do everything possible to live alongside their chosen people, trying to fit in and be of use and value. However, their origin usually leads to misunderstandings and trouble of one kind or another, so it’s not uncommon for a dreas to find themselves alone despite their best efforts. These outcast dreas have been known to band together into small clans of their own, which tend towards seclusion, secrecy, and even outright hostility towards the mortals who rejected them.

SECRET-KEEPERS OF THE FOREST

The dreas remember their time as trees with perfect clarity—the cycle of years, the feeling of the wind and living things in their branches, the taste of water in dark soil rising through their roots. Although they have chosen to live among mortals, most dreas keep close to the wooded places of the world, preferring to keep in communion with trees and all green things. They often act as ambassadors for the forests, looking to the interests of both the trees and their adopted clans.

ADVENTURE SEEKERS

Although many dreas choose to take on mortal form because of their interest in a particular person or clan, some leave the forest for the more abstract aspiration of adventure, wanderlust, or a broad curiosity of things hidden where roots cannot reach. Such dreas are often eager to keep on the move, seeing stability of any kind as a return to rootedness. They prefer to risk their lives in search of experiences at the extreme edges of mortality, often accepting great danger in pursuit of adventure and the deepest possible understanding of the world.

BOTANICAL ORIGIN

Dreas may take the form of humanoids, but they are obviously of a different nature. Use these tables to inspire how your dreas character was shaped by its roots.

d12 Your original tree form was…
1	A pale birch	7	A luxurious willow
2	A tall poplar	8	A wild palm
3	A spreading elm	9	A friendly maple
4	A sturdy chestnut	10	A regal cedar
5	A scrappy pine	11	A burly oak
6	An elegant spruce	12	A graceful linden

 

d6 You were enticed to become a dreas by…
1	A gatherer from a local tribe for whom you developed feelings that you had no name for
2	A passing druid who awakened you from deep treedreams and then never returned
3	A group of children from a nearby clan who played in your branches
4	A hunter who perished at your trunk with a secret that had to be told
5	A traveling troupe of chanters who sung songs of wandering glory for a summer beneath your boughs
6	A mortal who burned down half your forest and then walked away, who needs to pay for what they did

 

d6 One mortal thing you can’t figure out is…
1	Fire. You understand you won’t burn down now, but it still makes you nervous.
2	Clothing. No matter how you wear it, someone always insists that you’re doing it wrong.
3	Greetings. For some reason mortals are obsessed with ritual sayings when they come and go.
4	Sleep. It’s strange and unsettling to slumber alone. Sleep should be shared by as many as possible.
5	Shelter. The elements are made to be experienced. There’s nothing less natural than hiding from rain.
6	Birth. The way mortals make more mortals is utterly alien and profoundly disgusting.

DREAS NAMES

Dreas have long, unpronounceable tree-names that can only be spoken in Sylvan, which sound like rustling leaves and creaking branches. They often adopt mortal names similar to those of the clan they join, preferring to blend in as much as possible with their chosen people.

Planegea at a Glance

Discover a world of raw action, primordial horror, and mystic awe.

Planegea is a prehistoric fantasy campaign setting, where a dungeon means the curse-painted caves of a cannibal clan. Gone are the safe hearths of taverns and libraries, kingdoms and cathedrals. Planegea is a place of utter wildness, where survival is the only law and it must be carved from the world by force of might and magic.

Nothing is as you expect in Planegea. Elves are shimmering dream-walkers, dwarves are half stone, humans are beast-tamers, halflings are silent stalkers, gnomes are filthy scavengers, and dragonborn are just a heartbeat away from their draconic ancestors.

Dreas Traits

Your dreas character has a number of qualities in common with other dreas.

Languages

You speak Common and Sylvan.

Ability Score Increase

Increase one ability score of your choice by 2 points and a different ability score of your choice by 1.

Age

Dreas live about a century, but they only show their true age on the spring and fall equinoxes. In the fall and winter, they appear to age rapidly. By midwinter, they look 10 years older than their actual age. They then begin to grow younger through the warmer months until midsummer, when they look 10 years younger than their actual age. Then the cycle repeats. In regions with milder or more extreme seasons, this effect is similarly diminished or stronger.

Size

Dreas vary greatly in height and build depending on the tree they sprung from, with slender aspen-dreas and massive oak-dreas and everything in between. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

At ease in the gloom of the forest at night, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Botanical Form

Your creature type is plant.

Photosynthesis

You require different nourishment than other kinships. Instead of 1 pound of food each day, you require exposure to 1 hour of sunlight, a sunglobe, or an equivalent light source. You cannot eat solid food, and attempting to do so gives you the poisoned condition for 1d4 hours. You require the same amount of water as most humanoid kinships.

From the Forest

You know the druidcraft cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the speak with plants spell and the charm person spell once per day; you must finish a long rest in order to cast these spells again using this trait. When you cast charm person with this feature, sentient plants are also a valid target for the spell. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Tree Step

You gain the ability to enter a tree and move from inside it to inside another tree of the same kind within 500 feet. Both trees must be living and at least as large as you. You must use 5 feet of movement to enter a tree. You instantly know the location of all other trees of the same kind within 500 feet and, as part of the movement used to enter the tree, can either pass into one of those trees or step out of the tree you’re in. You appear in a spot of your choice within 5 feet of the destination tree, using another 5 feet of movement. If you have no movement left, you appear within 5 feet of the tree you entered. You can use this trait once and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. You must end your turn outside a tree.