Homebrew Woad-Kind Species Details

“I mistook the ancient oak for a statue until it breathed—slowly, painfully—and the forest seemed to listen.”

— From The Barkbound Chronicles, Vol. I

Woads are living remnants of the world’s first forests—sentient beings whose bodies are shaped from wood, bark, sap, and leaf. Though humanoid in silhouette, their forms reveal their arboreal nature upon closer inspection: skin textured like bark or smooth as polished wood, veins of glowing sap beneath the surface, hair formed from moss, leaves, needles, or flowering vines. Some bear hollowed chests that resonate faintly like wind through branches; others creak softly when they move, as though the forest itself shifts with them.

Living Trees

Unlike ordinary trees, Woads are not rooted to a single place. They walk the world slowly and deliberately, carrying fragments of the forests that birthed them within their bodies. Each Woad reflects the land that formed them—ashen and blackened from volcanic groves, pale and luminous from moonlit forests, or gnarled and thick from ancient wilds untouched by civilization.

Dryads do not reproduce as mortals do. New Woads arise rarely, often when a forest endures profound magic, tragedy, or devotion. A tree that has watched centuries pass may one day awaken and walk. Because of this, Dryads are exceedingly rare, and many live their entire lives without ever encountering another of their kind.

Though often mistaken for nature spirits or fey, Woads are fully mortal—capable of growth, change, and death. Fire scars them deeply, axes wound more than flesh, and yet their resilience rivals stone when they stand their ground.

Woad Personality

Woads tend toward quiet observation rather than swift action. Having lived decades—or centuries—rooted in one place before awakening, many retain a patient, contemplative outlook. They listen more than they speak, choosing words with care, as though conversation itself is a finite resource.

Most Woads feel no innate pull toward leadership or communal living. They are solitary by nature, wandering or remaining near lands they feel spiritually bound to. When Woads do form bonds, they are deep and enduring—loyalties that resemble roots rather than friendships.

That said, Woads are not emotionless. Beneath their wooden exterior lies intense feeling: slow-burning wrath, profound grief for lost forests, and quiet joy in rainfall, birdsong, or new growth. When angered, a Woad's fury is patient but catastrophic—like vines that slowly tighten or roots that crack stone over time.

Quirks

When creating a Woad character, you may roll or choose a quirk from the table below:

Woad Quirks

Woad Names

Woad names are grown rather than chosen, shaped by the sounds of wind through leaves, the slow creak of branches, and the quiet memory of the forests that birthed them. To other humanoids, these names often sound ancient and deliberate, carrying weight beyond simple syllables. Some Woads adopt shorter, more easily spoken names when traveling among other peoples, while others prefer longer, descriptive titles tied to their origin or awakening. In rare cases, a Woad may allow another creature to name them, believing that a name given in trust becomes a second set of roots, binding them to the wider world.

Woad Names: Thalos, Eirwyn, Kaelroot, Sylphaen, Brannoc, Ylvara, Mossen, Aurelith, Ash-of-Dawn, Root-of-Stone, Wind-in-Leaves, Bark-of-Old-Growth, Sapbound

Woad-Kind Traits

Your Woad character has the following traits. A few of the traits give you a choice; consider how your choice reflects the purpose for which your character was built.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Age

A typical Woad is between one and 200 years old. The maximum Woad lifespan remains a mystery; so far, Woad have only shown to become more resilient due to age. You are immune to magical aging effects.

Alignment

Most Woad tend to themselves, leaning toward neutrality. Many choose to remain hidden from the world due.

Size

Your size is Medium. To set your height and weight randomly, start with rolling a size modifier:

Size modifier = 2d6

Height = 5 feet + 10 inches + your size modifier in inches

Weight in pounds = 270 + (4 × your size modifier)

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Ancient Resilience

You were created to have remarkable fortitude, represented by the following benefits:

• You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage.
• You don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe.
• You are resistant to disease.
• You don’t need to sleep, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Guardian's Sentry

When you take a long rest, you must spend at least 8 hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn’t render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal.

Natural Protection

Your body has built-in defensive layers, which can be enhanced with armor:

• You gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
• You can don only armor with which you have proficiency. To don armor other than a shield, you must incorporate it into your body over the course of 1 hour, during which you remain in contact with the armor. To doff armor, you must spend 1 hour removing it. You can rest while donning or doffing armor in this way.
• While you live, the armor incorporated into your body can’t be removed against your will.

Knowledge from a Past Life

You gain one skill proficiency and one tool proficiency of your choice.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice.

Verdant Shape

You carry the memory of beasts within your grain and sap.

As a bonus action, you can magically transform into a wooden animal form, using the rules below. You can use this trait twice, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Wooden Beast Form

When you activate Verdant Shape, choose a Beast with a Challenge Rating of 1/4 or lower that does not have a flying or swimming speed. Your form is clearly made of wood, bark, vines, or leaves, though it otherwise resembles the chosen animal.

• Your game statistics are replaced by the beast’s statistics, except you retain your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores, as well as your alignment, personality, and memories.

• You assume the beast’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before transforming. If you drop to 0 hit points, you immediately revert to your normal form and take any excess damage.

• You cannot cast spells, speak, or perform actions requiring hands, but you can understand the languages you know.

• Your equipment melds into your form and has no effect until you revert.

Duration

You remain in this form for up to 1 hour, until you use a bonus action to revert, or until you are reduced to 0 hit points.