Homebrew Woad Species Details

Born of Sacrifice.

The ritual to create a Woad is a primeval secret passed down through generations of wild societies and druidic circles. Performing the ritual isn't necessarily an act of evil, if the victim-to-be has entered into a bargain that requires it to be a willing sacrifice. However, in most cases, the victim is not a willing sacrifice.

In the ritual, a living person’s chest is pierced and the heart removed. A seed is then pushed into the heart, and it is placed in a tree. Any hollow or crook will do, but often a special cavity is carved out of the trunk. The tree is then bathed and watered with the blood of the sacrificed victim, and the body is buried among the tree’s roots. After three days, a sprout merges from the ground at the base of the tree and swiftly grows into a humanoid form.

This new body, armored in tough bark, is at once ready to perform its duty. However, this is where the minions of the ritual performer and the free-thinking, sometimes-vengeful Rogue Woads differ. Whereas a Woad will usually follow its creator’s orders unceasingly, very rarely, a Woad might break free from their master’s will. This is typically caused by a botched ritual, the heart not properly removed from the corpse. The Rogue Woad’s would-be masters typically simply think the ritual didn't work and typically abandon the partially grown body. However, the body simply takes months, sometimes years, longer to grow before it uproots itself and searches for purpose, making them natural adventurers

Whereas regular wood Woads have a hole where their heart would be, these rogue Woads have grown hearts made of briers and thorns, pumping their green blood through their plantlike veins, into the intertwined vines and woods that make up its body. While their personality is influenced by the ritual, which gives them a burning passion for nature and a will to protect the natural world, these Woads develop personalities, and limited human emotions. Their power is stunted due to the botched ritual, and they lose all memories of their life before the ritual, but they retain their freedom.

Note: A Rogue Woad might even be created when their master dies, and they have no new orders. In which case, they search for a new purpose. These Woads are entirely emotionless, acting only on rationality and reason.

Woad Traits

As a Woad, you gain the following features:

Rooted Mind

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Plant Camouflage

You gain proficiency with Stealth. You have advantage on stealth checks while within any terrain with amble plant life, such as a forest, jungle, or swamp.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your wisdom and constitution scores increase by 1.

Age

A Woad can live as long as any tree, and it is almost unheard of for one to die from old age or any other natural causes, excuse the pun. The average life expectancy of a Woad is upwards of 3000 years, but they can live much much longer.

Alignment

Woads are creatures born through rituals of nature, created to be protectors of nature itself. As such, they tend toward lawful alignments and neutrality. Evil Woads are extremely rare, even for a Rogue Woad, and are typically the product of some dark druid’s will.

Size

Woads are usually well over 6 feet tall, but rarely over 8. They typically weigh between 200 and 250 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

You have a base walking speed of 30 feet.

Plant

Your creature type is Plant, rather than Humanoid. You are Vulnerable to Fire damage.

 

I cant figure out how to tell dnd beyond your creature type is now plant instead of humanoid, but whatever

Bark Skin

The bark of your body can be hard as steel to withstand any blow or flexible as paper to dodge such blows. When you create a Woad, choose one of the following attributes. You cannot change this choice later.

  • Your armor class while you are not wearing any armor is equal to 17. However, your bark is thick and unmalleable, creaking like a tree as you move. You have disadvantage on Stealth Checks made to move silently.
  • Your armor class while you are not wearing any armor is equal to 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC

Darkvision

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.

Roots

Like a tree, a Woad needs only sunlight, air, and nutrients from the earth to go on living. When you take a long rest, you must spend at least six hours rooted into soil, gathering nutrients from the earth itself, in a state of semi consciousness. It takes half your movement to uproot yourself.

Treestep

Rogue Woads have a less powerful version of a normal Wood Woad’s Tree Stride ability. You can step into a living tree and emerge from a second living tree within 60 feet of the first, appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the second tree. Both trees must be Large or bigger. Once you use this ability, you must finish a short or long rest before using it again.
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