Homebrew Dryad Species Details

Travellers entering a forest might catch a glimpse of a feminine form flitting through the trees. Warm laughter hangs on the air, drawing those who hear it deeper into the emerald shadows. Dryads resemble highly humanoid beings only made out of smooth, brown-green wood, and with grass and leaves for hair. In some cases Dryads have both hair and eyes that change with the seasons.

Treebound.

Powerful fey will sometimes bind lesser fey spirits to trees, transforming them into dryads. This is sometimes done as a punishment when the fey spirit falls in love with a mortal and that love is forbidden. A dryad can emerge from the tree and travel the lands around it, but the tree remains her home and roots her to the world. As long as the tree remains healthy and unharmed, the dryad stays forever youthful and alluring. If the tree is harmed, she suffers. If the tree is ever destroyed, the dryad descends into madness.

Reclusive Fey.

Dryads act as guardians of their woodland demesnes. Shy and reclusive, they watch interlopers from the trees. A dryad struck by the beauty of a stranger might investigate more closely, perhaps even try to lure the individual away to be charmed. Dryads work with other sylvan creatures to defend their forests. Unicorns, treants, and satyrs live alongside them, in addition to druids that share the dryads' devotion to the woods they call home.

Woodland Magic.

Dryads can speak with plants and animals. They can teleport from one tree to another, luring interlopers away from their groves. If pressed, a dryad can beguile humanoids with her enchantments, turning enemies into friends.

Dryad Traits

Your dryad character has certain characteristics from their fey origin.

Ability Score Increase

Your Wisdom score increases by 1, and your Charisma score increases by 2.

Age

A dryad's spirit is bound to a tree. They remain young and alluring as long as the tree is healthy. If the tree is ever killed or destroyed, a dryad can live on in a wilting, maddened state for roughly a year before dying. If a powerful fey or druid binds their spirit to a new tree, both their mind and their captivating beauty is restored.

Alignment

Dryads are most often neutral, with their main focus on tending to nature around them. Dryads working in union with other forest creatures in some form of alliance may tend toward lawfulness. Those deeply isolated in wild, untamed lands may be chaotic.

Size

Dryads are between 4 and a half and 6 feet tall. Your size is medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to life under the shadow of verdant boughs, 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 colour in darkness, only shades of grey.

Speak With Beasts and Plants

You can communicate with beasts and plants as if you shared a language.

Woodland Magic

You know the druidcraft cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the charm person spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the barkskin spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Forest Step

As an action on your turn, you can step magically into one living tree within reach and emerge from a second living tree within 60 feet of the first tree, appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the second tree. Both trees must be Large or bigger. 

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish and Sylvan.

Fey Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.