Homebrew Hamadryad Species Details
Woodland Goddesses
Dryads are spirits of the forest that guard the deep woods. Hamadryads are dryads that were birthed bound to a specific tree, and gain their life force from this tree. Delightful, graceful, but painfully naive creatures, hamadryads often wander the woods with their sisters, singing, dancing, and delighting in nature's bounties. A few rare souls, however, decide to leave their birth forests to explore the wider world.
Curious, Naive, and Full of Wonder
Most hamadryads are painfully ignorant of the wider world, which gives them a delightful, childlike wonder about almost everything in the world beyond their forest. However, this also leads them to be painfully naive, unaware of the evils and woes of the civilized world, and easy to deceive, manipulate, or beguile. Despite this, hamadryads good nature is difficult to dismiss, even when faced with the most horrific evils; the song of their forest home sings in their hearts through the darkest of trials.
Hamadryad Names
Hamadryads tend to lack a lot of naming conventions, and mostly fall under three categories: the name of their birth tree, the name assigned to them by another creature, or a random favorite word in the first language they learn.
Male Dryad Names: Bark, Leif, Oak, Woody, Vin, Thorn, Somber, Beech, Elder, Gorse
Female Dryad Names: Willow, Rose, Chrysanthemum, Holly, Petal, May, Maple, Lilac
Hamadryad Traits
Hamadryad TraitsAbility Score Increase
Your Intelligence score increases by 1, and your Charisma score increases by 2.
Ability Score Increase
Your Charisma increases by 2, and your Constitution increases by 1.
Age
Hamadryads life force is tied to the tree that birthed them. As long as that tree stands, the Hamadryad will not age. If the tree is killed, they whither and die within 1 day.
Alignment
Hamadryads tend towards neutrality, matching the animals and plants that surround their home. Those that wander out tend to adapt to their experiences, but very few, if any, have the capacity for true evil.
Size
Depending on the tree that birthed them, Hamadryads can range from 5 – 7’ tall, and weigh anything from 100-200 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision
Accustomed to countless sleepless moonlit nights, 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.
Fey Origins
You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep. For the purposes of determining effects of spells and traits, you are a fey creature.
Communicate With Plants
Using a combination of thoughts, basic speech, ancestral connections, and hand movements, you may communicate simple ideas back and forth with Small or smaller plants, as well as trees that are the same type as your birth tree. You may also communicate with plant creatures as if you share a language with them.
Tree Form
Hamadryads do not need sleep, in the traditional sense. Instead, they assume a tree-like form reminiscent of their humanoid form that roots in the ground, drinking deep from the earth and absorbing nutrients from the air and sun. It takes 1 minute to assume this form. While in tree form, you are resistant to nonmagical bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage. While in this form, your speed is reduced to 0 as you fall into a sleep-like state of unconsciousness. Another creature can spend 1 action to rouse you. As long as you can perform this ritual for at least 6 hours, you gain the benefits of a long rest. If at least 1 hour of this rest is spent under direct sunlight, you do not require food or water for the next day. You cannot take this form unless you can find a spot with plenty of soil under open sky.
Woodland Magic
You know the druidcraft cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the entangle 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 on yourself 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.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.
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