Homebrew Dryad Species Details

Born of Bark and Leaf

Dryads, or forest nymphs, are fey spirits bound to trees, usually ones which are incredibly important in one way or another, whether that be because they are on a leyline, they have cultural significance, or another reason of similar import. Dryads serve as guardian protectors to what they call their 'home trees', being perfectly willing to risk life and limb in an effort to stop their tree from coming to harm.

Dryads rarely, if ever, leave their home trees but it's not entirely impossible. Dryads will usually only leave home if something threatens their home tree/the forest its in, or alternatively their tree is dead and they are looking for a new tree and/or revenge on what killed their previous home.

Dryads are rarely seen by mortal eyes, and those that are are rarely thought to actually be dryads, simply due to the fact of their appearance. Dryads usually resemble divinely beautiful elven women wearing robes or dresses of green and orange, although masculine presenting dryads are certainly not unheard of. There are, however, two telltale features of a dryad that make them incredibly distinct from the elves they resemble: wooden skin and hair made of leaves.

The skin of a dryad, upon close inspection, doesn't look like flesh but rather a smooth wooden surface, complete with intricate patterns of striations. Similarly, dryads don't have any hair but instead have a tapestry of leaves which cascades down from the back of their heads, so as to resemble the hair of a humanoid. Dryads also rarely wear clothes made of fabrics, forgoing them in favour of clothes magically woven from foliage, "accessorised" with natural formations of bark that cover the dryad's skin which take the form of elbow-length gloves, brooches, rings, etc.

One with Nature

Dryads are natural born druids, just by nature of being innately imbued with the magic of the forest. This natural magic inherent within a dryad's very soul gives a proclivity for learning druidic spellcasting. All dryads have a little magic within themselves, allowing for small demonstrations of nature's wonder, but those who fully embrace the wonders of their natural connection can see their powers grow exponentially. 

Dryads who have mastered the druidic arts are often mistaken as direct agents to gods of nature by outsiders who don't understand the true nature of the race. As such, they are closely linked to gods such as Silvanus, Nylea and Rillifane Rallathil and are often objects of worship for followers of those selfsame gods, with offerings often given and many beseeching guidance. Dryads who receive worship this way often feel a kinship with their communities and as such are inclined to use their powers to help them in times of crisis.

Forest's Friend, Forest's Fury

Most dryads care little for anything for anything other than their home tree. Above all else, a dryad values the preservation and flourishing of the forest and are content with watching their woodland domains thrive, particularly their home tree.

Dryads actively seek a life of little event, where nothing particularly remarkable happens. Little event marks little threat to the home tree and that's exactly what the dryad likes. In fact, even when nature does throw trials and tribulations at the dryad in regard to endangering the home tree, such as the occasional large beast or windstorm, it's usually nothing the dryad can't handle.

However, when faced with a trespasser from outside the forest, the dryad adopts a different stance. They employ their fey nature to attempt to drive the intruder away from the forest, by quickly blinking between trees, giving voice to the forest and employing their innate magics to make the area surrounding their home tree seem like a dangerous place to pass. Should these tactics fail, the dryad will wait to gauge the intentions of the trespassers. If the intruder presents no intention to harm the forest and denizens or is coming to speak with the dryad itself, the dryad will usually make its presence known to them but engage in no further determent tactics. Should the intruder be willing harm on the forest, however, the dryad will not hesitate to attack.

Dryads loathe those who would damage to the forest and any who do so within the dryad's presence will immediately be on the receiving end of every form of offence the dryad has at its disposal, with the dryad dropping every aspect of its usual serene grace in favour of pure fury. The only sin worse to a dryad than destroying the forest is damaging or even destroying its home tree before its due time. Dryads are incredibly vengeful beings at their core and anyone who would kill a dryad's home tree is immediately marked as a target for that dryad's searing vengeance. In fact, vengeance over death of a home tree is one of the few reasons a dryad would leave its forest, with the sole intent of enacting painful and deadly revenge being the dryad's driving force.

Dryad Names

The concept of a name is alien to a significant number of dryads, as most never interact with any individuals outside of the immediate area of their home tree. Indeed, for most dryads, they are simply referred to by the species of their home tree within their circles.

However, for those few dryads who venture away from their tree, they generally take names from one of two sources when interacting with people of other races. Either they choose an Elvish name which they feel suits their personality or, more commonly, they adopt the name that their home tree is known by in the wider world.

Similarly, dryads don't have family names. When pressed for one, however, they use the species of their home tree, like they would do with other dryads.

Dryad Traits

Your dryad character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Being fey creatures tied to the very essence of a tree, dryads are incredibly long lived, living up to 1000 years old.

Alignment

As caretakers of the forest with little concept of or care for law and morality, dryads tend toward neutral alignments, True Neutral and Chaotic Neutral being the most common.

Size

Dryads usually stand around 6 foot tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Dryad Magic

You can cast detect magic and entangle with this trait, using Wisdom as your spellcasting ability for them. Once you cast either spell, you can’t cast it again with this trait until you finish a short or long rest.

Forest's Step

Once on your turn, you can use 15 feet of your movement to 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. You can use this trait once, and regain it after a short or long rest.

Boons of the Fey

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

Speech of Beast and Leaf

You have the ability to communicate in a limited manner with beasts and plants. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return. You have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them.

Child of the Trees

Dryads don't need to eat, drink or sleep. In place of eating and drinking, they synthesise sunlight in the leaves which grow from their heads, and instead of sleeping, they spend 4 hours meditating to strengthen their connection to their respective home trees, which grants the same benefits a human would receive from 8 hours sleep. Dryads can still eat and drink if they so wish, and must do so to maintain energy in areas with little to no sunlight.

Languages

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