Homebrew Dryad Species Details

Travelers 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. Days pass, and eventually a solitary figure may emerge from the jade canopies of the forest, draped in the ill-fitting clothes of those who had been drawn within.

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  portal 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. 

Think about why your dryad's spirit was confined to a tree, as this could provide a strong motivation as to why they've decided to leave their woodland home to adventure.

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. 

Try to come up with a reason why your dryad would leave the forest- after all, a dryad would often much prefer to stay in their woodland home than venture out into the chaotic world of mortals.

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. They also know a handful of useful spells.

Gender and Names

The vast majority of dryads appear feminine, however through the ages there have been stories told of other woodland spirits of varying gender who match the description of dryads.

As for names, dryads are not known to use names in the traditional sense, instead opting to use them as a descriptor of their domain. For example, a dryad who lives in a grove of thickly clustered fir trees may take up the name Evergreen Needleheart. 

Dryad Traits

Your dryad character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase.

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

Age.

You age like a tree, maturing slowly and reaching anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand years old.

Alignment.

Dryads are almost universally neutral- protecting the balance of nature is often their top priority.

Size.

Dryads vary wildly in size, with the general range being from as small as 4 feet to as large as 8 feet tall. Your size is considered Medium regardless.

Speed.

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

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.

Dryadic Magic.

Using Charisma as your casting ability, you can cast druidcraft at will. At 10th level, you can choose any of the following spells to cast at will: cure wounds, goodberry, animal friendship, purify food and drink, faerie fire.

Speak with Beasts and Plants.

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

Tree Stride.

Starting at level 12, you can use 10 feet of your movement to step magically into one living tree within your 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. 

Fey Charm.

As an action, you can target one humanoid or beast that you can see within 30 feet. If the target can see you, it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed. The charmed creature regards you as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. Although the target isn't under your control, it takes your requests or actions in the most favorable way it can .

Each time the you or your allies do anything harmful to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts 24 hours or until you are knocked unconscious, are on a different plane of existence from the target, or end the effect as a bonus action. If a target 's saving throw is successful, the target is immune to the your Fey Charm for the next 24 hours.

You can have no more than one humanoid and up to three beasts charmed at a time.

You can only use this ability once per short rest.

Languages.

You can speak, read and write Elvish and Sylvan.