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.

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. They also know a handful of useful spells.

Dryad Traits

Your Dryad character has the following racial traits.

Tree Stride

Once on her turn, the dryad can use 10 feet of her movement to step magically into one living tree within her 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 cannot use this feature until you complete a short or long rest. 

Ability Score Increase

Your Wisdom score increases by 2.  Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age

Dryads reach maturity around age 15 and can live up to 200 years.

Alignment

Dryads tend toward lawful good. As guardians of the Nature, their culture pushes them toward order and benevolence.

Size

Dryads are slightly shorter than humans, averaging about 5 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Photosythetic

You do not need to eat while regularly in sunlight. 

Control Nature

You can cast Goodberry with this trait. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast Barkskin with it, and starting at 5th level, you can also cast Plant Growth with it. Once you cast a spell with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

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 green.

Emissary of the Nature

The dryad can communicate with beasts and plants as if they shared a language.

Body of Wood

Having a body made of wood gives you and aversion to fire. Attacks involving Fire damage have advantage against you. You have Disadvantage on saves against taking faire damage.

Languages

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