Homebrew Dryad Species Details

Dryads are wild mysterious entities found deep in secluded woodlands. They defend the trees from any who would fell them and sometimes come into conflict with humans and others who take wood from the forests. Dryads have been known to charm adventurers into helping them defend their homes or hunting down the forest's enemies - even if those enemies are human loggers and woodcutters.

Dryads remain something of a mystery, even to other woodland beings. Talks tell of dryads who took a fancy to handsome elf or human men, charmed them, and held them captive. But since dryads rarely associate with any outside their own kind, these stories may be purely apocryphal. Dyrads are more likely to ensnare intruders and then send their charmed "guests" out to deal with threats the dryads cannot handle. 

A dryad's delivate features are much like a female elf's, though herflesh is like bark or fine wood, and her hair is like a canopy of leaves that changes color with the seasons.

Although they are generally solitary, up to seven dryads have been enountered in one place on rare occasions.

Dyrads speak Common, Elven, and Sylvan.

Combat

Shy, intelligent, and resolutem dryads are as elusive as they are alluring - they avoid physical combat and are rarely seen unless they wish to be. If threatened, or in need of an ally, a dryad uses Charm Person or Suggestion, attempting to gain control of the attacker(s) who could help the most against the rest. Any attack on her tree, however provokes the dryad into a frenzied defense.

Innate Spellcasting. The dryad's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC14). The dryad can innately cast the following spells. requiring no material components:

At will: druidcraft

3/day: entangle, goodberry

1/day: barkskin, pass without trace, shillelagh

Magic resistance. The dryad has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

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

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 my be Large or bigger.

Fey Charm. The dryad targets one humanoid or beast that she can see within 30 feet of her. If the target can see the dryad, it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed. The charmed creature regards the dryad as a trusted friend to be heeded and proteted. Although the target isnt under the dryads control, it takes the dryad's requests or actions in the most favorable way it can. Each time the dryad or its 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 the dryad dies, is on a different plane of existence from the target, or ends the effect as a bonus action. If a target's saving throw is successful, the target is immune to the dryad's Fey Charm for the next 24 hours. The dryad can have no more than one humanoid and up to three beasts charmed at a time.

Dryad Traits

Dryads are in tune with nature and glean their abilities to protect it.

Innate Spellcasting

Shy, intelligent, and resolutem dryads are as elusive as they are alluring - they avoid physical combat and are rarely seen unless they wish to be. If threatened, or in need of an ally, a dryad uses Charm Person or Suggestion, attempting to gain control of the attacker(s) who could help the most against the rest. Any attack on her tree, however provokes the dryad into a frenzied defense.

Magic Resistance

The dryad has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Speak with Beasts and Plants

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

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 my be Large or bigger.

Fey Charm

The dryad targets one humanoid or beast that she can see within 30 feet of her. If the target can see the dryad, it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed. The charmed creature regards the dryad as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. Although the target isnt under the dryads control, it takes the dryad's requests or actions in the most favorable way it can.

Each time the dryad or its 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 the dryad dies, is on a different plane of existence from the target, or ends the effect as a bonus action. If a target's saving throw is successful, the target is immune to the dryad's Fey Charm for the next 24 hours.

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

 

Ability Score Increase

As a Dryad you gain +1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom, and +2 Charisma

Language

Dyrads speak Common, Elven, and Sylvan.