Dryad
“As beautiful and welcoming as a sunlit glade in high summer, as terrifying and deadly as a winter gale sweeping through a barren forest - that's a dryad. In the space of moments.”
- Galados of Celduilon
A Plant Race
These tree spirits have the appearance of beautiful men or women with delicate features seemingly made of soft wood. Their hair is made of leaves and foliage the color and appearance of which depends on both the dryad's origin and the season.
Tree Spirits
Dryads are born as protectors of a single tree. The type of tree determines a lot about them. Nobody knows why some rare trees create dryads while others do not. Most dryads spend their lives guarding their tree or forest while some have their connection severed. Those wayward dryads end up leaving their forest to explore and see the world.
Children of the Forest
Born of the forest, dryads share a natural affinity with nature. Most dryads, even those who have had their connection to their tree severed, will spend their lives looking after or guarding nature in some form or another. Dryads usually don't see themselves as "people" in the human sense, and more as sentient extensions of the forest.
Dryad Traits
Your Dryad has the following traits.
Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score by 2 and increase a different one by 1, or increase three different ability scores by 1.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.
Creature Type. You are a Plant.
Size. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Photosynthesis. If you spend an hour in direct sunlight or an hour with your feet in fertile soil, you do not need to eat or drink for the next 24 hours.
Plant Tongue. As an action, you can touch a plant and imbue it with a limited sentience. For the next ten minutes, the touched plant can communicate with you telepathically as though it were affected by the Speak with Plants spell, but it is not imbued with animation or movement. Once you have used this trait, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Magic of the Forest. You know the Druidcraft cantrip. At 3rd level, you learn the Entangle spell, and can cast it once using this trait, you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
At 5th level, you learn the Pass without Trace spell and can cast it once using this trait, you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells (choose the ability when you choose this race).
Subraces
There are as many subraces of dryads as there are species of trees. Below are some of the most common ones.
Baobab
Short, round and sturdy, baobab dryads are as unique in appearance as their trees are.
Baobab Toughness. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
Energy Stores. The time you don't need to eat or drink after using your Photosynthesis trait increases to 72 hours.
Cherry
Cherry dryads are considered to be among the most beautiful and alluring, with their breathtaking white flowers and flowing branches, they are truly a sight to behold.
Alluring. You have proficiency in the Persuasion skill.
Fruit of the Forest. As a bonus action, you can create a magical cherry in your hand. The cherry has all the properties of a berry created by the Goodberry spell. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, after which you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
Oak
Oak dryads are thought of as the strongest of their species. Powerful and tall, they stand head and shoulders above other dryads.
Bark Skin. You bark is very tough. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 12 + your Constitution modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
Sturdy as an Oak. You are sturdy and rooted. You have advantage on saving throws and ability checks you make to avoid being pushed, pulled or knocked prone.
Pine
Pine dryads can adapt to any environment. They aren't the tallest or most beautiful dryads, they are the most resilient.
Hardy. You have proficiency in the Survival skill.
Evergreen. You have resistance to cold damage.
Willow
Willow dryads are said to be the most graceful and agile. They have long, flowing limbs and move with surprising grace.
Long Limbs. Your movement speed increases by 5 feet.
Graceful Stealth. You can take the Hide action as a bonus action on each of your turns and can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage or other plants.
Racial Feat: Tree Stride
Prerequisite: Dryad
You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength, Dexterity, Constitution or Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20
- Once on each of your turns, 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.
Racial Feat: Twig of Far Travel
Prerequisite: Dryad
You can perform an hour long ritual within 5 feet of a living tree to form a magical bond with it. If the tree is the one you were born from, you can perform this ritual at any distance from it. Once you finish the ritual, you gain a magical twig. As an action, you can touch the twig and teleport to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the tree you've bonded with. After which, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
If you use this feat to form a magical bond with another tree, the first bond is severed and the twig you obtained from it loses all magical properties.
