Dryad

All fables about the feywild speak of people with skin made of wood with hair of leaves and their ability to biguile those who stray from the path. Dryads are staunch protectors of the woodlands, showing only hostility to those who threaten them. They serve as sentinals for the trees and are infamous for their alluring beauty.

Broken tether

All dryads begin life as a lesser fey spirit, but are bound to a tree in the feywild by powerful fey. This could have been a punishment for angering an archfey or perhaps a curse placed on you by a coven of hags. Somehow you have broken out of this bond and are able to roam lands beyond the tree you were tethered to. However, the powerful entity that put you there may not have forgotten about you and the threat of them wanting to return you to your arborial prison may be ever present. Breaking your bond has severed your link to the magic within your tree, making the abilities you share with other dryads less potent, although some of the tree's magic still resides within you, you now draw most of your power from your own body and spirit.

Dryad names

The names of dryads are origionally in sylvan but tranlated into common these would be a few examples of what dryads may be called: Eupheme, Anthanti, Ipomea, Flammula, Capillaris, Laevis, Pudinera, Tansin, Budd, Gilliphae.

Dryad Traits

Your dryad character has some traits that are common amoung all dryads.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2.

Age. Your body is mature at the instant you are bound to your tree, although you do still suffer the effects of aging. The magic that bound you to your tree makes you age at a similar rate as your tree would. Because of this dryads can live up to the age of 500.

Alignment. Although most dryads are neutral and only care for the forest they live in, because you have broken the bond to your tree you may lean towards the more chaotic and wild side of nature. Few dryads are lawful.

Size. Dryads can vary dramatically in their size, ranging from 4 feet to over 6 feet tall. Your size is medium.

Speed Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests of the feywild, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions.You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it w ere bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

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.

Fey Charm. You can cast the charm person spell as a 1st-level spell once with this trait. Once you cast it, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it.

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

Subrace. Dryads can be divided into two Subraces: Treekin and Herbiform. Choose one of these subraces.

Treekin

You shared a closer bond with your tree and the other trees of the forest. As a treekin you have therefore adopted some of the characteristics of the trees you spent time with. This includes having tougher skin and a greater awareness of your surroundings as well as being the taller of the dryad subraces. Spending more time with trees may have also affected your mannerisms and you might find that you speak at a slower rate than most or you may be incredibly patient.

Ability Score Increase. Your wisdom score increases by 1

Barkskin. You have tough, bark covered skin. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your barkskin 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 barkskin.

Herbiform

You spent the majority of your time in the feywild outside of your tree, connecting with the various vegetation and ground based plantlife. Being the smaller of the dryad subraces, you are more nimble and you can easily traverse the wilds of the undergrowth. Your time spent with the flowery plants might have also had an affect on your personality, potentially giving you a more vibrant personality with the budding vitality of spring.

Ability Score Increase. Your dexterity score increases by 1

Forest Walker. You can pass through difficult terrain caused by nonmagical plants without it costing extra movement and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard.

Credits

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