DRAGON #360 Art Gallery: Dryad

[Lord Fyre]

I'd like it if the tree-thing was the dryad's true form in the feywild, and the hot chick was a shape taken in the material plane. That could also play up the foreign nature of the planes, while keeping the dryad as the beautiful witch in the woods that she currently is.

I like this new take on the dryad. Do we need a creature to be "the beautiful witch in the woods"? :\

Why not just use "a beautiful witch in the woods" (a female druid or sorceress type)?

 

[Umbran]

Having a fey that charms her opponents, occasionally keeping the ones she fancies, is infinitely more interesting than that topiary abomination.

Topiary Abomination sounds like.. a band. So, if she's the lead singer, maybe she'd be more interesting?

...or even sexy orc...

Dude, the reason why orcs are so angry all the time is that there is no such thing as a sexy orc, of either gender.

 

[Wolfspider]

So I guess they'll be getting rid of the treant in 4.0 because they've said they don't want to have two different creatures filling the same roles.

Unless treants are now what myconids used to be....

 

[Masquerade]

So I guess they'll be getting rid of the treant in 4.0 because they've said they don't want to have two different creatures filling the same roles.

Treants are much larger than dryads, and they will probably differ very greatly in their abilities. Plus, we already know that dryads at least one power that plays off of the presence of treants (Monsters podcast).

 

[Lord Fyre]

Dude, the reason why orcs are so angry all the time is that there is no such thing as a sexy orc, of either gender.

Really? I don't know about that.

The idea that Orcs would not see their own females as "beautiful" seems to be a hold-over from the Tolkienian idea that they are warped-elves rather then their own race.

 

[Wolfspider]

Treants are much larger than dryads, and they will probably differ very greatly in their abilities. Plus, we already know that dryads at least one power that plays off of the presence of treants (Monsters podcast).

Well, that's good to know. I love treants.

I guess two breeds of tree-dwelling tree folk is ok, but two breeds of demonic winged women isn't.

Hmm.

 

[Merlin the Tuna]

I'm a fan of the design itself, and of the fact that the nature-loving tree creature looks less like a mannequin and more like a tree.

 

[megamania]

Aren't they calling this the "Blackwoods Dryad"? So maybe its an evil or feral version, not the classic type we're used to?

Personally, I prefer the slutty type, but it will be nice to have a version that's meant to be fought.

One of the Eberron novels has a black wood nymph that are evil or at least mean. I had assumed this was that...not a typical nymph.

 

[Umbran]

The idea that Orcs would not see their own females as "beautiful" seems to be a hold-over from the Tolkienian idea that they are warped-elves rather then their own race.

Nah. It's a simple example of the idea that while beauty is only skin deep, ugly goes down to the bone

Though, thinking about it more seriously - it actually does make an interesting twist on orcs. Especially if the race's origins are not Tolkien-esque. A race that hates because they don't think of themselves as beautiful.

 

[Aeolius]

Topiary Abomination sounds like.. a band.

I hear the word "topiary" and I still think of Putt Putt Saves the Zoo. Then I hear THIS