Celebrim
Legend
I've been toying with writing up my monster house rules in a MM format for at least my own use. This would be a portion of the Dryad write up. I thought I'd post it as inspiration. Even if you aren't using 3.X rules much less my house rules, the concepts here might be useful to you.
Dryad
Size/Type: Medium Fey
Hit Dice: 4d6 (14 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+4 Dex, +3 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+2
Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d4/19-20) or masterwork longbow +7 ranged (1d8/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: DR 5/cold iron, Tree dependent
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +6
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 19, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 18
Skills: Dreaming +6, Empathy (Animal) +8, Empathy (Plant) +10, Escape Artist +9, Hide +9, Knowledge (nature) +11, Listen +7, Move Silently +9, Planeswalking +10, Spot +7, Survival +9, Use Rope +4 (+6 with bindings)
Feats: Great Fortitude, Weapon Finesse (Dagger), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Longbow)
Environment: Usually forests, but rarely wherever trees appear
Percent in Lair: 100%
No. Appearing: Common solitary, rarely glade (2-8), very rarely forest (5-100)
Treasure Type: (J x 10, Q)
Challenge Rating: 3
Alignment: Usually chaotic good
Advancement: HD 1-20, or rarely by character class
Dryads are the spirits of trees and consequently possess the qualities of trees. Among them is a certain aloof and uninvolved disposition, and a tendency to be slow to notice or react to their environment in a way that to a human would seem drowsy or even intoxicated. The vast majority of dryads never leave their tree or manifest themselves in any form other than that of their own living tree, which they regard as their true body. Thus, though every single tree actually contains a dryad, very few of them ever do anything which is the slightest untreeish, or think any untreelike thought. They live lives of slow and quiet contemplation, dreaming treesish dreams in long slumbers, drinking the nourishment of the sun and the rain, digging deep into the ground, and thrilling to the motion of the wind. Only occasionally will they whisper to their sisters in secret songs among the rustling of the leaves.
However, a small percentage of dryads become at times awake and aware and curious about the world around their tree, and become filled with longing to move and experience things - at least for a time - that they cannot do in their normal form. These few manifest themselves as delicate and wild creatures not that different in form from a female elf, though their skin is like fine bark and their head is crowned with a canopy of leaves according to the nature of the tree they embody. Often they appear unclothed, but depending on the disposition of the dryad they may have a covering of leaves for modesty, or may have acquired some beautiful fabric as a gift. A few dryads may manifest multiple arms or woody branches or root like lower limbs, as if not quite sure of themselves in the form of a humanoid or suffering some confusion regarding their proper shape. While the overwhelming majority of dryads choose at least superficially female forms, a smaller number still manifest as males or even hermaphrodites. Note that like most fey, dryads can disguise their form with illusions, and frequently do so if they believe their normal form will not be well received.
Dryads live as long as their trees, aging slowly and changing as their trees age. The longing that comes over dryads to experience the pleasures of the world outside their tree seems to increase with age, so that encountering dryads from immature trees is almost unknown and indeed usually only the largest and oldest trees in a given area will have any chance of containing active dryads. Thus, dryads are most associated with long lived species of trees such as beech, cedar, fir, hemlock, olive, pecan, white pine, white oak, yew and cypress. When the dryads of young trees appear, generally those of trees below 50 years of age, they appear as prepubescent girls and are small, feral, and euphorically gleeful. Most often these have been awakened by an older dryad seeking playmates and company, and may in fact be her daughters.
Typical active dryads are the spirits of trees of 200 years of age or greater, and appear as mature elven women. Trees near the ends of their lifespan are which have suffered long hardships appear as wrinkled but still jovial crones or stately matriarchs. The dryads of large trees, especially redwood, sequoia, firs, blue gums, and kapoks, often appear as majestic giantesses among their own kind, and as these trees are also quite long lived, they are some of the most powerful and terrible of their kind when aroused to anger. For this reason, such trees are rarely harvested. Conversely, small trees may manifest in small forms resembling sidhe or even sprites.
Dryads gain 1 HD for each 50 years they remain active. Since not every dryad remains active throughout her life, but may in fact enter periods of sleepiness lasting decades or even centuries, the power of a dryad does not necessarily correlate to the age of the tree, but it is limited by it. Dryad HD is capped at 20, but rarely some few dryads which are unusually bold and active may also obtain class levels. The favored class of dryad is feyborn.
Like all fey, dryads possess natural skill in magic derived from their closeness to the fabric of the universe. Additionally, a Dryads exploration of their spirit nature tends to increase the scope and understanding of their magic. For each HD the Dryad possesses a 10% chance of having acquired natural shamanic magic. If shamanic ability is indicated, roll a d20. The level of spell casting ability is indicated by the result of the die or the HD of the Shaman, whichever is lower. Regardless of level of spell casting ability, a dryad will only have knowledge of the Plant domain, unless they also additionally possess shaman class levels. If a dryad has natural shamanic magic, increase its CR by 1 for each 5 levels of spell casting ability or fraction thereof.
Dryads speak Sylvan, but are capable of learning whatever languages that they hear spoken about them and will typically know at least one or two other languages appropriate to the environment they inhabit. The mind of a dryad is alien, however humanoid they may appear, and works in ways those not accustomed to dryads may find startling and unexpected. Likewise, their understanding of things unrelated to trees is often minimal or nonexistent, and they may find such stories too strange to believe.
Dryads may not be slain so long as their tree lives. If a dryad’s fey form is slain, they must make a madness check with a DC of 10 plus their HD. Failure sends the dryad into a catatonic state until they recover from the trauma. Whether the save is successful, a dryad may not manifest a new body until the next spring equinox, but if not catatonic may remain during that period an aware tree and may be communicated with or approached in the spirit world. Conversely, if a dryad’s tree is killed or completely chopped down at the stump, they immediately die with no saving throw. It is not known exactly what happens to a dryad that is slain, but it is believed by most that – as immortal fey – they are reincarnated in a new form after death. Some authorities believe that a dryad will only reincarnate so long as some seed of theirs or their progeny remains, but the truth of this is not known even to the dryads. A few authorities however assert that the life of a dryad is completely tied to their mortal form as a tree, and the belief that they are reincarnated is a sop that told to justify the harvesting of living trees. The truth remains a matter of scholarly debate, and the deep secrets of the dryads - if they are known at all - must be kept by only by the mightiest of spirits and gods.
Though often shy, particularly of large groups, dryads are social creatures and quite curious about the dealings of fey and mortals – about which they tend to be naïve until experience teaches them prudence. They are slow to anger or to come to any decisions, but once they have made up their mind are firm and resolute and equally slow to depart from a chosen course of action. Most dryads love to dance, enjoy strong drink and clean water, dislike darkness, are appreciative of fire even though they fear it, and are sexually precocious. Satyrs in particular seek out dryads as willing mates, particularly in the spring, and it is from this union that most new satyrs are born. Though dryads do not usually worship the gods, they may admire them – particularly deities associated with light, water, and plants. They form societies with other dryads and like-minded fey, but have no formal hierarchy save that for each kind of tree there is a single immortal dryad of the greatest possible sort whose tree does not age, and which embodies and protects all trees of this sort. The death of this tree, called the Great Mother, represents a calamity for the tree kind as a whole – at the least a pestilence lasting a century – before a new dryad assumes the role of the Great Mother, assuming any trees of the species remain. These trees, and often the location of the tree, are therefore closely guarded or kept secret by those that love or depend on trees. Because the number of species of tree are great, many are not recorded or known to only a few. However, a few Great Mother Trees of important species are known to lore – Karya the mother of Walnuts, Balanos the mother of oaks, Kraneia the mother of dogwoods, Morea the mother of mulberries, Malay the mother of apples, Aigeirea the mother of poplars, Oxylos the mother of beeches, Ptealea the mother of elms, and Syke the mother of figs. Many shamans have as their spirit totems one of these mother trees, and they are likewise revered by many other greater spirits and even the gods, so the slaying of any one is sure to arouse the wrath of many powerful enemies.
Even amongst dryads which live sleepy treeish lives, many will awake – if only for one night – to celebrate important occasions, such as the spring equinox, the birth of the sovereign heir of a land, or the presence of an incarnated deity. Dryads of this sort rarely have any real power as fey, but can be as innumerable as the trees of the forest.
As can be imagined, the existence of Dryads exerts a powerful influence on the trades of lumberjacks and woodcutters. However, the relationship between lumberjacks and dryads, and the dangers lumberjacks face from dryads are not necessarily those that one might expect unless one is indoctrinated into the secret lore of the lumberjacks trade. To begin with, dryads lack much of the horror and dread of death that most living creatures take as normal. They also do not see wood, though it is literally the corpse of a dryad, as a thing disquieting and horrific. Rather, they see the death of a tree as being part of a needful and unavoidable cycle of life. The death of tree – even their own impending death - grieves them, but even the violent death of a tree does not horrify or anger them in quite the same way that a human might view the death of his fellows. Rather, what arises them to wrath is the feeling of being disrespected, and being ill-used, and ill-regarded whether in life or in death. Healthy trees cut down solely to rot disquiets them. Trees cut down without regard or reverence angers them. The sense that their death might be useless and bring no other living creature any good and leave behind a wasteland enrages them. Above all, they desire to know that the sacrifice they make of their lives will not be greeted with ingratitude or indifference. Thus, a lumberjack or woodcutter, before he cuts down a tree will speak soft and comforting words to the tree, telling it of the fineness of its wood, the great usefulness it will have, how valuable and desirable the tree is, the necessity that the tree be cut down, and how it will sustain the lives of himself and his family – so that the tree will not resent or take umbrage, but enter into her death with some pride and acceptance as well as grief. Lumberjacks entering into a wood, will first have their most senior members scout out the wood seeking signs of active dryads and taking note of those trees most likely to contain awake and perceptive spirits – and placing secret signs on them to indicate to other lumberjacks the presence of possible danger. If wood near such a tree must be harvested, the lumberjacks will first test the ground by leaving a wooden flagon of mead or strong drink near the tree overnight. If the mead is drunk, they will either leave the ground untouched or if necessity demands otherwise, place additional mead every night until no further droughts are taken. Lumberjacks believe this is a sign that the dryad has become satiated, and will therefore be drowsy and contented and less likely to awake. When active dryads are known to be present, lumberjacks will always take care to ritually plant some of the seeds of the larger trees into the ground before harvesting commences, blessing the seeds by every means that they have available. They will also leave gifts of clothing, coins, or jewelry such as they can afford hanging from likely trees or in secret niches they discover. Further, they will always take care to plant several seedlings or even small saplings in the area that has been cleared. In this way they hope to propitiate and forestall any anger that might arise and maintain a good relationship with the spirits of the forest.
Lumberjacks are terrified of dryads, though they take great pains not to show terror in the presence of a dryad but speak to it as pleasantly as they can manage in their fear lest they give offence or encourage the dryad to frighten them out of feelings of mischief or resentment. However, they are much less terrified of the anger of dryads, which they are by trade and tools generally well equipped to protect themselves from, than they are of a dryad’s affection. Dryads are sexually precocious beings and though their passions are generally given to other fey, sometimes they become passionately infatuated with mortals. This infatuation can often unintentionally be lethal to mortal. For this reason, lumberjacks and wood cutters wear tonsures, as it is believe that a bald pate will signify to the dryad ill-health or weakness and make the man less desirable. During the apprenticeship of the lumberjacks, the prospective lumberjack he will be ritually scarred on one cheek by applying a razor blade or special sharpened ceremonial axe to the skin. A special healing salve that promotes scarification is then applied to the thin wound. A lumberjack seeing a Dryad, will turn this scarred cheek to the fey hoping to disgust her with his appearance. If the apprentice is particularly handsome of form and face, then two or even three such scars will be cut, and if this proves insufficient to avoid unwanted attention additional scars will be added to the other check or even the scalp. These scars are marks of status in lumberjack communities, and the maids of such communities will often joke they wish to marry a “three scar man” or tease boys about the number of scars they will need as man. Older women are less prone to these jokes and find them less funny – too many know that three scar men tend to disappear.
A mortal that takes a dryad as a lover is in terrible danger, for a dryad will desire to consummate such a relationship if possible in the privacy of her tree or to take the mortal for a husband, without true understanding of the frailty of mortals in terms of lifespan or magical ability. For this purpose, she will charm or steal away her love when he is asleep, or induce him to enter into her embrace when touching her tree. Once she has done so, she will take the mortal to the spirit world to dwell with her, and there he is all too likely to forget all thought of the mortal world and take on the sleepy, slow mind of a tree, never again to return. Any community with a lumber trade has known the horror of trees cut open to find skeletons sealed within the very heart of the tree, or of loved ones disappearing only to reappear decades later aged and half-mad. A lumber crew which discovers one of their members ensnared by the wiles of a dryad will become as fierce toward dryads as dryads which feel they are being disrespected are to lumberjacks. Terrible battles can ensue to the detriment of both communities.
Amongst humans, if an apprentice lumberjack shows any special psychic sensitivity, particularly if he complains about the screams and weeping of the trees as he cuts them, the crew or their guild will make a special collection of funds and release the apprentice from service with all good will and if possible some other opportunity for employment, whether a small parcel of land, or an apprenticeship in a different trade. In areas where shamans are tolerated, they may be presented to a friendly shaman in hopes of taking them as an apprentice. It is considered too dangerous to keep such boys within the trade, for either they attract dryads as lights attract moths, or else they soon exhibit madness of the worst and more dangerous sort. Among the elves, where psychic sensitivity particularly to nature is more common, those that must cut wood often employ shamanic magic as part of their trade. Elfish woodcutters and lumberjacks prefer to harvest only portions of a tree while leaving the main trunk standing, or to take older trees only after lengthy ceremonial preparation and consultation with the tree. Among dwarves and goblins, who prefer to build with stone than wood and whose woodcraft tends to be inferior, those that must cut wood live in dread of forests and enter them only as ones preparing to do battle. Their methods tend toward harvesting timber in large quantities and great speed, and departing again from the wood before great resistance can be made of their presence. Dwarves in particular prefer to leave the harvesting of timber to others and the obtaining of lumber via trade.
Spell-Like Abilities: At will—disguise self, entangle (DC 14), pass without trace, speak with plants; 3/day— charm person (DC 14), deep slumber (DC 15); Caster level equal to HD (maximum 20th). The save DCs are Charisma based.
Additionally, some dryads also know shamanic magic as described above. Spell-casting ability for a typical dryad of this sort is:
Spells: 5/4/3: 0th: cure minor wounds, detect magic, detect poison, guidance, mending, purify food and drink; 1st: animal friendship, detect animals or plants, entangle; 2nd: barkskin
Tree Dependent (Su): Each dryad is bound to a single tree and must never stray more than 400 yards from it. If forcibly moved beyond these bounds or if they leave it in extremity, they take 1 constitution damage per hour. Likewise, as earth spirits, a dryad will never willing completely leave the ground save the most dire exigency, and take 1 constitution damage immediately and an additional 1 constitution damage per minute if suspended above the earth. In either situation, a Dryad must make a fear check as if subject to a phobia. Dryads enjoy breezes, but fear high winds and may (50% of the time) exhibit phobia in such situations, causing them to flee to the comparative safety of their tree.
The tree of a dryad is a varied as trees are. A typical dryad’s tree is however a colossal wood object with hardness 12 and 180 hit points. As a wood object, it takes half damage from all sources except fire and objects designed to work wood, such as axes, awls, and saws. A sword blow or arrow typically will do no appreciable harm to the tree. Trees are vulnerable to fire unless they have received rain within the last 12 hours.
Manifested Tree (Su): A dryad’s ability to enter an incorporeal state or to turn invisible is limited compared to most spirits. They may only do so when in physical contact with the tree they inhabit, and they cannot freely roam the spirit world. Being in their inherent nature trees, their spirit is even more tightly bound to a location in the spirit world than it is in the material plane. Any other travel or ethereal motion is limited by their knowledge of planeswalking. A dryad within the sanctuary of her tree enjoys +4 turn resistance, and spell resistance equal to 10 + the dryad’s HD with respect to any spell that does not target the physical form of the tree (such as a mind-effecting spell).
A dryad may bring any one being of large size or smaller with them into private ethereal sanctuary, though they will only do this with those they are intimately connected to and trust completely. For other fey, this experience is safe, though unless they have skill in planeswalking they will not be able to extricate themselves from the sanctuary without the dryad’s aid. For most humanoids however, this experience is alien and dangerous. A humanoid within the dryad’s sanctuary feels no sensation of passing time, and quickly loses a sense of their own identity. Essentially they are in danger of suffering all the effects associated with being lost in someone else’s dream, only this dream is one they are unable to awaken from. They forget to remember who they are, and lose access to memories of their former life unless they are directly reminded of them. They take on the mind of a tree and seasons can pass in the space of a few thoughts. A mortal brought into a Dryad’s sanctuary must make a will save at DC 10 + the Dryad’s charisma bonus, or be lost. For the purposes of retaining his identity and sense of self, treat the mortal as having been successfully polymorphed as by a polymorph other spell, save that even on a successful save the mortal still takes 1 Wisdom damage. A mortal that loses his sense of identity, unless rescued, will remain with the dryad for 1d100 years before she tires of him or pities him. Once expelled from the sanctuary, all the years he spent in the spirit world again hang on his mortal form and he is aged accordingly. The mortal also is returned to the world with effectively 0 wisdom, as his mind has become alien during its time in the spirit world, and additionally must make a madness save at DC 10 + the number of years spent within the tree.
A mortal that retains his sense of identity may enjoy the pleasures of the tree and the company of the dryad as he desires, but may only make one attempt to escape the tree each time he makes a successful saving throw because his sense of time is lost. This attempt must be one of the following: cast a spell that allows interplanar travel, cast a spell or use a supernatural ability that gains mental control of the dryad and then force the dryad to relinquish her hold over you, use the planeswalking skill to return from the spirit world, cast a spell or otherwise use a supernatural ability to contact a potential rescuer outside the tree, or pass a DC 25 bluff check to convince the dryad to relinquish him over some cause. Normal persuasive methods or intimidation is of no help. The more persuasive a person is, the more infatuated the dryad becomes with them, and intimidated dryads simply take offense and throw a temper tantrum until their desired lover begs forgiveness. Note also that in all cases but the bluff check, the jilted dryad will immediately attempt to regain control of the situation and lure the escaping lover back into her boudoir if within her power. Escaping in such a manner, the lover will find 1d20 hours have past, along with any time that was spent dallying.
Example Variant Dryads
Dryad Sapling
Size/Type: Small Fey
Hit Dice: 1d6 (1 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+1 size, +5 Dex, +2 natural), touch 16, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-6
Attack: Dagger +1 melee (1d4-2/19-20) or masterwork shortbow +7 ranged (1d6/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: DR 5/cold iron, Tree dependent
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 21, Con 7, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 18
Skills: Dreaming +3, Empathy (Animal) +5, Empathy (Plant) +7, Escape Artist +6, Hide +6, Knowledge (nature) +8, Listen +4, Move Silently +6, Planeswalking +7, Spot +4, Survival +6, Use Rope +1 (+3 with bindings)
Alignment: Chaotic Good
CR: 1
This young dryad is the spirt of a box elder, and is newly awake in the world. She stands 3’ tall and is easily mistaken for one of the sidhe. She is naked save for a covering of fine light bark that changes shade as she passes in and out of shadows and a mop of stringy red flowers in place of hair. Her face and the tips of her fingers are bare wood, showing spots of red grained wood like freckles. She runs through the underbrush delighting in the new found sensation of the ‘indecent’ and ‘irresponsible’ motion, giggling and singing nonsense.
Dryad Redwood Matriarch
Size/Type: Large Fey
Hit Dice: 20d6+91 (hp 161)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (-1 size, +5 Dex, +6 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+17
Attack: Shillelagh +14/+9 melee (2d8+4) or masterwork longbow +15/+10 ranged (1d10/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: DR 6/cold iron, DR 1/-, Tree dependent
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +17, Will +16
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 19, Con 18, Int 17, Wis 18, Cha 20
Feats: Acclimated (Forest), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Longbow), Great Fortitude, Weapon Finesse (Dagger), Toughness, Hard as Leather, Tough as Nails, Solid as a Rock
Skills: Dreaming +24, Empathy (Animal) +26, Empathy (Plant) +28, Escape Artist +27, Hide +27, Knowledge
(arcane) +29, Knowledge (nature) +29, Listen +25, Move Silently +27, Planeswalking +28, Spot +25, Survival +27, Use Rope +22 (+24 with bindings)
Alignment: Chaotic Good
CR: 16
Spells (as 20th level shaman): 6/6/6/6/6/6/4/4/3/3; 0th: cure minor wounds, dancing lights, detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound, guidance, light, mending, purify food and drink; 1st: animal friendship, detect animals or plants, detect curses and taboos, entangle, shillelagh; 2nd: barkskin, feign death, soften earth and stone, warp wood, wood shape; 3rd: diminish plants, plant growth, nature’s bounty, spike growth; 4th: command plants, death ward, ethereal barrier, scrying; 5th: commune with nature, dream, wall of thorns; 6th: legend lore, summon nature’s ally VI, repel wood; 7th: animate plants, sequester, true seeing; 8th: control plants, earthquake, repel metal and stone; 9th: shambler, sympathy
One of the oldest and most powerful dryads in the world, this redwood matriarch has been alive more than 2000 years. Her great tree crowns the forest 330’ above the ground, and in authority she stands only beneath the Great Mothers of her kind. She appears as a regal giantess, not less than 14’ tall, clothed in a close fitting garment of red bark and a gown of diaphanous silk, and crowned with pinecones and dark green needles. A sloth of six brown bears rings her, acting quite like hulking and short tempered body guards.
Dryad
Size/Type: Medium Fey
Hit Dice: 4d6 (14 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+4 Dex, +3 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+2
Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d4/19-20) or masterwork longbow +7 ranged (1d8/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: DR 5/cold iron, Tree dependent
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +6
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 19, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 18
Skills: Dreaming +6, Empathy (Animal) +8, Empathy (Plant) +10, Escape Artist +9, Hide +9, Knowledge (nature) +11, Listen +7, Move Silently +9, Planeswalking +10, Spot +7, Survival +9, Use Rope +4 (+6 with bindings)
Feats: Great Fortitude, Weapon Finesse (Dagger), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Longbow)
Environment: Usually forests, but rarely wherever trees appear
Percent in Lair: 100%
No. Appearing: Common solitary, rarely glade (2-8), very rarely forest (5-100)
Treasure Type: (J x 10, Q)
Challenge Rating: 3
Alignment: Usually chaotic good
Advancement: HD 1-20, or rarely by character class
Dryads are the spirits of trees and consequently possess the qualities of trees. Among them is a certain aloof and uninvolved disposition, and a tendency to be slow to notice or react to their environment in a way that to a human would seem drowsy or even intoxicated. The vast majority of dryads never leave their tree or manifest themselves in any form other than that of their own living tree, which they regard as their true body. Thus, though every single tree actually contains a dryad, very few of them ever do anything which is the slightest untreeish, or think any untreelike thought. They live lives of slow and quiet contemplation, dreaming treesish dreams in long slumbers, drinking the nourishment of the sun and the rain, digging deep into the ground, and thrilling to the motion of the wind. Only occasionally will they whisper to their sisters in secret songs among the rustling of the leaves.
However, a small percentage of dryads become at times awake and aware and curious about the world around their tree, and become filled with longing to move and experience things - at least for a time - that they cannot do in their normal form. These few manifest themselves as delicate and wild creatures not that different in form from a female elf, though their skin is like fine bark and their head is crowned with a canopy of leaves according to the nature of the tree they embody. Often they appear unclothed, but depending on the disposition of the dryad they may have a covering of leaves for modesty, or may have acquired some beautiful fabric as a gift. A few dryads may manifest multiple arms or woody branches or root like lower limbs, as if not quite sure of themselves in the form of a humanoid or suffering some confusion regarding their proper shape. While the overwhelming majority of dryads choose at least superficially female forms, a smaller number still manifest as males or even hermaphrodites. Note that like most fey, dryads can disguise their form with illusions, and frequently do so if they believe their normal form will not be well received.
Dryads live as long as their trees, aging slowly and changing as their trees age. The longing that comes over dryads to experience the pleasures of the world outside their tree seems to increase with age, so that encountering dryads from immature trees is almost unknown and indeed usually only the largest and oldest trees in a given area will have any chance of containing active dryads. Thus, dryads are most associated with long lived species of trees such as beech, cedar, fir, hemlock, olive, pecan, white pine, white oak, yew and cypress. When the dryads of young trees appear, generally those of trees below 50 years of age, they appear as prepubescent girls and are small, feral, and euphorically gleeful. Most often these have been awakened by an older dryad seeking playmates and company, and may in fact be her daughters.
Typical active dryads are the spirits of trees of 200 years of age or greater, and appear as mature elven women. Trees near the ends of their lifespan are which have suffered long hardships appear as wrinkled but still jovial crones or stately matriarchs. The dryads of large trees, especially redwood, sequoia, firs, blue gums, and kapoks, often appear as majestic giantesses among their own kind, and as these trees are also quite long lived, they are some of the most powerful and terrible of their kind when aroused to anger. For this reason, such trees are rarely harvested. Conversely, small trees may manifest in small forms resembling sidhe or even sprites.
Dryads gain 1 HD for each 50 years they remain active. Since not every dryad remains active throughout her life, but may in fact enter periods of sleepiness lasting decades or even centuries, the power of a dryad does not necessarily correlate to the age of the tree, but it is limited by it. Dryad HD is capped at 20, but rarely some few dryads which are unusually bold and active may also obtain class levels. The favored class of dryad is feyborn.
Like all fey, dryads possess natural skill in magic derived from their closeness to the fabric of the universe. Additionally, a Dryads exploration of their spirit nature tends to increase the scope and understanding of their magic. For each HD the Dryad possesses a 10% chance of having acquired natural shamanic magic. If shamanic ability is indicated, roll a d20. The level of spell casting ability is indicated by the result of the die or the HD of the Shaman, whichever is lower. Regardless of level of spell casting ability, a dryad will only have knowledge of the Plant domain, unless they also additionally possess shaman class levels. If a dryad has natural shamanic magic, increase its CR by 1 for each 5 levels of spell casting ability or fraction thereof.
Dryads speak Sylvan, but are capable of learning whatever languages that they hear spoken about them and will typically know at least one or two other languages appropriate to the environment they inhabit. The mind of a dryad is alien, however humanoid they may appear, and works in ways those not accustomed to dryads may find startling and unexpected. Likewise, their understanding of things unrelated to trees is often minimal or nonexistent, and they may find such stories too strange to believe.
Dryads may not be slain so long as their tree lives. If a dryad’s fey form is slain, they must make a madness check with a DC of 10 plus their HD. Failure sends the dryad into a catatonic state until they recover from the trauma. Whether the save is successful, a dryad may not manifest a new body until the next spring equinox, but if not catatonic may remain during that period an aware tree and may be communicated with or approached in the spirit world. Conversely, if a dryad’s tree is killed or completely chopped down at the stump, they immediately die with no saving throw. It is not known exactly what happens to a dryad that is slain, but it is believed by most that – as immortal fey – they are reincarnated in a new form after death. Some authorities believe that a dryad will only reincarnate so long as some seed of theirs or their progeny remains, but the truth of this is not known even to the dryads. A few authorities however assert that the life of a dryad is completely tied to their mortal form as a tree, and the belief that they are reincarnated is a sop that told to justify the harvesting of living trees. The truth remains a matter of scholarly debate, and the deep secrets of the dryads - if they are known at all - must be kept by only by the mightiest of spirits and gods.
Though often shy, particularly of large groups, dryads are social creatures and quite curious about the dealings of fey and mortals – about which they tend to be naïve until experience teaches them prudence. They are slow to anger or to come to any decisions, but once they have made up their mind are firm and resolute and equally slow to depart from a chosen course of action. Most dryads love to dance, enjoy strong drink and clean water, dislike darkness, are appreciative of fire even though they fear it, and are sexually precocious. Satyrs in particular seek out dryads as willing mates, particularly in the spring, and it is from this union that most new satyrs are born. Though dryads do not usually worship the gods, they may admire them – particularly deities associated with light, water, and plants. They form societies with other dryads and like-minded fey, but have no formal hierarchy save that for each kind of tree there is a single immortal dryad of the greatest possible sort whose tree does not age, and which embodies and protects all trees of this sort. The death of this tree, called the Great Mother, represents a calamity for the tree kind as a whole – at the least a pestilence lasting a century – before a new dryad assumes the role of the Great Mother, assuming any trees of the species remain. These trees, and often the location of the tree, are therefore closely guarded or kept secret by those that love or depend on trees. Because the number of species of tree are great, many are not recorded or known to only a few. However, a few Great Mother Trees of important species are known to lore – Karya the mother of Walnuts, Balanos the mother of oaks, Kraneia the mother of dogwoods, Morea the mother of mulberries, Malay the mother of apples, Aigeirea the mother of poplars, Oxylos the mother of beeches, Ptealea the mother of elms, and Syke the mother of figs. Many shamans have as their spirit totems one of these mother trees, and they are likewise revered by many other greater spirits and even the gods, so the slaying of any one is sure to arouse the wrath of many powerful enemies.
Even amongst dryads which live sleepy treeish lives, many will awake – if only for one night – to celebrate important occasions, such as the spring equinox, the birth of the sovereign heir of a land, or the presence of an incarnated deity. Dryads of this sort rarely have any real power as fey, but can be as innumerable as the trees of the forest.
As can be imagined, the existence of Dryads exerts a powerful influence on the trades of lumberjacks and woodcutters. However, the relationship between lumberjacks and dryads, and the dangers lumberjacks face from dryads are not necessarily those that one might expect unless one is indoctrinated into the secret lore of the lumberjacks trade. To begin with, dryads lack much of the horror and dread of death that most living creatures take as normal. They also do not see wood, though it is literally the corpse of a dryad, as a thing disquieting and horrific. Rather, they see the death of a tree as being part of a needful and unavoidable cycle of life. The death of tree – even their own impending death - grieves them, but even the violent death of a tree does not horrify or anger them in quite the same way that a human might view the death of his fellows. Rather, what arises them to wrath is the feeling of being disrespected, and being ill-used, and ill-regarded whether in life or in death. Healthy trees cut down solely to rot disquiets them. Trees cut down without regard or reverence angers them. The sense that their death might be useless and bring no other living creature any good and leave behind a wasteland enrages them. Above all, they desire to know that the sacrifice they make of their lives will not be greeted with ingratitude or indifference. Thus, a lumberjack or woodcutter, before he cuts down a tree will speak soft and comforting words to the tree, telling it of the fineness of its wood, the great usefulness it will have, how valuable and desirable the tree is, the necessity that the tree be cut down, and how it will sustain the lives of himself and his family – so that the tree will not resent or take umbrage, but enter into her death with some pride and acceptance as well as grief. Lumberjacks entering into a wood, will first have their most senior members scout out the wood seeking signs of active dryads and taking note of those trees most likely to contain awake and perceptive spirits – and placing secret signs on them to indicate to other lumberjacks the presence of possible danger. If wood near such a tree must be harvested, the lumberjacks will first test the ground by leaving a wooden flagon of mead or strong drink near the tree overnight. If the mead is drunk, they will either leave the ground untouched or if necessity demands otherwise, place additional mead every night until no further droughts are taken. Lumberjacks believe this is a sign that the dryad has become satiated, and will therefore be drowsy and contented and less likely to awake. When active dryads are known to be present, lumberjacks will always take care to ritually plant some of the seeds of the larger trees into the ground before harvesting commences, blessing the seeds by every means that they have available. They will also leave gifts of clothing, coins, or jewelry such as they can afford hanging from likely trees or in secret niches they discover. Further, they will always take care to plant several seedlings or even small saplings in the area that has been cleared. In this way they hope to propitiate and forestall any anger that might arise and maintain a good relationship with the spirits of the forest.
Lumberjacks are terrified of dryads, though they take great pains not to show terror in the presence of a dryad but speak to it as pleasantly as they can manage in their fear lest they give offence or encourage the dryad to frighten them out of feelings of mischief or resentment. However, they are much less terrified of the anger of dryads, which they are by trade and tools generally well equipped to protect themselves from, than they are of a dryad’s affection. Dryads are sexually precocious beings and though their passions are generally given to other fey, sometimes they become passionately infatuated with mortals. This infatuation can often unintentionally be lethal to mortal. For this reason, lumberjacks and wood cutters wear tonsures, as it is believe that a bald pate will signify to the dryad ill-health or weakness and make the man less desirable. During the apprenticeship of the lumberjacks, the prospective lumberjack he will be ritually scarred on one cheek by applying a razor blade or special sharpened ceremonial axe to the skin. A special healing salve that promotes scarification is then applied to the thin wound. A lumberjack seeing a Dryad, will turn this scarred cheek to the fey hoping to disgust her with his appearance. If the apprentice is particularly handsome of form and face, then two or even three such scars will be cut, and if this proves insufficient to avoid unwanted attention additional scars will be added to the other check or even the scalp. These scars are marks of status in lumberjack communities, and the maids of such communities will often joke they wish to marry a “three scar man” or tease boys about the number of scars they will need as man. Older women are less prone to these jokes and find them less funny – too many know that three scar men tend to disappear.
A mortal that takes a dryad as a lover is in terrible danger, for a dryad will desire to consummate such a relationship if possible in the privacy of her tree or to take the mortal for a husband, without true understanding of the frailty of mortals in terms of lifespan or magical ability. For this purpose, she will charm or steal away her love when he is asleep, or induce him to enter into her embrace when touching her tree. Once she has done so, she will take the mortal to the spirit world to dwell with her, and there he is all too likely to forget all thought of the mortal world and take on the sleepy, slow mind of a tree, never again to return. Any community with a lumber trade has known the horror of trees cut open to find skeletons sealed within the very heart of the tree, or of loved ones disappearing only to reappear decades later aged and half-mad. A lumber crew which discovers one of their members ensnared by the wiles of a dryad will become as fierce toward dryads as dryads which feel they are being disrespected are to lumberjacks. Terrible battles can ensue to the detriment of both communities.
Amongst humans, if an apprentice lumberjack shows any special psychic sensitivity, particularly if he complains about the screams and weeping of the trees as he cuts them, the crew or their guild will make a special collection of funds and release the apprentice from service with all good will and if possible some other opportunity for employment, whether a small parcel of land, or an apprenticeship in a different trade. In areas where shamans are tolerated, they may be presented to a friendly shaman in hopes of taking them as an apprentice. It is considered too dangerous to keep such boys within the trade, for either they attract dryads as lights attract moths, or else they soon exhibit madness of the worst and more dangerous sort. Among the elves, where psychic sensitivity particularly to nature is more common, those that must cut wood often employ shamanic magic as part of their trade. Elfish woodcutters and lumberjacks prefer to harvest only portions of a tree while leaving the main trunk standing, or to take older trees only after lengthy ceremonial preparation and consultation with the tree. Among dwarves and goblins, who prefer to build with stone than wood and whose woodcraft tends to be inferior, those that must cut wood live in dread of forests and enter them only as ones preparing to do battle. Their methods tend toward harvesting timber in large quantities and great speed, and departing again from the wood before great resistance can be made of their presence. Dwarves in particular prefer to leave the harvesting of timber to others and the obtaining of lumber via trade.
Spell-Like Abilities: At will—disguise self, entangle (DC 14), pass without trace, speak with plants; 3/day— charm person (DC 14), deep slumber (DC 15); Caster level equal to HD (maximum 20th). The save DCs are Charisma based.
Additionally, some dryads also know shamanic magic as described above. Spell-casting ability for a typical dryad of this sort is:
Spells: 5/4/3: 0th: cure minor wounds, detect magic, detect poison, guidance, mending, purify food and drink; 1st: animal friendship, detect animals or plants, entangle; 2nd: barkskin
Tree Dependent (Su): Each dryad is bound to a single tree and must never stray more than 400 yards from it. If forcibly moved beyond these bounds or if they leave it in extremity, they take 1 constitution damage per hour. Likewise, as earth spirits, a dryad will never willing completely leave the ground save the most dire exigency, and take 1 constitution damage immediately and an additional 1 constitution damage per minute if suspended above the earth. In either situation, a Dryad must make a fear check as if subject to a phobia. Dryads enjoy breezes, but fear high winds and may (50% of the time) exhibit phobia in such situations, causing them to flee to the comparative safety of their tree.
The tree of a dryad is a varied as trees are. A typical dryad’s tree is however a colossal wood object with hardness 12 and 180 hit points. As a wood object, it takes half damage from all sources except fire and objects designed to work wood, such as axes, awls, and saws. A sword blow or arrow typically will do no appreciable harm to the tree. Trees are vulnerable to fire unless they have received rain within the last 12 hours.
Manifested Tree (Su): A dryad’s ability to enter an incorporeal state or to turn invisible is limited compared to most spirits. They may only do so when in physical contact with the tree they inhabit, and they cannot freely roam the spirit world. Being in their inherent nature trees, their spirit is even more tightly bound to a location in the spirit world than it is in the material plane. Any other travel or ethereal motion is limited by their knowledge of planeswalking. A dryad within the sanctuary of her tree enjoys +4 turn resistance, and spell resistance equal to 10 + the dryad’s HD with respect to any spell that does not target the physical form of the tree (such as a mind-effecting spell).
A dryad may bring any one being of large size or smaller with them into private ethereal sanctuary, though they will only do this with those they are intimately connected to and trust completely. For other fey, this experience is safe, though unless they have skill in planeswalking they will not be able to extricate themselves from the sanctuary without the dryad’s aid. For most humanoids however, this experience is alien and dangerous. A humanoid within the dryad’s sanctuary feels no sensation of passing time, and quickly loses a sense of their own identity. Essentially they are in danger of suffering all the effects associated with being lost in someone else’s dream, only this dream is one they are unable to awaken from. They forget to remember who they are, and lose access to memories of their former life unless they are directly reminded of them. They take on the mind of a tree and seasons can pass in the space of a few thoughts. A mortal brought into a Dryad’s sanctuary must make a will save at DC 10 + the Dryad’s charisma bonus, or be lost. For the purposes of retaining his identity and sense of self, treat the mortal as having been successfully polymorphed as by a polymorph other spell, save that even on a successful save the mortal still takes 1 Wisdom damage. A mortal that loses his sense of identity, unless rescued, will remain with the dryad for 1d100 years before she tires of him or pities him. Once expelled from the sanctuary, all the years he spent in the spirit world again hang on his mortal form and he is aged accordingly. The mortal also is returned to the world with effectively 0 wisdom, as his mind has become alien during its time in the spirit world, and additionally must make a madness save at DC 10 + the number of years spent within the tree.
A mortal that retains his sense of identity may enjoy the pleasures of the tree and the company of the dryad as he desires, but may only make one attempt to escape the tree each time he makes a successful saving throw because his sense of time is lost. This attempt must be one of the following: cast a spell that allows interplanar travel, cast a spell or use a supernatural ability that gains mental control of the dryad and then force the dryad to relinquish her hold over you, use the planeswalking skill to return from the spirit world, cast a spell or otherwise use a supernatural ability to contact a potential rescuer outside the tree, or pass a DC 25 bluff check to convince the dryad to relinquish him over some cause. Normal persuasive methods or intimidation is of no help. The more persuasive a person is, the more infatuated the dryad becomes with them, and intimidated dryads simply take offense and throw a temper tantrum until their desired lover begs forgiveness. Note also that in all cases but the bluff check, the jilted dryad will immediately attempt to regain control of the situation and lure the escaping lover back into her boudoir if within her power. Escaping in such a manner, the lover will find 1d20 hours have past, along with any time that was spent dallying.
Example Variant Dryads
Dryad Sapling
Size/Type: Small Fey
Hit Dice: 1d6 (1 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+1 size, +5 Dex, +2 natural), touch 16, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-6
Attack: Dagger +1 melee (1d4-2/19-20) or masterwork shortbow +7 ranged (1d6/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: DR 5/cold iron, Tree dependent
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 21, Con 7, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 18
Skills: Dreaming +3, Empathy (Animal) +5, Empathy (Plant) +7, Escape Artist +6, Hide +6, Knowledge (nature) +8, Listen +4, Move Silently +6, Planeswalking +7, Spot +4, Survival +6, Use Rope +1 (+3 with bindings)
Alignment: Chaotic Good
CR: 1
This young dryad is the spirt of a box elder, and is newly awake in the world. She stands 3’ tall and is easily mistaken for one of the sidhe. She is naked save for a covering of fine light bark that changes shade as she passes in and out of shadows and a mop of stringy red flowers in place of hair. Her face and the tips of her fingers are bare wood, showing spots of red grained wood like freckles. She runs through the underbrush delighting in the new found sensation of the ‘indecent’ and ‘irresponsible’ motion, giggling and singing nonsense.
Dryad Redwood Matriarch
Size/Type: Large Fey
Hit Dice: 20d6+91 (hp 161)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (-1 size, +5 Dex, +6 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+17
Attack: Shillelagh +14/+9 melee (2d8+4) or masterwork longbow +15/+10 ranged (1d10/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: DR 6/cold iron, DR 1/-, Tree dependent
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +17, Will +16
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 19, Con 18, Int 17, Wis 18, Cha 20
Feats: Acclimated (Forest), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Longbow), Great Fortitude, Weapon Finesse (Dagger), Toughness, Hard as Leather, Tough as Nails, Solid as a Rock
Skills: Dreaming +24, Empathy (Animal) +26, Empathy (Plant) +28, Escape Artist +27, Hide +27, Knowledge
(arcane) +29, Knowledge (nature) +29, Listen +25, Move Silently +27, Planeswalking +28, Spot +25, Survival +27, Use Rope +22 (+24 with bindings)
Alignment: Chaotic Good
CR: 16
Spells (as 20th level shaman): 6/6/6/6/6/6/4/4/3/3; 0th: cure minor wounds, dancing lights, detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound, guidance, light, mending, purify food and drink; 1st: animal friendship, detect animals or plants, detect curses and taboos, entangle, shillelagh; 2nd: barkskin, feign death, soften earth and stone, warp wood, wood shape; 3rd: diminish plants, plant growth, nature’s bounty, spike growth; 4th: command plants, death ward, ethereal barrier, scrying; 5th: commune with nature, dream, wall of thorns; 6th: legend lore, summon nature’s ally VI, repel wood; 7th: animate plants, sequester, true seeing; 8th: control plants, earthquake, repel metal and stone; 9th: shambler, sympathy
One of the oldest and most powerful dryads in the world, this redwood matriarch has been alive more than 2000 years. Her great tree crowns the forest 330’ above the ground, and in authority she stands only beneath the Great Mothers of her kind. She appears as a regal giantess, not less than 14’ tall, clothed in a close fitting garment of red bark and a gown of diaphanous silk, and crowned with pinecones and dark green needles. A sloth of six brown bears rings her, acting quite like hulking and short tempered body guards.
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