Vale Dryad

Description

Found in the lost journal of an unknown researcher

Beautiful. Immortal. Aliens. Goddesses. These are some of the few words that come to mind when people think of Dryads. Legends told over ale cups from drunken adventurers, returning from portals in the first world, who tell of dryads and their strange, exotic, deadly allure.

Dryads of the Whispering Vale are all of these things, but there is more to them than meets the eye. Indeed, as usual, simply following the myths and legends of these exotic creatures was not enough for me, and so I ventured into the Vale, along with my usual companion, and we set out to discover the truth of these creatures. That was 7 months ago. It has been a long and dangerous, but ultimately rewarding journey.

Physical Description

The first thing, in fact, the only thing, many will note about these Dryads is their hypnotic beauty. They appear almost to be half elves, and perfect specimens thereof. Every dryad is female and there do not appear to be any males of the race. They move with a lithe and sinuous grace like that of a great cat, a constant reminder that they are the apex predator of their territory. And their beauty...it’s so absolute that only the world “Goddess” seems to describe them accurately. Whatever one’s preference is, the eye is instantly drawn to the part of them which encompasses that preference, and automatically ignores the others, as though it were a blind spot. They are so beautiful that a smart man or woman is instantly on their guard.

They should be. Dryads are as primal as they are beautiful. And I mean that in every sense of the term. There is a reason that I mentioned they are the apex predators of their region. Dryads naturally possess claws that are razor sharp, and they are ambush predators, using trees to blend in with their surroundings until they leap out to tear apart prey with unnatural strength. They are also dangerously intelligent, showing a childlike curiosity in everything new to them. A curiosity which encompasses everything. Down to how said new thing tastes.

Relations

Dryads have no sense of right or wrong. They do not understand morality, for they were never raised with it. They will lie with anything humanoid near them if they get the urge, caring not for gender, age, or race. If they are hungry, they will eat whatever they find nearest to them.*

That isn’t to say there is no precedent for dryads learning morality. Dryads that live near the edge of the Vale often have a passing knowledge of morality, usually put in them by a cleric of some good deity or another. That is not to say that they understand morality, only that killing humanoids will eventually bring the wrath of civilization upon them, usually by some group of adventurers.

Most often Dryads come into contact with Elves and rather like them, however many races have ventured into the vale and the dryads are friendly (insofar as they consider themselves friendly)

Society

Civilization is also a nebulous force to Vale Dryad. They don’t understand it. Dryads count only others of their kind as equals, and dryad trees don’t tend to grow close to one another. So their bonds are only with the few other dryads that they have contact with, relationships that are best described as that of a close acquaintance. A …..very close acquaintance.

Adventurers

During my visit I became aware of a rare type of Vale Dryad. One that is bonded to greenwood. The capriciousness of dryads means they are unlike to bond in this way to their tree in order to explore. But they exist. Such dryads often make tools of their trees, often modeled after that of some erstwhile adventurer, which allows them to stray farther afield, and even rarely into the material plane. Their natural curiosity drives them to learn and discover more and more, everything they can. Such dryads soon find themselves in a new world, where they are surrounded by unnatural customs and seen as alien. They soon either adapt or, more often, die.

Names

Dryads tend to be named after their trees, the seasons, or plants nearby at their birth. Sample names: Holly, Autumn, Fern, Daisy, Ash

Overall, Dryads are fascinating creatures, more fascinating than even the tales of adventurers could impart. My studies of them complete, I will take the opportunity of my location to make an attempt to study closer the elusive bandersnatch.

*I have not seen how it is that dryads reproduce. Seeing as they live as long as a tree does, it may be that they reproduce along with their bound tree. There is also the chance that their rampant mating is for that purpose, storing the biological matter they gain from the act and producing a seed that can then be planted somewhere at the edge of their territory. The latter explanation makes sense and would explain how their territories are laid out, dryad trees almost always being at the very edge of each other’s territory.

Statistics

Dryad (20 RP)

Type: Dryads are Fey creatures. 2 RP

Size: Dryads are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size. 0 RP

Base Speed: 30 ft 0 RP

Ability Score Modifiers: Specialized (+2 Str, +2 Con, –2 Cha) 1 RP

Languages: Standard 0 RP Plantspeech, Sylvan. Dryads may learn Common, Elven, Gnomish, or Treant with their Intelligence modifier. (The lack of common is purposeful but can be adjusted if felt necessary for purposes of approval.)

Racial Traits

Offense Racial Traits:

• Claws 2 RP
  • Dryads gain 2 Claw attacks. These are Primary Natural attacks (1d4)

Defense Racial Traits:

• +2 Natural Armor 3 RP
• Fey Damage Resistance DR 5/cold iron 3 RP

Feat and Skill Racial Traits:

• Carpenter (homebrew, modeled on Craftsman) 1 RP
  • Members of this race gain a +2 racial bonus on all Craft or Profession checks to create objects from wood.

Spell-like abilities:

• SPL: (constant) Speak w/ Plants 2 RP
• SPL: (1/day)Tree Stride 4 RP
• SPL: (at-will) Tree Meld 3 RP

Weaknesses:

• Tree Dependance -2 RP
• Vulnerability to Fire -1 RP

Alignment and Religion: Dryads are usually Chaotic Neutral, though many religions would see their ways as evil, given their primal and savage nature. Given their progenitor is The Green Mother, perhaps She designed them this way intentionally. The Dryads themselves do not comprehend morality, and simply consider it to be the natural way of things. Adventuring Dryads can vary wildly in alignment as they learn more of the world and develop opinions, though most remain chaotic in some fashion.

Tree Dependence: A dryad is mystically bonded to a single tree and must never stray more than 300 yards from it. Most dryad trees are oak trees, but other trees function as well (often having subtle influences on a specific dryad’s personality and appearance). A dryad who moves 300 yards beyond her bonded tree immediately becomes sickened. Every hour thereafter, she must make a DC 15 Fortitude save to resist becoming nauseated for an hour. A dryad that is out of range of her bonded tree for 24 hours takes 1d6 points of Constitution damage, and another 1d6 points of Constitution damage every day that follows—eventually, this separation kills the dryad. A dryad can forge a new bond with a new tree by performing a 24-hour ritual, which is completed with a successful DC 20 Will save (If the save fails, the Dryad may try again at no penalty, but continues to take Constitution damage as normal).

Vulnerability to Fire: Being creatures of wood, Dryads are naturally terrified of fire. The are vulnerable to fire and treat fire as Cold Iron for the purpose of bypassing damage resistance.

Appearance: Dryads run the gamut of potential colors. They can share coloring with the average human (barring a certain eerie wildness which puts people off and gives away their identity), or they can share colors with the seasons. Blues and browns for winter, Greens for spring, Yellows for summer, and reds and oranges for fall. Various animal attributes are not entirely uncommon. Occassionally one will hear of a dryad who’s hair, skin and eyes change color with the seasons, but this is especially rare and generally considered to be hearsay.

Age: Dryads do not age, never suffering from age-based bonuses or detriments. They still require food, drink, and sleep however.

Not so for Dryads that leave the Vale and venture into the wider Material plane. No longer bolstered by the magic that birthed them, they begin aging, albeit slowly. It would not be amiss to claim that a Dryad that has not left it’s birth tree or the Vale could safely be referred to as a child with little fear of inaccuracy. It is only when they leave their birth tree and the vale that they experience danger, undergo aging, and begin truly maturing.*

Dryads reproduce by storing magic gathered during intimate acts with their partners. The stronger the partner, the more effective. A sufficiently strong partner could be enough to single-handedly spawn offspring. "Offspring take shape in the form of a seed pod that grows on the boughs of the dryad's bonded tree. The Dryad is then filled with a compulsion to take the seed far enough away to not steal nutrients from the sapling and create competition (and by extension, spread the forest further). Once the sapling is 5 years old, a dryad will step forth. New dryads cannot reproduce for 100+4d6 years, as the magic needed to do so will not mature until then.

This is not common knowledge amongst dryads themselves, as the process is entirely instinctual and deliberately obfuscated by the Green Mother.

Table: Random Starting Ages

Adulthood**	Intuitive	Self-Taught	Trained
100 years	+4d6 years (104 - 124 years)	+6d6 years (106 - 136 years)	+10d6 years (110 - 160 years)

Table: Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
5 ft 0 in	+3d4 in (5 ft 3 in - 6 ft 2 in)	110 lbs.	+(2d6x3 lbs.) (116 - 146 lbs.)

*I have seen Dryads attempt to circumvent this “curse” of aging by making their birthtrees into a greenwood weapon and then crossing the boundary of the feywild. This invariably fails. There is something about the process of uprooting their normal lives that always results in Dryads beginning to mature, and inevitably, age.

**Dryads never leave their Birthtree for the first hundred years, although they are born from their Birthtree fully matured. This may be considered a period of ‘childhood’ for Dryads. Dryads must be “adults” before they can be played, as I dare not tread into the legality, consequences, or maturity of the sexuality of an immature Dryad. Best to leave that topic untouched at all mature and responsible tables.

Favored Class Options

• Barbarian: Add +⅙ Rages per day
• Cleric: Select one domain power granted at 1st level that is normally usable a number of times per day equal to 3 + the cleric’s Wisdom modifier. The cleric adds +1/2 to the number of uses per day of that domain power.
• Druid: Select one domain power granted at 1st level that is normally usable a number of times per day equal to 3 + the druid’s Wisdom modifier. The druid adds +1/2 to the number of uses per day of that domain power.
• Fighter: Add +1 to the Fighter’s CMD when resisting two combat maneuvers of the character’s choice.
• Oracle: Add +1/6 to the oracle’s level for the purpose of determining the effects of one revelation.
• Ranger: Add +¼ to the natural armor bonus of the ranger’s animal companion. If the ranger ever replaces his animal companion, the new animal companion gains this bonus.
• Shaman: Add one spell from the witch spell list to the witch’s familiar. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the witch can cast. If the witch ever replaces this familiar, the new familiar knows these bonus spells.
• Skald: Increase the bonus granted by the well-versed class feature by ¼ (maximum +8).
• Sorcerer: Select one bloodline power at 1st level that is normally usable a number of times per day equal to 3 + the sorcerer’s Charisma modifier. The sorcerer adds +½ to the number of uses per day of that bloodline power
• Summoner: Add a +¼ natural armor bonus to the AC of the summoner’s eidolon.
• Witch: Add one spell from the witch spell list to the witch’s familiar. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the witch can cast. If the witch ever replaces this familiar, the new familiar knows these bonus spells.
• Wizard: Select one arcane school power from the air or wood elemental schools that the wizard can currently use. The wizard class level is treated as though it were +½ higher (to a maximum of +4) when determining the effects of that power.

Racial Subtypes

White Ash (18 RP)

Lighter in both tone and weight than their Oak counterparts, Dryads born of white ash tend to be less sturdy but more dexterous and cunning. However, this is paired with a tendency towards rash action. Replace the following traits

Ability Score Modifiers Standard (+2 Dex, +2 Int, –2 Wis) 0 RP

Replace Natural Armor with Cat’s Luck

Dryads gain the following extraordinary ability: Once per day, when a dryad makes a Reflex saving throw, it can roll the saving throw twice and take the better result. It must decide to use this ability before attempting the saving throw.

Yew (19 RP)

Dryads created from Yew trees are usually slow and sturdy types. At least, in comparison to their sisters. Of all the dryads to fall prey to, the Yew is least likely to consume a mate immediately after coitus. That said, it is not wise to stick around to see when they will get hungry. Always hopeful, the yew have the most optimistic attitude towards relations with outside races, and are one of the most likely to set out exploring. Replace the following traits:

Ability Score Modifiers Standard (+2 Con, +2 Int, –2 Dex) 0 RP

Replace both Dryad natural attacks with Eternal Hope

Yew Dryads gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against fear and despair effects. Also, once per day, after a natural roll of 1 on a d20 roll, Yew Drayds may reroll and use the second result.

Rowan: (20 RP)

The most mystical of the Dryads, Rowans are rare, likely due to a tendency of the materials to channel magic rather than store it. When a Rowan does appear, it is almost always a magic user, and similar to the Yew, tends to set out on it’s own, not content to only see the world near its birth tree.Rowans are natural adventurers, given their ability to get along with just about anyone, and are considered to be a bit odd by their sisters for their sheer desire for knowledge, which can sometimes override their normal instincts. Replace the following traits

Ability Score Modifiers Specialized (+2 Wis, +2 Cha, –2 Str) 1 RP

Replace Natural Armor with Illusion Resistance

Members of this race gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against illusion spells or effects.

Acacia

A newer breed, spawned from the storm and desert, Acacias are a mystical breed of Dryad, incredibly uncommon. Much like their birthtrees, Acacias tend to be more solitary than their sisters, not caring for the safety of the forest and the company of others. Because of this, they are strong in body and will, though this often leaves them less flexible in their thinking.

Ability Score Modifiers Standard (+2 Str, +2 Cha, -2 Int) 0 RP

Replace Natural Armor with Desert Runner

Members of this race receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid fatigue and exhaustion, as well as any other ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, and hot or cold environments.