The oak dryad and the willow dryad are the same kind of creature the way a hawk and a heron are the same kind of creature. The category is true. Everything inside it is different.
Design Framework #
All dryad variants share the species constants from BECMI_Dryad.md:
- Female tree spirit, bonded to one specific tree. She dies if it dies. She cannot survive more than 1 turn beyond 240 ft from it.
- Charm as primary defense. The specific form varies; the principle — redirect threats through social manipulation rather than direct combat — is universal.
- Tree Merge. All dryads can join with their tree. The specific properties of that merge vary by species.
- Save As Elf 4 (base); some variants use higher Elf equivalents.
- Morale 6 (base); some variants are braver.
- Fragile in direct combat. AV 0 unless noted. A dryad who cannot redirect a threat is in serious danger.
What differs: the tree’s nature shapes the dryad’s physical form, personality, capabilities, and relationship with the world. The oak produces something ancient and commanding. The yew produces something death-adjacent and solemn. The cherry blossom produces something beautiful and dangerous in ways that are not immediately obvious.
HD/CR scaling: Variants more capable than the base dryad have higher HD and CR. The base dryad is 2* HD, CR 3. Variants range from 2 (CR 4) to 5* (CR 8).
I. Oak Dryad — The Sovereign Hamadryad #
She has been here longer than the kingdom. She was here before the road. She was here before anyone named this forest. She has seen everything that has passed through it and she remembers all of it. She is not interested in your urgency.
Core Statistics #
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Hit Dice | 4d8** (avg 18 HP) |
| AC | 17 |
| AV | 2 |
| HR | +3 |
| FR | +5 |
| FD | 15 |
| Move | 120 ft (40 ft encounter) |
| Save As | Elf 8 |
| Morale | 9 |
| Treasure | Type F |
| Intelligence | Exceptional (INT 16) |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| XP | 175 |
Physical form: Tall, deeply brown-skinned, with bark-textured patches along shoulders and forearms. Hair the color of autumn oak leaves — deep red-brown in autumn, full green in summer. Eyes are amber-gold. In winter she appears gaunt and grey; in full summer, she radiates warmth and presence. The bark-texture AV 2 is natural armor from centuries of oak-wood saturation.
Personality: Ancient, deliberate, and possessed of genuine authority. Not cruel — but accustomed to being obeyed by the forest and its inhabitants. She views non-forest creatures with the patience of something that has watched a hundred generations pass through and found them uniformly temporary. She does not rush. She does not explain herself. She gives prophecy when she chooses to, not when asked.
Skill Slots (6 total — 4** HD = 3 base + 2 at 3–4 HD + 2 asterisks; Exceptional INT 16) #
| Slot | Skill | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FR Investment (Skilled) | FR +5; the oak’s mass and root-depth in the dryad |
| 2 | Sovereign Charm — Command (innate, special) | Unlimited uses; Save vs. Spells –3; on failure: subject follows one direct command (not indefinite charm — a specific compulsion). First asterisk |
| 3 | Prophecy and Ancient Memory (innate, special) | Can answer questions about the forest’s past with perfect accuracy; once/day may prophesy a true future event (DM-determined content). Second asterisk |
| 4 | Command Forest Creatures (innate) | Animals and woodland creatures within 300 ft obey her commands; no save for natural forest animals; magical forest creatures save vs. Spells |
| 5 | Mental Fortification (innate) | +4 to all saves vs. charm, hold, sleep, and mental manipulation; immune to fear effects |
| 6 | Oak Tree Merge — Warden Stance (innate) | While merged with her oak, she perceives everything within 500 ft through root-vibration; can speak from within the tree |
The Sovereign Charm #
Unlike the base dryad’s indefinite charm (charmed beloved stays forever), the Oak Dryad’s charm produces a Command — one specific compulsion. The subject carries out the command fully and then is free.
This is more controlled and more dangerous. The base dryad charms someone into staying with her. The Oak Dryad charms the party’s Fighter into escorting her enemies out of her forest, then releasing them on the road — perfectly safe, perfectly effective, no lasting harm. Or she charms someone into forgetting this forest exists. Or into bringing her a specific item.
Save vs. Spells at –3: Harder than the base dryad’s –2.
Prophecy #
Once per day, the Oak Dryad may offer prophecy — a true statement about a future event. She does not offer it on request; she offers it when she judges the recipient ready to use it correctly. The prophecy is never false, always ambiguous, and always relevant to something the recipient will face.
She has been doing this for centuries. She is very good at knowing which prophecy to give.
II. Willow Dryad — The Swamplight Weaver #
Her hair moves when there is no wind. It extends further than hair should extend. By the time you notice this, it has already found your ankle.
Core Statistics #
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Hit Dice | 3d8** (avg 14 HP) |
| AC | 14 |
| AV | 0 |
| HR | +2 |
| FR | +3 |
| FD | 13 |
| Move | 120 ft (40 ft) ground / 60 ft (20 ft) swimming |
| Save As | Elf 5 |
| Morale | 7 |
| Treasure | Type D |
| Intelligence | High (INT 13) |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| XP | 100 |
Physical form: Pale, almost translucent skin with a faint blue-green cast. Hair that trails to the ground — pale green-white, fibrous, rope-like rather than silky. The hair moves with apparent independent will, trailing in currents of air that aren’t there. Her eyes are pale silver-grey, the color of still water under overcast sky. She moves with liquid grace, bending at angles that seem slightly wrong for a rigid spine.
Personality: Melancholy, patient, deeply intuitive. Willow dryads are associated with grief and transition — they tend to appear at liminal moments (births, deaths, the eve of significant journeys). They are not malicious but they are drawn to sorrow the way water is drawn to low ground. A party carrying significant grief will attract a Willow Dryad’s attention.
Skill Slots (5 total — 3** HD = 2 base + 1 at 3 HD + 2 asterisks; High INT 13) #
| Slot | Skill | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vine-Hair Entangle (innate, special) | Hair extends up to 15 ft; FR +3 vs. FD to entangle; entangled target: half move, –2 HR, cannot run; multiple entanglements stack. First asterisk |
| 2 | Fog and Mist Weaving (innate, special) | Creates localized fog up to 30 ft radius in 1 round; visibility reduced to 10 ft within; lasts until she dismisses or leaves; 3/day. Second asterisk |
| 3 | Water Affinity (innate) | Swims at 60 ft; breathes water; +2 to all saves near open water; willow tree merge works in water (tree grows near water edge — she can submerge) |
| 4 | Flexibility (innate) | Can squeeze through any gap a creature half her size could fit through; immune to entangle-type effects (she bends rather than breaks) |
| 5 | Grief Sense (innate) | Detects any creature carrying active grief, guilt, or mourning within 200 ft; this functions like a passive sense, always active |
The Vine-Hair — Tactical Notes #
The Willow Dryad does not fight. The vine-hair entanglement is a defense and escape mechanism: she entangles a threat to slow it, then retreats into her tree or the water. Multiple entanglements (if multiple attackers close) create a zone of restricted movement around her position.
A character entangled by vine-hair can break free with a successful FR check vs. her FD 13. Edged weapons can sever individual hair-extensions (treat as a called shot, 1d4 damage to the hair-extension, severs on 4+ damage). She does not take HP damage from severed hair — it regrows within hours.
III. Birch Dryad — The Luminescent Guide #
She leaves no footprints. In winter she is almost invisible. In darkness she glows faintly, the color of moonlight on snow. She has been guiding travelers through this forest for a century, and most of them never knew she was doing it.
Core Statistics #
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Hit Dice | 2d8** (avg 9 HP) |
| AC | 16 |
| AV | 0 |
| HR | +2 |
| FR | +2 |
| FD | 11 |
| Move | 150 ft (50 ft encounter) — fastest standard dryad |
| Save As | Elf 5 |
| Morale | 6 |
| Treasure | Type C |
| Intelligence | High (INT 13) |
| Alignment | Lawful |
| XP | 65 |
Physical form: White-silver skin, almost paper-textured, with dark horizontal markings that echo birch bark patterns across her shoulders and upper arms. Hair silver-white, fine as spider silk. She leaves no footprints in any terrain — this is simply her nature, not a skill she activates. In winter or snow terrain, she is practically invisible to casual observation. In darkness her skin glows with a faint warm light (the one Birch Dryad who is Lawful — she guides rather than hides).
Personality: Cheerful, swift, and genuinely helpful in ways that can feel slightly uncanny. The Birch Dryad guides lost travelers, warns of danger, and occasionally leads parties away from paths that would end badly — without explaining why. She is the dryad most likely to be openly friendly with strangers. She is also the dryad most likely to have quietly guided the party away from her birch grove without them realizing they were being redirected.
Skill Slots (5 total — 2** HD = 2 base + 2 asterisks; High INT 13) #
| Slot | Skill | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Light Manipulation (innate, special) | Blinding flash (30 ft range; save vs. Dragon Breath or blinded 1d4 rounds); soothing glow (calms hostile animals in 20 ft radius; save vs. Spells for intelligent hostile creatures); 3/day each. First asterisk |
| 2 | No-Trace Movement (innate, special) | Leaves no footprints, scent, or tracking indicators in any terrain; invisible to mundane tracking; magical tracking (Locate Object, Find Traps) still functions. Second asterisk |
| 3 | Winter Camouflage (innate) | In snow, frost, or winter woodland: effectively invisible to normal sight; –4 to detect her; surprise on 1–5 in winter terrain |
| 4 | Pathfinding Charm (innate) | A weaker version of base dryad charm specifically for guidance: subjects follow her lead willingly for 1 turn, believing they are choosing to do so; no save (they do not perceive it as compulsion); she uses this to guide threatened travelers to safety |
| 5 | Swift Movement (innate) | 150 ft base movement; never impeded by natural terrain (snow, mud, undergrowth, fog) |
The Lawful Alignment #
The Birch Dryad is the only Lawful variant. Her guiding function — protecting travelers, warning of danger, leading the lost toward safety — is an expression of genuine obligation to order and the protection of the vulnerable. She is not a servant of civilization. She is a protector of passage: the forest’s guide-spirit, ensuring that those who deserve to reach their destination do.
This does not make her harmless. A Birch Dryad whose grove is threatened will blind, redirect, and mislead with the same cheerful efficiency she brings to guidance. The blinding flash is not cruel — she uses it to create space to flee. The no-trace movement means pursuit is functionally impossible. She simply vanishes, and the pursuers are suddenly no longer certain which direction they came from.
IV. Maple Dryad — The Alchemist #
The smell reached them first. Something sweet — too sweet, past pleasant and into compelling. The party had stopped walking without deciding to stop. She was already standing among them, and none of them could remember her arriving.
Core Statistics #
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Hit Dice | 3d8** (avg 14 HP) |
| AC | 13 |
| AV | 0 |
| HR | +2 |
| FR | +2 |
| FD | 12 |
| Move | 120 ft (40 ft) |
| Save As | Elf 5 |
| Morale | 7 |
| Treasure | Type E (primarily magical saps and alchemical components) |
| Intelligence | High (INT 14) |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| XP | 100 |
Physical form: Warm amber-brown skin that seems to glow from within in autumn light. Hair shifts color through the seasons — pale green in spring, deep red-orange in autumn, nearly bare in winter. Her fingers leave faint sticky traces when she touches things. The scent around her is always present — maple-sweet, warm, slightly narcotic even at baseline, stronger when she chooses to amplify it.
Personality: Generous, creative, and genuinely interested in the transformation of things. The Maple Dryad is the most alchemically inclined of the variants — she brews, distills, and compounds the saps and resins her tree produces into substances with genuine magical properties. She trades these freely with those she trusts and uses the scent-pacification offensively against those she does not.
Skill Slots (6 total — 3** HD = 2 base + 1 at 3 HD + 2 asterisks; High INT 14) #
| Slot | Skill | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scent Manipulation — Pacification (innate, special) | Intoxicating scent in 30 ft radius: Save vs. Poison or attitude shifts one step toward friendly; on critical failure (save of 1): target sleeps 1d6 turns; she controls the scent’s intensity. First asterisk |
| 2 | Alchemical Sap Production (innate, special) | Brews 1d4 doses/week of magical sap: roll 1d6: 1–2 Cure Light Wounds equivalent; 3–4 Sleep (single target, swallowed); 5 Remove Fear; 6 Neutralize Poison. Second asterisk |
| 3 | Accelerated Growth (innate) | Causes plants to ripen and bloom instantly in 20 ft radius; can ripen poison berries/plants as a weapon (save vs. Poison if consumed) or simply provide emergency food |
| 4 | Sweetness Lure (innate) | Can draw non-hostile creatures toward her through concentrated scent; insects, small animals, and hungry travelers are automatically drawn; intelligent creatures save vs. Spells or find themselves moving toward her without deciding to |
| 5 | Alchemical Knowledge (Expert) | Identifies any plant-based substance by smell; knows the properties of all forest plants, fungi, and saps; provides +20% to any alchemy-related skill check for characters working with her |
| 6 | Seasonal Transition (innate) | In autumn she is at peak power (all save penalties increase by 1; sap production doubles); in winter she is diminished (saves at +1; no sap production; scent radius halved) |
The Alchemical Sap #
The Maple Dryad’s sap production is the most practically valuable of all dryad variant abilities. She produces 1d4 doses per week, type determined randomly. The sap can be:
- Traded (she values information, seeds of rare plants, stories from distant places)
- Given freely to injured travelers she likes
- Used defensively (Sleep sap mixed into something edible and offered as hospitality)
The sap spoils if removed more than 240 ft from the maple tree — consistent with all tree-bonded dryad products. A dose acquired from the Maple Dryad must be used within her territory or it loses potency.
V. Pine Dryad — The Conifer Sentinel #
Something stung the scout’s cheek. Then his shoulder. He looked around and saw nothing. Then the third needle hit him and he understood he was being warned, not attacked. He stopped moving toward the cave.
Core Statistics #
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Hit Dice | 3d8* (avg 14 HP) |
| AC | 15 |
| AV | 1 |
| HR | +3 |
| FR | +3 |
| FD | 13 |
| Move | 120 ft (40 ft) |
| Save As | Elf 5 |
| Morale | 9 |
| Treasure | Type D |
| Intelligence | Average (INT 10) |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| XP | 65 |
Physical form: Sturdy, compact, with green-tinged skin and hair like clustered pine needles — dark green, stiff, and pointed at the tips. The points are functional. She smells of resin and mountain cold. Unlike most dryads, she does not have the ethereal beauty of the forest — she has the solid, weathered presence of a mountain tree that has survived a hundred winters. Her demeanor matches.
Personality: Direct, unsentimental, and reliable. The Pine Dryad is the sentinel — she guards her territory with methodical competence rather than charm. She is less social than other dryads, more practical. She respects capability and distrusts ornamentation. Of all the dryad variants, she is the most likely to work openly alongside humanoid allies rather than acting through charm and indirection.
Skill Slots (4 total — 3* HD = 2 base + 1 at 3 HD + 1 asterisk; Average INT 10) #
| Slot | Skill | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Needle Projectiles (innate, special) | Fires 1d6 needles/round, 60 ft range; 1 HP each (unavoidable unless fully covered); warning shots (single needle) deal no damage but communicate intent clearly. The asterisk |
| 2 | Cold Resistance (innate) | Immune to cold damage; functions normally in sub-zero conditions; her presence reduces cold damage to allies within 10 ft by half |
| 3 | Luck Aura (innate) | Creatures she favors within 30 ft: +1 to all saving throws. Passive. Requires she actively extend the aura (she controls it) |
| 4 | Pinecone Arsenal (innate) | Can harden and launch pine cones as 1d4 blunt projectiles (30 ft; HR +3); 3/round maximum; used when needles are insufficient |
The Sentinel Role #
The Pine Dryad is bound to mountain and northern forest pines — territory that is harsher, more isolated, and more frequently threatened by cold and by creatures that prey in winter when other predators are dormant. Her practical competence is an adaptation to this. She does not rely on charm because mountain travelers are often too cold and too driven to be effectively charmed.
Working with humanoid allies: A party that establishes good standing with a Pine Dryad gains a genuine tactical ally — she provides intelligence about her territory, uses her luck aura to support their saving throws, and fires warning or harassing needles at threats from cover. She expects competence in return and will not maintain an alliance with parties that keep getting themselves into obviously avoidable trouble.
VI. Yew Dryad — The Death-Weaver #
She does not look dead. She looks like someone who has spent a great deal of time with the dead and has stopped finding it remarkable. The yew is the oldest tree in the graveyard. She has been here the whole time.
Core Statistics #
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Hit Dice | 5d8*** (avg 22 HP) |
| AC | 16 |
| AV | 1 |
| HR | +4 |
| FR | +4 |
| FD | 14 |
| Move | 90 ft (30 ft) — deliberate, unhurried |
| Save As | Elf 9 |
| Morale | 10 |
| Treasure | Type F |
| Intelligence | High (INT 15) |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| XP | 550 |
Physical form: Deep red-brown skin the color of yew heartwood, with dark berry-red undertones visible in strong light. Hair near-black, worn long. Her eyes are the distinctive deep red of yew berries — beautiful and toxic. She dresses in deep greens and dark reds. There is always a faint smell of earth around her — not decay, but the deep-earth smell of something very old and very patient. She moves slowly by choice, not limitation.
Personality: Solemn, direct, and utterly without sentimentality about death. The Yew Dryad exists at the boundary between life and death — yew trees grow in graveyards, live for thousands of years, and are both poisonous and sacred. She speaks with the dead not as a party trick but as a professional necessity. She has been mediating the boundary between living and dead for longer than most civilizations have existed. She finds the living’s fear of death tedious but understandable.
Kha relationship: The Yew Dryad and the Kha Shemsu work adjacent territory. The Kha tend the spirit paths; the Yew Dryad tends the yew groves where the spirit paths cross the physical world most readily. They have a professional relationship built over centuries — not warm, but deeply respectful.
Skill Slots (7 total — 5*** HD = 4 base + 1 at 5 HD + 3 asterisks; High INT 15) #
| Slot | Skill | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HR Investment (Basic) | HR +4 |
| 2 | Toxic Thorns (innate, special) | Launches 1d4 yew thorns per round (40 ft range; HR +4); save vs. Poison or 1d6 damage/round for 1d4 rounds (yew toxin — cardiac effect). First asterisk |
| 3 | Speak with Dead (innate, special) | Communicates with spirits of the recent dead (within 1 week of death) at will; can communicate with older spirits within 100 ft of her yew tree. Second asterisk |
| 4 | Decay Aura (innate, special) | Optional: wooden objects within 10 ft age and weaken (non-magical wood items save vs. Spells or become fragile — snap on any combat use); plant-based undead take 1d6/round. Third asterisk |
| 5 | Deathsight (innate) | Perceives all undead within 500 ft; knows cause of death of any corpse she can touch; cannot be fooled by disguised undead |
| 6 | Yew Merge — Liminal Space (innate) | While merged with the yew, she exists simultaneously in the material world and the spirit path adjacent to it; can speak with and perceive spirits without fully leaving the tree |
| 7 | Death Charm (innate) | Variant of base charm: a charmed subject becomes cooperative and calm in the presence of death; they will not flee from undead, death, or her presence; they will answer questions about the deceased truthfully |
The Toxic Thorns #
Yew toxin (taxine) is a cardiac poison. The thorns deal 1d6 damage per round for 1d4 rounds on a failed save — not a single damage event but sustained cardiac stress. A character taking 4 rounds of 1d6 from multiple thorns is in genuine danger regardless of HP total.
The Yew Dryad does not use this lightly. She fires warning thorns first — one thorn, no poison applied (1 HP, harmless, unmistakable). If the warning is ignored, she escalates.
VII. Redwood Dryad — The Colossus #
The tree is three hundred feet tall. She is proportionate. You were not expecting that. Nobody is ever expecting that.
Core Statistics #
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Hit Dice | 6d8** (avg 27 HP) — grows with size |
| AC | 19 (normal) / 22 (giant form) |
| AV | 3 (normal) / 6 (giant form) |
| HR | +5 (normal) / +8 (giant form) |
| FR | +8 / +12 |
| FD | 18 / 22 |
| Move | 90 ft (30 ft) normal / 150 ft (50 ft) giant form |
| Save As | Elf 10 |
| Morale | 11 |
| Treasure | Type G |
| Intelligence | High (INT 13) |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| XP | 875 |
Physical form (normal): Tall for a dryad — 7 ft. Deeply red-brown skin, actual bark texture along the spine and outer arms, hair like cascading redwood fronds — reddish-brown, thick. She smells of ancient wood and the specific clean air of old-growth forest. She moves with the slow certainty of something that has never needed to hurry.
Giant form: 30–40 ft tall. Proportions maintained. She is a giantess of living wood, bark-armored, earth-shaking. Duration: up to 1 turn per day, 3/day maximum.
Personality: Immovable in both physical and temperamental senses. The Redwood Dryad does not change her mind. She does not hurry. She does not become excited. She also does not forget, does not forgive easily, and does not accept that the forest’s needs are subordinate to anyone’s urgency. She is geographically restricted to her redwood grove — she has never left it and never intends to. She finds the concept of leaving vaguely distasteful.
Skill Slots (7 total — 6** HD = 4 base + 2 at 5–6 HD + 2 asterisks; High INT 13) #
| Slot | Skill | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FR Investment (Expert) | FR +8 normal; becomes +12 in giant form |
| 2 | Size Shifting — Colossus Form (innate, special) | Grows to 30–40 ft; AC 22/AV 6; HR +8; FR +12; attacks deal 4d8 (stomp or strike); 1 turn/day. First asterisk |
| 3 | Earth-Shaking (innate, special) | In giant form: stomp creates 50 ft radius tremor; everything on the ground saves vs. FD 22 or knocked prone; cannot be used same round as attack. Second asterisk |
| 4 | Physical Immovability (innate) | In normal form: FD 18; cannot be moved by any natural force; in giant form: FD 22; only earthquake-level magic moves her |
| 5 | Grove Restriction (innate — limitation) | Cannot voluntarily move more than 500 ft from her redwood; will not pursue beyond this boundary; this limits her tactical options significantly |
| 6 | Ancient Endurance (innate) | Regenerates 3 HP/round while within 100 ft of her tree; takes 1 HP/round if forced beyond 240 ft (standard dryad rule) |
| 7 | Slow Charm (innate) | Variant charm: compels a subject to stop and be still for 1 turn; Save vs. Spells –2; she uses this to freeze threats while she returns to her tree if she has ventured out |
Size Shifting — Practical Notes #
The transition to giant form takes 1 round. The transition back takes 1 round. In giant form she is the approximate size of a small giant — the earth-shaking stomp (50 ft radius knockdown) is her primary area attack.
What giant form is for: Defense of her grove. She does not pursue in giant form (Grove Restriction limits her range). She grows to full size to present the most dramatic possible deterrent to anyone entering her grove with hostile intent. The sight of a 35-ft forest giantess emerging from a stand of 300-ft redwoods is usually sufficient.
VIII. Apple / Orchard Dryad — The Epimelid #
She healed the horse first. Not the rider — the horse. This is either deeply strange or makes complete sense, depending on your perspective.
Core Statistics #
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Hit Dice | 2d8** (avg 9 HP) |
| AC | 13 |
| AV | 0 |
| HR | +1 |
| FR | +2 |
| FD | 11 |
| Move | 120 ft (40 ft) |
| Save As | Cleric 4 |
| Morale | 7 |
| Treasure | Type C (primarily healing supplies and orchard products) |
| Intelligence | High (INT 14) |
| Alignment | Lawful |
| XP | 65 |
Save As Cleric 4: The Epimelid’s divine-adjacent healing function places her save progression on the Cleric table rather than the Elf table of most dryads.
Physical form: Soft coloring — pinks, creams, spring-blossom whites. Hair that shifts from pink-white blossom in spring to deep red in autumn. Always smells of ripe orchard fruit. Warm, rounded features. She is the most immediately approachable of the dryads — she looks like someone who will help you, because she will.
Personality: Nurturing, empathetic, and deeply invested in the wellbeing of the creatures in her care. The Epimelid tends the animals of her orchard as much as the trees. She has strong opinions about health, illness, and what constitutes appropriate treatment of livestock and pack animals. She will heal a sick horse before a healthy rider because the horse has greater need.
Skill Slots (5 total — 2** HD = 2 base + 2 asterisks; High INT 14) #
| Slot | Skill | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Healing Touch (innate, special) | Cures 2d6 HP by touch, 3/day; cures disease (as Cure Disease) 1/day; cures poison (Neutralize Poison) 1/day. First asterisk |
| 2 | Empathy Charm — Calming (innate, special) | Unlimited uses; Save vs. Spells –1; effect: subject becomes calm and non-hostile for 1 turn; does not compel specific action, only removes hostility. Second asterisk |
| 3 | Vegetation Ripening (innate) | Ripens any fruit, vegetable, or grain instantly in 20 ft radius; produces enough emergency food to feed 10 people from even sparse vegetation |
| 4 | Animal Empathy (innate) | All natural animals within 200 ft are automatically calm in her presence; can communicate with animals as Speak with Animals (unlimited); animals within her orchard will not harm anyone she indicates is safe |
| 5 | Illness Detection (innate) | Detects disease, poison, or physical ailment in any creature she can see; knows severity, cause, and treatment requirements immediately |
The Epimelid as Healer #
Of all dryad variants, the Epimelid is the most likely to have an ongoing relationship with a nearby community. Villages near an apple orchard may have a generational tradition of leaving gifts at a specific old tree in exchange for healing assistance. The Epimelid does not negotiate these arrangements formally — she simply helps those who treat her orchard with respect and does not help those who damage it.
Limitation: She heals, she calms, she feeds. She does not fight. In the face of direct violent threat, her only defenses are the calming charm (reduces hostility) and her ability to call the orchard’s animals to her side as a deterrent. If this fails, she retreats to her tree and waits. She is the most fragile variant in direct combat.
IX. Laurel Dryad — The Daphnaei #
She ran. The god gave chase. She became the tree to escape. She has been escaping ever since — from gods, from kings, from heroes, from anyone who thought they had a right to her. She has become very good at it.
Core Statistics #
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Hit Dice | 3d8** (avg 14 HP) |
| AC | 16 |
| AV | 0 |
| HR | +2 |
| FR | +2 |
| FD | 12 |
| Move | 150 ft (50 ft) |
| Save As | Elf 7 |
| Morale | 6 |
| Treasure | Type D |
| Intelligence | High (INT 15) |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| XP | 100 |
Physical form: Dark laurel-green hair, always wreathed and woven with laurel leaves that are part of her rather than worn. Olive-brown skin with a slight shimmer. Swift, precise movements — every gesture economical. She is rarely fully still. Her eyes are very dark and very quick, watching exits and approaches simultaneously.
Personality: Elusive, proud, and deeply suspicious of being claimed or followed. The mythological connection (Daphne, Apollo, transformation) is embedded in her nature — she will not be caught, she will not be kept, and she will not be owned. She is not unfriendly; she is simply constitutionally incapable of being cornered. Any situation that feels like capture triggers an immediate and complete disappearance. She will deal with a situation after it is over, from a position of complete freedom.
Skill Slots (6 total — 3** HD = 2 base + 1 at 3 HD + 2 asterisks; High INT 15) #
| Slot | Skill | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Total Invisibility (innate, special) | At will; duration unlimited; no concentration required; even True Seeing requires a Save vs. Spells to pierce it (she is not merely invisible — she is gone). First asterisk |
| 2 | Surface Meld (innate, special) | Merges completely with any wooden surface (not just her own tree); can remain in any wooden surface indefinitely; while melded she perceives through the wood’s grain. Second asterisk |
| 3 | Tracking Immunity (innate) | No scent, no footprints, no magical trace; Locate Object and Find the Path targeted at her fail automatically; divination magic about her whereabouts rolls at –4 |
| 4 | Illusion Suite (innate) | Creates false versions of herself (as Mirror Image — 1d4+2 duplicates) at will; false sounds and voices within 60 ft; false visual appearances of other people or objects |
| 5 | Swift Escape (innate) | 150 ft movement; once per encounter may make one additional full move as a free action (escape burst) |
| 6 | Laurel Prophecy (innate) | Variant of the oak dryad’s prophecy but specifically about pursuit and capture — she can tell whether any plan to follow, capture, or bind her will succeed before she commits to it; this is always accurate |
The Daphnaei’s Combat Non-Participation #
The Laurel Dryad does not fight. Ever. When threatened she vanishes (invisibility), melds into wood, or runs. This is not cowardice — it is principle. She escaped a god. She will certainly escape the party.
What she offers: Illusion magic, tracking evasion assistance (she can guide a party in ways that leave no trace), and the specific practical knowledge of someone who has spent millennia being very good at not being found. A party that needs to move through a region without being tracked has an obvious ally if they can get the Daphnaei to cooperate — which requires convincing her they will not try to follow her afterward.
X. Cherry Blossom Dryad — The Illusionist #
The petals hit the scout’s face and he started laughing. He couldn’t stop laughing. He sat down in the snow and laughed for four minutes. By the time he stopped, she was gone and so were his memories of the last hour.
Core Statistics #
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Hit Dice | 4d8*** (avg 18 HP) |
| AC | 15 |
| AV | 0 |
| HR | +3 |
| FR | +3 |
| FD | 13 |
| Move | 120 ft (40 ft) |
| Save As | Elf 7 |
| Morale | 7 |
| Treasure | Type E |
| Intelligence | Exceptional (INT 16) |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| XP | 175 |
Physical form: The most overtly beautiful of the dryad variants — not the classical beauty of the oak or the cold perfection of the birch, but something affecting and slightly unreal. Pink-white skin that seems to bloom rather than age. Hair that constantly releases falling petals — not decorative, functional. She is almost always surrounded by a small cloud of drifting cherry blossoms, some real, some illusion, indistinguishable. Her eyes change color based on which emotional state she is projecting.
Personality: Playful, mercurial, and profoundly interested in the emotional states of others. The Cherry Blossom Dryad collects emotions the way the oak dryad collects memories. She is not malicious — but she is manipulative in the most artful possible way, and she finds the concept of letting someone’s emotional state remain uninfluenced aesthetically unsatisfying. Everyone who enters her grove leaves feeling differently than they arrived. She considers this a gift.
Skill Slots (7 total — 4*** HD = 3 base + 1 at 4 HD + 3 asterisks; Exceptional INT 16) #
| Slot | Skill | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HR Investment (Basic) | HR +3 |
| 2 | Petal Storm — Hypnotic (innate, special) | Releases storm of petals in 30 ft radius: Save vs. Spells –2 or fascinated (cannot act; watches petals; any damage breaks fascination). First asterisk |
| 3 | Emotional Manipulation (innate, special) | Projects specific emotion onto target within 60 ft: euphoria (–4 HR; can’t act aggressively), melancholy (–2 saves; half speed), terror (Morale 6 immediately), or calm (as Epimelid calming charm). Save vs. Spells –1. Unlimited uses but one emotion at a time per target. Second asterisk |
| 4 | Memory Editing (innate, special) | Touch: removes or alters up to 1 hour of target’s memories; Save vs. Spells –2; removed memories leave no gap — the target simply doesn’t remember. This is her primary defense against discovery. Third asterisk |
| 5 | Razor Petals (innate) | Optional: makes the petal storm damaging — 2d6 to all in 30 ft, Save vs. Dragon Breath for half; rarely used (she prefers fascination) |
| 6 | Illusion Suite — Emotional Anchoring (innate) | Illusions she creates carry emotional charges — an illusionary figure can project fear, attraction, or calm; the emotion is real even when the figure is not |
| 7 | Cherry Blossom Merge — Seasonal | Her tree merge is seasonal: she has full merge capability only during the brief blooming period (2 weeks/year); outside this period she can partially merge (visible; not fully concealed); she is most vulnerable in winter |
The Memory Editing — Campaign Implications #
A character whose memories have been edited by the Cherry Blossom Dryad does not know it happened. There is no gap, no disorientation, no sign. They simply no longer remember what occurred in the altered period.
What she uses this for: Ensuring parties that discover her grove cannot describe it accurately to others. Removing the memories of attackers so they cannot report its location. Occasionally removing traumatic memories from travelers who seem to carry ones that are harming them — she considers this genuinely kind.
Detection: Detect Magic on the affected character shows a faint illusion-school aura. Commune or similar divine magic can reveal that a memory is absent. A skilled Kha Shemsu examining the character’s Sahu will notice the gap (there is a break in the vital-force continuity of the memory). Restoration of the memory requires Wish or equivalent.
Summary Table — All Dryad Variants #
| Variant | HD | AC | AV | CR | Key Ability | Alignment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Dryad | 2* | 15 | 0 | 3 | Unlimited charm –2; tree merge | Neutral |
| Oak (Sovereign) | 4** | 17 | 2 | 6 | Command charm –3; prophecy; forest creatures | Neutral |
| Willow (Swamplight) | 3** | 14 | 0 | 5 | Vine-hair entangle; fog weaving; water | Neutral |
| Birch (Guide) | 2** | 16 | 0 | 4 | Light manipulation; no-trace; Lawful guidance | Lawful |
| Maple (Alchemist) | 3** | 13 | 0 | 4 | Scent pacification; alchemical sap 1d4/week | Neutral |
| Pine (Sentinel) | 3* | 15 | 1 | 4 | Needle projectiles; cold immunity; luck aura | Neutral |
| Yew (Death-Weaver) | 5*** | 16 | 1 | 8 | Toxic thorns; speak with dead; decay aura | Neutral |
| Redwood (Colossus) | 6** | 19/22 | 3/6 | 9 | Giant form (30–40 ft); earth-shaking | Neutral |
| Apple (Epimelid) | 2** | 13 | 0 | 3 | Healing touch; animal empathy; calming | Lawful |
| Laurel (Daphnaei) | 3** | 16 | 0 | 4 | Total invisibility; surface meld; tracking immune | Neutral |
| Cherry Blossom (Illusionist) | 4*** | 15 | 0 | 6 | Petal fascination; emotion projection; memory edit | Neutral |
