Dryad (/ˈdraɪæd/)
The Spirits of the Trees
The creature is a beautiful women with delicate features seemingly made of soft wood. Her hair seems to be made of leaves and foliage. (Her hair color changes with the seasons. During the spring and summer months, the hair is lush and green, while during autumn it turns red and eventually brown in the winter)
Travelers entering a forest might catch a glimpse of a feminine form flitting through the trees. Warm laughter hangs on the air, drawing those who hear it deeper into the emerald shadows.
Treebound. Powerful fey will sometimes bind lesser fey spirits to trees, transforming them into dryads. This is sometimes done as a punishment when the fey spirit falls in love with a mortal and that love is forbidden.
A dryad can emerge from the tree and travel the lands around it, but the tree remains her home and roots her to the world. As long as the tree remains healthy and unharmed, the dryad stays forever youthful and alluring. If the tree is harmed, she suffers. If the tree is ever destroyed, the dryad descends into madness.
Reclusive Fey. Dryads act as guardians of their woodland demesnes. Shy and reclusive, they watch interlopers from the trees. A dryad struck by the beauty of a stranger might investigate more closely, perhaps even try to lure the individual away to be charmed.
Dryads work with other sylvan creatures to defend their forests. Unicorns, treants, and satyrs live alongside them, in addition to druids that share the dryads' devotion to the woods they call home.
Woodland Magic. Dryads can speak with plants and animals. They can teleport from one tree to another, luring interlopers away from their groves. If pressed, a dryad can beguile humanoids with her enchantments, turning enemies into friends. They also know a handful of useful spells.
The Menagerie rescued one, Deodara, from the Meenlock Caverns Skola Vale, Feywild Side.
Basic Information
Anatomy
“As beautiful and welcoming as a sunlit glade in high summer, as terrifying and deadly as a winter gale sweeping through a barren forest—that's a dryad. In the space of moments.”
Description
They appeared to be beautiful women with delicate features seemingly made of soft wood. Their hair seemed to be made of leaves and foliage that changed color with the seasons of the calendar.Additional Information
Social Structure
Dryads in service of Sharindlar were known to inhabit her divine realm of the Merciful Court.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Homelands
Dryads inhabited the plane of Arborea, and could be found in the areas around the Gilded Hall, Fermata, and Brightwater.Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Abilities
“In my youth, you could always find a tree sprite in the Realms if you knew where to look… and were fool enough to do so. These days they are far more rare in the Realms. The ladies of the oaks wield one of the most powerful enchantments known to men. They like to use it on men they find to their liking. And here in Arborea, where passions tend to run strong, it's even easier for their enchantments to succeed.”All dryads were magically bound to a single tree. These trees served as the dryad's life force and home. They fought to the death to protect their bonded tree, as should the tree be cut or destroyed, the dryad died soon afterward. A dryad could not stray too far from her bonded tree without suffering the same fate. If a dryad left the vicinity of her tree for too long, she died. Acorn of far travel: If a dryad spellcaster cast this spell on an acorn harvested from her bonded oak tree, she was considered to be in contact with her tree at all times, regardless of the actual distance between them. Thus she became able to travel great distances without growing sick
Civilization and Culture
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Along with other fey, dryads spoke Sylvan, Elven and Common.
Common Myths and Legends
Religions
Some of the dryads that inhabited Toril worshiped the goddess Mielikki.Relationships
They were favored representatives of great number of deities, such as Baervan Wildwanderer, Corellon Larethian, Eldath, Erevan Ilesere, Hanali Celanil, Mielikki, Rillifane Rallathil, Sharess, Sharindlar, Sheela Peryroyl, Silvanus, Solonor Thelandira, Sune, and Thard Harr.Sources
Source(s):
- Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 121. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 96. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 90. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 93. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
- Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 35. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
- Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 49. ISBN 978-0786965622.
- Ed Greenwood (August 2006). Swords of Eveningstar. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 4, p. 45. ISBN 978-0-7869-4022-6.
- Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 302–303. ISBN 978-0786965622.
- Frank Mentzer (January 1985). “Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #93 (TSR, Inc.), p. 26.
- Rodney Thompson, Logan Bonner, Matthew Sernett (November 2010). Monster Vault. Edited by Greg Bilsland et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 90. ISBN 978-0-7869-5631-9.
- Kate Novak, Jeff Grubb (December 1997). Tymora's Luck. (TSR, Inc.), p. 53. ISBN 0-7869-0726-6.
- James Jacobs (2004-07-10). Far Corners of the World: Spells of the Woodlands. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2014-08-05. Retrieved on 2007-03-17.
- Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 83. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
- Kate Novak, Jeff Grubb (December 1997). Tymora's Luck. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 51–52. ISBN 0-7869-0726-6.
- Cardsheets included in Greenwood, Martin, Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised). (TSR, Inc). ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- Sean K. Reynolds (2002-05-04). Deity Do's and Don'ts (Zipped PDF). Web Enhancement for Faiths and Pantheons. Wizards of the Coast. pp. 10–15. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2018-09-08.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Animalia, Superioria, dryadalis, Nature
Origin/Ancestry
Fey (Fey Realm, Humanoid | Nature, Dryad)
Lifespan
Immortal
Conservation Status
Dryads are protected.
Average Height
5 feet
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
5E Statistics
Dryad
| Size | Medium |
| Type | Fey |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| Challenge Rating | 1 |
General Information
| Vision | Darkvision, Low-light vision |
| Homeland | Feywild |
| Language(s) | Common, Elven, Sylvan, Dryadic |
| Favored climate | Temperate |
| Favored terrain | Forests |
See Also: Dryad on Forgotten Realms Wiki