Dryad

Homebrew Dryad Race Details The young chestnut tree had also listened to the stories; for the Dryad who lived in it was a child also. She remembered the time when the tree was so little that it only projected a short way above the grass and ferns around. These were as tall as they would ever be; but the tree grew every year, and enjoyed the air and the sunshine, and drank the dew and the rain. Several times it was also, as it must be, well shaken by the wind and the rain; for that is a part of education.
The Dryad rejoiced in her life, and rejoiced in the sunshine, and the singing of the birds; but she was most rejoiced at human voices; she understood the language of men as well as she understood that of animals.
Butterflies, cockchafers, dragon-flies, everything that could fly came to pay a visit. They could all talk. They told of the village, of the vineyard, of the forest, of the old castle with its parks and canals and ponds. Down in the water dwelt also living beings, which, in their way, could fly under the water from one place to another—beings with knowledge and delineation. They said nothing at all; they were so clever!
And the swallow, who had dived, told about the pretty little goldfish, of the thick turbot, the fat brill, and the old carp. The swallow could describe all that very well, but, “Self is the man,” she said. “One ought to see these things one’s self.” But how was the Dryad ever to see such beings? She was obliged to be satisfied with being able to look over the beautiful country and see the busy industry of men.


— Hans Christian Andersen, The Dryad
Dryads are a mysterious and very graceful race of fey that inhabit both the Feywild and the material plane. A dryad is created when a tree is infused with enough nature magic to create a new life within it. Dryads have a very strong connection to nature and tend to live in large forests where magic is plentiful. As a result, their heart-trees are usually located in the Feywild or in a place of magical significance, such as an astral rift. Credit to VillainTheory for creating the race I based this off of!
Natural Beauty When a fey spirit is bound to a tree by a powerful fey, it is forever transformed into a dryad. Whispers speak of this as a punishment, if a fey spirit has fallen in forbidden love with a mortal, but every dryad has their own, secret story. The elegant dryads resemble the most dazzling, female elves. Their warm laughter and captivating song echoes through the woodland realms, rich and enticing, yet rare and elusive. Despite their alluring appearance, they are shy creatures, leading few mortals to ever glimpse one — except for the druids, with whom they share the duty of forest guardianship. Those who do see one do so mostly from afar, stealing a mere glance from the corner of their eye of a lithe beauty flitting between the trees. A lucky, handsome mortal may be fortunate enough to be approached by one, for a dryad is a curious creature, at the peril of the dryad bewitching them with a fey spell.
The dimensions of a dryad tend to fit with their beauty and gracefulness while remaining similar to that of elves. They tend to be slightly shorter than humans, ranging from well under 5 feet tall to just over 6 feet. They also have a much more slender build, ranging from about 90 to 130 pounds. Despite frames that would be considered unhealthy among humans and sometimes even elves, unless their tree is under duress they look as hearty as horses.
A dryad's coloration is one of the few things that can set them apart from elves, though it doesn't always. Their skin can be any in the normal human range but also includes skin in shades of copper, bronze, a very light green or pink, and an almost bluish-white. Their hair can encompass almost any color existing, though always tends to have leaves, small flowers, or even vines growing in it. Eye color is typically a very vibrant green or blue but has also been seen as a flowing silver or gold.
Guardians of the Forest Dryads are typically neither evil, nor good. They do not harm without cause, and generally prefer to lure their foes away with their mystic, fey magic rather than confront them directly, but neither will they help someone in trouble if it's natural phenomenon harming them. They are the protectors of the natural world, and that world has a dark side. The wolf must eat, the storm must blow. The dryad, for all its grace and endless serenity, understands the savage truth of nature. Good and neutral fey are often fond of dryads, with the mischievous pixies finding much in common with them.
With their lives connected to the trees from which they were born, a dryad has the potential to live for thousands of years. However, with such a deep connection to another living entity comes downsides as well. If the heart-tree suffers, the dryad suffers. If the heart-tree becomes sick, the dryad loses the inane beauty typical of her race. If the heart-tree dies, the dryad goes mad. Only a difficult ritual conducted by a powerful fey, or archdruid, can save the wilting dryad and bind it to a new tree, healing it in the process.
Hidden Woodland Realms Most dryads dwell in small forest groves hidden among the trees usually quite far from civilization. While most think that dryads are vegetarian due to their close protection with nature, this is not the case. Dryads both hunt and gather food, although they take great care not to waste anything and take great pride in not disturbing the natural surroundings of their homes. The home of a dryad can easily be mistaken for a section of the Feywild misplaced in the material plane, with plenty of magical plants and an unusual amount of fey creatures.
Dryads outside of their native forest are incredibly rare, usually only leaving to find some external threat to their woodland home, or else repay a debt to someone who once aided them.
Dryad Names While the name of a dryad is not immediately found, it is usually found within the first few years of birth and usually connects to an element of nature that the dryad is particularly in tune with, sometimes in the Sylvan language. Most dryads only possess one name, although if pressed may refer to their last name as that of the forest they come from.
Dryad Names: Aelsa, Aloria, Autumn, Blossom, Brook, Casaraine, Ethissia, Frostflower, Lakeshine, Lathesae, Lightning, Moondust, Nadasei, Raindrop, Satharia, Snowfall, Spring, Summer, Theralin, Titania, Yalasee, Winter
Dryad Traits Your dryad character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of thousands of years of ancient knowledge, whether passed down or learned. Ability Score Increase Your Wisdom score increases by 1, and your Charisma score increases by 2.
Age A dryad's spirit is bound to a tree. They remain young and alluring as long as the tree is healthy. If the tree is ever killed or destroyed, a dryad can live on in a wilting, maddened state for roughly a year before dying. If a powerful fey or druid binds their spirit to a new tree, both their mind and their captivating beauty is restored.
Alignment Dryads are most often neutral, with their main focus on tending to nature around them. Dryads working in union with other forest creatures in some form of alliance may tend toward lawfulness. Those deeply isolated in wild, untamed lands may be chaotic.
Size Dryads (much like elves) range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.
Speed Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision Accustomed to life under the shadow of verdant boughs, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Speak With Beasts and Plants You can communicate with beasts and plants as if you shared a language.
Fey Ancestry You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
Woodland Magic Due to your innate connection with nature, you know the druidcraft cantrip. Starting at 5th level, you also gain access to the animal friendship and charm person spell. However, provided you aren't a caster, you only have one 1st level spell slot. The DC for these spells is 8+CHA+Proficiency Bonus.
Treestride Once on your turn, you can use your bonus action to step magically into one living tree within reach and emerge from a second living tree within 60 feet of the first tree, appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the second tree. Both trees must be Large or bigger. You can use this trait once, and regain it after a short or long rest.
Naturespawn Armor Your spirit is magically bound to a tree, imbuing you with several tree-like aspects, including their durability. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 12 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.
Languages You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, and Sylvan.