Dryad (4e Race)

Dryads

Stoic and peaceful denizens of the deep forest, and ferocious warriors when stirred into action.

Dryad

Racial Traits

Average Height: 5'11" - 7'2"

Average Weight: 170-280 lb.

Ability Scores: +2 Wisdom and +2 Strength or +2 Constitution

Size: Medium

Speed: 6 squares

Vision: Low Light

Languages: Common, Elven

Skill Bonuses: +2 Nature, +2 Endurance

Female Only: All dryads are female

Fey Origin: You have the fey keyword, so you are considered a fey for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.

Animate Plant: You are an animate plant, and have the plant keyword, so you are considered a Plant for the purpose of effects that relate to the keyword.

Oaken Vitality: Your tree heritage grants you a 5 + half level racial bonus to Endurance checks to resist the effects of starvation, thirst, or suffocation, and you can survive for twice the normal time period before you are required to make such checks. You do not require sleep, but you must meditate at least four hours each day to absorb light (even from as small a source as a candle), soak in water, or connect with the earth beneath your feet. This meditation grants you the benefits that other races receive from an extended rest. While meditating, you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.

Forest Walk: You ignore difficult terrain if that terrain is the result of trees, underbrush, plants, or natural growth.

Magic of the Trees: When your class grants you a utility power after 1st level, you can forgo taking that power. Instead you can take a hamadryad utility power (Heroes of the Feywild, pages 26 & 27) of the same level or lower.

Tree Mind: You gain a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against effects that daze, dominate, or stun.

Deceptive Veil: You have the deceptive veil power.

Tree Form: You have the tree form power.

Deceptive Veil	Dryad Racial Power
With a bit of old magic, you take on a more comely appearance.
At-Will  Illusion
Minor Action	Personal
Effect: Using an illusion, you can disguise yourself as any medium humanoid, including a specific individual. You don't gain the abilities of the chosen form. You can dispel the illusion as a free action. A successful insight check opposed by your bluff+5 check penetrates the disguise.

Tree Form	Dryad Racial Power
You turn into a tree in order to rest and recover your injuries.
At-Will  Polymorph
Standard Action	Personal
Effect: You transform into a medium sized tree. While in tree form, you cannot attack or move, you gain resist 5 + half level to all damage except fire, and your healing surge value is one quarter your hit points + your Wisdom modifier. You can end this effect as a standard action. While in tree form, your equipment becomes part of your tree form and you continue to gain the benefits of the equipment you wear.

For as long as there have been forests, there have been the tree folk, dryads. While normally gentle and peaceful, dryads are fierce and determined combatants.

Play a Dryad if you want...

• To be a part of the forest.
• To be both strong and gentle.
• To recover quickly after being wounded.
• To be a member of a race that favors the warden, ranger, seeker, shaman, druid, fighter, cleric, invoker, warlord, runepriest, and paladin classes.

Physical Qualities

Dryads are humanoid trees, with skin like bark, legs like sturdy trunks, toes like roots, and hair like a crown of leafy branches. Dryads tend to look vaguely female, and tend to choose feminine names for themselves. When taking on the guise of another race, Dryads prefer to take on the appearance of a beautiful maiden, often an elf, eladrin, shifter, or human. In truth, Dryads are androgynous, as a Dryad's flowers contains both male and female reproductive organs. In their resting state, a dryad is a tree of roughly the same size and height as the dryad in its humanoid form.

Playing a Dryad

Dryads are a part of the forest. Dryad communities are found in large, old forests, and often have close ties to any neighbouring elf, eladrin, shifter, or human communities, especially to those communities where the druidic faiths hold sway. Long lived, peaceful, and patient, dryads are often reluctant to leave their grove and disinterested in the wars and troubles of other races. However, dryads are not aloof. Dryads form deep and lasting friendships and are fiercely protective. A dryad might go adventuring simply to accompany a close elf, shifter, or human friend. A young dryad might also be seized with wanderlust, for after all, there is a saying among dryads: ' these roots are made for walking'.

Dryad Characteristics: Stoic, patient, gentle, perceptive, fierce, passionate, protective, decisive

Dryad Names: Atlantia, Byblis, Cranae, Drosera, Echo, Erato, Groot, Iaera, Orphne, Phigalia, Phoebe, Pitys, Rhene, Syrinx, Venilla

Dryad Adventurers

Three sample dryad adventurers are described below.

Syrinx is a dryad warden. When her home grove was threatened by a host of aberrations, she realized she could ignore the outside world no longer. Now she is a member of the Wardens of the Wood, and she fights with the ferocity of nature to protect her new comrades-in-arms, and ultimately the world.

Pitys is a dryad seeker. After fifty years of life, wanderlust took root in Pitys' heart. Now she travels with a band of adventurers who appreciate having a nature savvy guide whose skill with the bow is unmatched. Pitys uses her speed and surefooted agility to keep away from enemies and her ancient dryad magic to make sure her shots don't miss.

Drosera is a dryad fighter. War has come to her people, and the old ways are not enough. She has taken up sword and chain mail forged of steel and learned to fight like a dwarf. Her ferocity and determination has earned her the respect of her companions. In the heat of battle she thinks only of victory, but during the quiet of the night, she often dreams of home, and wishes to return to peaceful days in the forest once these days of trouble are behind her.

Dryad Racial Feats

Heroic Tier Racial Feats

Name	Description
Claw Fighter	Your claws are weapons.

Paragon Tier Racial Feats

Name	Description

Epic Tier Racial Feats

Name	Description

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