Dryad, Emancipated Class

This strange, beautiful woman has flesh that seems made of wood and vibrant hair that resembles leaves and blossoms.

Dryads are tree-fey who prefer secluded woodlands far from humanoids in need of lumber. Dryads’ main interests are their own survival and that of their beloved forests, and they have been known to magically coerce passersby into aiding them in tasks they cannot complete. They are more likely to be friendly to non-evil druids and rangers, as they recognize a mutual respect for or empathy with nature. Dryads are benign guardians of trees, and though they can do little in the way of direct violence, they can trap and disable threats to their homes or turn enemies into allies. Some keep one or more charmed humanoids in their territory to fend off or lead away attackers. Incapacitated foes are typically dragged to the edge of the forest by the dryad’s allies and left there, but evil or overtly hostile ones are killed once combat is over.

Alignment: Any

Type: Medium (fey)

Hit Die: d10.

Class Skills

The Dryad’s class skills are Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Fly, Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nature), Perception, Perform, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Swim, Use Magic Device.

Skill Ranks per Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Table: Dryad

Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special
1st +0 +0 +2 +2 Feat, +2 Dex, +2 Con, +2 Cha, tree independent, woodcraft, minor powers
2nd +1 +0 +3 +3 +2 Int, +2 Cha, +1 Natural Armor, Damage Reduction 1/cold iron
3rd +1 +1 +3 +3 Feat, +2 Dex, +2 Cha, wild empathy, lesser powers
4th +2 +1 +4 +4 +2 Int, +2 Wis, +1 Natural Armor, Damage Reduction 3/cold iron
5th +2 +1 +4 +4 Feat, +2 Dex, +2 Cha, tree meld, major powers
6th +3 +2 +5 +5 +2 Dex, +2 Wis, +1 Natural Armor, Damage Reduction 5/cold iron, greater powers

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Dryad.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A dryad has proficiency with all simple weapons, longbows, but not with armor or shields.

Senses: low-light vision

Languages: Common, Elven, Sylvan; speak with plants

Speed: 30 ft.

Spell-Like Abilities (Caster Level = Racial Level)

Minor:
At will—speak with plants
3/day— entangle, wood shape (1 lb. only)
1/day—tree stride


Lesser:
At will—speak with plants, wood shape (1 lb. only)
3/day— entangle, tree stride, tree shape
1/day—charm person


Major: Constant—speak with plants
At will—tree shape, wood shape (1 lb. only)
3/day—charm person, entangle, tree stride
1/day— deep slumber


Greater: Constant—speak with plants
At will—entangle, tree shape, wood shape (1 lb. only)
3/day—charm person, deep slumber, tree stride
1/day—suggestion

Tree Meld (Su)

A dryad can meld with any tree, similar to how the spell meld into stone functions. She can remain melded with a tree for a number of rounds = 2x the Racial Level.

Tree Independent (Su)

A dryad is normally mystically bonded to a single, enormous 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). An emancipated dryad though is able to function independent of its bonded tree without ill effects. Emancipation occurs for many various reasons, but most have a difficult time trying to bond with another tree later in life and sometimes are rejected by their very nature. An emancipated dryad can forge a new bond with a new tree by performing a 24-hour ritual and making a successful Will save with a DC = 20+ number of years away from a bonded tree.

Wild Empathy (Su)

This works like the druid’s wild empathy class feature, except the dryad has a +6 racial bonus on the check. Dryads with druid levels add this racial modifier to their wild empathy checks.

Woodcraft (Ex)

A dryad has a +6 racial bonus to Craft checks involving wood, and is always treated as if she had masterwork artisan’s woodworking tools when making such checks.

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