Eldryn (12 RP)

Eldryn are half-elves, but unlike the well-known, prolific half-elves whose progenitors are human and elf, eldryns are the seed of dryads and elves, resulting in a race with pronounced fey characteristics. The origin of the eldryns began as a love story between a dryad and an elf. Long ago, the dryad archdruid Sythia was torn between her innate connection to her tree and the flame she kindled for her elven lover. Feeling that the Creator of the fey had short-changed the dryad race by limiting their wanderings to the immediate location of their tree-bond, Sythia vowed to find a way to keep her tree-bond and gain the freedom to wander the forest freely. After years of research into obscure magics and ancient lore, Sythia finally devised a druidic ritual that would allow her to merge the essence of her tree with herself, allowing her to travel any distance while maintaining the connection to her tree. The ritual relied on the presence of a blood moon, a specific alignment of the planets, and the power of an archdruid. To Sythia’s knowledge, these circumstances would occur only once in a millennium. Overjoyed at the freedom this transformation would impart, Sythia invited her sisters to undergo the ceremony with her. Because this magic was unlikely to be performed again, the offer was a valuable gift indeed. To Sythia’s delight, five sister dryads, each bonded to a different type of tree, accepted the invitation. On the eve of the ceremony, each dryad was instructed to collect seeds from every variety of tree that was similar in nature to their own. Between Sythia and the other five dryads, six distinct tree-bonds were represented. Sythia’s bond represented the smaller variety of trees well-loved for the flowers they produced including forsythia, jacaranda, magnolia, rhododendron, and wisteria. To represent the food-bearing trees, seeds were collected from a wide variety, from apple trees to walnut trees. Representation of essential oil producing trees included seeds from the cedarwood, eucalyptus, frankincense, myrrh, and sandalwood. Spice trees, including cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg were collected. Chona collected medicinal seeds from the quinine producing cinchona tree, the flu battling elderberry tree, the gout and fever fighting silver birch, and the scurvy detering needle bearing trees of fir, spruce, and pine. The last tree-bond represented included a plethora of hardwood trees valued by crafters for furniture making, boat building, and musical instruments such as oak, teak, and ebony to name just a few.

After the successful ritual, all six dryads were able to leave the vicinity of their tree without suffering sickness of heart or body. Sythia began a life of adventure and travel with her elven lover and the others basked in the joy of unfettered freedom to roam wherever their whims took them. The magically altered dryads were soon to discover, however, that their fertility had been altered in the ritual. They were unable to conceive unless mating with an elf. All other attempts to create progeny with any other race proved fruitless. The dryads proudly referred to their “half-elven” children, born from their unions with their individual elven mates, as the “unrooted” because this generation would be free to travel while literally carrying the heart of the forest within themselves. In the Sylvan tongue, unrooted translates as eldryn, which is the name by which the race is known to this day. The fate of the altered dryads to mate solely with elves has been passed down through the generations to their children; two mating eldryns cannot even produce offspring. Eldryn are only born when an eldryn and a full-blooded elf mate.

Physical Description

Barely indistinguishable from elves, eldryns exhibit an other-worldly beauty. They are graceful and slight of stature, reaching heights from 4 to 6 feet, and weighing slightly less than a typical elf at 90 to 140 pounds. Females stand 1-1½ feet shorter than the males and are significantly lighter, topping out at 100 pounds. Eldryn have delicate, alluring facial features, pointed ears, and a variety of skin tones ranging from pale yellow to black depending upon their dryad ancestor’s tree-bond. For example, pine tree-bonds produce lighter colored skin tones, cherry tree-bonds result in red-brown tones, and ebony tree-bonds produce black-skin tones. Regardless of its hue, all eldryns’ skin has a faint, barely visible pattern of swirls and rings, vaguely resembling the pattern of knots and rings of a tree’s trunk. This peculiarity of skin pigmentation is the only hint that eldryns are not fully elves. Eldryn skin is also tougher than elven skin, providing better protection against cuts and scrapes. An eldryn’s hair comes in a rainbow of colors, representing the shades of autumn leaves, bark, or flower blossoms. The most unusual features of an eldryn’s anatomy are the two small splinterwood glands that sit on either side of the back of the throat where an elf’s tonsils would normally be found. These glands act as a defensive mechanism, producing tiny slivers of splinter-sharp wood which an eldryn can expel in a deadly spray of skin piercing missiles.

Society

Eldryn typically live in the elven communities of their elven parents and are brought up following typical elven customs. An eldryn’s love for nature is amplified by their fey heritage. Whether they inhabit temperate, tropical, or boreal forests, eldryns are fierce protectors of the trees in the area. Woe to a greedy merchant over-harvesting a grove for profit for they shall experience the full force of an eldryn’s ire! Being raised in elvish society, eldryns receive the same training with bows as the elven children, but rather than focus on swordplay, they learn to use the battleaxe. Because the axe is the implement used to fell trees by many humanoid races, eldryns have chosen it as their symbolic weapon to inflict punishment upon creatures they deem to have transgressed against nature.

Alignment and Religion

Eldryn cherish freedom, diversity, and self-expression, so they lean toward the gentler aspects of chaos. They value plants and animals and respect humanoid creatures living in harmony amidst nature. To protect is a basic instinct of an eldryn, probably passed down from their dryad heritage, and they are quick to come to the aid of those in need. Eldryn are more often good than not.

Eldryn venerate the same gods of nature and artistic expression that elves do, though eldryn clerics are a varied lot, representing a variety of different deities.

The veneration of evil deities is a rarity.

Relations

An elf’s ability to find the good in others is amplified in the personality of an eldryn. Eldryn focus on the strengths of others, and when they realize they have caused disharmony in some way, they are quick to seek forgiveness.

Dwarves

Eldryn respect dwarven dedication to the clan. Eldryn parents serenade their children to sleep with the lullaby which details the hurdles their ancestors overcame to be with a loved one, literally carrying what was dear to their hearts within them. Eladryns are also impressed by dwarven combat proficiency with axes and have been known to seek out the most skilled warriors as personal instructors.

Elves

Eldryn hold elves dear to their hearts. Eldryn are, after all, of elven blood themselves and can only mate with elves. Eldryn share the elves’ love of nature and their interest in acquisition of knowledge. Eldryn are attracted to the physical beauty of elves and to the flowing cadence of the elvish language. Craft-bonded eldryns have a special appreciation for the beautiful works of art produced by the elves.

Halflings

Eldryn appreciate how halflings live in the moment, constantly seeking joy and spreading enthusiasm for life. Eldryn appreciate the non-combative nature of halflings and recognize that once halflings give their hand in friendship, their loyalty is unmeasurable.

Humans

The human race’s defining characteristic of stubborn determination is the quality that eldryns empathize with most. Above all else, eldryns are taught from childhood to value their freedom and to never give up striving to reach a goal that is important to them, no matter the time or cost involved.

Adventurers

Eldryn inherit the desire to explore for exploration’s sake from both their elf and dryad parents. They love meeting different races, seeing unique sights, learning new songs, eating novel foods, and experiencing all of the diversity life has to offer. On their one-hundredth birthday, eldryns leave their home to spend one hundred years abroad in honor of their dryad ancestors’ ingenuity and bravery. During this time, they explore as many natural biomes as possible. After this period, some eldryns continue to adventure, hoping to add to their repertoire of vast knowledge, and others choose to return to their elven community. As creatures with fey blood running through their veins, eldryns naturally gravitate to the life of a druid or ranger. As children of elves, eldryns appreciate artistry and beauty, gifting the world with many fine bards as well.

Male Names: Alder, Asher, Hawk, Larch, Rain, Thorn.

Female Names: Amber, Blossom, Daisy, Hazel, Honey, Hyacinth, Magnolia, Petal, Rosa.

Table: Random Starting Ages
Adulthood Intuitive1 Self-Taught2 Trained3
100 years +4d6 years +5d6 years +6d6 years
Table: Random Height and Weight
Gender Base Height Height Modifier Base Weight Weight Modifier
Male 5 ft. 0 in. +2d6 in. (5’2”-6’) 128 lbs. +2d6x1 lbs. (130 lbs.-140 lbs.)
Female 3 ft. 10 in. +2d6 in. (4’-4’ 10”) 88 lbs. +2d6x1 lbs. (90 lbs.-100 lbs.)

1 This category includes barbarians, oracles, rogues, and sorcerers.

2 This category includes bards, cavaliers, fighters, gunslingers, paladins, rangers, summoners, and witches.

3 This category includes alchemists, clerics, druids, inquisitors, magi, monks, and wizards.

Eldryn Standard Racial Traits (12 RP)

  • Ability Score Modifier(s): Eldryn gain a +2 bonus to one ability score. This score is dependent upon the tree-bond their dryad ancestor carried with her, which affects other abilities as well. The following tree-bonds correspond to the associated ability score modifier: (0 RP)
  • Size Eldryn are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. (0 RP)
  • Type Eldryn are humanoids with the eldryn subtype.
  • Speed Eldryn have a base speed of 30 feet. (0 RP)
  • Senses Eldryn have low-light vision can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light. (1 RP)
  • Languages Eldryn begin play speaking Common and Elven. Eldryn with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, and Sylvan. (0 RP)
  • Protective Skin Eldryn gain a +1 natural armor bonus to their Armor Class. (2 RP)
  • Elven Ancestry Eldryn are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects. (2 RP)
  • Nature’s Child Eldryn gain a +1 racial bonus on Knowledge (nature) skill checks as a result of their dryad ancestor and a +1 racial bonus on Perception skill checks as a result of their elven ancestor. (2 RP)
  • Weapon Familiarity Eldryn are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), shortbows (including composite shortbows), and battleaxes. (2 RP)
  • Splinterwood Spray Eldryn gain a supernatural breath weapon attack usable as a standard action once per day. The attack is a spray of splinters in the form of a 15-foot cone or a 20-foot line (determined at character creation and unchangeable once selected) that deals 1d6 + 1 point per 2 levels of piercing damage, plus 1 point of bleed damage as the slivers worm their way into the skin. All creatures within the affected area must make a Reflex saving throw to avoid taking damage. The save DC against this breath weapon is 10 + 1/2 the eldryn’s character level + the eldryn’s ability score modifier from their designated tree-bond. Those who succeed at the save take no damage from the attack. (3 RP)

Alternate Racial Traits

The connection of some eldryns to their ancestral dryad’s tree-bond is exceptionally strong. The following racial traits may be selected instead of either nature’s child or weapon familiarity for eldryn characters as long as they possess the corresponding tree-bond selected at character creation.

  • Abundant Provider (2 RP) Eldryn whose dryad ancestor represented the food producing trees such as fruits, nuts, and maple syrup and were harvest-bonded can cast goodberry once per day as an innate spell-like ability, with the caveat that the spell produces the maximum number of berries + the eldryn’s Dexterity modifier, and an eldryn can benefit from eating 16 berries per day (rather than the standard 8, though other creatures eating berries created using this ability are still limited to a maximum of 8 in a 24 hour period).
  • Artistic Perfection (2 RP) Eldryn whose dryad ancestor represented trees useful for creating furniture, ships, or musical instruments and were craft-bonded gain their choice of a +2 racial bonus on Craft skill checks used to craft wooden objects or a +2 racial bonus on Performance skill checks when using a musical instrument.
  • Fiery Soul (2 RP) Hardwood trees are naturally more fire resistant compared to their softwood counterparts. Their wood also burns hotter and longer than softwood. Eldryn whose dryad ancestor represented hardwood trees and were craft-bonded gain fire resistance 1 and deal +1 additional point of fire damage per damage dice when casting spells that deal fire damage.
  • Nature’s Remedy (2 RP) Eldryn whose dryad ancestor represented trees useful for creating medicinal poultices, tinctures, and teas and were healing-bonded can cast stabilize at will as an innate spell-like ability. The caster level of the spell is equal to the eldryn’s level. They also gain a +1 racial bonus on Healing skill checks.
  • Petal Shower (2 RP) Eldryn whose dryad ancestor represented trees prized for their beautiful flowers and were petal-bonded can cause a cascade of flower petals to swirl around themselves in their 5 foot square for 1 minute per character level. This petal shower is an innate spell-like ability, requires a standard action to activate, and interferes with an opponent’s ability to properly target your position, effectively granting you concealment (20 percent miss chance). Your petal shower does not obscure your view or interfere with your ability to target opponents and you can use it once per day.
  • Soothing Presence (2 RP) Eldryn whose dryad ancestor represented the essential oil generating trees and were fragrance-bonded have an innate ability to calm others, offering reassurance and soothing tensions. They can cast calm emotions as a spell-like ability once per day. The caster level of the spell is equal to the eldryn’s character level.
  • Volatile Temperament (2 RP) Eldryn whose dryad ancestor represented the spice producing trees and were spice-bonded are sharp-tongued, quick-tempered, and a force to be reckoned with. They can turn up the heat when necessary and gain a +2 racial bonus on Intimidation skill checks.

Favored Class Options

The following options are available to eldryn who have the listed class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time it is selected.

  • Arcanist Increase total number of points in the arcanist’s arcane reservoir by 1.
  • Cleric The first time you select this favored class option, select one druid orison and add it to your cleric orison list. From that time forward, upon selecting this option four times, you can add another spell from the druid spell list to the cleric spell list. When utilizing this feature a second time, the spell selected can be up to 1st level. When utilizing this feature a third time, the spell selected can be up to 2nd level. When utilizing this feature a fourth time, the spell selected can be up to 3rd level, and when utilizing this feature a fifth time, the spell selected can be up to 4th level.
  • Druid The druid’s animal companion gains DR1/cold iron. Each additional time the druid selects this option, this DR increases by +1/4 (maximum DR5/cold iron). If the druid replaces the animal companion, the new companion gets this damage reduction.
  • Magus Add +1/2 bonus to concentration checks to cast defensively.
  • Monk Add +1/4 to the monk’s AC bonus.
  • Ranger Add 5 feet to the ranger’s speed when traveling in wooded areas. Each additional time the ranger selects this option, this speed increases by +1 foot. This bonus has no effect until the ranger achieves increments of 5 feet.
  • Rogue Add 5 feet to the rogue’s speed when using the Stealth skill while moving in wooded areas, thus allowing the rogue to travel at greater than half speed when using the Stealth skill, but only in wooded areas. Each additional time the rogue selects this option, this speed increases by +1 foot. This bonus has no effect until the rogue achieves increments of 5 feet.
  • Sorcerer When casting spells in forest terrain, add +1/3 to the effective save DC of the spell.
  • Wizard Add 1/6 to the number of spells the wizard can cast each day with a bonded object.
scroll to top