Dryad

[oslecamo]

Dryad




HD:d6
Level   Bab   Fort   Ref   Will   Feature

1   + 0   +0    +2    +2    Nature Embodied, Tree Dependent, Nature's Attendant, Cha+1
2   + 1   + 0   +3    +3    Wild Empathy, Nature's Guardian, Fey body, Cha+1
3   + 1   + 1   + 3   +3    Nature's Advocate, Cha +1

Skills:6+Int modifier per level, Class skills are Handle Animal, Knowledge (nature), Spot, Listen, Survival, Escape Artist, Hide, Move Silently.

Proficiencies: Dryad are proficient with club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff, scimitar, sickle, shortspear, sling, and spear

Features:

Nature Embodied: The dryad loses all other racial bonuses and gains fey traits (basically Low-light vision). She's an fey with base speed 30 feet. She also gains a bonus to natural armor equal to her Cha modifier.

If she multiclasses for an arcane/divine class it can count its dryad levels as levels of that class for purposes of CL and for the purposes of learning new spells and getting new spell slots. So for example, a dryad 3 who took 1 level of sorcerer could choose to have CL 4, get 3 2nd level spell slots, 1 1st level spell slot, 1 2nd level spell known and 1 0th level spell known. She wouldn't get the spell knowns and spell slots of a sorcerer 3 however.  She would get the familiar ability, but dryad levels wouldn't count for it.

If the multiclassed class is druid, or a cleric with the plant domain, the dryad can use Cha instead of Wis for casting.

Tree Dependent: A dryad must stay always within 100 yards per HD of her chosen tree. Any who do become ill and die within 1d6 hours per HD. A dryad’s oak does not radiate magic.  Dryad  can choose a new tree by doing a 24 hour ritual.

Nature's Attendant: Entangle, Tree Shape, Speak with Plants as SLAs 2/day for each HD it has. Save DCs are 10+1/2HD+Cha modifier.


Fey body: DR/cold iron equal to half her HD.

Wild Empathy: At level 2 Dryad gains Wild Empathy as druid, with +6 bonus on check. If you have Wild Empathy from some other source your Dryad levels stack with that class for Wild Empathy (you still get +6 bonus).

Nature's Guardian: Deep Slumber, Tree Stride 1/day for each HD it has. Save DCs are 10+1/2HD +Cha modifier.

Nature's Advocate: Charm Person, Charm animal and  Suggestion 1/day for each HD it has.

At  9 HD the dryad can use charm monster as a SLA for each 2HD she has.

At 15HD the dryad can use mass charm monster as a SLA 1/day for each 4 HD she has.

Save DCs are 10+1/2HD+Cha modifier.
 
Ability increase: Dryad gains Cha + 1 Cha at all levels.

Comments:

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The dryad is a beatifull servant of nature with a powerful connection to trees. Tree dependent is a powerful disadvantage, but in return the dryad gets +3 Cha, several powerful SLAs and can then multiclass as sorcerer, cleric or druid with several goodies. Plus good skills never hurt.

[multibear]

I came up with a few Dryad feats

Dryad Vagrant
You wander farther from your tree than other dryads
Prerequisites: Dryad
Benefit: The distance you may travel from your tree before experiencing ill effects is doubled. You may also choose a new tree for your Tree Dependent ability after an 8 hour ritual as opposed to a 24 hour ritual
Special: This feat may be selected more than once, each time the distance is increased by an additional 100 yards per HD and the number of hours required for your ritual is reduced by half, to a minimum of 2 hours

Tree Bond
You draw power from different plants you choose to attach yourself to
Prerequisites: Dryad
Benefit: When you perform a ceremony to attach yourself to a new tree you gain the following bonus depending on what kind of plant it is. When choosing a new tree to bond with, you are limited by the environment you are searching in.
Alpine

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Fir: Your tree is used to weathering tough winters. You gain Cold resistance equal to your HD
Cypress: You produce seed pods that can be used as ammunition. You may use Fire Seed as a SLA a number of times per day equal to your Cha modifier. You are only able to use the "acorn grenade" version of the spell.
Hemlock: Your flesh becomes poisonous. Any creature making a bite attack or attempting to swallow you whole must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier) or take 1 point of Strength damage and 1 point of Dexterity damage. One minute later, the creature must make a second save at the same DC or be nauseated for 1 minute
Pine: You secrete a powerfully sticky resin. Any weapon that deals damage to you becomes stuck to your skin, unless the wielder succeeds on a DC (10+1/2HD+Str Mod) Reflex save. The weapon may be retrieved with a successful disarm check
Quaking Aspen: Like the leaves of your tree, you tremble violently and are hard to hold down. You gain a +4 bonus to Escape Artist

Aquatic/Shoreline

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Kelp: The closest thing to a tree you'll find at sea. You gain the Amphibious special quality and a swim speed equal to your base speed
Mangrove: Your tree can grow in saltier and more acidic conditions than most. You gain Acid resistance equal to your HD

Desert

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Aloe: Any spells you cast with the Healing descriptor are cast one CL higher
Cactus: You grow needles from your body which can be used as a secondary natural weapon dealing 1d4 damage for a medium creature. Your other natural attacks (if any) deal piercing damage in addition to their normal damage type. Once per round, you may make a spike attack against a creature grappling you as a free action

Rainforest

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Bamboo: Your tree is supple and bendable. You gain a +2 bonus on Reflex saves
Fan Palm: As long as you are bonded with this tree you gain a proficiency with any weapon with Fan in its name or descriptor. As a swift action at will, you can grow a large, fan-shaped collection of leaves that is mechanically identical to a War Fan. You can have up to two at once, but it decays and becomes useless immediately after leaving your possession. If you enchant one of these palm fans, all future fans you create retain its properties.
Fruit Tree: Includes all fruits not explicitly mentioned elsewhere, 1/day per 2 HD you can grow fruit to feed your companions mimicking the Goodberry spell
Kapok: You sprout feathery seed pods and can gain the benefits of a Feather Fall spell a number of times per day equal to your Cha modifier
Mangrove: Your tree can grow in saltier and more acidic conditions than most. You gain Acid resistance equal to your HD
Rubber Tree: Your sap/blood becomes rubberized, helping ground you. You gain Electricity resistance equal to your HD

Sub-Tropic Forest

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Acacia: Your tree has long mastered the use of chemical signals to communicate with insects. You get a +4 bonus to Handle Animal checks when dealing with vermin and can use the Wild Empathy class skill on vermin
Banyan: Your tree is sturdy. You gain a +4 bonus to Balance
Bamboo: Your tree is supple and bendable. You gain a +2 bonus on Reflex saves
Baobob: Your tree is extremely thick and durable. You gain a +2 bonus to Fortitude saves
Fruit Tree: Includes all fruits not explicitly mentioned elsewhere, 1/day per 2 HD you can grow fruit to feed your companions mimicking the Goodberry spell
Monkey Puzzle: Your tree has long confounded primates. You gain a +2 bonus to the DC of any mind-effecting spell or SLA you use that targets a humanoid

Temperate Forest

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Birch: Your skin peels off like paper. Magical paper. You can use your own skin-bark when crafting scrolls, reducing the cost by 10%
Chestnut: You can drop spiny seeds that are mechanically identical to caltrops. You can drop enough to cover a square you move through a number of times per day equal to your Cha modifier. This is a swift action.
Fruit Tree: Includes all fruits not explicitly mentioned elsewhere, 1/day per 2 HD you can grow fruit to feed your companions mimicking the Goodberry spell
Ginkgo: The chemicals of your tree help keep your mind sharp. You gain a +2 bonus on Will saves
Hemlock: Your flesh becomes poisonous. Any creature making a bite attack or attempting to swallow you whole must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier) or take 1 point of Strength damage and 1 point of Dexterity damage. One minute later, the creature must make a second save at the same DC or be nauseated for 1 minute and take 1d6 Strength damage and 1d6 Dexterity damage.
Maple: Your blood/sap becomes as sweet as maple syrup. Any creature making a bite attack or attempting to swallow you whole must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier) or become nauseated for 1d4 rounds
Oak: Dryads hold a special bond with oak trees, no matter how often they stray. Your Dryad SLAs increase their DC by +1
Quaking Aspen: Like the leaves of your tree, you tremble violently and are hard to hold down. You gain a +4 bonus to Escape Artist
Sequoia: Your tree is massive and some of that rubs off on you. You gain an extra 1 hp per HD

Urban/Agricultural

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Bonsai: You can carry your tree with you as you travel, however your size is reduced to Small. If your tree is destroyed you immediately take 1d6 Cha damage, even if you are normally immune to ability damage, and become ill and will die in 1d6 hours. However, if your bonsai is destroyed you may also rebond to a new tree after only a 1 hour ceremony. Bonding to a non-bonsai tree returns you to your original size.
Coffee Tree: You no longer need to sleep and become immune to magical Sleep effects. All that caffeine comes in handy
Fruit Tree: Includes all fruits not explicitly mentioned elsewhere, 1/day per 2 HD you can grow fruit to feed your companions mimicking the Goodberry spell

Special: Not every location has the same trees and a GM can choose to remove or add any tree from the list depending on the location.

If anyone wants to add more options for Tree Bond please do so. I'm an ecology grad student with more OCD than sense! Lets make it three times as thorough as the half-golem material list!

[oslecamo]

Love those, and would sugest some myself if I had the time, but alas plenty of stuff on the waiting list for me.

Couple points:
-Dryad Vagrant and Dryad Squatter look kinda weak by themselves, but should be fine if they're combined in a single feat.
-Birch is extremely OP since it basically allows you to make low-level scrolls for completely free and even medium-high level ones will get a pretty significant discount. Remember 1st level scrolls are just 25 GP, so you need a formula that doesn't make them free.

[multibear]

combined Vagrant and Squatter into one and changed Birch to a flat 10% reduction on the price

[Prime32]

Dryad Vagrant
You wander farther from your tree than other dryads
Prerequisites: Dryad
Benefit: The distance you may travel from your tree before experiencing ill effects is doubled. You may also choose a new tree for your Tree Dependent ability after an 8 hour ritual as opposed to a 24 hour ritual
Special: This feat may be selected more than once, each time the distance is increased by an additional 100 yards per HD and the number of hours required for your ritual is reduced by half, to a minimum of 2 hours

This doesn't really do anything. In-game time/distance is fuzzy to begin with, and if a DM was going to put you in a situation where you start dying because you were away from your tree too long, then he's going to do it anyway.

Cypress: You produce seed pods that can be used as ammunition for a sling. You produce a number each day equal to your Cha modifier

This is really, really weak. It's far from difficult to carry enough ammo to never run out, the pods will quickly become inferior to normal ammo, and many groups don't even keep track of ammo in the first place. Maybe have it work like the fire seeds SLA, Acorn Grenades only? (fire seeds has no business being an lv6 spell, especially without the Holly Berry Bombs)

Fan Palm: As long as you are bonded with this tree you gain a proficiency with any weapon with Fan in its name or descriptor. Once per day, as an move action you can grow a large, fan-shaped collection of leaves that is mechanically identical to a War Fan. This leaf war fan dies and becomes useless 1d4 hours after if leaves your posession

The free EWP isn't bad (what's the source on war fans?), but the weapon should still have enchantments of some kind for it to remain relevant. Better, say that you can enchant the fan and it retains its properties whenever you create it. Also, the use/decay rules are odd (especially combined with no restriction on number of fans); more useful and harder to abuse would be: swift action at will, decays immediately after leaving your possession, and you can have up to two at once (so that you can play a TWFer without the normal exorbitant costs).

Monkey Puzzle: Your tree has long confounded primates. You gain a +2 bonus to the DC of any mind-effecting spell or SLA you use that targets a humanoid

Amusing, but a universal +1 bonus would be more reliable.

Chestnut: You can drop spiny seeds that are mechanically identical to caltrops. You can drop enough to cover a square you move through a number of times per day equal to your Cha modifier.

So... is this a free action then?

Bonsai: You can carry your tree with you as you travel, however your size is reduced to Small. If your tree is destroyed you immediately take 1d6 Cha damage, even if you are normally immune to ability damage, and become ill and will die in 1d6 hours. However, if your bonsai is destroyed you may also rebond to a new non-bonsai tree after only a 1 hour ceremony.

Why does it have to be non-bonsai? Are you still Small?

Coffee Tree: You become immune to magical Sleep effects. All that caffeine comes in handy

If you also didn't need normal sleep then it would be more handy. Sleep effects are rare at higher levels.

[multibear]

I know time/distance tend to get fuzzy, but Dryads seem so thoroughly DEFINED by their limited range and bond with their tree. I thought giving them the ability to join other characters on far-ranging, continent or dimension spanning adventures without having to stop for a day every few hundred yards to bond to a new tree would be worth a feat. Sure the DM can just ignore Tree Dependency, but then why have it there in the first place? I don't mind reducing the number of hours required for the ritual to 2 right off the bat, since then you're not wasting feats on something that doesn't come up as often.

As for tree bond, I don't want anything to be TOO weak so I'll patch up some of the poorly worded or lamer ones (Cypress, yeah, no question that one needs a do-over). But because of the range limitation dryads have, I didn't really think of these as permanent options. More like, at the beginning of each adventure the GM says "ok you arrive in this new country, there are these kinds of trees living here" and you can choose and enjoy a simple bonus until the adventure takes you somewhere else. So not all the trees are going to be even. Having Dryad Vagrant means you can switch between the bonuses somewhat, but sometimes your dryad will just have to make do with a tree that isn't all that useful at the moment.

edit: I tried to fix all the trees you mentioned (except monkey puzzle because I am a stubborn coot), but I'm not sure if I worded fan palm right.

[oslecamo]

edit: I tried to fix all the trees you mentioned (except monkey puzzle because I am a stubborn coot), but I'm not sure if I worded fan palm right.

I would say to make monkey puzzle at least also work for animals, since otherwise it doesn't grant any bonus against actual monkeys.

[Concerned Ninja Citizen]

Two more feats that may or may not be a good idea:

Little Wooden Buddy
Your magical powers infuse your chosen tree, causing it to come to life
Prerequisites: Dryad, Tree Bond feat (Bonsai), Familiar feature

Benefit: Your chosen tree becomes your familiar. It is treated as a tiny plant creature with [stats to be determined].


Big Wooden Buddy
Your power over nature is such that your chosen tree comes to life
Prerequisites: Dryad, Animal Companion feature (effective druid level req?)

Benefit: Your chosen tree becomes your animal plant companion. It is treated as a [size] plant creature with [stats to be determined].

These occured to me as I was reading the tree bond feat. Seems like the next logical step in making Dryads playable without ditching the chosen tree aspect and thus their point as a creature. Thought I'd stick it up and see if people thought it was interesting rather than stupid before trying to stat out tree familiar/companions.

[oslecamo]

On my side it's an interesting idea worth developing. I would even sugest ditching the druid part of the second one and instead making your tree count as a plant-monster-class cohort 2 levels behind.

[Concerned Ninja Citizen]

On my side it's an interesting idea worth developing. I would even sugest ditching the druid part of the second one and instead making your tree count as a plant-monster-class cohort 2 levels behind.

I was considering the cohort thing as a third feat. I was going to have it along the lines of Dragon Cohort but making it just like ordinary leadership and using plant monster classes is a much better idea. It might be good to keep the animal companion version as well just to have more options.

[littha]

There should definitely be something to do with the Livewood trees of Eberron, they are one of only two trees in D&D that dryads are bonded to (Outside of homebrew) and they have special properties. Your Bonsai seems to be along the same lines though Livewood is stronger.

Something along the lines of:

Livewood Dryad
Your bonded tree is a Livewood Tree, magical wood that does not die even when cut down.
Prerequisites: Tree Bond Feat (Bonsai)
Benefit: You are Medium Size, additionally you may choose a single wooden item (or mostly wooden item like a spear) for your tree's form. Even if the item is destroyed you take no penalty unless it was burned to dust or disintegrated. A sundered livewood item can reform itself into a whole by holding the pieces together and waiting 1 round.

[Concerned Ninja Citizen]

There should definitely be something to do with the Livewood trees of Eberron, they are one of only two trees in D&D that dryads are bonded to (Outside of homebrew) and they have special properties. Your Bonsai seems to be along the same lines though Livewood is stronger.

Something along the lines of:

Livewood Dryad
Your bonded tree is a Livewood Tree, magical wood that does not die even when cut down.
Prerequisites: Tree Bond Feat (Bonsai)
Benefit: You are Medium Size, additionally you may choose a single wooden item (or mostly wooden item like a spear) for your tree's form. Even if the item is destroyed you take no penalty unless it was burned to dust or disintegrated. A sundered livewood item can reform itself into a whole by holding the pieces together and waiting 1 round.

That looks great. I might remove the reference to bonsai and just make it an addition to the Tree Bond feat (that is, it expands the feat by giving you the ability to bond with a livewood tree which lets you have your living item.)