Half Dryads

General Information

Technically, all dryads are half-dryads. Dryads are tangible tree spirits who breed with humans and elves. The children of these unions are always female. These "half-dryads" are no different from their mother; in essence all dryads are the same. As the young dryads mature, their forest-heritage take dominance, removing all traces of the dryad's father's bloodline. What distinguishes a "dryad" from a "half dryad" is where in this cycle the forest-nature of the dryad stopped gaining ascendancy.

After the birth of a dryad, the child remains with her mother for the next 12 years, dwelling within her mother's oak tree. Like her mother, the child's soul is bound to her oak-home, although not as tightly as that of her mother, for each tree can truly support only one soul. Shortly after the dryad's birth, the mother-dryad harvests an acorn from her own tree, planting it somewhere removed from her own oak-home. During the intervening 12 years, the child-dryad and mother-dryad look after this sapling, protecting it from harm and making sure it grows to be sturdy and strong. After 12 turns of the seasons, the young dryad transfers her life essence from her mother's oak into the young sapling. This young oak tree supplies the dryad with her mystical bond to the forest and completes the transformation from half-dryad to dryad. From this moment forward, the young dryad is forever bound to her oak-home; the cycle of life is complete and a new dryad has joined the forest community.

Half dryads occur when this cycle is interrupted. Although very rare, a few times each generation the daughter-dryad does not have the opportunity to find a home in the forest. Most often, the child-dryad's tree dies, a victim to fire, accident, logging, etc. Provided that the child has not yet reached the age of 25 (maturity), she may remain with her mother in order to grow another oak-home. If a child-dryad has not bound her soul to a virgin oak tree before the age of 25 seasons, however, she never will and must enter the world as a half-dryad. Such is also the case if a child-dryad's mother dies before the child's tree can grow to maturity. Usually if the mother-dryad dies, her oak tree and her child soon follow, although the healing magics of powerful druids can save the girl. In cases of orphaned dryads, other forest dwellers will care for the "lost" dryad, helping her to survive and make contact with sympathetic human and elven communities. Druids and rangers are the most common guardians of such waifs, teaching them the ways of human/elven life. It is these "treeless" dryads whom we know as half dryads.

Since the transformation process was interrupted, half dryads retain some tell-tale indications of their father's bloodline. In the case of humans, half dryads most closely resemble half elves, although they lack the pointed ears and usual eyes. In the case of elves, this will usually be pointed ears, almond-shaped eyes, shorter stature, a more lithe build, etc. But a half dryad's forest heritage is also very strong. All half dryads tend to be tall and graceful beauties. Their eyes run the gamut from brown, hazel, and green (most common), to blue (rare). The hair of a half dryad matches the season around her: green in spring, fading slowly and subtly to blonde in the heat of summer, burnishing to gold, red, and then brown in fall, and finally turning white with the deep snows of winter. In any case, these transitions vary from individual to individual and are closely tied with the local climate; dryads in very temperate regions have green hair the longest and may never "go white" in the winter.

Half-dryads have a strong and close association with nature. They have the ability to converse with plants (as per the spell, although the plant is unable to perform any action which it could not normally -- not entangling or attacking people!) and usually speak dryad as fluently as common. Many also learn satyr (really just a dialect of dryad), pixie, sprite, brownie, centaur, sylph, and other sylvan tongues. Because of her forest-nature, half dryads are resistant to the charming effects of forest-dwellers, such as satyrs and korred. As a dryad gains experience, some aspects of her mother's magical heritage will come to the fore. Like a druid, moderately experienced half dryads (3rd lvl) can pass through thickets and underbrush at full speed without leaving a trail. Particularly powerful half dryads (7th lvl) can even transport themselves through woodlands as druids employing the spell plant door do. And although slim or build, a half dryad retains her inherent tree-like sturdiness, granting her a slightly better than average resistance to harm.

A half dryad's bond with nature, however, does not come without a price. Half dryads avoid that which is unnatural and does not normally occur within their forest home. Accordingly, half dryads avoid sea-travel, large cities, deserts, blacksmiths, and the like. They also are uncomfortable around and have a slight allergy to large quantities of metal. While a half dryad may use a sword and perhaps a shield, she will not encase herself in steel. Accordingly, half dryads do not wear metal armor, although the particularly flexibly nature of elven or magical chain can sometimes be tolerated.

Psychologically, half dryads have a very similar outlook to druids and rangers; the forest is not just beautiful, it is also a relative! Half dryads are most comfortable in nature and will use all the powers at their disposal to protect the beauty of the woodlands. Half dryads tend to be happy, mirthful, and whimsical. They are not given to excessive drinking or gambling, although they usually do not understand human mores with regard to sexual contact and nudity. Half dryads enjoy singing and dancing. They are drawn to music and sometimes art of a more natural bend. Because of their upbringing, half dryads often appear naive and innocent to the ways of the world.

Note: it is true that dryads also breed with satyrs. The products of such unions are equally likely to be male or female. Male children usually dwell with their mother for a few years (until they're old and strong enough to run and scamper) at which point they're turned over to their fathers (and his band) to raise. There are rumors of other races having children with dryads, but all such unions are rare and generally conform to the same pattern as dryad-human unions.

Game Statistics

Half dryad character classes and life spans:

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