Beyond the Tree (Article)

:This was originally published in Dragon Magazine #251
:: by Miranda Horner
__TOC__
﻿Throughout the ages of Ansalon, people have spoken of alluring beings who live inside ancient oak trees. These spirits, called dryads, possess delicate features reminiscent of an elf's, and they have been known to lure travelers away from their journeys for a time. Those who seek to harm an oak often tell of being led away from the tree by these exquisite spirits. Some have become tangled amid the brush surrounding the tree and rendered unconscious by protective dryads. The teller of the latter tale usually wakes up miles away, his belongings dropped several hundred yards apart on a path, leading him farther from the tree.
Ansalonian scholars calculate that if all tales of dryads are true, several hundred of the spirits must live within the Qualinesti Forest alone. To account for the high numbers of dryad sightings, some scholars theorize that dryads migrate every year or just travel away from their trees for a while. However, elf scholars lucky enough to have observed a tree sprite for a time know that dryads can never leave their home grove, or even their chosen tree. To do so would cause the dryad to wither away within hours. Finally, scholars must simply discount some of the tales to mark the true numbers of dryads in Ansalon. By making adjustments for mistaken identity (such as the pranks of mischievous Kagonesti), tall tales, and outright lies, sages believe that one in every fifty or so healthy, ancient oak groves supports an exquisite dryad to protect it.
Of course, that was before the Dragon Purge. Some time around 30 S.C., new tales began to surface that countered much of the accepted information on tree spirits. The Herald tells a story of a lonely dryad traveling from what used to be Balifor, looking for a way to restore the natural terrain to what was once her grove and is now part of the dragon Malystryx's Desolation. By all rights, the dryad should have died when her tree was "shaped" out of existence by the dragon overlord's ability to change the terrain she controls, but the Herald tells of how the dryad's soul, shared with the tree that was her home, was pared in half instead of released unto death.
Other stories speak of dryads who leave their home trees to fulfill a strange quest that ultimately helps restore the balance of nature in some fashion. They seem driven by instinct to set up protections around their tree and grove before leaving.
Some speculate that when the Great Dragons shaped the terrain in Kender—more, Balifor, Southern Ergoth, and other places, many dryads died with their trees. However, the tinker gnome theory that, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction seems to hold true in this instance. Scholars believe that the reaction not only allowed some "shaped" dryads to survive but also caused new ones to be formed for "questing" purposes.
==The Birth of a Dryad==
When an oak tree ages into the latter half of its first century, its lifeforce sometimes grows strong enough not only to provide seeds for future generations of oak trees but also to produce a symbiotic entity. At the same time seeds spring away from the oak tree's limbs, a small life forms deep within the heart of the gnarled oak. As the tree's seeds sprout into life, so does the awareness of the newly-created dryad at the center of the tree. By the time the first true leaves form on the oak seedlings, a dryad, an extension of the spirit of the oak tree, has stepped out of her tree. As an extension of her tree, a dryad feels a duality in her life: She is part of the tree that birthed her, but she also has enough individuality to form her own judgments.
Before the shaping of the land by the Great Dragons, the event that caused an oak tree to produce a dryad often included some form of threat to the tree (such as nearby fires, destruction of nearby timberland by intelligent life forms, and so on) or the loss of an intelligent life form within range of the deep roots of the oak tree. In the case of the former, the dryad tended to be mischievous, often ready to defend her tree from the moment she stepped from it. The latter events often led toward a more thoughtful dryad who preferred to "persuade" those who threaten into forgetting their actions. After the dragon overlords began to change their land, those few dryads in "shaped" areas often became more militant and practical. These "remnants" of their trees often appear morose or driven to an observer, but they house great intelligence enough to realize that attacking a Great Dragon outright is not the way to return their land to its former state.
==Leaving a Tree==
Those dryads who survived the transformation of the land by the Great Dragons have no tree left to protect. In fact, the changing of the land changed them as well, or they wouldn't have survived their tree's death. Frequently, the type of dragon that controls the terrain affects what type of abilities and disadvantages a shaped dryad possesses. (To see how a shaped dryad differs from a "quested" dryad, see the sidebar.) Even though shaped dryads no longer have a real tree, they constantly feel its death cry surging through their blood, reminding them of their efforts to restore nature to its balance.
Dryads born with a "quest" possess the advantages and weaknesses of a "traditional" dryad (see sidebar) with one additional note: They can leave their tree if they take a few precautions beforehand. In addition, their appearances change with the season. In the spring and summer, they possess green hair and deeply tanned skin. In the fall, their hair and skin changes to reflect the oranges and reds of their trees. Once winter has come in full force, the dryads" appearances become starkly white, enabling them to blend in with the snow.
As a quested dryad leaves her tree for the first time, she takes with her an instinctive knowledge of wood magic. With her first steps, she touches all of the foliage in an area, strengthening and shaping them to help hide her tree. Then, she causes all of the vegetation in the area to grow tangled and thorny, making it difficult for anything large to approach her tree. To make an even more effective barrier, she chooses plants that repel wood-boring insects. Finally, she spends a few weeks searching for several natural predators and enticing them to the area around her newly strengthened grove. Once that is done, she moves onto the next stage: imbuing her tree with magical protections.
To be able to come back to the tree in case of danger, the dryad must supply it with some extra magical energy via a separation ritual of sorts. (If using SAGA® rules, the dryad uses her link to the tree to supply it with 10 permanent sorcery spell points of her own, allowing the tree to summon her if she steps into a tree near her. If using AD&D® rules, the concentration allows her fully to grasp her aptitude to use her dimension door ability.) By meditating within her tree, not only does she learn of all the events that occurred within the radius of its roots, but she also leaves a little of her magical energy behind in case something threatens the tree. After understanding the complete entity the oak tree represents, she knows her responsibility to it and can leave it without dying. The tree, should something attack it after she leaves, can call to her over the miles, telling her the nature of the threat. If the dryad doesn't answer her tree's call by stepping into a nearby tree and transporting to it, she dies within a few hours. Fortunately, due to the nature of her quest and the powers given to her by her tree, once the dryad takes care of the threat, she can return to the same spot that she left. (Unfortunately for her, the dryad must face this threat alone.) The power to return to her tree like this works only when the tree faces certain danger.
Once she fulfills the instinctive call to protect her tree, the dryad's understanding of her quest comes clear to her in a vision.
==Quested Dryads==
A "quested" dryad is born with the knowledge that she must leave her tree within the space of a few weeks after stepping out from it. Once she has prepared her tree for her absence, she falls into a deep sleep inside her tree for a full day. During that time, she dreams about traveling from root system to root system of all manner of plants. As she travels, she slowly realizes that she is being led toward an area that "shouldn't be." After she learns the nature of that area, a dragon overlord's domain, she is led to another, and another, until she knows that her duty lies in finding a way to restore these "unnatural" areas to their natural state. As she slowly leaves her state of deep sleep, she decides upon some immediate, short-range goal that she can achieve. Usually, her wandering mind finds an intelligent being of good intentions who needs help that she can give. Once she wakes up, she bids her tree farewell and begins her quest.
==Wood and Fifth Age Magic==
Not only does a quested dryad gain the ability to leave her tree, but she also has knowledge that most sorcerers and mystics of the Fifth Age find intriguing: Dryads can use sorcery and mysticism on wood with no penalties. Of course, they must still use sorcery on nonliving wood and mysticism on living wood, but they suffer no penalties when using wood as a medium for spells.
Shaped dryads also suffer no penalties when using wood as a medium for spells, with one addendum: They must use their special school or sphere of magic to gain this benefit. Any time a shaped dryad attempts to work magic on wood, she must use the school or sphere of magic that she gained when she was shaped. If she doesn't, then all of the normal penalties described in Heroes of Sorcery apply. Of course, a shaped dryad from Malys's Desolation must use pyromancy (or fire) against nonliving wood-a thought that often causes even more sadness or anger in the dryad.
==Quest Guidelines==
In terms of game play, the Narrator can easily come up with an immediate mini-quest to get a dryad hero into the midst of the group of heroes, but he should also help the player of the dryad hero create an overarching quest that meshes with the goals of the other heroes. The Narrator should do this before he introduces the dryad hero to the rest of the party.
Here are some suggestions to help both the Narrator and player flesh out a quest:
* Although the overall focus should be to restore a dragon realm to a natural state, the dryad is not bound to a certain plan of action regarding this goal. In fact, she can feel impelled to restore Gellidus's realm back to normal, but then leave the area to go to the Dragon Isles or some other far-away locale if it serves her quest's best interest to do so. (Those who wish to use dryads in an AD&D campaign should choose a quest that would allow the dryad to be involved in the game for as long as the player wishes. For example, destroying an evil lich-king who has been twisting the realm into a place where undead can roam freely and trees warp into evil treants would be a good example of a fairly long-term quest.)
* The Narrator should continue to help the player tie the quest into the current campaign after the initial introduction. For example, if the rest of the party must go to Sanction to deliver an important package, then the Narrator should also try to add some short-term element to the story that would lead the dryad to the same area. Perhaps the dryad hears a rumor that tells her the location of a lost magical item that helps a person resist the effects of cold, allowing her to venture into the realm of Gellidus, the white dragon, without ill effects.
* The quest should be the guiding factor of the dryad's life, but it should not force her into overwhelmingly bad situations. Although she faces a truly large undertaking in bringing a dragon realm down, the dryad should never find herself being forced into a situation where she must lose her life. As such, the Narrator should plan the campaign to challenge her, not kill her. Strong challenges help the dryad hero grow into her future role.
* Allow for minor victories. Even as the heroes around her find satisfaction in achieving some minor goals, so should the dryad. Krynn has more "unnatural" or "unbalanced" areas than just the shaped dragon realms. For example, an undead being that a party of heroes might encounter would truly unsettle a dryad and cause her much joy if she and her hero companions destroy it. Also, the party can obliterate a Chaos Mark that has warped the area around it.
==Shaped Dryads==
After a dryad's tree has been torn from her by a dragon overlord (or twisted away from it, in the case of those dryads from the realm distorted by Beryl the Green's efforts to make the forest her very own), a dryad finds herself with an aching, empty feeling. The mainstay of the dryad's life, her tree, has been ripped from her. The process that took her tree away from her, though, essentially cauterized the wound before the wood spirit's life could also flow away and changed her essential form into one able to handle a specific school or sphere. Now, bereft of her tree, the shaped dryad wanders the lands of Ansalon, looking for a way to restore the area her grove once occupied to its former glory.
The shaped dryad has a quest much as the quested dryad does: She wants to restore her home to what it had once been. However, unlike the quested dryads (or shaped dryads from Beryl's lands), a shaped dryad immediately dies once her land has been restored.
Because they suffered through the Great Dragons' efforts to shape the land, shaped dryads take on an appearance that differs slightly from their "normal" quested compatriots. Dryads from the twisted trees of Beryl the Green's realm not only find that their link to their tree is broken, but they them selves retain the bright green hair and eyes and tanned skin that usually marks the seasons of spring and summer through all of the seasons to come. Those dryads from Gellidus the White's realm have white hair and white skin with eyes of deep, frigid blue. Because Khellendros the Blue shaped part of his realms into sandy deserts, dryads from this area possess sandy blond hair and skin, with eyes of molten gold. Dryads shaped by Red Malys's realm have fiery red hair and eyes with glowing orange skin reminiscent of metal cooling down from a white-heat color. Finally, those dryads from Sable the Black's realm are dark in hue, with muddy brown hair and skin and mossy green eyes.
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==Dryad PCs for the AD&D Game==
The following description replaces the information on dryads listed in the MONSTROUS MANUAL tome.
Ability 	Min/Max
Strength 	3/17
Dexterity 	6/18
Constitution	5/18
Intelligence	6/18
Wisdom 	5/18
Charisma 	8/18
Classes Allowed: Cleric, fighter, wizard, thief, ranger, fighter/mage, fighter/cleric, fighter/thief, fighter/mage/thief, mage/cleric, mage/thief
Initial Languages: Common, elf, pixies, sprites
Special Abilities: Quested dryads can cast charm person three times a day (only once per round). Targets suffer a -3 penalty to their saving throws. Fighters, can specialize in dagger and short bow only. They can speak with plants three times a day. Shaped dryads, if of the warrior class, can specialize in use of dagger and short bow only. Gains automatic access to certain schools or spheres and gains a resistance to certain effects, both based on realm of origin (Beryl's realm: Animal/poison; Gellidus's realm: Evocation/cold; Khellendros's realm: Evocation/heat; Malys's realm: Elemental: fire/fire; Sable's realm: Elemental: water/acid).
Special Limitations: Quested Dryads: If something threatens her home tree, she must answer its summons to defend it or choose to die within 6d6 hours. Shaped Dryads cannot use certain schools or spheres of magic and gains a weakness based on realm of origin (Beryl's realm: Necromancy/-5 penalty to saving throws vs. spells; Gellidus's realm: Elemental: fire/-5 penalty to saving throws vs. heat-based attacks; Khellendros's realm: Elemental: earth/-5 penalty to saving throws vs. cold-based attacks; Malys's realm: Elemental: water/-5 penalty to saving throws vs. cold-based attacks; Sable's realm: Elemental: air/-5 penalty to saving throws vs. poison).
==﻿Dryad Spells (AD&D game)==
===Shape Plant===
Level: 1
Sphere: Plant
Range: 0
Duration: Permanent
Area of Effect: 1 plant
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 minute
Saving Throw: None
By touching a chosen plant, a dryad can shape its growth pattern into several forms. The dryad can straighten a plant so that it grows tall and true, have it grow low to the ground so as to trip a foe, or make any thorns it possesses sharper and more painful (increasing its normal damage by +2 hp). When used before casting the spell fast growth, the dryad can make any wooded area defensible. This spell lasts until the plant is destroyed or until someone casts a successful dispel magic on it.
===Fast Growth===
Level: 1
Sphere: Plant
Range: 0
Duration: Permanent
Area of Effect: 1 plant
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 minute
Saving Throw: Special
Invocation: 1 minute
With nothing but a touch and a whisper of magic, a dryad can cause a plant to grow faster than normal. Fast growth can enhance growth in existing thorns to increase damage, grow a vine to greater lengths (up to ten feet), cause a tree to grow ten feet in an hour, or whatever the caster wishes (with the DM's approval). For example, if the dryad wishes to increase the damage potential in a plant, she can use it on a large bramble bush. If someone tries to move through the bush, he suffers 1d4 hp damage for every five feet of bramble. (If used with the shape plant spell, the brambles cause 1d4 + 2 hp damage.) Each time a dryad uses this spell, the plant resists (via saving throw vs. spell at the caster's level) for one simple reason: Fast growth causes the plant to use a lot of resources all at once. If the caster rolls a 20 on the saving throw, the plant dies. If the spell didn't succeed, then the dryad knows that the plant did not have enough resources to grow as she wanted.
===Endure Environment===
Level: 2
Sphere: Protection
Range: Touch
Duration: 1 turn/level (one hour max.)
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 5
Saving Throw: None
Those dryads who were shaped by a dragon overlord's actions can automatically endure the environment that they were "shaped" in. However, their traveling companions often succumb to the extreme heat, cold, or other conditions that prevail in a dragon overlord's realm. Whenever a shaped dryad accompanies another through her home "shaped" terrain, she can "toughen" her companion for a time by using the spell endure environment. This spell negates any harm that a hero might come to while traveling through an overlord's terrain for as long as the duration lasts. However, it does not prevent harm caused by extreme heat or cold (such as burning oil or a magical blast of ice).
==Dryad Magical Items (AD&D)==
===Spear of Entanglement===
(Quested Dryads)
Made from living wood, the spear of entanglement not only causes normal spear damage when it successfully hits an opponent, but it also wraps him up in thorny vines, which grow profusely and quickly from the wood of the spear. Immediately upon hitting the foe, the spear causes an additional 1d6 hp damage. Furthermore, for every round that the foe remains entangled in the spear, it continues to inflict 1d6 hp damage. In order to break free of the vines, though, the foe must make a successful Strength check against the magical vines. Once the spear entangles a foe, it cannot be wielded against another without first calling back the vines.
Since the wood of the spear is still living, the bearer must stand the staff in water for at least three hours every day or the wood dies and loses its enchantment.
Vines: AC 4; MV 8; HD 3; THAC0 7, #AT 1; Dmg 1d6; SZ M (6' long); ML fanatic (18); Int semi-(4); AL N; XP 65.
XP Value: 2,500 GP Value: 5,000
===Scroll of Blending Leaves===
(Quested and Shaped Dryads)
Although quested dryads can camouflage themselves in their native forests, ﻿ sometimes they need a little extra help amidst nonforested locales. By creating a scroll of blending leaves (the "scroll" consists of a large oak leaf with plant dyes to make symbols), a dryad can hide in any situation with different colors or textures. Essentially, the user of this scroll becomes invisible 10 yards or farther away. Should someone come closer, the dryad must make a successful Wisdom check (the spell camouflages the dryad as if she has a Wisdom of 16). Of course, if she moves, the observer will notice her. For quested dryads from Khellendros's, Malys's, or Gellidus's realms, this scroll helps them camouflage themselves in the forest (same effects as detailed above).
XP Value: 800 GP Value: 1,500
===Wooden Ring of Calm===
(Quested Dryads)
Sometimes a dryad finds herself in a situation where she cannot persuade her foes into taking her course of action. At such a time, the dryad can call upon her wooden ring of calm to help soothe her foes into a more amenable mood. The ring affects a group of individuals as the friends spell. Once the effect begins, the subjects lose all hostility toward the wearer, often allowing the dryad to persuade them into normal, nondestructive actions. Of course, the moment the dryad acts in a hostile manner or attempts to make the subjects perform some self-destructive act, the effect
ends.
XP Value: 2,000 GP Value: 5,000
===Powder of Mossy Growth===
(Quested and Shaped Dryads)
Powder of mossy growth causes moss to grow on any surface. One application covers ten square feet or one average-sized humanoid and grows into fullness in about five minutes. Dryads can use this powder to cover their tracks, hide small objects in a natural setting, or fool observers into thinking an object has been in a certain place for a long time. If used on humanoids, this powder causes moss to grow on the top layer of skin (even spreading under clothing). While on a person, the moss causes itching, attracts other growths (such as fungus), and makes the subject unrecognizable at first glance. To get rid of the moss, a subject must sit near a blazing fire for a full week to dry out the moss. Even then, the subject's hair falls out (due to its mossy growth), and his skin looks patchy for several weeks. (The character loses 3 points of Charisma for three weeks unless someone magically heals him.) Since this powder causes no ill effect to dryads, shaped dryads often use it to camouflage themselves in forested settings.
XP Value: 600 GP Value: 1,100
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==Magical Trinkets for Dryads (SAGA)==
By using the rules in Heroes of Sorcery or in the Player's Handbook, players can create the following magical items for their dryad heroes. Since all of these magical items are made from trees, dryads can lessen their spell point cost by ten points (or research time by four weeks if AD&D rules are used) by making the item from their tree.
===Spear of Entanglement===
(Quested Dryads)
Made from living wood, the spear of entanglement not only causes normal spear damage when it successfully hits an opponent, but it also wraps him in thomy vines, which grow profusely and quickly from the wood of the spear. Immediately upon hitting the foe, the spear causes an additional +3 damage points. Furthermore, for every minute the spear keeps a foe entangled it inflicts 3 points of damage. To break free of the vines the foe must make an average Strength (Endurance) action against the magical vines.
Since the wood of this staff consists of living wood, the bearer must stand the staff in water for at least three hours every day or the wood dies and loses its enchantment.
Vines: Magical plant. Co 4, Ph 15, In 2, Es 9, Dmg +3, Def-3.
===Scroll of Blending Leaves===
(Quested and Shaped Dryads)
Although quested dryads can camouflage themselves in their native forests, sometimes they need a little extra help in nonforested locales. By creating a scroll of blending leaves (the "scroll" consists of a large oak leaf with plant dyes to make symbols), a dryad can hide in any situation with different colors or textures. Essentially, the user of this scroll becomes invisible at near missile range or farther away. Should someone come closer, the dryad must make a successful average Reason (Perception) action to remain unnoticed. Of course, if she moves, the observer will notice her. For quested dryads from Khellendros's, Malys's, or Gellidus's realms, this scroll helps them camouflage themselves in the forest (same effects as detailed above).
﻿
===Wooden Ring of Calm===
(Quested Dryads)
Sometimes a dryad finds herself in a volatile situation where she cannot easily persuade her foes into taking her course of action. At such a time, the dryad can call upon her wooden ring of calm to help soothe her foes. The ring can affect a group of individuals totalling no more than 60 points of Spirit between them. The wearer must make an unopposed easy Spirit action for it to work. Once the effect begins, the subjects lose all hostility toward the wearer, often allowing the dryad to work normal persuasion attempts on them unopposed. Of course, the moment the dryad acts in a hostile manner or attempts to make the subjects perform some self-destructive act, the effect ends.
===﻿Powder of Mossy Growth===
(Quested and Shaped Dryads)
Created from powdered moss and other plant ingredients, powder of mossy growth causes moss to grow on any surface. One application covers ten square feet or one average-sized humanoid and grows into fullness in about five minutes. Dryads can use this powder to cover their tracks, hide small objects in a natural setting, or fool observers into thinking that an object has been in a certain place for a long time. If used on humanoids, this powder causes moss to grow on the top layer of skin (even spreading under clothing). While on a person, the moss causes itching, attracts other growths (such as fungus), and makes the subject unrecognizable at first glance. To get rid of the moss, a subject must sit near a blazing fire for a full week to dry out the moss. Even then, the subject's hair falls out (due to its mossy growth), and his skin looks patchy for several weeks (all Presence actions become one degree more difficult for three weeks unless mystical healing is performed). Since this powder causes no ill effect to dryads, shaped dryads often use it to camouflage themselves in forested settings.
==Dryad Spells (SAGA)==
With their affinity for nature, dryads walk from their tree (or from where their tree used to be) with several basic spells at their command. The details of the most common of these spells lie below.
===Shape Plant===
Sphere: Animism
Invocation: 1 minute
Range: Personal
Duration: Instant Area: Individual
Effect: Varies
Difficulty/Cost: 8+ (see below)
By touching a chosen plant, a dryad can shape its growth pattern into several forms. For example, if the dryad simply wishes to straighten a plant so that it grows tall and true, then she must expend 8 spell points (8 difficulty). If she wishes to have it grow low to the ground so as to trip a foe, she must spend 9 spell points (9 difficulty). If the dryad wants to make any thorns it possesses sharper and more painful, then she must expend 10 or more spell points (with an equal difficulty). When used before casting the spell fast growth, the dryad can make any wooded area defensible.
===Fast Growth===
Sphere: Animism
Invocation: 1 minute
Range: Personal
Duration: Instant
Area: Individual
Effect: Varies
Difficulty/Cost: 8+ (resisted)
With nothing but a touch and a whisper of magic, a dryad can cause a plant to grow faster than normal. The difficulty and cost of the spell increase based on how much girth, height, or length the dryad wishes the plant to gain in a minute. If used to enhance growth in existing thorns, then the dryad must decide whether she wishes to make the bite of the thorns into a foe's skin anywhere from irritating (8 difficulty/cost) to painful (13 difficult/cost). Should the dryad simply wish to see a vine grow to greater lengths, then the spell point cost begins at 8 spell points (8 difficulty) for one extra foot of growth to 13 spell points (13 difficulty) for 5 extra feet of growth with each casting. Each time a dryad uses this spell, the plant resists for one simple reason: Fast growth causes the plant to use a lot of resources all at once, and if a mishap occurs during the spellcasting action, the plant dies. To determine the plant's resistance, the Narrator should flip a Fate card and add the number to the spell's difficulty. If the spell didn't succeed, then the dryad knows that the plant did not have enough resources to grow as she wanted.
===Endure Environment===
Sphere: Mentalism or Channeling
Invocation: 1 minute
Range: Personal
Duration: 1 hour
Area: Individual
Effect: Irritating Difficulty/Cost: 12
Dryads who were shaped by a dragon overlord can automatically endure the environment that in which they were "shaped." However, their traveling companions often succumb to extreme heat, cold, or other conditions. Whenever a shaped dryad accompanies another through her home "shaped" terrain, she can support her companion for one hour by using the spell endure environment. This spell negates any harm that a hero might come to during an hour's travel through an overlord's terrain. (Narrators can call for Endurance actions or may use the optional actions described in Wings of Fury.)
==Dryads as Heroes (SAGA)==
The following description takes the place of the description listed for dryad characters in the Book of the Fifth Age in the DRAGONLANCE: FIFTH AGE® Dramatic Adventure Game box.
Ability Scores
: Ag 7 minimum
: En 7 maximum
: St 6 maximum
: Pr 6 minimum
Ability Codes
: Dx "C" maximum
: En "B" maximum
: Re "B" minimum
: Sp "B" minimum
Other Requirements
: Quested dryad: none
: Shaped dryad: Sp7 maximum
===Advantages===
Quested subrace: Trump bonus for persuasion actions using Presence or for using sphere of animism to commune with plants. No penalties when using wood as a medium while casting spells.
Shaped subrace: Gains an automatic special sphere or school (which counts toward the total spheres or schools allowed by an ability code) and a resistance to certain effects, both based on realm of origin (Beryl's realm: animism/ poison; Gellidus's realm: cryomancy/ cold; Khellendros's realm electromancy/ heat; Malys's realm: pyromancy/fire; Sable's realm: hydromancy/acid). No penalties when using wood and their special sphere or school while casting.
===Disadvantages===
Quested subrace: No trump bonus for actions relating to harming plants or animals or when using any weapon but a dagger or self bow. If the tree is in danger, the tree summons the dryad to defend it. If the dryad does not answer the call, she will die within hours of being summoned. (Narrators should flip a card to determine the number of hours before death.) No trump bonus when using geomancy.
Shaped subrace: No trump bonus for actions relating to harming plants or animals or when using any weapon but a dagger or self bow. No trump bonus when using certain schools or spheres based on realm of origin (Beryl's realm: necromancy; Gellidus's realm: pyromancy; Khellendros's realm: geomancy; Malys's realm: hydromancy; Sable's realm: aeromancy). Gains a weakness (adds one degree of difficulty to the action) to certain effects based on realm of origin (Beryl's realm: drain attacks; Gellidus's realm: heat; Khellendros's realm: cold; Malys's realm: cold; Sable's realm: poison).
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==After the Quest==
Once a quested or shaped dryad achieves her goal, she can return to her tree (or the spot where her tree once stood) or visit the Citadel of Light for training in mystical magic, which some dryads who lived on Schallsea have already done. (See Citadel of Light for details on these dryads and the process of learning mysticism at the Citadel.)
﻿
Once the quested dryad returns to her tree, she remains with her tree for the rest of the tree's life, defending it and the area around it. Because of her former adventuring life, this type of dryad often proves to be even more effective at defending nature in her area than a traditional dryad does. A shaped dryad, on the other hand, returns to the spot that her tree once stood and joins it again, either in death or in restored life. The player must work with the Narrator to figure out which way the dryad's life will end. If the player wishes the hero to go on one final quest, she can search out an oak tree that is producing seeds and take several seeds to the spot where her tree once stood and plant them in the area. Once the seed on the spot of the dryad's tree germinates, the dryad becomes attached to it. If the player wishes, though, the dryad can simply return to the spot of her former tree and take root, forming a middle-sized oak tree from her own body. As time passes, this tree will form seeds and drop them, causing a young grove to develop around it over the next several years. Perhaps one day, another dryad will step from a tree in this grove and grow to defend it!
:Miranda Horner uses her red pen of distinction to edit various game supplements for the DRAGONLANCE® Saga.
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