Originating in Greek mythology, the dryads are tree spirits. In original myths, they’re often depicted completely human in appearance. My own spin was to consider different ways dryads could vary in appearance, leading to the idea that all dryads draw upon their own territory.
The ability to create unique, distinct dryads can allow GMs to flex their creative muscle, to engage their players in world building and offer visually striking NPCs with few limitations on what they can look like. With a near limitless amount of combinations, GMs just need to know what plants live in the dryad’s territory and they can go wild.
In the game itself, dryads serve as helpful NPCs for fey friendly characters, but can also serve as bulwarks and obstacles for fey hostile characters. Dryads can become corrupted, forcing players to contend with an NPC that was once an ally.
Established dryads can also become hamadryads, allowing long cultivated friendships or hostilities to blossom into interesting dynamics as the once meek dryad is suddenly endowed with greater awareness, power and a more distinct personality. Perhaps a once helpful dryad develops a more capricious side, suddenly aware that the player characters were exploiting their naive nature. Or they become confused from the sudden flood of new emotions and insights, causing them to retreat from the world. The possibilities for growth and character development are vast and varied!
Artwork by @tomis-safezone
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