Editing Hamadryad (section)

==Feywild Hamadryad==
[[File:Hamadryad 4e.jpg|thumb|300px|A [[Feywild]] hamadryad using her Wooden Form to get out of a jam.]]
4th edition, however, gave them something of a makeover, relating to the makeover it gave to Dryads. First and foremost, 4e Hamadryads are a ''playable race'', detailed in "Heroes of the [[Feywild]]". The 4e Hamadryad ties into the 4e lore for dryads, which is that they were originally Autumn Nymphs ([[nymph]]s, in this edition, being the children of the [[fey]] embodiments of the seasons and the [[fey]] embodiments of the four winds) who gave up their old carefree nature to become ferocious defenders of the forest. The hamadryad is an intermediary state between nymph and dryad, descending from those who didn't go to the full extremes of their dryad cousins. This makes them, essentially, a weaker, more human-like, and thus playable form of dryad. Although still linked to a tree by default, it's not impossible for a 4e hamadryad to survive its death, and even without this violent sundering, they can still adventure far with tokens from their tree as a tangible link to its essence.

Incidentally, hamadryads in 4e don't necessarily have to be female. Although "Female Only" is given as a racial trait, just like [[satyr]]s receive "Male Only", a sidebar notes that D&D is flexible and gender is cosmetic, so a DM who wants there to be male hamadryads or female satyrs is perfectly legitimate. Despite this, no DM has ever done so, since the casual presence of unmistakably male hamadryads would probably result in even louder cries of "[[Magical Realm]]!" than they'd get if male hamadryads were [[trap]]s.

::Ability Scores: +2 Wisdom, +2 Intelligence OR +2 Charisma
::Size: Medium
::Speed: 6 squares (30 feet)
::Vision: Low-Light
::Skill Bonuses: +2 Diplomacy, +2 Nature
::Fey Origin
::Forest Walk: ignore difficult terrain based on forest growth
::Oaken Vitality: +5 racial bonus to Endurance checks to resist starvation, thirst or suffocation, go twice as long before needing to make such checks, trance as per an elf
::Tree Mind: +2 racial bonus to saves vs. daze, dominate and stun effect
::Racial Power - Hamadryd Aspects: As a minor action, activate either Spellbinding Beauty (all enemies that can see you will grant you combat advantage until the end of your next turn) or Wooden Form (Resist 5/10/15 to all damage until the end of your next turn).

{{D&D4e-Races}}