Here's what the new Rule Book will say about dryads (subject to editing):
Dryads are a new race to the world of Fortannis, but they state that they have always been there, but have been asleep until just recently. As such, their societies and cultures are being developed day by day.
Dryads may in fact be extremely long lived, but it will take decades and centuries to truly know, though some sages are already guessing they may age like the trees from which they evolved.
Dryads are very sensitive to necromancy, and much like the barbarian distrust of celestial magic, it enrages dryads. However, they cannot feel the necromancy through a connection with the land as ogres.
Dryads are unaware of their own oddity and will take no offence to staring, often thinking it some sort of game. They are child-like in their happy demeanor, with a tendency to be mischievous. They loving playing innocent pranks and tricks on those around them so long as no one is harmed. The only time they lose the childlike demeanor is in the presence of necromancy or at the mention of chaos magics. It is at this that they can become unruly, unpredictable and somewhat dangerous.
They have no recognizable social groups, families or castes, or even culture per se, but treat each other as brothers and sisters. They tend to avoid confrontation with those of their own race, preferring to “agree to disagree” in strained situations.
Dryads will often claim an area to be the “First Forest” and they protect it as if this is fact. It is their belief that one of their kind will find it, and since none of them can be sure, they all treat “their” forest as the true “First Forest.”
All dryads hate the wanton destruction of their lands, but do not see a problem with the use of fallen and dead plants for housing, and growing plants for food. They believe it is their duty and calling to protect their land against the forces of chaos, which would destroy it.
There are four different types of dryads. They all share the same racial skills, but there are some slight variations on appearance. They are based on the type of area from which they came. Barkskins are tree-like and come from the deep forest. Spores have fungus-like traits and come from damp dark areas. Thorns are from flowery meadows. Reeds are from watery and swampy lands. Often they will have this as part of their traveling name (for example: Safad Thornyfist, Shaah Barkskin or Braedel Reed).
It is important to emphasize that dryads are not plant scavengers. You cannot be an “oak dryad” or a “sunflower dryad.”
Dryads are extremely uncomfortable around metal and will not use metal weapons or wear metal armor, but it basically comes down to the quantity of the metal and placement. A few little gold coins in a pouch may feel only slightly uncomfortable, but a metal bracer wrapped around the forearm would feel extremely and distractingly uncomfortable.
It is not just the iron content of any particular metal that bothers the dryads. It’s the manipulation of the mineral through heating, melting and forging that throws off its “energy,” generating discord to any dryad who is near it. The level of discord becomes unmanageable when the quantity of metal is large enough to serve as armor.
To play a dryad, you must use makeup and costuming appropriate for the type of dryad you wish to be. All dryads must have flowers and/or leaves in their hair and/or wrapped around them in some way so as to make them immediately identifiable as dryads.
The makeup and costuming can change with the seasons; thus a barkskin dryad could be primarily gray in the winter, green in the spring and summer, and orange in the fall.
Due to their connection with the lands, dryads can purchase Herbal Lore at half price (rounded up) and Resist Binding. Because of their aversion to metal, they cannot have more than 2 points of armor in any one location.
