Wood Woad

Having disturbed the quiet of Ardeep forest we were ready for the fight of our lives as a forest guardian stepped out of a nearby tree; its glowing eyes assessing us. Weapons readied, we waited for the attack only for it to hesitate and ask "How... did Phalorm fall?". Needless to say we were surprised.

Keen to avoid conflict we obliged, speaking of the golbin hordes that had ravaged the lands many centuries ago. It was not until the creature fell to its knees and began to sob softly that it became apparent that we were not in danger... and that perhaps we had discovered something new after all.

Wood Woads are magical living plants given birth by a bloody, sacrificial ritual and imbued with a soul whose will and sentimentality is suppressed. These silent, pitiless, and immortal watchers of forest realms have unatural strength, a hard bark hide, and can traverse the woodland unseen; making an encounter with one trouble for adventurers.

Relic of a Previous Age

The method of creating wood woads is an ancient ritual remembered by few and practiced by fewer in current times. Most wood woads are created for a specific purpose, usually the defence of a particular location, a task for which they are perfect. Being entirely self-sufficient, given enough sunlight and nutrients from the soil, they often outlast the reason for which they were created. Those who do usually find new purpose serving other denizens of the forest such as treants or druids. Others, lost and forgotten, might begin to wander both in body and in mind.

A Mind in Discord

Regaining will and sentimentality is usually the result of the magic that binds these aspects failing for some reason. It can happen suddenly or be a gradual process. When it happens, the wood woad begins to recall memories it never experienced; memories of the soul imbued upon it.

This presents a dilemma: are they the creature that was created by the ritual, the one whose memories they are starting to recall, or both? Answering this question is usually what leads to a life of adventure for a wood woad, their future lies in exploring their past through the present.

Immortal and Eternal

The ritual that births the wood woad also renders them immortal. Much like a treant or dryad, a wood woad will live forever under the correct conditions. Setting the wood woad apart are the significant regenerative abilities they possess; many an adventurer has thought to have felled a wood woad only to return later to find them ready to fight once more. They are not invincible however, and due to their wooden constitution a wood woad can be permanently put to rest though the use of fire or complete destruction of the body.

Wood Woad Names

Seen as emotionless automatons, most wood woads are never given a name by their creator and often names that are given are lost to the fog of time. As a result, a name is usually chosen and most often it is inspired by where they find themselves or by some detail they latch onto from the memories they now recall. In some situations they may be able to recall the name of the soul inside them and decide to take up that name.

Wood Woad Traits

Your wood woad character has a variety of natural abilities, powered by the ancient magic and the soul that lies within you.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Charisma score is reduced by 2

Age. Birthed 3 days after the ritual completes, wood woads mature very quickly over a number of months, and can exist seemingly indefinitely unless destroyed.

Alignment. Wood Woads tend towards the lawful neutral alignment, but may adopt traits of the soul within them.

Size. Wood Woads usually stand between 6 to 7 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Natural Armor: Your thick bark can shrug off most blows. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Constitution modifier. You cannot wear armor unless it is specifically made for you. A shield’s benefits apply as normal.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Living Plant. You are vulnerable to fire damage and count as a plant creature. Additionally, you may use an action to expend 1 hit die to grow a magical wooden club or shield in a free hand that persists for 1 hour and cannot be removed from the hand that grows it. After 1 hour, or once dismissed as a bonus action, the growth falls away and rapidly withers.

Photosynthesis. Intead of eating or sleeping: during a long rest you spend 4 hours taking root to absorb daylight, plus water and nutrients from the earth. During this process, you are fully conscious but your movement speed is reduced to 0 feet, and you may uproot yourself as an action to interrupt the process.

Plant Camouflage. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in terrain with ample obscuring plant life.

Eternal Guardian. Whilst you are below half your hit point maximum and not at 0 hit points, you regain 1 hit point per turn. Whilst at 0 hit points, you stablize at the start of your turn. Taking fire damage prevents this trait from functioning during your next turn, and if reduced to 0 hit points this way this trait does not function again until you complete a long rest.

Tree Strider. You may use an action to expend 1 hit die and magically step into one living tree within 5 feet and emerge from a second living tree you can see within 60 feet, reappearing in any unoccupied space within 5 feet of the second tree. Both trees must be of a Large size or bigger. Additionally climing trees costs you no addtitional movement.

Languages. You can read, write, and speak Sylvan plus one language of your choice that represents the soul within you. You can understand and speak Common, though how well depends on how long ago you last interacted with Common speakers.

Random Height and Weight

Race	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Wood Woad	5' 10"	+2d6	200lbs	x2d8