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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardDryad Queen

Also called a hamadryad, a dryad queen rules over an entire forest, or a portion of an incredibly large forest, leading and protecting all dryads within. Dryad queens often have strange relationships with powerful and deadly fey, working together in a dualistic way despite their differences, with the queen representing nature's wonders and the other fey representing nature's wrath.

Recall Knowledge - Fey (Nature): DC 33
Recall Knowledge - Plant (Nature): DC 33
Unspecific Lore: DC 31
Specific Lore: DC 28

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Dryad QueenCreature 13

Uncommon Medium Fey Nymph Plant Wood 
Source Monster Core pg. 247
Perception +25; low-light vision
Languages Common, Elven, Fey, Muan
Skills Acrobatics +25, Athletics +19, Crafting +23 (+25 woodworking), Deception +30, Diplomacy +30, Intimidation +27, Nature +24, Performance +28, Stealth +25, Survival +24
Str +2, Dex +6, Con +6, Int +4, Wis +4, Cha +8
Nature Empathy The dryad queen can ask questions of, receive answers from, and use the Diplomacy skill with animals and plants.
Tied to the Land The dryad queen is tied to a forest or other woodland.
AC 35; Fort +24, Ref +26, Will +24
HP 220; Weaknesses cold iron 10, fire 10
Nymph's Beauty (aura, emotion, incapacitation, mental, primal, visual) DC 30. On a failed save, the target is immobilized in awe for 1 minute.
Speed 30 feet
Melee [one-action] branch +27 [+22/+17] (finesse, magical), Damage 3d12+8 bludgeoningRanged [one-action] leaves +27 [+22/+17] (plant, primal, range increment 60 feet), Damage 3d8+6 slashingPrimal Prepared Spells DC 35, attack +25; 7th regenerate, summon plant or fungus; 6th chain lightning, cursed metamorphosis, tangling creepers; 5th banishment, heal, howling blizzard; 4th fly, mountain resilience, resist energy; 3rd earthbind, haste, wall of thorns; 2nd animal messenger, remove fear, revealing light; 1st fleet step, gust of wind, pest form; Cantrips (7th) detect magic, frostbite, guidance, light, stabilize
Primal Innate Spells DC 35, attack +25; 8th impaling briars; 5th nature's pathway (×3), one with plants (at will); 4th charm (at will), entangling flora (at will), shape wood (at will), suggestion (at will); Cantrips (5th) tangle vine
Change Shape [one-action] (primal) Focus Beauty [one-action] (emotion, incapacitation, mental, primal, visual) On a failed save, if the target was already affected by the dryad queen's beauty, the target can't use hostile actions against the dryad queen for 1 hour.Inspiration [three-actions] (emotion, mental, primal) Tree Meld [two-actions] (primal) A one with plants spell cast by a dryad queen has an unlimited duration. In addition, if the dryad merges with a tree in her domain, she can choose to instead enter an extradimensional living space within the tree, and can bring up to eight adjacent, willing creatures with her; the spell gains the extradimensional trait. The dryad queen can still be expelled from this space.

All Monsters in "Nymph"

NameLevel
Dryad3
Dryad Queen13
Naiad1
Naiad Queen7

Nymph

Source Monster Core pg. 244
Nymphs are a family of fey who have a deep association with the natural world. They often take the form of beautiful humanoids with elven features that match their abodes. The most common of their kind are the dryads: spirits who embody great trees, but many other kinds of nymphs exist, including naiads, who watch over bodies of water. All nymphs are guardians of some element of nature, often a single tree or pond. But, in the case of nymph queens, they can watch over whole forests or massive bodies of water.

Nymph Queens

Nymph queens are powerful nymphs who rule over entire regions of untouched wilderness, not just single trees or ponds. Every variety of nymph can have a queen. Naiad queens are among the most prominent, and more often interact with nearby mortals. Thus, some scholars refer to naiad queens as simply “nymphs.”

Nymph Queen Abilities

A nymph queen is 6 to 10 levels higher than an ordinary nymph of the same type, with enhanced numerical statistics and improved Strikes to match. A nymph queen's ward is a significant region, and she strengthens and vivifies this territory with her presence. Nymph queens are not dependent on their wards and lose the corresponding ability (such as a dryad's tree dependent ability); instead, they gain the tied to the land ability, as described below. A nymph queen also gains the nymph's beauty aura and the Focus Beauty action, which have varying effects based on the queen's original type. She gains the Inspiration ability, allowing her to bestow a gift of inspiration on those who catch her fancy, and the Change Shape ability to change her form. Finally, she gains primal prepared spells as a druid of her level.

Tied to the Land A nymph queen is intrinsically tied to a specific region. As long as the queen is healthy, the environment is exceptionally resilient, allowing the nymph queen to automatically attempt to counteract any spell that would harm the environment (such as the blight ritual), using her spell DC with a counteract rank equal to the highest-rank druid spell she can cast. When the nymph queen becomes physically or psychologically unhealthy, however, her warded region eventually becomes twisted or unhealthy as well. In that case, restoring the nymph queen swiftly heals the entire region.
Nymph's Beauty (aura, emotion, mental, primal, visual) 30 feet. Creatures that start their turn in the aura must succeed at a Will save or suffer an effect described in the nymph queen's entry.
Change Shape [one-action] (polymorph, primal) Nymph queens can transform between their original form, which looks much like a typical nymph of their kind, and any Small or Medium humanoid form, typically choosing a more humanoid-looking version of their natural form.
Focus Beauty [one-action] (emotion, mental, primal, visual) The nymph queen focuses her beauty upon a target, who must attempt a save against her nymph's beauty aura. If the creature fails and was already affected by the aura, it takes a greater effect described in the nymph queen's entry. A nymph queen can Focus Beauty on a given creature only once per turn.
Inspiration [three-actions] (emotion, mental, primal) The nymph queen inspires a single intelligent creature by giving that creature a token of her favor, typically a lock of her hair, though it can be some other significant object as well. As long as the creature carries her token and remains in good standing with her, the creature gains a +1 status bonus to all Crafting checks, Performance checks, and Will saves.
If the nymph grants her token to a bard, and she's the bard's muse, the queen chooses one additional benefit granted by her token: a +1 status bonus to all Lore checks, a +2 status bonus to Performance checks when determining the effects of compositions, a +4 status bonus to untrained skill checks, or a +2 status bonus to Will saves against fey.

Sidebar - Treasure and Rewards Artistic Treasures

Nymphs favor art over any other types of material possession, often collecting the finest pieces they can and endeavoring to create their own. Nymphs sometimes carry magical trinkets or wear enchanted clothing or jewelry, but the greatest treasure a nymph queen can share is often her inspiration to those seeking a muse.

Sidebar - Locations Harmonious Landscapes

Nymphs tend to be closely associated with specific areas of natural splendor and beauty—woodlands for dryads, rivers for naiads. Areas where nymphs dwell always look more pristine, breathtaking, and scenic than they would otherwise.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Inspirations for Art

Nymphs are living manifestations of beauty and grace, and as such they are often the subjects of art—sculpture and paintings in particular. Promising a nymph to immortalize them in a work of art can be an excellent way to secure that nymph's favor, but one should take care to ensure that the nymph admires and is proud of the artistic effort's final result, lest the nymph be insulted and lash out with her powerful magic.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Other Nymphs

Naiads and dryads are the most well-known nymphs, but others exist as well. Hesperides, for example, are warders of the sunset and golden light and can be encountered dwelling on coastal cliffsides or remote islands. Lampads, on the other hand, are dark, moody nymphs found in wondrous, crystal-lined caverns deep underground.