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Nerdarchy > Dungeons & Dragons  > Out of the Box D&D Encounters  > Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #3: Ascension

Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #3: Ascension

Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #2: Black Circle
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #4: Calliope

DryadsIt is a widely known fact that life comes in many shapes, forms and varieties. The lifeforms in fantasy add to this melange. However, we tend to see those fantasy creatures as certain “accepted” forms. The mythologies of the world, too, add to this list of accepted forms. Nearly all ancient races had some form of a giant, dragon, vampire and ghost. Some of those forms have made it into Dungeons & Dragons nomenclature. Modern movies, comics, and other fiction have certainly gone to some length to further break the back of this limitation, but there are still many more steps to walk on that journey.

What I would like to do here is take something from mythology and the D&D universe and further alter it, to expand its range and variety within the game. Not only that, but I would like to add an element back from earlier fantasy that seems to only exist in the realms of horror now. There was a time when Fey were feared as they might abduct children and place changelings in their place. Elves were notorious for that. Redcaps were more common (now introduced in Volo’s) and were murderous little cretins. Sprites, Pixies and Brownies (no, not made of chocolate) were dangerous little tricksters. The Feywild was a dangerous place where time is fluid and unpredictable, as were its residents. Their motivations were (and still are) alien to mortals.

In this very specific case, we’ll use the delicate Dryad. Always seen as a simple Wood Nymph, only appearing in or around oak trees, and perpetually the allies of Druids … they are so much more (or should be). If there were Dryads which spawned from different plants, would those Dryads look or behave differently? They should, I think. They might be the same racially, but not culturally. Plants also come in a wide variety, so the Dryads spawned from them should be equally varied.

[amazon_link asins=’0786965819′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’nerdarchy-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4a804160-4be6-11e7-bb16-4f8ed04ebac3′]To that, the Dryads featured herein will be spawned from massive mushrooms. Out of The Abyss features many new varieties of fungus in the Underdark. One of those is referred to as the Zherkwood, and its size rivals many surface trees. Dryads that spawn from these massive fungi would differ from their surface relatives, but would still be Fey. Make no mistake, these would NOT be Myconids. They would be as Fey as any other Dryad, and equally equipped to be alluring and full of charm. They would, however, be unique in appearance and perhaps in their culture.

Because they are Fey, and because the Fey legends of child abduction have been all but forgotten, then I think it might be a great story hook to reinsert that thread. These Dryads would have a logical reason for doing so, however. Perhaps they require some form of Queen to rule in certain times. The Dryads which are spawned from the alleged coupling with mortal men whom they charmed could not be a queen for some reason, perhaps because the queen must not be born of a single Dryad to rule them all. I know this is more world building than is normally inserted into an Out of The Box, but sometimes knowing the motivations for an encounter add depth to that encounter and aid in the methods of its resolution.

Hereafter is such an encounter. Perhaps this encounter is spawned from the player characters being asked to find a missing girl, or perhaps they happen upon this without previous knowledge. That’s up to the local Dungeon Master to resolve.

Environment: Wilderness (Forest/Jungle)

Level: 4+

 mushroom

Description: After the party tracks their quarry, or perhaps by accident, the following scene will unfold at a distance (determined by the DM, perhaps by the Encounter Distance table on the DM’s screen).

Three feminine creatures stand in a circle around a cluster of large and colorful fungi. These creatures appear like shapely women, with many features that seem fungal or taking on a plantlike nature. They appear to wear large mushroom caps in a hat-like manner and their skin possesses a pale white, rubbery texture. Delicate frills of the same color cover their perceived breasts and lower regions. Colorful spores and fireflies dance and fill the area with a strange glow.

A fourth appears from behind the stand of fungi, and he leads by the hand a small human girl  who does not struggle or resist. As the girl approaches, the stand of fungi begins to change its shape.

At this point, it’s up to the DM whether or not to narrate the encounter or let the players act. If the players continue to watch, the ritual will continue. Depending on how the players react, the encounter might be a combat, social, or narrative one. Depending on how they react throughout the encounter, the nature of it might change from one type to another. Characters who wish to use Insight (DC: 14) might determine that the lady creatures are acting in a reverent manner with all seriousness. If characters use the same skill toward the little girl, they will determine that she seems very placid (DC:17 – too placid). Perhaps a successful Arcana check (DC:14) will unlock that the youth is under the effect of some sort of Charm, but only if the players ask for such a test.

If the player characters try to interfere, the three Dryads around the outside will try to stop the adventurers from halting the ritual. Their go-to action will be to Charm any character attacking at range, and Entangle on those attempting to rush into melee. Dryads are smart creatures and should be treated as such. Those that try to interfere socially will at first be commanded to stay back (in Sylvan first, then Elven – if an Elf is in the party, they will first try communication in Elvish).

Meanwhile, the lead Dryad will try to complete the ritual, which will take only two more rounds. At the start of the first round, the mushroom stand will continue to alter into a throne-like object. At the beginning of the second round, the little girl will sit. The remaining Dryad will then kneel before the little girl. Once the little girl sits upon it, the whole chair-like device will glow in a very bright pink light until the end of the turn.

The throne will glow brightly, illuminating a 60’ sphere in pink light, for the next full round.

At the beginning of her next turn, the light will fade. The girl will be replaced by a young dryad, but with the same mushroom-like appearance as the others with a few exceptions. Her mushroom cap will be elaborate with long thorn-like projections out of the top. Her skin will be a bright pink with her “crown” being a vibrant blue with pink spots.

English: Mushroom

If the girl is removed from the chair before this ritual completes, she will revert to her original appearance but will be confused and defensive. This will be more the latter if she was seated and the glow was in play. The Dryads will Charm the players into allowing the ritual to complete, but will Tree Stride away if it’s apparent they will all die. They will return to retrieve this girl (or another, should she meet with an end) at a later time to complete the ritual.

If, and only if, the ritual fully completes and the Dryads have met no harm, this little girl will now be the Mushroom Princess. She will be the vessel of either a Fey or Archfey depending on the DM’s choice, and could be a powerful patron if treated with respect and reverence. If the DM would like a stat block for the Mushroom Princess, then use Archdruid (Volo’s Guide, page 210, alter “Change Shape” from Beast to Awakened Tree in the form of a giant mushroom, and no scimitar attack. All spell casting in play) or just wing it. She is a powerful being after transformation. When and if she is fully formed, and all of the Dryads are alive and no one has been attacked, she will then rise from her throne, raise her hands, and disappear in a cloud of glowing spores. Any surviving Dryads will also do so.

If the Dryads have been attacked and the girl is still transformed, she will rise from her throne and will cast Entangle in the entire area (Strength save, DC: 17). She can walk though her own Entangle unimpeded. She can be interacted with socially if the players desire, but keep in mind that the girl who was in the chair is no longer in existence. Only the Princess remains. Depending on how successful the social interactions are (using the Conversation Reaction tables in the DMG: page 245), she may even divulge that she had been the Princess all along. She just never knew until now. Her spirit was a Fey trapped in the cage of a mortal, awaiting to be awakened. She may even charge the player characters with finding her human parents and convincing them that this was for the best (that might be hard for the parents to accept – but it builds drama within the story).

The little girl was intentionally left unnamed so she might be any little girl from the DM’s campaign. If you truly need a name, I’m partial to Jessica. 😉

Monsters: Dryads (4) – As per Monster Manual, page 121, except described as above.
Mushroom Princess – As per Volo’s, page 210, except as described above, otherwise, use Commoner for the little girl.

Treasure: None – unless you count a possible powerful patron.

Complications: This encounter is loaded with possible complications. Those who watch the ritual complete and do not interfere might develop an important contact if they act quickly enough.

Those who kill the Dryads entirely and rescue the girl might have to deal with the next wave of Dryads who come in search of their future queen. Those who kill or harm some of the Dryads but fail to stop the ritual may develop a dangerous foe in the form of the Mushroom Princess unless they are quick thinking, fast talking, and have a sound argument.

This encounter is not a single-outcome/win-lose thing. It can take many roads and build different paths. At the DM’s discretion, instead of the little girl, a relative of one of the player characters might be inserted as the Princess. This might also be a great exit for a female player leaving a campaign for any reason. She might then be contacted by the DM at a later date to advise on “what the Princess would do if …”

Player characters who fall to the Dryad Charm will be released after 24 hours, but may be lost in a vast wood or dropped off in another mysterious location depending on the DM in question. These are Fey creatures, after all.

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Mike Gould

I fell into gaming in the oddest of ways. Coming out of a bad divorce, my mom tried a lot of different things to keep my brother and I busy and out of trouble. It didn't always work. One thing that I didn't really want to do, but did because my mom asked, was enroll in Venturers. As an older Scout-type movement, I wasn't really really for the whole camping-out thing. Canoe trips and clean language were not my forte. Drag racing, BMX and foul language were. What surprised me though was one change of pace our Scout leader tried. He DMed a game of the original D&D that came out after Chainmail (and even preceedd the Red Box). All the weapons just did 1d6 damage, and the three main demi-humans (Elf, Dwarf and Halfling) were not only races, but classes. There were three alignments (Lawful, Neutral and Chaotic). It was very basic. I played all the way through high school and met a lot of new people through gaming. My expected awkwardness around the opposite sex disappeared when I had one game that was seven girls playing. They, too, never thought that they would do this, and it was a great experiement. But it got me hooked. I loved gaming, and my passion for it became infectious. Despite hanging with a very rough crowd who typically spent Fridays scoring drugs, getting into fights, and whatnot, I got them all equally hooked on my polyhedral addiction. I DMed guys around my table that had been involved in the fast-living/die young street culture of the 80s, yet they took to D&D like it was second nature. They still talk to me about those days, even when one wore a rival patch on his back to the one I was wearing. We just talked D&D. It was our language. Dungeons and Dragons opened up a whole new world too. I met lots off oddballs along with some great people. I played games like Star Frontiers, Gamma World, Car Wars, Battletech, lots of GURPS products, Cyberpunk, Shadowrun, Twilight 2000, Rolemaster, Champions, Marvel Superheroes, Earth Dawn...the list goes on. There was even a time while I was risiding with a patch on my back and I would show up for Mechwarrior (the clix kind) tournaments. I was the odd man out there. Gaming lead to me attending a D&D tournament at a local convention, which lead to being introduced to my paintball team, called Black Company (named after the book), which lead to meeting my wife. She was the sister of my 2iC (Second in Command), and I fell in love at first sight. Gaming lead to me meeting my best friend, who was my best man at my wedding and is the godfather of my youngest daughter. Life being what it is, there was some drama with my paintball team/D&D group, and we parted ways for a number of years. In that time I tried out two LARP systems, which taught me a lot about public speaking, improvisation, and confidence. There was a silver lining. I didn't play D&D again for a very long time, though. Then 5E came out. I discovered the Adventurer's League, and made a whole new group of friends. I discovered Acquisitions Incorporated, Dwarven Tavern, and Nerdarchy. I was hooked again. And now my daughter is playing. I introduced her to 5E and my style of DMing, and we talk in "gamer speak" a lot to each other (much to the shagrin of my wife/her mother...who still doesn't "get it"). It's my hope that one day she'll be behind the screen DMing her kids through an amazing adventure. Time will tell.

1 Comment

  • Gonesh No. 8 (@MelodiousWorm)
    July 7, 2017 at 2:17 am

    Love it. I agree that the Fey should be ratcheted up on the creep level; Dresden-style. Or like GoT’s Children of the Forest. I bet shroom-dryads have access to some powerful psychedelic spores that fetch a tidy sum on the black market.
    Cheers!

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