Rotipher wrote:But which base stats to use for a hamadryad?
IIRC, "hamadryad" was just a 2E term for a dryad with the ability to gain character class levels, an option most standard 2E monsters didn't have. It's an obsolete useage, under 3E/3.5 game rules.
Nope it's a separate monster from MC 11 Forgotten Realms Appendix 2. Though they are noted to be cousins to the dryads and also are linked to an oak tree they are notably different. They could leave the vicinity of the tree for example and are not as possessive of comely males as dryads.
Here's the entry:
MC11 wrote:
Hamadryad
Climate/terrain: Temperate, subtropical/forest
Frequency: Very rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Water and sunlight
Intelligence: High (13-14)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. appearing: 1-2
Armor Class: 7
Movement: 15
Hit Dice: 4
THAC0: 17
No. of attacks: 1
Damage: 1-3 (pummel)
Special attacks: See below
Special defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: 75%
Size: M (5 -5 1/2 ' tall)
Morale: steady (11-12)
XP: 650
These woodland spirits appear to be beautiful elven of human females, except that they have deep sparklioning green eyes and long green hair. they are peaceful, quick witted, and polite, but shy. they rarely speak to humans and their ilk. Like their cousins the dryads, each hamadryad is linked to an individual oak tree, however, a hamadryad can leave the vicinity of her tree.
Combat: Hamadryads often carry knifes, daggers or similar weapons, but they shun physical combat and prefer to use their magical abilities instead. Hamadryads can cast hold plants once a day and charm person three times a day ( saving throw has a -3 penalty) as casters at the 11th level of ability. Hamadryads can use, at will, speak with plants, animal friendship, entangle, pass without trace, dimension door (from tree to tree only maximum range 660 yards), quench fire (as the reverse of the 7th-level priest spell fire storm) as casters of the 11th level of ability.
Hamadryads always successfully detect snares and pits and cannot be entangled. A hamadryad can automatically discern the nature of magically created trees or vegetation such as those generated by massmorph, tree or hallucinatory terrain spells. They recognize treants and treant-controlled trees on sight. They can enter any living tree as if using the 6th level priest spell transport via plants, and remain there as long as they wish. If a hamadryad enters a tree containing a spell caster that is using a plant door, pass plant, or transport via plants spell, there always is room in the tree for the hamadryad and she can attempt to charm the spell caster. The saving throw vs. this charmhas a -6 penalty. These special charms can be used at will and in addition to the hamadryad's three charm person spells each day. The special charm even works on druids of 7th level or higher.
Hamadryads are immune to the effects of the call woodland beings spell, but are aware of the spell if they are in its area of effect. Usually (90 %) they travel to the casters location to observe. If the caster's goals are not contrary to the hamadryad's, she serves of her own free will. Hamadryads who are expecting trouble gather a circle of charmed people and firendly animals. While these allies fight, the hamadryad dimension doors from tree to tree, using entangle and charm to disorganize and demoralize foes.
Habitat/Society: Hamadryads are found only in ancient, vast, forests far from civilization. They dislike non-forest environments and almost never willingly leave the woolands.
Hamadryads speak the languages of dryads, elves, pixies, sprites, and sometimes (33%) Common, which they learn from charmed victims. A hamadryad also is 90 % likely to speak the alnguages of centaurs, fauns, treants, and the druids.
Hamadryads seldom argue with other woodland creatres. They are fond of dryads and treants and alwys are on good terms with them. Frequently they use their quench fire ability to aid these creatures. They give all treasure they find to thers dryad firends for safe keeping. They are uncomfortable leaving treasures in their unguarded trees as they do not wish to encourage greedy beings to chop down large numbers of trees in search of wealth. On the other hand, hamadryads know most treasures are eventually found no matter how well hidden and that an itemin a dryad's possession cannot be used to hurt the forest.
Like dryads, hamadryads are attracted to comely males. However, they are not possessive of males who succumb to their charm abilities. They take charmed victims deep into the forest where the victim is compelled to perform some service, usually protecting the trees from woodcutters and the like. When the service is complete, the hamadryad releases the victim near a dryad's tree, where the victim might be charmed again. If not, the victim is frre to leave the forest.
Ecology: Hamadryads do not eat. they get all the nourishment they need from sunlight, through the chlorophyll in their hair and from the water they drink. They prefer fresh water from springs or well, but can survive on water that has been fouled by human or animal wastes. A hamadryad who is imprisoned indoors will die of starvation in 10-20 days unless given access to sunlight for at least one hour a day. A hamadryad shorn of her hair starves unless she is allowed to regrow her hais.
A hamadryad's tree is always huge and old, but does not radiate magic or show other signs of its true nature, though careful questioning with a speak with plants spell probably wil reveal the tree for what it is.
Here's what the incredibly useful
Worlds of Sulerin Creature index has to say about the hamadryad:
Name CR Sources
Hamadryad 5 Creature Collection 1, Monstrous Compendium Annual 3, Forgotten Realms 2 (MC11), Lankhmar City of Adventure
And finally here's the Hamadryad's Creature Catalog 3E conversion and the accompanying thread with conversion notes. Here's another Creature Catalog conversion of the Hamadryad, which I like better than the one above.
There was also a "hamadryad" that appeared in an old Dragon bestiary of monsters, which had a lot of spell-like abilities appropriate to fey. But if I'm not mistaken, that was back in the 1E days, making it even more of an outdated creature.
Ahh but the 1E sources are the most meaty ones often. Flavour wise and even as rules wise inspiration for 3E conversions.
The OD&D game supplement "Tall Tales of the Wee Folk" described how a dryad could ritually sever her bond to her tree, in times of extreme need (e.g. the forest is burning to the ground), and then form a new bond with a new tree at a safer location. During the period "between trees" -- very painful and lonely, so they never remained severed for long if they could help it -- such a free-roaming dryad was called a "hamadryad". This may be the ideal use of that term to apply to Souragne's Maiden, as she ought to be free to wander the entire Swamp, both to match her mythological depiction as THE loa of life (which encompasses the whole of the wetland) and to make her more useful as a campaign tool.
I'll have to read that one up. Fits with the 2E description from MC 11 though.
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