Nymphs

Nymphs

Devine servants that inhabit unspoiled corners of the world, nymphs protect places of natural energy where ley lines converge. Some are benevolent and aid those who live of the land, while others embody the violent aspects of nature; In either case, nymphs generally avoid other sapient creatures, preffering to mind the cycles of nature, the daily interplay of wild animals, or other cosmic forces. Occassionally, though, groups of the same kind of nymphs congregate in a place of natural power or beauty. In times of special need, deities tied to facets of nature might employ nymphs as messengers, guardians, or scouts. The nymphs of Ni no Kuni include the following mysterious beings: Alseids, Dryads, Lampads, Naiads, and Oreads.

Age. Nymphs do not age in any conventional way.

Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.

Immortal Nature. A nymph doesn't require food, drink, or sleep.

Innate Spellcasting. All nymphs can innately cast spells. The spellcasting ability is Charisma. The spell list varies between the kinds of nymphs:

Alseid. 3/day each: cure wounds, charm person, sleep. 1/day each: calm emotions, lesser restoration, plant growth.

Dryad. At will: druidcraft. 3/day each: entangle, goodberry. 1/day each: barkskin, pass without trace, shillelagh.

Lampad. At will: chill touch, gentle repose. 1/day: speak with dead.

Naiad. 1/day each: minor illusion, Wall of Water (5th level), Control Water (7th level)

Oread. At will: firebolt. 3/day: burning hands. 1/day each: hellish rebuke, scorching ray.

Nature's touch. A nymph can deal 1d10+charisma damage with 1 unarmed strike per turn. These attacks are magical. The damage changes based on the kind of nymph:

Alseid. Radiant

Dryad. Poison

Lampad. Necrotic

Naiad. Cold

Oread. Fire

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, and Sylvan.

Alseids.

Touched with the golden light of the sun, alseids inhabit meadows, plains, and lands of cultivated natural beauty. Many live in closer proximity to sapient civilizations than other nymphs. Farmers are grateful for the prescence of alseids on their lands and often leave them offerings of raw produce and flowers in return for protecting their flocks and making their crops more abundant.

Alseid Names

Alseid Traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma increases by 1, and your Wisdom increases by 1.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Hide in Plain Sight. You have advantage made on Stealth checks made to hide while in grasslands or tall shrubbery.

Nature's resistance. Nature remains healthy when you are around. You and creatures within a 10ft radius are resistant to poison.

Fey Charm. You can target one humanoid or beast that you can see within 30 feet. It must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed. The charmed creature regards you as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. Although the target isn’t under your control, it takes your requests or actions in the most favorable way it can. Each time you or your allies do anything harmful to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts 24 hours or until you die, is on a different plane of existence from the target, or ends the effect as a bonus action. If a target’s saving throw is successful, the target is immune to the your Fey Charm for the next 24 hours. You can have no more than one humanoid and up to three beasts charmed at a time.

Dryads.

As beautiful and welcoming as a sunlit glade in high summer, as terrifying and deadly as a winter gale sweeping through a barren forest—that's a dryad. In the space of moments.

They appeared to be beautiful women with delicate features seemingly made of soft wood. Their hair seemed to be made of leaves and foliage that changed color with the seasons of the calendar.

All dryads were magically bound to a single tree. These trees served as the dryad's life force and home. They fought to the death to protect their bonded tree, as should the tree be cut or destroyed, the dryad died soon afterward. A dryad could not stray too far from her bonded tree without suffering the same fate. If a dryad left the vicinity of her tree for too long, she died.

Acorn of far travel: If a dryad spellcaster cast this spell on an acorn harvested from her bonded oak tree, she was considered to be in contact with her tree at all times, regardless of the actual distance between them. Thus she became able to travel great distances without growing sick.

In appearance, a dryad appears to be made of entirely wood and magical energy, the source of which is their taproot. They are heavily attracted to taproot, and therefore are often lured by hags and other alchemists into their traps to be sacrificed and harvested for their magical characteristics. Dryads usually live in sacred groves, where they feel an innate connection to the groves' native animals. Because of this, dryads are able to enthrall wildlife such as bears and hornets, but also a multitude of other forest-dwelling creatures. As a result of this relationship, they are often called "Nature's Guardians." Dryads are feminine tree spirits and as such are always found in areas that feature trees or other flora. There seems to be two variations of dryads as some walk on two legs, while others walk on four.

Dryad Names

Dryad Traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma increases by 1, and your Intelligence increases by 1.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Speak with Beasts and Plants. You can communicate with beasts and plants as if they shared a language.

Tree Stride. Once per turn, you can use 10 feet of your movement to step magically into one living tree within reach and emerge from a second living tree within 60 feet of the first tree, appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the second tree. Both trees must be Large or bigger.

Lampads.

Lampads guard the shadowed paths of the world, depths typically trod by souls destined for the Underworld. These rarely seen nymphs assist Atheros in guiding the dead, moving among the spirits that collect along the Tartryx River and reclaiming wayward souls that try to slip back to the mortal world. This means lamprads are most often spotted in graveyards, crumbling crypts, tunnels that bore deep into the earth near portals to the underworld.

Lampad Names

Lampad Traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma increases by 1, and your Constitution increases by 1.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Corpse Stride. Once per turn, you can use 10 feet of your movement to step magically into one creature's corpse within reach and emerge from a second creature's corpse within 60 feet of the first corpse, appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the second corpse. Both corpses must be Medium or bigger.

Grave Visage. You can have expertise and proficieny on Intimidation Checks.

Unarmored Defense. While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Naiads.

Naiads live in and near water. They might be spotted among rivers and lakes, on isolated shores, or amid coral labyrinths and deep sea fumaroles. Wherever rivers and seas show their variety and force, naiads gather to revel in nature's might. Individual naiads often grow fixated with a single type or body of water, potentially preferring a deep sea trench, coastline, or river system above all others. Over time, such a resident nymph often becomes connected with their aquatic home through sightings and stories, becoming a guardian of the place, and, in effect, a manifestation of its personality.

Aquatic Collectors.

Curious by nature, naiads often seek out what the seas and rivers claim. As a result, they might be found among sunken ruins and shipwrecks, sifting through the remains for whatever catches their eye. Living creatures aren't exempt from this curiousity, either. Naiads are known to befriend aquatic creatures, or even to keep modest menageries. The occassional star-crossed castaway has even been known to become part of such collections.

Secret Routes of the Sea.

Sailors across the world claim that naiads know all the secret aquatic routes of Theros. Using this hidden system of currents and arteries, a ship might reach any destination in record time, be it across the sea or along a river a hundred miles inland. Naiads do nothing to dissaude sailors from this belief, and certainly numerous reports tell of charmed nymphs leading lost seafarers home. Yet, if tales of naiad-led galleys appearing amid the headwaters of mountain rivers are true, only the nymphs know for sure.

Naiad Names

Naiad Traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma increases by 1, and your dexterity increases by 1.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.

Underwater vision. You can see underwater without it obstructing their vision. In clear water, you can see until the horizon. Particles suspended in the water may reduce their vision like fog does in air.

Invisible in Water. You are invisible while fully emerged in water.

Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.

Water Form. You can enter a hostile creature's space and stop there. You can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. You are immune to being grappled and restrained. You are resistant to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage from nonmagical attacks.

Oreads.

Aggressive oreads number among the most dangerous nymphs, as they embody the wild might of flames, volcanism, and the hidden forces of the earth. These creatues typically dwell in remote mountain crags and near volcanoes, where they caper among the forces of dissolution and rebirth. During avalanches and volcanic eruptions, groups of oreads might race ahead of the destruction, dancing, singing, and doing what they can to maximize the impending devistation.

Honor Among Fey.

Hearkening back to some ages-old conflict, oreads refuse to knowingly destroy any land inhabited by another nymph. While they won't work to alter the natural course of destruction, neither will they make another nymph's home part of any calamity they encourage. As a result, part of what makes an alseid's field or a dryad's grove seem so blessed is that oreads go out of their way to leave such sites alone.

Tales of Fire.

The followers of Purphoros regard oreads with special reverence, as myths tell of cagey smiths befriending these nymphs and convincing them to aid in creating phenomental works. In some tales, a smith finds an oread and allows it to relish in the destruction of a novel or remarkable item. In recompense, the oread provides the smith with materials drawn from the burning heart of the world, allowing the smith to create and even greater wonder. In more tales, though, a smith pursues an oread, then later the mortal's associates find familiar tools and a heap of ashes.

Oread Names.

Oread Traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma increases by 1, and your Strength increases by 1.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and a burrowing speed of 30.

Lavawalker. You can burrow through nonmagical, unworked earth, lava, and stone. While doing so, you don't disturb the material it moves through. You are immune to fire damage and have a tremor sense up to 60ft away. While in fire you are invisible.

Bringer of ill omen. You have advantage on Intimidation checks but disadvantage Persuasion and Deception checks.