Dryad icon: a willow tree
Icon by Caro Asercion, CC BY 3.0

Dryad 5e stat block

Medium fey, neutral · CR 1 · 2024 stat block below

Armor Class
11 (16 with barkskin)
Hit Points
22 (5d8)
Speed
30 ft.
Challenge
1 (200 XP)
Proficiency bonus
+2
STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
10 (+0)12 (+1)11 (+0)14 (+2)15 (+2)18 (+4)
Skills
Perception +4, Stealth +5
Senses
darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages
Elvish, Sylvan

Traits

Innate Spellcasting. The dryad's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14). The dryad can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: At will: druidcraft 3/day each: entangle, goodberry 1/day each: barkskin, pass without trace, shillelagh

Magic Resistance. The dryad has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

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

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

Actions

Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit (+6 to hit with shillelagh), reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage, or 8 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage with shillelagh.

Fey Charm. The dryad targets one humanoid or beast that she can see within 30 feet of her. If the target can see the dryad, it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed. The charmed creature regards the dryad as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. Although the target isn't under the dryad's control, it takes the dryad's requests or actions in the most favorable way it can. Each time the dryad or its 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 the dryad dies, 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 dryad's Fey Charm for the next 24 hours. The dryad can have no more than one humanoid and up to three beasts charmed at a time.

How many dryads for a fight?

A dryad is worth 200 XP. Using the 2024 encounter budgets (SRD 5.2), this is how many dryads fit each difficulty for a party of four characters of the same level. A dash means even one would be over the budget.

Party levelLowModerateHigh
1st112
2nd234
3rd348
4th5710
5th1012+12+
6th1212+12+

Budgets add up every monster’s XP, so you can swap some for other creatures of the same total. Try other party sizes and mixes in the encounter calculator.

How the dryad compares at CR 1

Against the 24 other challenge 1 monsters in the SRD 5.1, the dryad has more hit points than 4 of them, which makes it one of the frailest at its CR. See every CR 1 monster.

StatisticDryadCR 1 average
Armor Class1113
Hit points2228
Best attack bonus+2+4

Dryad 2024 stat block

The 2024 Monster Manual revised the dryad, and the SRD 5.2 carries the new stat block. What changed:

Armor Class
16
Hit Points
22 (5d8)
Speed
30 ft.
Challenge
1 (200 XP)
STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
10 (+0)12 (+1)11 (+0)14 (+2)15 (+2)18 (+4)
Senses
darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages
Elvish, Sylvan

Traits

Magic Resistance. The dryad has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Speak with Beasts and Plants. The dryad can communicate with Beasts and Plants as if they shared a language.

Actions

Multiattack. The dryad makes one Vine Lash or Thorn Burst attack, and it can use Spellcasting to cast Charm Monster.

Vine Lash. Melee Attack Roll: +6, reach 10 ft. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) Slashing damage.

Thorn Burst. Ranged Attack Roll: +6, range 60 ft. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) Piercing damage.

Spellcasting. The dryad casts one of the following spells, requiring no Material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 14): At Will: Animal Friendship, Charm Monster (lasts 24 hours; ends early if the dryad casts the spell again), Druidcraft 1/Day Each: Entangle, Pass without Trace

Bonus actions

Tree Stride. If within 5 feet of a Large or bigger tree, the dryad teleports to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of a second Large or bigger tree that is within 60 feet of the previous tree.

Similar monsters

Browse: all CR 1 monsters · fey · every monster