Ghillie Dhu
Also known as the People of the Forest, Ghillie Dhu are humanoid plants covered in moss and leaves. Dark vines resembling hair often sit atop them and they blend seamlessly into their environment. Known for being highly protective of their territory, but kind-hearted and merciful towards children and smaller creatures.
Over time, ghillie dhu continue to grow until they're too large and slow to move much and just find a place to take root and become a talking tree.
Some legends say they are the result of dryads, nymphs, and other nature spirits intermingling with mortals.
CREATURE TRAITS (14 XP)
- Types Medium Organic Sapient Bipedal Humanoid (Plant)
- Reach 5 feet
- Speed Land 20 feet
ATTRIBUTES (2 XP)
- +2 Con, +2 Wis
LANGUAGES (0 XP)
- Starting Languages: Common, Sylvan.
- Bonus Languages: Any common language.
INNATE ABILITIES (19 XP)
- Buoyant (1 XP): Ghillie Dhu are naturally buoyant. While underwater and not carrying a medium or heavier load, they float 20 feet towards the surface at the start of their turn every round without any action needed on their part.
- Darkvision (3 XP): Ghillie Dhu ignore penalties attack rolls and Perception checks resulting from dim lighting and darkness. They cannot see color in darkness, only shades of grey.
- Camouflage (8 XP): Ghillie Duh can hold still and appear to be an ordinary plant such as a tree or shrubbery. This grants them Camouflage (Forests) II with the Additional Selection (Jungle) and Hide in Plain Sight upgrades.
- Photosynthesis (1 XP): Ghillie Dhu don't gain the benefits of sleep unless they spend 8 hours in sunlight every day and sleep normally. However, they have the Hold Breath and Self-sufficient traits.
- Plant Resilience (6 XP): Ghillie Dhu have Endurance as a bonus feat and a +2 innate bonus to their Armor Rating. They have resistance I to bludgeoning and piercing but weakness I to fire and slashing at the same tier.
- Rooted (0 XP): Ghillie Dhu have only a 20-foot base speed but ignore difficult terrain caused by natural plants, vegetation, and similar underbrush. Artificially created difficult terrain (like those conjured by powers or built by hand) still function against them normally.
VARIANTS
Leshy: Somme Ghillie Dhu are small-sized.
Spriggan (+2 XP): Some Ghillie Dhu refuse to root themselves in one spot and mutate into horrid plants that look like wizened old men with bulbous heads. They're often ill-tempered as the urge to take root constantly bothers them. However, remaining unbound grants them some new magic in their older age. They gain Teleportation III as an innate primal power. They can only teleport to and from locations with enough shrubbery and vegetation to fill the space they're going to and coming from with difficult terrain or cover.
Treant (+7 XP): Somme Ghillie Dhu are large-sized.
Other Variations:
- Karya (walnut or hazelnut)
- Balanos (oak)
- Kraneia (dogwood)
- Morea (mulberry)
- Aigeiros (black poplar)
- Ptelea (elm)
- Ampelos (vines, especially Vitis)
- Syke/Sykea (fig)
- Ghillie Dhu, a similar Scottish spirit
- Kodama, a similar Japanese spirit
- Querquetulanae, Roman nymphs of the oak
- Rådande, a similar Swedish spirit
- Salabhanjika, a similar Indian spirit
- Mavka, a similar Ukrainian spirit
- etc.
ADDITIONAL ABILITIES
Ghillie Dhu begin with their innate traits and can gain additional traits from the following list as feats.
BIOLUMINESCENT FLOWERS (1 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain Dancing Lights as an innate biotic power. The lights are physical bioluminescent flowers that can be affected by wind and destroyed by damage (1 point destroys a flower) but cannot be dispelled.
DISEASE RESISTANCE (2 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain the Resistance (Disease) trait.
DRYAD FORM (2 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain Alter Self I as an innate primal power. You may only assume humanoid forms you have personally encountered and cannot impersonate specific individuals. You begin play knowing 1d4 humanoid forms.
FRUIT (2 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain Goodberry as an innate biotic power, usable only on fruit produced by your body.
GREENSIGHT (2 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain the Piercing Sight (Greensight) trait.
GROUNDED (2 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain Resistance I to electricity.
GROWTH (2 XP/TIER)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits:
Tier 1: Treat your carrying capacity as if one size larger.
Tier 2: Also treated as one size larger for combat maneuvers.
Tier 3: Also treated as one size larger for wielding weapons and dealing damage with innate weapons.
Tier 4: You lose the benefits of the last 3 tiers and instead increase one size category, gain all the new size adjustments and gain +5 ft. reach. You also get a 1 XP rebate at this tier (essentially paying 7 XP per size increase).
Tiers 5�“8: Repeat tiers 1�“4, allowing a second size increase. In theory, at level 20+ you could get to gargantuan size at tier 12 and colossal at tier 16.
HIBERNATION (1 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You can enter prolonged hibernation. While hibernating, you age at 1/10 normal speed and require 1/10 normal air, food, and water. You can be awakened as from normal sleep.
INTOXICATING AROMA (3 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain bardic performance (fascinate), using your character level as your bard level. Targets must smell you rather than see or hear you.
LONG-LIVED MEMORY (2 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: All Knowledge skills are class skills for you.
LONGEVITY (3 XP/TIER)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain Timeless Body as a constant passive effect. Each additional tier increases longevity or grants a +1 upgrade available to the power.
NATURAL MAGIC (2 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain the following spell-like abilities, using Charisma as your casting ability: detect poison and purify food and drink.
PLANT GROWTH (4 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain Plant Growth II as an innate primal power.
POISON RESISTANCE (2 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain the Resistance (Poison) trait.
RAPID RECOVERY (2 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain the Rapid Recovery feat as a bonus feat.
REGENERATION (4 XP/TIER)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain Regeneration as a tier 1 innate biotic trait.
SEED (10 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You can plant a seed that grows into a pod plant functioning as Clone. If you die, you are reborn from the pod.
TENDRIL (1 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain Elongation as a tier 1 innate biotic power, usable only on yourself.
TONGUE-TIED (-1 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Drawbacks: You can speak only limited phrases and are understood only by creatures that speak Sylvan.
WOODEN SHIELD (2 XP)
Prerequisites: —
Benefits: You gain Shield as a tier 1 innate biotic power with the Conjuration and Wood types.