Heart Of The Forest - Playable Dryad Race

⭐ ⭐ (533 endorsements) 📥 63,414 downloads 📌 v1.2.1 📅 2/4/2024
🟠 Updated over a year ago

By EmeraldTechno · Races

⬇ Download Mod Source: Nexus Mods 📅 Updated: 3/2/2025 📅 Created: 2/4/2024
⚠️ Install Order · 2 steps
1🛠️ BG3 Script Extender — BG3 Script Extender Download ↗
2🧩 Community Library — Community Library (Norbyte) Download ↗

Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.

🔍 Analysis

  • 👍 0.8% endorsement rate
  • 🏆 #48 of 77 Races mods in this game by downloads

📋 About This Mod

Who are you...?


Though most dryads prefer to stick close to their bonded tree, you have always felt the call of adventure. With a magical acorn in tow, you’ve made your way to Baldur’s Gate—and this is where your story begins.

This mod adds a new playable race with four subraces, four bodytypes, new race progressions, a unique acorn mechanic, immersive character tags, guardians, CC options, and more. This mod overwrites the “Wood Elf” tag with the “Dryad” tag--see “Known Issues and Quirks” for more details.

Racial Progressions

The Dryad racial progressions are inspired by the vanilla game Dryad summon, and are based around harnessing the power of nature to great effect. As your dryad levels up, they will be able to mimic barkskin, resist magical effects, summon other dryads to their aid, and more. The race is intended to be quite strong, and it’s recommended to use mods that increase the difficulty of the game if you prefer a greater challenge.

Wiki links for the vanilla abilities/passives:

https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Darkvision

https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Fey_Ancestry

https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Barkskin

https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Permanently_Armed

https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Fallen_Lover

https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Magic_Resistance

https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Conjure_Woodland_Being

https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Nature%27s_Step

https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Grasp_of_the_Forest

Customization Options



A dryad’s appearance may change along with the season or environment from which they come. Thus, this mod adds four subraces, each themed after a certain season. Each subrace comes with its own unique appearance options and its own starting cantrip.

  • []Spring Dryad - Entangle (Dryad ver.)

    []Summer Dryad - Fire Bolt

    []Autumn Dryad - Shocking Grasp

    []Winter Dryad - Ray of Frost

    The mod comes with custom leafy underwear that is equipped on dryads by default. The underwear has a different design for each subrace, in keeping with how leaves might appear during that season.

    Currently, elf and half-elf heads are available for dryads, as well as one custom dryad head. The custom dryad head supports maturity slider, while the other heads do not. However, they all support scarring, tattoos, freckles, and vitiligo.

    Want extra heads? Check out Love test Dryad head for all, with five variants!

    The mod also comes with two hairstyles, “Medusa's Locks”, which is a mashup variation of the “Dryad” and “Gorgon” vanilla hairstyles, and "Braids of Stheno", which is a mashup variation of the "Bruenor Braids" and "Portrait Model" vanilla hairstyles.

🤖 AI-enhanced — based on mod data

Heart Of The Forest adds a playable Dryad race to Baldur's Gate 3, inspired by the game's Dryads. It features four season-themed subraces with glowing tattoos and an Acorn of Far Travel item. With 533 endorsements and 63,414 downloads, it's a popular race mod for players seeking nature-themed character options.

✨ Key Features

Adds a playable Dryad race inspired by BG3's Dryads.
Includes four season-inspired subraces, each with unique nature-themed glowing tattoos.
Provides an Acorn of Far Travel item for adventure.
Popular with 533 endorsements and over 63,000 downloads.

📊 Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

  • Community-approved with 533 endorsements and 63k downloads—clearly a hit.
  • Four subraces give you real variety, not just a single reskin.
  • Glowing tattoos and the Acorn of Far Travel add nice flavor for roleplay.

⚠️ Cons

  • Last updated March 2025—might not be compatible with the latest patches.
  • Only cosmetic and racial features—no new quests or gameplay mechanics.
🎯 Is This For You?
For Baldur's Gate 3 players who want to roleplay as a nature-themed character with unique visuals. Great for fans of druid-like aesthetics who want more race options. Skip if you're looking for gameplay overhauls—this is purely a race addition.
📦 Install:Medium· 5-10 minutes

💡 Beginner Tips

  • Use a mod manager like Vortex or BG3 Mod Manager to install and manage load order.
  • Check the mod's page for any required dependencies or patch notes before installing.
  • If you're playing multiplayer, ensure all players have the mod installed to avoid sync issues.

📊 Mod Details

Game
Baldurs Gate 3 Mods
Author
EmeraldTechno
Version
1.2.1
Downloads
63,414
Endorsements
533
Category
Races
Created
2/4/2024
Updated
3/2/2025

🔧 How to Install Baldurs Gate 3 Mods

Download from Nexus.

📖 Full step-by-step install guide for Baldurs Gate 3 →

Visit the official mod page for specific installation instructions for this mod.

🎮 Need cheat codes or console commands? Check ur gaming wiki for Baldurs Gate 3 commands, item IDs, and more.

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