The Magicant, The Heartstone Extras   ·   Forums   ·   Links   ·   Legal
Monsters
Intro · Culture · Geography · Magic · Religion · Monsters · Rules

Cryptweed

Medium Plant

Hit Dice: 3d8+6 (19 hp)

Initiative: +6

Speed: 0 ft. (0 squares)

Armor Class: 19 (+2 Dex, +7 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 17

Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+5

Attack: Tendril +5 melee (1d4+3)

Full Attack: 3 tendrils +5 melee (1d4+3)

Space/Reach: 5 ft./15 ft.

Special Attacks: Clone, disease, tendrils, improved grab

Special Qualities: Blind, tremorsense 60 ft., water vulnerability, plant traits, DR 5/slashing

Saves: Fort +5, Ref +3, Will -2

Abilities: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 15, Int --, Wis 5, Cha 1

Skills: Hide +2*, Listen +12

Feats: Combat Reflexes(B), Improved Initiative(B)

Environment: Dry badlands or cemetaries

Organization: Solitary or guarded (1 cryptweed plus 1 dry beast)

Challenge Rating: 2

Treasure: Standard

Alignment: Neutral

Advancement: 4-8 HD (Medium); 9-16 HD (Large)

Level Adjustment: --


A series of thin, thorned vines seem to originate under a nearby slab of rock. As you look, the vines begin to slither slowly, suddenly lashing out with violent force.


The origin of the horrifying cryptweed is unknown, but it is universally feared and reviled amongst the people of Western countries, including Renflour, Frelund, Zoltar, Kresmaya, and the western reaches of Corsom. Often living in old cemetaries or remote, rocky landscapes (including the Steppelands), this strange being may be highly intelligent or barely sentient, depending on the circumstances of its birth.

A cryptweed is a plant creature, but an unusual one. It is photosynthetic and usually gets what nourishment it needs from sunlight, its leafy vines creeping along the ground and twining up rocks and tree trunks. These vines all connect to a central bulb, usually located underground. This bulb -- often the size of a person -- is the heart of the cryptweed; although the vines may be killed, they regrow quickly, and the creature is not dead until its bulb is destroyed.

A cryptweed can lie still and harmless for years, only attacking -- using its vines to deliver a disease -- when it needs to reproduce. The disease is actually comprised of tiny spores, and any creature that dies from the bloating disease (usually after a few days to a week) will gradually grow into a cryptweed after death, their body forming the plant's bulb core. Although this fate should be terrible enough, the plant can, within its bulb, gestate a clone of the dead creature, complete with all of its memories. This clone (only one may exist at a time) serves to lure intelligent creatures to the cryptweed during its reproductive cycle, hiding inside the bulb at most other times, although it will emerge to defend the plant from attackers or natural disasters if needed. The clone functions as the "brain" of the cryptweed and is even willing to negotiate, if such an action would be in the nature of the creature cloned; however, the clone considers the needs of the plant (the bulb) above all else. Since every cryptweed wants its offspring to have the most powerful clones possible, it is unlikely that an intelligent living creature could coexist peacfully with a cryptweed for any length of time, as evidenced by an obscure Corsan fairy tale about a man who tried to live with a cryptweed resembling his dead wife, only to get killed and cloned himself.

The cryptweed is highly adapted to the rigors of the natural world and resists most elemental attacks. However, one of the most common substances -- water -- proves fatal. Cryptweeds always position their bulbs underneath rocks, in small caves, or inside of stone coffins or crypts (where the spores are often buried in the first place), retracting their vines at the first sign of rain. Even spit is harmful to the cryptweed, causing smaller vines to wither. About a cup of water is required to destroy a vine; a gallon or more kills the central bulb instantly.

Much local folklore speaks of people killed by an unknown disease, only to be encountered in the cemetary years later, not as undead, but as clones, luring their loved ones into the leafy embrace of the cryptweed. Cryptweeds take animals as clones more often than people; these "dry beasts," as they are sometimes known, are dangerous but can be recognized by their fear of water.

Combat

Cryptweeds usually keep their location a secret, only attacking when they are desperate or when they need to reproduce. Because they are stationary, severely vulnerable to water, and have great reach, the cryptweed's bulbous body is often housed under a rock or coffin-lid, granting it total cover. Although the cryptweed is stationary, it can shift its position about somewhat, enough to suffer no penalties for being immobile.

Clone (Su): Each cryptweed has a single clone, which it controls completely through a telepathic link. Although the cryptweed itself has not intelligence, the clone may be very smart, and can act independantly of the cryptweed, although they prefer to stay nearby. If the clone is destroyed, a new one can be grown inside the bulb in two weeks.

Disease (Su): Any creature damaged by a cryptweed's tendril attack must make a Fortitude save (DC 13) or contract cryptweed spores disease (DC 14; incubation 1 day; 1d4 Con). The initial saving throw is equal to 1/2 the cryptweed's hit die plus its Constitution score, but the disease saving throw is fixed. Any creature slain by this disease will germinate as a cryptweed within 1d3 days, growing to full size within 1 week. It must then spend more time to grow a clone and some tendrils.

Tendrils (Ex): A cryptweed has one tendril per hit die, which can attack independantly of one another (each attacks using the full base attack bonus and Strength modifier for damage). These tendrils can also be targetted independantly as well, though. They are considered to have the same Dexterity and size category as the cryptweed, but 5 less natural armor bonus, so the AC of a typical tendril is 14. Each tendril has DR 5/slashing, and a number of hit points equal to the cryptweed's hit die plus Constitution modifier (5 hit points for a typical specimen). A destroyed tendril regrows after 1 day, but the cryptweed can only regrow 1 tendril each day, and can't regrow its clone at the same time.

Improved Grab (Ex): A cryptweed that hits with a tendril can attempt to begin a grapple as a free action. Damage dealt while grappling can also transmit cryptweed spore disease (above).

Water Vulnerability: Cryptweeds take damage from water as though it were acid. A cup of water deals 1d10 points of damage; this bypasses the cryptweed's damage reduction, but not its natural armor, so throwing water at it (or at a tendril) is a normal attack, not a touch attack. Greater quantities of water deal 5d6 points of damage per gallon, and immersion in water kills the cryptweed instantly.

Plant Traits: As a plant creature, cryptweeds possess the following traits: immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects); immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning; not subject to critical hits.

Blind: Cryptweeds can't see, relying on their hearing and tremorsense to detect foes. They are immune to gaze attacks and any effects that rely on vision.

Skills: Cryptweeds have a +15 racial bonus on Listen checks (included in the statistics above). They also have a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks in natural or wilderness areas.

Dry Beast

Dry beast is the term for a clone of an animal produced by a cryptweed. Each cryptweed produces only one clone, based on the creature it killed when it germinated. The clone retains most of the properties of the original creature, but is inexorably linked to the cryptweed; its sole goals and desires are those of the cryptweed. Should the main bulb die, the clone will wither and die within days, being unable to rejuvenate.

Creating a Dry Beast

"Dry Beast" is a template that can be applied to any abberation, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, or vermin. A dry beast uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to plant. Do not recalculate the creature’s base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.

Hit Dice: As the base creature.

Speed: As the base creature.

Armor Class: As the base creature.

Attack: As the base creature.

Full Attack: As the base creature (but see Tendril Lash, below).

Damage: As the base creature (but see Tendril Lash, below).

Special Attacks: A dry beast retains all the natural, extraordinary, and spell-like attacks of the base creature, but loses any supernatural special attacks. It gainst the following special attacks.

Pheremones (Su): Three times per day, as a standard action, a dry beast can release a chemical cloud that affects creatures of the base creature's type and subtype. Creatures within 10 feet of the dry beast must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the dry beast's hit die + the dry beast's Constitution modifier). Those which fail become sluggish and suggestive, acting as though under a calm emotions spell for 1 minute. A creature already under this affect that becomes targetted a second time must make a Will save or behave as though charmed for 1 minute.

Tendril Lash (Ex): As the dry beast's animal-like form takes damage it gradually degenerates and becomes more plantlike. Every 10 points of damage the dry beast takes causes it to grow a tendril. These tendrils can be used as secondary natural weapons, in addition to the dry beast's normal natural weapons. They attack with the dry beast's base attack bonus and Strength modifier, but with a -5 penalty for being secondary natural weapons, and use only 1/2 the dry beast's Strength modifier. They have a reach of 10 feet and deal 1d4 points of damage (for a Medium dry beast).

A new tendril grows as soon as the dry beast takes enough damage to warrant it, and if the damage was caused by a melee attack, the dry beast may make one free melee attack with the new tendril against the creature that damaged it.

When a dry beast reaches negative hit points, it grows one last tendril, but its body slumps to the ground, inert. It becomes unable to move, losing its Dexterity bonus to AC, and can take no other action except to attempt the full attack action with its tendrils. Its loses its Intelligence score but remains conscious, and does not lose hit points or fall unconscious for taking actions. It loses all other special attacks and qualities. A dry beast that reaches -10 hit points dies.

Improved Grab (Ex): A dry beast that hits with one of its tendrils can make a grapple attempt as a free action.

Special Qualities: A dry beast retains all the natural, extraordinary, and spell-like qualities of the base creature, but loses any supernatural special qualities. It gainst the following special qualities.

Damage Reduction (Ex): A dry beast gains DR 5/slashing.

Water Vulnerability: A dry beast takes damage from ordinary water, but not as much as a cryptweed. A cup of water deals 1 point of damage; this bypasses the dry beast's damage reduction, but not its natural armor, so throwing water at it is a normal attack, not a touch attack. Greater quantities of water deal 1d6 points of damage per gallon (max 5d6 per attack), and immersion in water deals 10d6 points of damage per round.

Plant Traits: As a plant creature, dry beasts posess the following traits: low-light vision, immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects); immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning; not subject to critical hits.

Recuperation: A dry beast must crawl inside its cryptweed's bulb for at least one hour per day in order to survive. While in the bulb, it gains Fast Healing 1 and can even regrow lost limbs as though through Regeneration. A dry beast that doesn't recuperate cannot heal normally, and begins to suffer from the effects of dehydration.

Abilities: Same as the base creature, modified as follows: Strength +4, Constitution +2, Charisma -2.

Skills: As the base creature.

Environment: Changes to dry badlands or cemetaries.

Organization: Changes to solitary (1 dry beast plus 1 cryptweed).

Challenge Rating: As the base creature.

Treasure: As the base creature.

Alignment: Change to neutral.

Advancement: Change to --.

Level Adjustment: Change to --.