Any level 1-5 plant critters?

[CapnZapp]

I'm planning a "the forest assaults the caravan" type of scenario, and for this to make sense I need low-level critters that aren't (very) sentient.

(This to explain why there's no chieftain or such to "take out" to get rid of the attack. Don't want to add a distraction, only add "color" to the jungle)

Now, do you know of any such creatures (mobile plant creatures, creepy-crawlies, vines and slingers)?

Obviously, critters with both pictures and 4E stats would be the bestest!

But I'm open to all ideas. Critters from other sources (including 3E ones), or ideas for good existing 4E monsters to reskin... anything is welcome!

[dangerous jack]

How about reskinning a Rat Swarm to be dozens of rapidly growing animated thorned vines? Only the tips of the vines are deadly, which explains why the area they've grown over (moved through and now outside the aura) is safe to move in.

[dangerous jack]

Actually, reskinning the Needlefang Drake Swarm would work even better, since they have the pull down effect.

[Rechan]

Originally Posted by dangerous jack

Actually, reskinning the Needlefang Drake Swarm would work even better, since they have the pull down effect.

Just be aware that's a nasty, nasty monster that's possibly broken.

Anyhow:
Vine Horror (lvl 4 and 5)
Assassin Vine (Lvl 3 lurker)
Asassin Vine Lvl 4 Solo Lurker
Mantrap (Lvl 5)
Fungus (Shrieker, lvl 1 minion, Violet, lvl 2 lurker)
Fungus (Violet Fungus, lvl 3 Lurker, Ascomid, lvl 4 skirmisher).
Dark Sun Hazards; lvl 3 hazard.

Reskin a Kobold Slinger (lvl 1 artillery) as plants that sling thorns or spit burning things/sticky things.

A deathrattle viper (5 brute) fits well in a jungle. As does a choker (4 lurker), fire beetles (1 brute), tangle beetles (5 controller), a visejaw croc (4 soldier), or fey panther (4 skirmisher).

[Mesh Hong]

Here are some plant monsters I used in my campaign a while back. You might find something here that you could use.

1: Rage Creeper – level 5 Brute
2: Drag Vine – level 5 lurker
3: White Orchid Painbloom – level 5 elite artillery
4: Fungal Grazer – level 6 soldier
5: Fungal Grazer Alpha Male – level 8 brute
6: Fungal Insect Swarm – level 3 skirmisher (swarm)

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1: Rage Creeper
Rage creepers look like dense patches of plant matter, they typically roll into a surprisingly heavy ball shape made up of vine like tendrils and writhe and slam opponents. They are particularly nasty when cornered.

Rage Creeper Level 5 Brute
Medium Fey beast (plant) XP 200

Initiative +4 Senses Perception +2; blindsight
HP 76; Bloodied 38 see Bloodied Rage
AC 17; Fortitude 19, Reflex 16, Will 15
Immune fear, poison;
Vulnerable 5 fire
Speed 5, Climb 5

MCreeper Slam (standard; at-will)
Attack +8 vs. AC; 1d10+5 damage

mHeavy Slam (standard; at-will)
Attack +8 vs. AC; 2d8+5 damage; on hit secondary attack +6 vs.
Fortitude; on hit the target is pushed 2 squares and knocked prone

Reactive to Danger (immediate reaction, When Creeper takes damage)
When Damaged Rage Creeper may shift 1 square; if it takes fire damage it
may shift 2 squares and make a free Creeper Slam attack if possible

Bloodied Rage
When bloodied Rage Creeper gains a +2 bonus to all attacks

Alignment Unaligned
Skills Endurance +10
Str 20 (+7) Dex 14 (+4) Wis 10 (+2)
Con 16 (+5) Int 8 (+1) Cha 3 (-2)

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2: Drag Vine
Drag vines lie in wait for their victims to get close to them, then attack with lashing vines hoping to grab as many targets as possible, when they have dragged a number of targets close enough they release spores to hopefully render their victims unconscious so that they can rake them to death.

Drag Vine Level 5 Lurker
Medium fey beast (plant) XP 200

Initiative +7 Senses Perception +15; blindsight
HP 46; Bloodied 23
AC 19; Fortitude 16, Reflex 18, Will 16
Immune fear, poison;
Vulnerable 5 cold
Speed 4, Climb 4

MThorn Rake (standard; at-will)
Attack +10 vs. AC; 1d6+5 damage; on hit target takes 2 ongoing Poison
damage (save ends)

mDrag them in (minor; at-will) (ONLY grabbed target)
Attack +8 vs. Fortitude; 1d4+2 damage; on hit target is pulled 4 squares;
on miss target is pulled 1 square

rLashing Vines (standard; recharge 456)
Ranged 6; attack +6 vs. Reflex; 1d8+5 damage; Drag Vine makes up to 4
attacks (each attack must be a different target); on hit target is grabbed
and takes 2 ongoing poison damage (whilst grabbed); escape Athletics DC
16, Acrobatics DC 18

cSpore Release (standard; encounter) ● Poison
Burst 2; attack +6 vs. Fortitude; 2d8+2 poison damage; on hit target is
weakened (save ends, +2 bonus to save); first failed save target falls
unconscious for 1d6 rounds (a heal check DC15 as a standard action will
bring an adjacent character round)

Alignment Unaligned
Skills Perception +15, Stealth +12
Str 14 (+4) Dex 20 (+7) Wis 16 (+5)
Con 10 (+2) Int 10 (+2) Cha 3 (-2)

NOTE:
My players had a couple of encounters that included pairs of these guys, I really liked them. My players hated them; mind you one of them did manage to make 3 PCs unconscious. The Spore Release one save and become unconscious may be a bit nasty but I still don’t think it is unbalanced, and there is a +2 bonus to the save which increases the odds of success.
They were designed to use Lashing Vines to drag people in then use Spore Release, however in practice they always seemed to just move up the PCs and then use Spore Release. This is probably just another example of practical implementation vs. design intent.

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3: White Orchid Painbloom
The White Orchid Painbloom is a large and beautiful flower on a single thick stem, sometimes reaching up to 10ft high. Its base is a mass of woody roots and thick greasy leaves. The Orchid will hold its action point in reserve for when it needs it, namely when enemies get too close, or if it can get 4 people with 2 jets of acid.

White Orchid Painbloom Level 5 Elite Artillery
Large fey beast (plant) XP 400

Initiative +7 Senses Perception +2; blindsight
Acidic Haze (Acid) aura 2; Enemies entering or starting their turn in the
aura take 3 acid damage; (When Bloodied aura increases to 5 size and 5
damage)
HP 100; Bloodied 50 (see Acidic Haze)
AC 19; Fortitude 18, Reflex 21, Will 15
Immune fear, poison;
Resist 10 radiant; 10 acid Vulnerable 5 necrotic
Saving Throws +2
Speed 4, Climb 2
Action Points 1

MLeaf Slap (standard; at-will)
Attack +10 vs. AC; 1d8 damage

RAcid Glob (standard; at-will) ● Acid
Range 10/20; attack +12 vs. AC; 1d10+5 acid damage

rJet of Acid (standard; at-will) ● Acid
Range 6/12; attack +12 vs. AC; 1d12+5 acid damage; 2 attacks different
targets, targets must be within 3 squares of each other

rStinging Acid Glob (standard; at-will) ● Acid
Ranged 10/20; attack +12 vs. AC; 1d10+5 acid damage; target takes 5
ongoing acid damage (save ends)

aBlinding Glob of Acid (standard; recharge 6) ● Acid
Area burst 2 within 8; attack +8 vs. Reflex; 2d6+5 acid damage; on hit
target is blinded (save ends)

aSticky Squirt (standard; encounter) (zone – lasts as long as encounter or 5 mins)
Area burst 2 within 15; covers an area with a sticky acidic gooey
compound; considered difficult terrain for non-plants; any enemy
attempting to leave a sticky square must make either a DC 10 athletics or
a DC 12 acrobatics check; failure negates movement and ends the action.

Alignment Unaligned
Str 10 (+2) Dex 20 (+7) Wis 10 (+2)
Con 14 (+4) Int 12 (+3) Cha 3 (-2)

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4: Fungal Grazer
Fungal Grazers are similar to bulbous white/grey cows with wide stubby legs. Their round head ends in a thick bunch of tentacles which it feeds through.

Fungal Grazer Level 6 Soldier
Large fey beast (plant) XP 250

Initiative +5 Senses Perception +10; darkvision
HP 70; Bloodied 35
AC 22; Fortitude 18, Reflex 15, Will 15
Immune poison, charm, disease, sleep
Speed 5

MHead Slam (standard; at-will)
Attack +13 vs. AC; 1d10+4 damage

mCharging Slam (standard; at-will) (ONLY as a charge attack)
Attack +14 vs. AC; 2d8+4 damage; on hit target is pushed 2 squares;
secondary attack +6 vs Reflex; on hit target is knocked prone

mFace Tentacles (standard; encounter) ● Acid
+10 vs. Fortitude; 3d6+4 acid damage; on hit target is stunned until the
end of the Grazers next turn and takes 3 ongoing acid damage (save ends)

Alignment Unaligned
Skills Endurance +10, Perception +10
Str 18 (+8) Dex 15 (+5) Wis 14 (+5)
Con 14 (+5) Int 8 (+2) Cha 5 (+0)

NOTE:
I have toned Face Tentacles down slightly from experience, this was originally a recharge 6 power. During play it became instantly apparent that it should be an encounter power.
I would also advise against using too many Grazers in the same encounter, or at least watching the Face Tentacles alpha strike. I had an encounter with 5 of these and 5 lots of 3d6+4 damage is maybe a bit harsh.

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5: Fungal Grazer Alpha Male
The Slightly larger herd leader of the Fungal Grazers, they have broader front feet and wider shoulders than the standard Grazer, though their face tentacles are shorter. Alphas are very aggressive.

Alpha Fungal Grazer Level 8 Brute
Large fey beast (plant) XP 350

Initiative +6 Senses Perception +11; darkvision
HP 106; Bloodied 53 (see Howl of Despair)
AC 20; Fortitude 21, Reflex 19, Will 18
Immune poison, charm, disease, sleep
Speed 5

MHead Slam (standard; at-will)
Attack +11 vs. AC; 2d6+5 damage

mCharging Head Slam (standard; at-will) (ONLY as a charge attack)
Attack +12 vs. AC; 2d10+5 damage; on hit target is pushed 2 squares;
secondary attack +8 vs. Reflex; on hit target is knocked prone

mStomping Feet (standard; at-will)
2 attacks; attack +10 vs. AC; 1d8+5 damage; Grazer rears up and attacks
with its front hooves

cGout of Acid (standard; recharge 6) ● Acid
Close blast 3; attack +8 vs. Reflex; 3d8 + 5 acid damage; on hit target
takes 3 ongoing acid damage (save ends)

cHowl of Despair (immediate reaction, When first bloodied; ) ● Fear
Burst 3; attack +7 vs. Will; on hit target is pushed 3 squares and
immobilised (save ends)

Alignment Unaligned
Skills Endurance +12, Perception +11
Str 20 (+9) Dex 15 (+6) Wis 14 (+6)
Con 16 (+7) Int 10 (+4) Cha 6 (+2)

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6: Fungal Insect Swarm
Fungal insect swarms live on and around other plant creatures, they are made up of thousands of tiny biting and stinging crawling and buzzing creatures. They have evolved to mimic the spore release of the plants they feed on.

Fungal Insect Swarm Level 3 Skirmisher
Medium fey beast (insect swarm) XP 150

Initiative +4 Senses Perception +0; darkvision
Swarm Attack aura 1; the swarm makes a basic attack as a free action
against each enemy that begins its turn in the aura.
HP 42; Bloodied 21 (Swarm takes half damage from melee & ranged attacks)
AC 17; Fortitude 15, Reflex 15, Will 15
Immune charm, sleep;
Vulnerable 5 fire, 10 Close and Area Attacks
Speed 6

MA Thousand Bites (standard; at-will)
Attack +8 vs. AC; 1d6+2 damage

cPoison Spore Cloud (standard; recharge 56) ● Poison
Burst 2; attack +5 vs. Fortitude; 1d10+3 poison damage; on hit target
takes a penalty of -1 to all defences (save ends)

Tide of Insects (move; at-will)
Fungal Insect Swarm can shift 3 squares as a move action

Alignment Unaligned
Skills Endurance +6, Stealth +9
Str 14 (+3) Dex 16 (+4) Wis 8 (+0)
Con 10 (+1) Int 6 (-1) Cha 3 (-3)

[CapnZapp]

Most excellent replies so far - thanks all! :-)

[CapnZapp]

Originally Posted by Rechan

Just be aware that's a nasty, nasty monster that's possibly broken.

Just out of curiosity, how do you mean broken?

"Really broken" or somewhat less severely "the needlefang drake swarm should probably be a level N monster instead"?

If I'm going to use it, I'm thinking of upping its level (and xp) to make sure my adventurers aren't overwhelmed (by me throwing in too many of'em). I will probably increase its hp (but not its abilities or attack bonuses) to match that new level, though.

[Neubert]

Regarding the Needledrake Swarm:
I seem to remember something about it being quite a few levels off (4 or 5 maybe?). It was in some thread I believe, but I don't remember anymore, so it is a guess at best. I would just warn you (like Rechan) of their nastiness.

[CapnZapp]

Google found this for me. I'm going with something like Keterys' suggested damage nerf, together with upping it to level 3, I think. (In addition to the purely flavorful reskin, of course). Thanks!

http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-4th...revisited.html

[Rechan]

Mesh Hong, I don't have the time to look at those monsters right now, but if you made them, I'm rather pleased. I run a campaign in a jungle, so I'll take all the plant based monsters I can get!