Grab Grass
AC: 9
HD: 1 per 5’ square
Movement: 0
Attacks: 1
Damage: Special
No. Appearing: not applicable
Save As: Normal Man
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
Grab grass looks like ordinary tall grass (3-5' tall). Grab grass is animated and will attempt to hold any individual that moves into or through it. There is a 5% chance each round that anyone with a strength of 12 or less can break free of the grab grass. For every point of strength greater than 12 the chance increases by 5% (an individual with 16 strength, for example, would have a 25% chance each round to break free). The grab grass patch has one hit die for every 5' square area (thus 5' square are destroyed for every 8 hit points of damage done to the grab grass).
Originally appeared in X2 – Castle Amber (1981).
The Companion Set and Rules Cyclopedia versions are essentially the same. The Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix version follows...
Grab Grass
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Nonarctic plains and hills
FREQUENCY: Common
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Non (0)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1 patch
ARMOR CLASS: 9
MOVEMENT: 3
HIT DICE: 1 per 5’ square
THAC0: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 0
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Special
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Grab
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: S-M (3-5’ tall)
MORALE: Steady (12)
LEVEL/XP VALUE: 35
Ranging 3 to 5 feet in height, grab grass looks like ordinary tall grass. Grab grass is able to move, and often gives the impression of swaying in a breeze.
The grass attacks by wrapping long tendrils around unsuspecting victims and strangling them. The strangling process drains one point of Constitution from a victim each round. A victim who reaches 0 Constitution dies. The decomposing body then feeds the plant. Victims who escape the grass regain one point of Constitution per turn of rest. A victim can break free from grab grass with a successful bend bars roll.
A grab grass patch has 1 Hit Die for every 5-foot square of area, and each Hit Die is worth a full 8 hit points. A 5-foot by 5-foot square of grass is mutilated into death for every 8 points of damage done to the grass. Since the grass sways of its own volition, PCs looking in the direction of the grass may notice its swaying in absence of a breeze. The DM may allow an ability check against Intelligence or Wisdom (whichever is higher) in order for the character to notice that something is not quite right.