Special Conversion Thread: Plants

[Cleon]

OK, starting with the basics...

I don't have stats for a red oak tree, but the death's head tree was detailed in Dragon #339...

Well, I remember seeing stats for trees in the Artesia roleplaying game, but that's not D&D. (And yes, they were ordinary, mundane trees).

Death's Head Tree
Advancement: 11-20 HD (Huge); 21-30 HD (Colossal)

This suggests Colossal size to me, or at the very least Gargantuan.

So we've got 30 HD, AC 3, high spell resistance, and immunity to fire.

Well that Death Head's Advancement conveniently maxes out at 30 HD, the same as the charmer we're converting, so I'd like to make it Colossal.

Would you post the Flying Heads SA too? The tree of wailing souls appears to have a more powerful version of it.

This suggests high mental ability scores to power these spell-like and psi-like abilities and potential spellcasting/manifesting.

Since it doesn't demonstrate much tactical nous I'm thinking we should keep the Intelligence low but give it an impressive Wisdom and exceptional Charisma.

 

[Shade]

30 HD, Colossal, and the mental scores suggestions all appeal.

Would you post the Flying Heads SA too? The tree of wailing souls appears to have a more powerful version of it.

Like a hydra, creatures may attack the tree or its fruit. The tree is only killed if its main body is attacked; attacking the fruit does not harm the tree. The Tiny fruits can be attacked individually. Destroying a fruit does not affect the tree's hit points. Any attack that is nor or cannot be a sunder attempt affects its main body. For example, area attacks deal damage to the main body, not to the fruit. Targeted magical effects cannot attack a fruit while it is attached to the tree.

Flying Fruit (Ex): The headlike fruit of the death's head tree detach from its branches when fully ripened. Interior gases allow it to float and move on its own volition in search of prey for seed implantation. Once the fruit has expended all of its seeds it may bite for 1d4 more rounds, after which it falls and dies. Once detached from the tree, the head fruit are treated as individual creatures and can be subject of targeted magical effects. Area effect spells, such as fireball, affect the head fruit normally once they are detached.

The fruits normally chase humanoids, although they have been known to attack livestock and other non-humanoid creatures. The fruit are unintelligent and the only noise they make is an occasional call for help.

Implant Seed (Ex): The bite of head-fruit or its ranged attack implants a needlelike seed. The seed emits a mind-numbing poison (Fortitude DC 19 negates, save each day, this save DC is Constitution-based) sufficient to mask the ongoing pain of its presence but not otherwise affecting the creature. One day after implantation in a humanoid creature (it has no effect on non-humanoids), the seed begins to grow, dealing 1d4 points of damage to the host on the first day, 2d4 points of damage on the second day, and so on to a maximum of 10d4 points of damage per day. When the implanted creature dies, a new death's head tree sprouts from its corpse.

Spells that hold or harm plants kill the seeds instantly, as does remove disease. A creature with the Heal skill can attempt to remove the seed (DC 15 + 1 per day the seed has grown), which deals half the damage the seed's growth would deal that day. Failing the check by 5 or less means the character removes some of the plant but leaves enough behind to continue growing (restart the growth damage at 1d4 points of damage per day).

 

[Cleon]

30 HD, Colossal, and the mental scores suggestions all appeal.

Hmm, I just noticed the Dragon magazine version you posted seems to go from Huge to Colossal without passing Gargantuan.

What's up with that?

Still, I like Colossal for this critter.

Like a hydra, creatures may attack the tree or its fruit. The tree is only killed if its main body is attacked; attacking the fruit does not harm the tree. The Tiny fruits can be attacked individually. Destroying a fruit does not affect the tree's hit points. Any attack that is nor or cannot be a sunder attempt affects its main body. For example, area attacks deal damage to the main body, not to the fruit. Targeted magical effects cannot attack a fruit while it is attached to the tree.

Looks like we should keep most of the above.

If I recall correctly, the Head Fruit have a separate stat block in the Dragon 339 version. I don't fancy digging around in my collection to find the issue and check.

Flying Fruit (Ex): The headlike fruit of the death's head tree detach from its branches when fully ripened. Interior gases allow it to float and move on its own volition in search of prey for seed implantation. Once the fruit has expended all of its seeds it may bite for 1d4 more rounds, after which it falls and dies. Once detached from the tree, the head fruit are treated as individual creatures and can be subject of targeted magical effects. Area effect spells, such as fireball, affect the head fruit normally once they are detached.

The fruits normally chase humanoids, although they have been known to attack livestock and other non-humanoid creatures. The fruit are unintelligent and the only noise they make is an occasional call for help.

The Tree's heads are unable to separate from its branches and fly about. Indeed, severing them is required to free a head's trapped soul.

Implant Seed (Ex): The bite of head-fruit or its ranged attack implants a needlelike seed. The seed emits a mind-numbing poison (Fortitude DC 19 negates, save each day, this save DC is Constitution-based) sufficient to mask the ongoing pain of its presence but not otherwise affecting the creature. One day after implantation in a humanoid creature (it has no effect on non-humanoids), the seed begins to grow, dealing 1d4 points of damage to the host on the first day, 2d4 points of damage on the second day, and so on to a maximum of 10d4 points of damage per day. When the implanted creature dies, a new death's head tree sprouts from its corpse.

Spells that hold or harm plants kill the seeds instantly, as does remove disease. A creature with the Heal skill can attempt to remove the seed (DC 15 + 1 per day the seed has grown), which deals half the damage the seed's growth would deal that day. Failing the check by 5 or less means the character removes some of the plant but leaves enough behind to continue growing (restart the growth damage at 1d4 points of damage per day).

Rather than Implant, the Tree of Wailing Souls traps its victims souls via a powerful curse it can apply to anyone whose blood it absorbs.

 

[freyar]

Well, we're just tossing ideas around. Are we set on ability scores? Physical scores based on the death's head tree but advanced?

 

[Cleon]

Well, we're just tossing ideas around. Are we set on ability scores? Physical scores based on the death's head tree but advanced?

Let's see, the Huge Death's Head is Str 20, Dex 6, Con 18, NA +5, so you're talking Str 36, Dex 4, Con 26, NA +14.

The Strength is OK.

The Dexterity seems a bit odd. The AD&D Death's Head had highly flexible branches and could coordinate up to 16 attacks, so I feel Wizards (or should that be Paizo) ought to have given them a higher Dex. Still, I'm OK with 4 if you are, we can always give them some Multiattack SA and Improved & Superior Initiative to compensate.

Constitution 26 seems a bit weak, though. A Colossal Treant or Shambling would have Con 29, so how about upping it to 30?

The Tree of Wailing Souls has a significantly lower AC than a Death's Head Tree (3 vs 0), suggesting a lower natural armour (+12?) or Dexterity. However, I think that would make it too vulnerable, so I'm game for increasing NA to +20 or so?

Mental wise, the Death's Head is Int 3, Wis 5, Cha 1. I'm thinking something like Intelligence 7, Wisdom 15, Charisma 21.

Altogether, I'm suggesting:

Tree of Wailing Souls: Str 36, Dex 4, Con 30, Int 7, Wis 15, Cha 21, NA +20

 

[Shade]

Added the basics to Homebrews.

 

[Cleon]

Added the basics to Homebrews.

Shouldn't it have a tall creature's Reach = Space?

What stats do the 3E Death Head Tree's flying fruit have?

 

[freyar]

Homebrews looks good so far, though I agree with Cleon on the reach.

 

[Cleon]

Homebrews looks good so far, though I agree with Cleon on the reach.

I'm thinking there are a few 3E creatures with "spell/skill stealing" special abilities to base the "spell-casting heads"on, but however we do it they'll probably be a pain to adjudicate.

Does the tree lose a wailing soul's spells once it casts them?

 

[Shade]

The neh-thalggu might be a place to start:
Neh-Thalggu (Brain Collector) :: d20srd.org

Here are the flying fruit stats:

A death's head tree attacks with its large branches or its fruits, which bite at enemies or spit needle-like seeds. The bite of fruit attacks automatically implant a seed if successful (see below). Each fruit has six seeds; once all six seeds are expended, the fruit can only bite (an "empty" fruit withers in a few days and drops off the branch).

Like a hydra, creatures may attack the tree or its fruit. The tree is only killed if its main body is attacked; attacking the fruit does not harm the tree. The Tiny fruits can be attacked individually. Destroying a fruit does not affect the tree's hit points. Any attack that is nor or cannot be a sunder attempt affects its main body. For example, area attacks deal damage to the main body, not to the fruit. Targeted magical effects cannot attack a fruit while it is attached to the tree.

Flying Fruit (Ex): The headlike fruit of the death's head tree detach from its branches when fully ripened. Interior gases allow it to float and move on its own volition in search of prey for seed implantation. Once the fruit has expended all of its seeds it may bite for 1d4 more rounds, after which it falls and dies. Once detached from the tree, the head fruit are treated as individual creatures and can be subject of targeted magical effects. Area effect spells, such as fireball, affect the head fruit normally once they are detached.

The fruits normally chase humanoids, although they have been known to attack livestock and other non-humanoid creatures. The fruit are unintelligent and the only noise they make is an occasional call for help.