Cleon
Legend
It was immediate in the original draft, but move-equivalent is fine by me.
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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Special Conversion Thread: Plants
- Thread starter Shade
- Start date
It was immediate in the original draft, but move-equivalent is fine by me.
Cleon
Legend
Should we have the slam attacks deal half-slashing or piercing damage? They are called clubthorns, after all.
I'd make it "bludgeoning and piercing" like a morningstar.
I'd put it all in Listen myself. These things presumably have eyes, but it just doesn't seem right having them see very well.
Also, I've been wondering about giving them tremorsense 20 ft., based on the presumption they can sense their surroundings via their "entangling roots".
Not sure about Alertness, I'd maybe swap it for Lightning Reflexes.
Something incidental.
That'd suit me.
Cleon
Legend
Problematic. Get within 15 feet of one and you're in for a world of hurt from its entangling roots and six (!) 1d8+9 damage slams.
Outside that distance and you can play "keep away" and whittle them to death with ease.
I suppose Challenge Rating 4 is probable closest.
According to my Dragon Magazine Archive pdf of issue 167 "Clubthorn grows to a maximum height of 20'." Not 200' like you quote.[FONT="][/FONT] I'm guessing this is an interpretation of 20" tall, but this is a 2nd edition AD&D monster so I doubt it would use scale-inches. That's more of a 1E thing.
Still, 20 feet doesn't seem a bad height for a Huge Clubthorn since Huge creature normally range from 16-32 feet.
How about giving a typical Clubthorn a 20 to 20 foot height?
Alternatively, If we are going to have them grow to 200 feet like we would need to have the Advancement go up to Colossal, maybe something like 7-10 (Huge); 12-17 (Gargantuan); 18-24 (Colossal)?
Cleon
Legend
Camouflage sounds good.
As for the size, I'm OK either way, so we might as well go to Colossal if it amuses Freyar.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Strangler
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Plains
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVE TIME: Any
DIET: Predator
INTELLIGENCE: Non- (0)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 4 (7)
MOVEMENT: Nil
HIT DICE: 6
THAC0: 14
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1-6
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Paralysis, crush
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: G (25' diameter)
MORALE: Elite (14)
XP VALUE: 3,000
Stranglers are camivorous plants native to the disk world of Plata. The plant's central body is short and stocky -- roughly spherical and about 3 feet in diameter. Extending out from this center are 8 "tentacles," arrayed evenly around the plant, each about 10-12 feet long. These tentacles resemble thick green vines, about the thickness of a man's wrist, and extend outward along the ground from the central body. The tentacles are dark green, while the central body is a light greenish-yellow.
The green coloration of a strangler implies that the plant is at least partially photosynthetic. But this isn't its only source of sustenance. Although the long tentacular vines are usually stationary, they can under the right circumstances move extremely fast. The "right circumstances" is the approach of an animal of some kind within range of one or more tentacles. Tentacles lash out in an attempt to capture the animal and drag it into a fleshy mouth that opens in the top of the central body. Once the animal is "swallowed," the strangler's digestive enzymes dissolve it over a period of several hours.
Nobody knows exactly what senses a strangler possesses. It is unaffected by either darkness or bright light, and doesn't react to sound or silence. Most sages agree that the creature somehow senses movement, since it will never attack a motionless creature that it hasn't already captured with at least one tentacle.
Combat: At the first moment that a potential prey comes within range, one or more of the tentacles lashes out and attempts to wrap itself around the animal. This requires a successful attack roll. A successful capture means that the target creature is grasped by at least one tentacle, and suffers 1d8 hit points of crushing damage. Each subsequent round - unless the creature manages to escape - the tentacle continues to crush its target for maximum damage, and attempts to drag it towards the central body of the plant. Unless the plant has to contend with more than one target simultaneously, it will continue to wrap more tentacles around its prey as the unfortunate animal is dragged closer to its central body. A single creature an be attacked by no more than 6 tentacles. Subsequent tentacle attacks receive a +2 bonus to their attack rolls for each tentacle already gripping the target.
In addition to crushing damage, the tentacles of a strangler inflict a more insidious attack on their prey. The tentacles secrete an enzymatic mixture which causes paralysis in its prey. Each round that a creature is in the grip of a strangler, it must make a saving throw vs. poison or become paralyzed. This paralysis lasts until the creature is either dead or freed from the grip of the strangler; in the latter case, the paralysis fades gradually over a period of 2d8 rounds. For each additional tentacle in excess of one that grips a single victim, that victim suffers a -1 penalty to its saving throw against paralysis.
Once the strangler has shoved its victim into its fleshy mouth, the victim suffers 1d10 hit points of damage each round from enzymatic secretions (save vs. acid for half damage). In addition, the victim must save vs. breath weapons with a -5 penalty each round it's in the plant's mouth or be paralyzed. The body of a dead creature will be dissolved and unrecoverable after 2d12 hours.
The easiest way to free a victim from a strangler tentacle is to cut off the tentacle. A tentacle has AC 7 - as opposed to AC 4 for the central body - and can withstand only 2d8 hit points of damage before it's destroyed. Damage inflicted on tentacles isn't counted against the strangler's total "hit point pool," and can't kill the creature. Only hits against the central body can actually kill the creature. A strangler can regenerate a destroyed tentacle in 1 d6 days. It can regenerate multiple tentacles at the same time, although the time complete regeneration takes is increased by one day for each tentacle in excess of one that the plant must re-grow.
A strong, un-paralyzed creature might be able to tear itself free from a strangler, or at least prevent itself from being dragged into the central maw. To free himself from a tentacle, a character must make a "bend bars" roll based on Strength. A successful roll means the creature has tom free from one tentacle. Such an attempt takes one entire round in which the character can do nothing else. (Breaking free from a tentacle doesn't mean that same tentacle can't attack again on the next round, of course.)
High Strength can also let a character prevent a strangler from dragging him within range of its mouth. The procedure is as follows: First, consider that each tentacle gripping the character has a Strength of 16. Now add together the Strength scores of the captured character plus any other characters who are trying to help him pull away. Compare this to the Strength total of the tentacles currently holding the character. If the characters' total Strength is greater than or equal to the strangler's total strength - that is, 16 times the number of tentacles gripping the victim then the plant is unable to pull its prey any closer to its mouth. If the characters' total Strength is less than the strangler's total strength, however, the plant continues to drag its prey closer. (For example: Balfas the warrior (Str 14) is grabbed by two strangler tentacles. Balfas' friends Adria (Str 9) and Lykan (Str 12) try to help him resist the plant's pull. The characters' total Strength is 35; the strangler's total Strength for the two tentacles is 32 (16 X 2). Balfas and friends can resist the pull of the strangler... just. If the plant scores a hit with another tentacle, Balfas and his two friends will be unable to resist any longer.) It's important to remember that anyone trying to help a captured victim is by definition within range of at least one other tentacle...
Fire- and heat-based attacks do double damage to a strangler. All other attack forms do normal damage. Since the plant has no mind as such, it is totally immune to charm, illusions, and other mind-affecting magic.
Habitat/Society: Stranglers are non- mobile and totally unintelligent. They cannot communicate with their own kind in any way.
Every 250 days or so, a single blood-red flower blooms atop a strangler's central body. This flower is beautiful to see, but smells of carrion. The flower remains open for several days, then the seed pod below the flower bursts, scattering seeds to the winds. Since there are no insects or birds on Plata to fertilize the stranglers, the plants must depend solely on the wind to do so - not a particularly effective strategy. The relative frequency of the plants proves that this scheme does work, however.
Ecology: Stranglers are virtually perfect "opportunistic predators." If animal prey wanders within its grasp, the plant will eat it. If no animals come near, however, the plant is perfectly happy to subsist purely on photosynthesis.
The humanoids of Plata hate stranglers with a passion, and have sometimes tried to wipe the entire species out... with little to no success. The aarakocra consider the red blossoms to be the greatest of delicacies, and sometimes will risk attacks from stranglers to snatch the flowers.
Originally appeared in SJR4 - Practical Planetology (1991).
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Plains
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVE TIME: Any
DIET: Predator
INTELLIGENCE: Non- (0)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 4 (7)
MOVEMENT: Nil
HIT DICE: 6
THAC0: 14
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1-6
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Paralysis, crush
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: G (25' diameter)
MORALE: Elite (14)
XP VALUE: 3,000
Stranglers are camivorous plants native to the disk world of Plata. The plant's central body is short and stocky -- roughly spherical and about 3 feet in diameter. Extending out from this center are 8 "tentacles," arrayed evenly around the plant, each about 10-12 feet long. These tentacles resemble thick green vines, about the thickness of a man's wrist, and extend outward along the ground from the central body. The tentacles are dark green, while the central body is a light greenish-yellow.
The green coloration of a strangler implies that the plant is at least partially photosynthetic. But this isn't its only source of sustenance. Although the long tentacular vines are usually stationary, they can under the right circumstances move extremely fast. The "right circumstances" is the approach of an animal of some kind within range of one or more tentacles. Tentacles lash out in an attempt to capture the animal and drag it into a fleshy mouth that opens in the top of the central body. Once the animal is "swallowed," the strangler's digestive enzymes dissolve it over a period of several hours.
Nobody knows exactly what senses a strangler possesses. It is unaffected by either darkness or bright light, and doesn't react to sound or silence. Most sages agree that the creature somehow senses movement, since it will never attack a motionless creature that it hasn't already captured with at least one tentacle.
Combat: At the first moment that a potential prey comes within range, one or more of the tentacles lashes out and attempts to wrap itself around the animal. This requires a successful attack roll. A successful capture means that the target creature is grasped by at least one tentacle, and suffers 1d8 hit points of crushing damage. Each subsequent round - unless the creature manages to escape - the tentacle continues to crush its target for maximum damage, and attempts to drag it towards the central body of the plant. Unless the plant has to contend with more than one target simultaneously, it will continue to wrap more tentacles around its prey as the unfortunate animal is dragged closer to its central body. A single creature an be attacked by no more than 6 tentacles. Subsequent tentacle attacks receive a +2 bonus to their attack rolls for each tentacle already gripping the target.
In addition to crushing damage, the tentacles of a strangler inflict a more insidious attack on their prey. The tentacles secrete an enzymatic mixture which causes paralysis in its prey. Each round that a creature is in the grip of a strangler, it must make a saving throw vs. poison or become paralyzed. This paralysis lasts until the creature is either dead or freed from the grip of the strangler; in the latter case, the paralysis fades gradually over a period of 2d8 rounds. For each additional tentacle in excess of one that grips a single victim, that victim suffers a -1 penalty to its saving throw against paralysis.
Once the strangler has shoved its victim into its fleshy mouth, the victim suffers 1d10 hit points of damage each round from enzymatic secretions (save vs. acid for half damage). In addition, the victim must save vs. breath weapons with a -5 penalty each round it's in the plant's mouth or be paralyzed. The body of a dead creature will be dissolved and unrecoverable after 2d12 hours.
The easiest way to free a victim from a strangler tentacle is to cut off the tentacle. A tentacle has AC 7 - as opposed to AC 4 for the central body - and can withstand only 2d8 hit points of damage before it's destroyed. Damage inflicted on tentacles isn't counted against the strangler's total "hit point pool," and can't kill the creature. Only hits against the central body can actually kill the creature. A strangler can regenerate a destroyed tentacle in 1 d6 days. It can regenerate multiple tentacles at the same time, although the time complete regeneration takes is increased by one day for each tentacle in excess of one that the plant must re-grow.
A strong, un-paralyzed creature might be able to tear itself free from a strangler, or at least prevent itself from being dragged into the central maw. To free himself from a tentacle, a character must make a "bend bars" roll based on Strength. A successful roll means the creature has tom free from one tentacle. Such an attempt takes one entire round in which the character can do nothing else. (Breaking free from a tentacle doesn't mean that same tentacle can't attack again on the next round, of course.)
High Strength can also let a character prevent a strangler from dragging him within range of its mouth. The procedure is as follows: First, consider that each tentacle gripping the character has a Strength of 16. Now add together the Strength scores of the captured character plus any other characters who are trying to help him pull away. Compare this to the Strength total of the tentacles currently holding the character. If the characters' total Strength is greater than or equal to the strangler's total strength - that is, 16 times the number of tentacles gripping the victim then the plant is unable to pull its prey any closer to its mouth. If the characters' total Strength is less than the strangler's total strength, however, the plant continues to drag its prey closer. (For example: Balfas the warrior (Str 14) is grabbed by two strangler tentacles. Balfas' friends Adria (Str 9) and Lykan (Str 12) try to help him resist the plant's pull. The characters' total Strength is 35; the strangler's total Strength for the two tentacles is 32 (16 X 2). Balfas and friends can resist the pull of the strangler... just. If the plant scores a hit with another tentacle, Balfas and his two friends will be unable to resist any longer.) It's important to remember that anyone trying to help a captured victim is by definition within range of at least one other tentacle...
Fire- and heat-based attacks do double damage to a strangler. All other attack forms do normal damage. Since the plant has no mind as such, it is totally immune to charm, illusions, and other mind-affecting magic.
Habitat/Society: Stranglers are non- mobile and totally unintelligent. They cannot communicate with their own kind in any way.
Every 250 days or so, a single blood-red flower blooms atop a strangler's central body. This flower is beautiful to see, but smells of carrion. The flower remains open for several days, then the seed pod below the flower bursts, scattering seeds to the winds. Since there are no insects or birds on Plata to fertilize the stranglers, the plants must depend solely on the wind to do so - not a particularly effective strategy. The relative frequency of the plants proves that this scheme does work, however.
Ecology: Stranglers are virtually perfect "opportunistic predators." If animal prey wanders within its grasp, the plant will eat it. If no animals come near, however, the plant is perfectly happy to subsist purely on photosynthesis.
The humanoids of Plata hate stranglers with a passion, and have sometimes tried to wipe the entire species out... with little to no success. The aarakocra consider the red blossoms to be the greatest of delicacies, and sometimes will risk attacks from stranglers to snatch the flowers.
Originally appeared in SJR4 - Practical Planetology (1991).
