Foliage Monster

[CharlieRock]

The Foliage Monster

No. Encountered:1

Size:Large

HD:5(d10)

Move:20ft.,5ft.swim

AC:15

Attacks:1Slam(2d4), see special

Special:see below,Twilight vision

Saves:P

INT:Average

Alignment:Neutral

Type:Plant

Treasure:5

XP:varies,see below

The Foliage Monster (a.k.a. Swamp Thing, Brush Beast, Tree Fiend,etc.) is the source of many campfire tales and also not a few disappearrances. Whenever a person has died lost or alone in the wooded areas of the world their spirit sometimes stays behind and animates some small patch of the woods themselves.

Though the appearance of the Foliage Monster is seemingly random they do share many similar qualities. They are not vocal, yet understand all the languages of their animator spirit. Foliage Monsters only arise on certain nights after sunset and disappear at sunrise, leaving behing only the pile of bramble that housed the angry spirit. These nights vary for each individual Foliage Monster, but will have great significance to the animating intelligence: the anniversary of a child perished due to exposure, the tresspass of intruders for a murdered druid, or even a moonless night for a weeping widow commited suicide. Foliage Monsters will never be found outside of the area where the tragedy that spawned them occured.

As they are composed of whatever flora was in the vicinity of it's rise each Foliage Monster will have varied powers and/or abilities in addition to the ones listed in it's stat block:

d6 (#of abilities)

1-3 = one additional ability

4-5 = two additional abilities

6 = three additional abilities

d10 (abilities, reroll doubles excepting physical attacks which stack)

1= Soggy breath: Can expell it's breath in a gust up to three times a night. Each duplicates the effects of the spell fog cloud. In addition any nonmagical wooden objects suffer as per warp wood where the fog cloud is centered (immediately to the front of the Foliage Monster at time of breath).

2= Log limbed: an additional attack doing 2d8 in addition to a chance to lay the target prone due to impact with this massive limb. Each person hit must make a SV(either Str or Dex ,player's choice) vs. challenge rating 2 or fall prone.

3= Well rooted: Any round in which the Foliage Monster is immobile it may entrench it's feet and cause them to sprout up to 40' away for 10' radius as per entangle. Only one entangled area may exist at one time and the Foliage Monster may resume normal movement while it is in effect.

4= Thorns: an additional slam attack as well as any target hit with two slam attacks in one round are grappled for an additional 2d4 damage.

5= Muddy mitts: a successful attack covers the target in mud. Covered victims must make a Con save vs CR 4 or be blinded for 1d4 rounds.

6= Sticks and Stones: an additional attack may be made at ranged increments of 30' for 1d8 damage from flung sticks or rocks.

7= Hollow body: The Foliage Monster will attempt to grapple any smaller foes then itself and swallow them. Any opponent losing a grapple to this beast will be swallowed and must a Con save vs. CR 5 or take 3d4 drowning damage. As long as one person is still struggling inside it, the Foliage Monster will strike as if it did not have this attack. As soon as that adventurer is dead however, it is considered "empty" and will attempt to swallow again. Any survivng swallowees can emerge freely from a dead Foliage Monster ,otherwise they must make a successful grapple attack causing no damage to the beast.

8= Fearsome gaze: a fear gaze attack CR5

9= Bite attack: 2d6 additional attack

10= Power over the night: Darkness 100' radius 1/night

Base XP is determined as 100 plus 50 per additional power. Example: A Foliage Monster with three additional powers would be 250 XP.

A defeated Foliage Monster will arise again the next night it normally would had it disappeared as normal at sunrise unless a Cleric or Druid performs a funerary ritual for the lost soul animating it.

[SoulCatcher78]

Looks good. Might want to go a little higher on the HD with some of those abilities, maybe an additional 2 HD for each ability over 1?

Reminds me of a Dresden Files book.

To paraphrase:

Person1 "What happened to your car?"

Person2"Chlorofiend"

Person1"What the hell's a Chlorofiend?"

Person2"Dunno, but it sounds better than plant monster doesn't it?"

[CharlieRock]

Scenario hook: The PCs hear tales of a "bog demon" that appears outside of the town at night. They also discover that ,prior to the demons arrival, a pair of lovers were to meet in that same area. When one was caught sneaking out of the manor by her father she could not rendezvous with her boyfriend. The boyfriend waited all night and came down with swamp fever and died. Now his spirit animates part of the swamp he waited for his love in. The "bog demon" wanders aimlessly around until his spirit is becalmed.