The PCs came across a Lich who specializes in splice-botany, where he splices psionics and necromantic effects into his plant creations. I've searched through my bestiary books and Combat Manager to find an acceptable "base" to build upon, but to no avail. The closest thing I found was an Udoroot, but I'm not really going for that. I want this to be more of like a Venus Fly trap that doesn't wait for prey, but rather is an extremely active chomper, if that makes sense.
Not only would this plant be necromantic, but it would also have psionic powers. And the plant wouldn't be rooted into the ground, but rather its "roots" would be like legs that have to root themselves into the ground as it "walks".
So, do you know of any creature in the bestiary I could use as a "base" for creating this?
I'm not sure what abilities you want on your monster, exactly, nor the CR. You could use this with the giant template, though.
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Just make sure you name it Audrey
I'm not sure what abilities you want on your monster, exactly, nor the CR. You could use this with the giant template, though.
That's perfect! Ty! :)
Just make sure you name it Audrey
Will do haha. But I have to ask, why? :D
What about the plant makes it 'necromantic'? Is it an Undead plant?
A quick Google search I found the following 3 versions, along with several articles about the real world plant.
There's a "Flytrap, Giant" on d20PFSRD. It moves very slowly (10ft move). It is the largest at size Huge
Go to D&D and beyond homebrew It is immobile, size Large.
And lastly there's a homebrewed 5E version I found on the D%D Wiki. It was the most mobile of the 3 but still rather slow with a 15ft move. Looks to be the most work will revolve around giving it whatever Psionic abilities envisioned and whatever is meant by making it 'necromantic'.
What CR is desired?
How mobile?
Do you mean literally Colossal sized? Sheer size will make any stealthiness harder to explain but there's always psionics and or Supernatural abilities to help out.Personally I think some degree of Blindsight and Tremorsense, a lure pheromones type charming (or even multiple types of effects charm/lure for attack, fear or confusion for defense and escape, etc.), and grapple/pin abilities make a lot of sense. Can not be Tripped, resistant to Bull Rush or similar efforts when rooted. And to avoid the "Terrasque effect" a way to avoid or attack flyers and ranged assault (maybe some of the plant is underground or it can pull itself underground). I like the root grapple potential of the D&D and beyond version, a truly colossal version should have a correspondingly larger area it can reach. Standard Plant and Undead? Immunities. I'd lean towards giving it Grab and or Improved Grapple and I like to make it use a paralytic attack on anything it grapples within its 'mouth(s), a subdue then digest its prey overall attack routine'.
It's not an undead plant per se, but more of an Enervating/Rot plant. And yeah, I'm definitely going to do Grab/Grapple with vines, and there's going to be a big maw like a venus fly-trap that can do swallow whole (and once inside, it will be an Enervation-style negative levels rather than actual damage). As far as psionics go, the Plant will have ways to use telepathy as a lure, and telekinesis to throw PC's into it's maw, as well as some other psionic goodies like Hostile Empathic Transfer and Forced Share Pain. Yes it'll be colossal but I'm not worried about Stealth for this guy, cuz he'll be summoned in some way, it won't be something that the party 'happens upon' in a forest or something. I want it to be mobile, but maybe only 10ft or 15ft movement speed. As far as CR, it's a 5 person party and they're Gestalt but they're level 7, so I'm thinking this Plant monstrosity should be around a CR8 or CR9, while the Lich will be CR 11.
The plan is to have the Lich find the party, then summon this monstrosity upon them, and then the PC's will have to fight both of them, and the Lich will be flying around casting spells. The players have already killed this Lich once, and now he's coming back for revenge :)
Will do haha. But I have to ask, why? :DJust make sure you name it Audrey
Watch this.
More details about the Little Shop of Horrors.
/cevah
Well, it could be made necromantic, I suppose. It isn't like the plant had any other use for the bones after it melts the flesh off of them.
If we are working from scratch, then it might be interesting to use every method available to carnivorous plants, and then associate those with necromantic abilities. Done well, you could play it off as a single plant that comprises an entire forest, and it is so vast that the various offshoots are treated as individual creatures (that the party can kill one by one in encounters).
1. The eating. The classic venus fly trap. Because this will likely damage the body. So go for incorporeal undead made from the spirits.
2. The pitcher plant. An acid trap, basically. This would produce skeletons.
3. The brier. Surprisingly, thorn patches are considering pseudo carnivorous. It is real problem for sheep herders- the sheep gets tangled in the thorns, and they just die there. Eventually, they become fertilizer, which is how the brier 'eats' them. As a monster, you could have various constricting plants that try to grab the party for strangulation grappling and maybe a bit of poison- and since this would not damage the body structurally too much, you could possibly have the thorns infect the dead body to make zombies (and eventually, the bodies go over to the pitchers or fly traps to become 'compost').
Will do haha. But I have to ask, why? :DJust make sure you name it Audrey
Watch this.
More details about the Little Shop of Horrors.
/cevah
I'm definitely going to have to watch that now.
Sorry Kayerloth, the lich's name is Zwalsgel ;(
Well, it could be made necromantic, I suppose. It isn't like the plant had any other use for the bones after it melts the flesh off of them.
If we are working from scratch, then it might be interesting to use every method available to carnivorous plants, and then associate those with necromantic abilities. Done well, you could play it off as a single plant that comprises an entire forest, and it is so vast that the various offshoots are treated as individual creatures (that the party can kill one by one in encounters).
1. The eating. The classic venus fly trap. Because this will likely damage the body. So go for incorporeal undead made from the spirits.
2. The pitcher plant. An acid trap, basically. This would produce skeletons.
3. The brier. Surprisingly, thorn patches are considering pseudo carnivorous. It is real problem for sheep herders- the sheep gets tangled in the thorns, and they just die there. Eventually, they become fertilizer, which is how the brier 'eats' them. As a monster, you could have various constricting plants that try to grab the party for strangulation grappling and maybe a bit of poison- and since this would not damage the body structurally too much, you could possibly have the thorns infect the dead body to make zombies (and eventually, the bodies go over to the pitchers or fly traps to become 'compost').
Very cool. Zwalsgel is going to be a recurring villain (at least until they find his phylactery), so I think this would make a great plant monster that he uses in the future encounters :)