Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Foxhengeyokai 12-26-06, 09:05 PM	Right, not to spoil anything much, but I'm working on a food related game for UnCon next year, so I'm making a few interesting monsters. This is to be a killer vine, with lemons that the PC's need to collect. This is meant to be a CR 4 encounter, by the way. Before you is a vine. It is wrapped around a lemon tree, but strangely, the fruits of this vine are FAR more succulent and full than the meager ones on the tree. As you approach, the vine begins to move! Citron assassin Large Plant Hit Dice: 6d8+18 (39 hp) Initiative: +0 Speed: 5 ft. (1 square) Armor Class: 17 (-1 size, +8 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 15 Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+13 Attack: Slam +7 melee (1d6+7) Full Attack: Slam +7 melee (1d6+7) Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. (20 ft. with vine) Special Attacks: Constrict 1d6+7, entangle, improved grab, stingy juices, squirt. Special Qualities: Blindsight 30 ft., camouflage, immunity to electricity, low-light vision, plant traits, resistance to cold 10 and fire 10 Saves: Fort +8, Ref +2, Will +3 Abilities: Str 20, Dex 10, Con 16, Int Ø, Wis 13, Cha 9 Environment: Bizzare gardens Organization: Solitary or orchard (2-40) Challenge Rating: 4? Treasure: Citron assassin fruit. Alignment: Always neutral Advancement: 5-16 HD (Huge); 17-32 HD (Gargantuan); 33+ HD (Colossal) Level Adjustment: — The origins of the citron assassin are well known. Long ago, a brilliant gnomish wizard with a flair for gardening tired of the the local forest deer eating her plants. "I'll make a deterrent that looks good." she thought to herself. So, taking the nearest plant, and wielding impressive magic, she began to craft a sour guardian. Soon, she succeeded, and planted her brilliant, pretty, and deadly plant in her garden. She never again had deer trouble. It's said that all citron assassin vines sprang from her plant. It's also said that the original plant is still allive, having grown to collossal size somewhere in the world. Combat: The citron assassin doesn't fight with any form of brilliance, or any strategy. It slams at those who would dare to attempt to steal its fruit, and attempts to squeeze the life out of them. They deserve it too, stealing fruit. Stingy juices (EX) Those who are wounded by the Assassins' slam attack or constrict take a -1 to all attacks, damage rolls, and concentration checks due to the stinging juices found in the plants' acidic fruit. This lasts for either 3 minutes, or until it is washed out. If the assassin inflicts multiple wounds on an enemy, the penalty from the stingy juices do not stack. Squirt (EX) As a ranged touch attack up to 50 feet with 10 foot range increments, the citron assassin may squirt it's stingy juices at a foes' eyes. If it hits, the target must make a reflex save versus DC 16 or be blinded for 3 minutes, or until the juice is washed out. This DC is constitution based. Entangle (SU) A citron assassin can animate plants within 30 feet of itself as a free action (Ref DC 15 partial). The effect lasts until the citron dies or decides to end it (also a free action). The save DC is Wisdom-based. The ability is otherwise similar to entangle (caster level 6th). Camouflage (EX) Since an citron assassin looks like a normal lemon when at rest, it takes a DC 20 Spot check to notice it before it attacks. Anyone with ranks in Survival or Knowledge (nature) can use one of those skills instead of Spot to notice the plant. Dwarves can use stonecunning to notice the subterranean version.
Wall 12-27-06, 09:06 AM	ALL FEAR THE MIGHTY LEMON! Interesting, but a couple of questions: - Do the penalties from multiple uses of "Stingy Juices" stack? - You note the abilities "Entangle" and "Camouflage," but they have no descriptions. - Why is it immune to electricity? Is this a property of the lemon that I am unaware of?
Foxhengeyokai 12-27-06, 01:54 PM	Allrighty, entangle and camouflage have been added. Also, it's immune to electricity since I doubt a woody vine would very vulnerable to shocking grasp and such. Also, I've added a "The stingy juices do not stack clause."
Morotis 12-27-06, 09:41 PM	Just to let you know the Assasin Vine already has grapes on it that can be made into a weird tasting wine. I once ran an adventure hook of an old Gnome woman who ran a "rare entiquties" shop. she would pay anyone who could get some rare items for her. The PC's were looking for cash so they ran some errands for her and she would tell them about an errend she needed them to do, but she would leave out one detail, like the fact that the vines that the grapes grew on fought back. Wow, that was completly off topic! Anyway, I like the monster. I can see farmers perhaps planting a few of these in a lemon orchard to defend against animals and adventures looking for a snack while passing through. Just a thought.
Delfedd 12-27-06, 10:55 PM	Here's an interesting idea. You mentioned in the description that the fruits of the vine look far more succulent than the ones on the tree. That gave me an idea. You could change the "flavor" of the plant so that it steals the fruits from the tree. Plant it on an apple tree and it grows the best tasting apples you've ever tasted.
Foxhengeyokai 12-28-06, 10:21 PM	Delfedd, that's a good and interesting idea, one which allows this thing to change trees with aboslute ease. Thing is, without a lemon tree, the stingy juices and squirt ability may not work. Now, if you and I were to try to come up with abilties for certain varieties of fruit tree, this would be more interesting. For example, were it to take over a pomegranate tree, it would probably gain the abilty "Spit seeds: (Ex) A (insert pomegranate related name here) may make a ranged attack up to 30 feet, with a 10 foot range increment to fire seeds at an enemy dealing 2d6 points of bludgeoning damage." Or something similar.