Monsters: Rasa Mon's Ghastly Toxic Lancing Ivy

Rasa Mon's Ghastly Toxic Lancing Ivy

 

Climate/Terrain: Any
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Colony, Patch
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Carnivore, Sun, Soil

Intelligence: Semi- (2-4)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 2-20 vines
Armor Class: 3 (or better)
Movement: 6
Hit Dice: 7 or 8
THAC0: 13
No. of Attacks: Special
Damage/Attack: 1d6, or 2d6 + special
Special Attacks: Entangle and blood drain
Special Defenses: Spell Immunities
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: G (4' per Hit Dice)
Morale: Steady (11)
XP Value: 7 HD: 2,000 / 8 HD: 3,000

     Rasa Mon's Ghastly Toxic Lancing Ivy is a semi-intelligent plant that was developed by using several different species of creeping vines and ivies, some of them categorized as monstrous. By hybridizing several species together he was able to create the plant he desired to protect fortifications, buildings, or just leave as an impediment to others. It is usually found on the walls of the protected buildings, encircling large trees or as ground cover. This many-branched vine moves to trap and feed upon those who stray too close to it. It can move to bring a victim within range, grasping with its rootlets and crawling along a wall or the ground.
     Looking much like normal ivy, crawling ivy is a dark, glossy green. The leaves are triangular and veined, with an exceptionally sharp-edged stem hidden under the lush foliage. The plant is capable of surviving almost any conditions, and flourishes in most environments; regardless of the quality of soil, atmosphere, rainfall, or light. It can grow a couple of feet in a single day, and can cover a small building or untended wall in a couple of weeks.
     In autumn, the ivy erupts with clumps of red flowers which produce bittersweet, black berries. The woody stem of the plant is supported in its climb by masses of small rootlets on its underside that cling to crevices and irregularities. The ivy can be distinguished from normal ivy by its veining, which is not green, but a pale red. Close examination of the leaves reveals tiny pores or openings throughout the surface and a sticky caustic substance just barely covering the surface. Merely touching the leaves will cause a burning rash to form on unprotected skin.

Combat: Anyone coming into contact with or standing within 3 feet of Rasa Mon's Ghastly Toxic Lancing Ivy may be attacked by it. The plant prefers to let its victims get as close as possible before striking. If someone is actually climbing the wall where crawling ivy has established itself (or walking through a bed of it, when it is used as ground cover), the ivy gains a +4 bonus on its attack rolls. Because it looks so ordinary, those who do not know of its properties are given a -3 penalty to their surprise rolls when the plant attacks.
     The ivy begins its attacks by trying to entangle a victim (as per the 1st level priest spell). Those subjected to this attack must save vs. spell or be caught. Once the victim is rendered immobile, the ivy makes two attacks per round with its leafy vines. The leaves fasten upon the captive while the vine itself moves to strangle the victim, doing 1d6 points of damage per successful hit and slicing into any unprotected flesh.
     Should the victim not be entangled, he may fight back or try to move out of range of the ivy. If caught, however, the captive is powerless to help himself. Those who are held fast must be rescued by a third party or must make a successful bend bars roll to get an arm free. When the victim has lost half his hit points, or at the end of the fourth round that he fails to break free from a strangling vine, the ivy has rendered him unconscious.
     At that point, the vines simply hold the captive, while the leaves take over. First the sticky caustic substance begins to break down the victim by dissolving it. Then the leaves open their pores and begin exerting a powerful suction on the resulting fluid. This inflicts 2d6 points of damage per round, and only ceases when there is nothing left to suction.
     Hacking through is almost as dangerous, because he tightly-twisted vines are under tension – when a vine’s cut, it recoils and might slash or entangle the person who just severed it. Each vine a character severs with a hand-held tool or weapon gets a single attack versus the character‘s normal AC. If it hits, they take 1d4 points of damage plus his base AC, with no saving throw allowed.
     The sharp-edged stem has barbed thorns that are slightly hollow and able to be propelled 10 to 20 feet with a long tendril attached to the thorn allowing it to retract into the vine. This attack allows it to draw closer prey that it wisely staying away from the stuff. This attack is difficult for the plant as it exerts more energy than just lying in wait. The barbs do 1d6 damage and those hit must save vs. poison or be paralyzed. There is an additional -1 to the save per barb beyond the first that strikes. The tendril is difficult to cut as it is made of very strong material (it has 5 hp and is AC 0).
     Each vine has 15 hp and is AC 3. Only Type S weapons damage it. Cutting half the plant’s vines can clear a path or free a comrade; cutting all the vines clears the plant from whatever it’s growing over. It’ll return in a few days unless the roots are pulled up and destroyed.
     Rasa Mon's Ghastly Toxic Lancing Ivy is unusually resistant to fire and burns very poorly. Most normal fires blacken and harden the stems while burning off the leaves, which doesn’t help to get rid of the stuff. Only magical fire can actually damage the stems. It is vulnerable to spells that affect plants. It is immune to mind affecting or illusion spells, and takes only half damage from magical fire or cold-based attacks. An electrical attack will cause it to grow by one Hit Die (increasing the HD adds 1,000 XP to the value for defeating it).

Habitat/Society: Rasa Mon's Ghastly Toxic Lancing Ivy feeds on the dissolved body fluids and it can also live on sunlight or water. Given enough time in a patch the leaves will also dissolve and digest any items left by dead victims. any metals digested are used to strengthen the plant and if enough metals are ingested the AC may eventually drop by a point or two. A very sophisticated valve and pump system within the veins of the leaves allows the suctioning of fluids and pumps them throughout the plant.
     Often used as a guardian, the ivy is intelligent enough to serve a master in return for food. Though several colonies may reside side-by-side, they do not compete for space or food.

Ecology: Cuttings can be dried and used as firewood (once the branches die, they become brittle and more inflammable) or, with a treatment of oil, be preserved as flexible, razor-sharp ropes, whips, or cords. Binding someone with such a cord inflicts 1d6 damage, but as long as the victim doesn’t struggle they take the damage just once. Trying to wiggle out of the bonds causes another damage check. A garrote is a particularly nasty device, which adds 1d6 damage to the normal damage inflicted by a garrote.
     The berries produced by Rasa Mon's Ghastly Toxic Lancing Ivy may be planted in blood-soaked earth to begin a new colony. They can also be dried and used to make a very potent drink to keep a person from falling asleep. The flowers can be used in making healing potions, and in an emergency may be pressed to a wound to stop bleeding and reduce pain.