Monster of the Week: Plant Folk
Ravening, animated, vegetative horrors
Legend claims the plant folk originate in a world far removed from all known lands, a wild place where they share the territory of the dire white apes. The two can coexist because the plant folk completely ignore the apes, which therefore don’t see them as a threat. Plant folk are typically found in forests and plains.
These strange organisms are mobile, eerie blue, humanoid plants. A single, large, all-white eyeball, surrounded by a thick white stripe, bulges out of what would be the forehead on a human. The “face” includes a red-rimmed, irregular hole in the exact center, with nothing below it resembling a human mouth. Organs serving the same purpose, however, are found in the “palms” of the plant’s “hands”, each “mouth” opening onto a “throat” running up each “arm.” The fingers of each “hand” are tipped by iron-hard thorns, acting as sharp “claws” that can both pierce and slash.
The “head” is covered with organs for sensing sound, in the form of deep black “hairs”, each about nine inches long and a quarter-inch thick. These organs appear to move of their own accord. This is mostly an illusion, caused by continual palpitations throughout the plant’s “scalp”. When the plant encounters a startling or alarming sound, however—or when it is stalking prey—every “hair” will straighten and stiffen, oriented directly away from the “scalp”, forming a sound-sensing array that can determine the direction of loud noises automatically, and faint sounds on a roll of 1-4 on a d6.
The widely-splayed, yard-long “feet” each have five “toes”, like a human’s, and the plants are incredibly fast. They jump by pushing off with both “legs” at the same time, covering great distances in bounds of up to 30’.
The six-foot long “tail” ends in a heavy, hard, vertical blade, made of extremely tough plant fiber.
Careful observers may see a small duplicate of each plant hanging from one or both of its “armpits”, via a stem attached to the duplicate’s “head”. Each of these growths begins as a tiny bud. When the bud reaches a diameter of 1”, it opens, revealing the duplicate. Sages have never recorded duplicates over a foot in length. The scholarly consensus is the duplicates must drop off the host plant at this point, assuming independent existences as maturing plant folk. Due to the extreme danger posed by the fully mature plants, however, this conjecture has yet to be verified.
Plant folk typically graze by using their thorny “claws” to cut off other types of plants—or the small, low-growing, branches of trees—at the base, then consuming them with the “mouths” in their “palms”. Whenever they can get it, however, they greatly prefer any form of meat—fresh or carrion—except for living dire white apes, to which they pay no attention. They will stalk and flush-out prey—cornering it, or bringing it down on the chase.
The plants are not intelligent, and have no language. Their behavior is purely instinctual, and any efforts to communicate with them, other than with something like the cleric spell speak with plants, will fail.
Plant folk will immediately attack interlopers in their territory, other than dire white apes. One or two plants will attack each member of the opposing group, and will fight to the death.
Each herd of 3d10 plant folk will have a leader, typically larger than the others and at full hit points. With a purring sound emitted from the “mouth” in the “palm” of either of its “hands”, the leader can summon the entire herd to join it in attacking a single objective—either an individual or a group. If the leader is slain, the morale of the herd drops to 9 for the rest of the encounter. If the leaderless herd fails a morale check, it will scatter, and will be unable to muster a coordinated attack again until it reforms and elevates a new leader, which typically takes 2d4 days.
The plants have a few forms of attack:
They can rend with their “claws” for 1d6 damage each.
Once a creature of human-size or smaller is wounded, a plant may leap upon it and grapple it with its “legs”, immobilizing it. Creatures immobilized in this way may not move from their current location, but may continue to fight. By placing one of its “hands” over an immobilized creature’s wound, a plant can drain the creature’s blood for 1d6 damage each round, until it dies. An immobilized creature can break the grapple (and end the blood drain) on a successful Save vs. Paralyzation. If the plant takes any amount of damage while grappling, this will also dislodge it from the immobilized creature.
Finally, a plant can execute a leaping strike, sailing over the head of an opponent and, in passing, striking the creature’s head with the blade on its “tail”. To carry out this attack, the plant must begin and end at least 10’ from its target, and the starting point, target, and ending point must all lie in a straight line. The plant must also have sufficient clearance directly above the target, and any other creatures/obstacles in its way. Characters who place themselves against boulders, walls, large trees, or other obstacles taller than themselves can prevent leaping strikes along the axes of attack formed by each character and the associated obstacle.
The territory of the plant folk is frequently filled with the skeletons of their prey—including leftover possessions. Stories abound of forests and plains covered with the remains of merchant caravans, armed companies, and adventuring parties—including abandoned wagons of expensive trade goods, rotting chests of gold and gems, and lost magical items. The plant folk calmly graze in the midst of this untold wealth.
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 4+2*
Move: 180’ (60’)
Attack(s): claw or blood drain/claw or blood drain, or grapple, or leaping strike
Damage: 1d6/1d6 or 3d10
No. Appearing: 3d10
Save As: Fighter 4
Morale: 12 (9)
Treasure Type: H
Alignment: Neutral
XP: 200
N.B. Plant folk are inspired by the plant men of Barsoom, in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ The Gods of Mars.