Plant Race

[Admiral Squish]

Simple question: Are there any officially published, low/0 LA plant races? I know there's a good number of plant races that people have homebrewed at one point or another, hell, I ran a project that produced a dozen. The question is if there are any officially-made plant races. Also, killoren are fey if memory serves, they don't count.

There are playable construct races, dragon races, undead races, outsider races, fey races, giant races, aberration races, and I'm pretty sure there are even elemental races somewhere. So why not plants? I mean, plant-people are at least MENTIONED in pretty much every major fantasy world I can think of. There are plenty of plant-people myths and monsters out there. So why aren't there any plant-races in all the innumerable splatbooks I've already checked?

[LOTRfan]

There are the Volodni, from Unapproachable East (I think). LA +2.

I'm not sure if that is what you are looking for, though, since technically they were originally human before turning into plants....

[Chess435]

Killoren (RotW) are of the plant type, I believe.

[Admiral Squish]

There are the Volodni, from Unapproachable East (I think). LA +2.

I'm not sure if that is what you are looking for, though, since technically they were originally human before turning into plants....

Ehh, close enough. Still a little steep on the LA though.


Killoren (RotW) are of the plant type, I believe.

Nope, they're fey.

[Zaq]

Killoren (RotW) are of the plant type, I believe.

Fey, actually. When they got sucked into 4e and became the Wilden, they became more plantlike.

[IthroZada]

Killoren (RotW) are of the plant type, I believe.

Killoren are fey.

The absolute closest thing I can find, is from a third party Legends and Lairs book called Mythic Races. The Tremen. They are basically medium sized Treants with no LA or racial HD. But that's not much better than the homebrew in validity and officialness.

[IthroZada]

Nope, they're fey.


Fey, actually. When they got sucked into 4e and became the Wilden, they became more plantlike.

Edit: Double Swordsage'd.


Edit:..... Wow, I just bungled that up entirely. My bad.

[Marnath]

MM3 has the woodling template, but it's LA 3 so I don't know if it counts.

[Thurbane]

I think you'll find Volodni are indeed the lowest LA "official" race that enable you to play a Plant character. Any templates I can think of are all greater than +2 LA...

[Rei_Jin]

The Twigblight from MM2 has only 1 hitdie and is CR 1/3, so it would be perfectly fair game to become a PC.

Stats would be:
Small Size
-2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con, -6 Int, +0 Wis, -6 Cha
Plant Traits
Natural Attacks (2 Claws, 1d3, x2 Crit)
Poison (on hit with claw, Fort Save DC (10+1/2 Hit Die+Con Mod), Initial Damage 1 Str, Secondary Damage None)
DR 5/Bludgeoning or Slashing
+3 Natural Armor
20ft Land Speed

[Psyren]

You could always be a Warforged with Ironwood Body. At least you'll *look* plant-y :smalltongue:

[Marnath]

The Twigblight from MM2 has only 1 hitdie and is CR 1/3, so it would be perfectly fair game to become a PC.

Stats would be:
Small Size
-2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con, -6 Int, +0 Wis, -6 Cha
Plant Traits
Natural Attacks (2 Claws, 1d3, x2 Crit)
Poison (on hit with claw, Fort Save DC (10+1/2 Hit Die+Con Mod), Initial Damage 1 Str, Secondary Damage None)
DR 5/Bludgeoning or Slashing
+3 Natural Armor
20ft Land Speed

Those are pretty hefty mental penalties. With a mind like that you're probably about twice as smart as the wizard's hat.:smallwink::smallbiggrin:

[Thurbane]

The Plant type has some substantial benefits: immunity to all mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, stunning and critical hits, and does not need to sleep.

[holywhippet]

The Plant type has some substantial benefits: immunity to all mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, stunning and critical hits, and does not need to sleep.

Which is why it's perfectly fair for level 12+ druids to be able wildshape into them - especially shambling mounds.:smallsmile:

*edit*

Scratch that, from what I can see you don't get the benefits of being a plant when wildshaped into one.

[Zaq]

The Plant type has some substantial benefits: immunity to all mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, stunning and critical hits, and does not need to sleep.

The bolded part has always bothered me.

Poison is super effective against Grass, goddammit!

[holywhippet]

Poison is a fairly broad term though. If a snake bites a tree the tree isn't likely to shrivel up and die because it's either immune to the poison or simply isn't affected by that means of application due to not having a bloodstream.

Different creatures/plants have different resistances or immunities to different poisons.

[Ksheep]

Well, if you count Dragon magazine… there is the Adu'ja, from Dragon issue 317. LA +2, with the following:

+2 Wis, +2 Cha, -2 Str
Woodland Stride as Druid
+4 to Diplo, Perform, and Survival
-4 to Bluff and Sense Motive
Survival is always in-class
Photosynthesis (requires less food if in sun)
Photoregeneration (heals faster per day if in sun, with water source)
Vulnerable to fire
Plant Creature
Speak with Plants 1/day

Description can be found here: http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Trinity:Adu-ja

EDIT:

Poison is a fairly broad term though. If a snake bites a tree the tree isn't likely to shrivel up and die because it's either immune to the poison or simply isn't affected by that means of application due to not having a bloodstream.

Different creatures/plants have different resistances or immunities to different poisons.

Snakes don't have poison, they have venom. Poison is typically used to describe a toxin derived from a plant, while venom is a toxin from an animal. [/nitpickery]

[Otherworld Odd]

Uh... Pathfinder sorcerer with the Verdant bloodline from APG. It takes any race and makes it plant-like.

[Ksheep]

Also, Needlefolk from MMII are (after errata) a LA+1. Might be worth a look.

[RaggedAngel]

The bolded part has always bothered me.

Poison is super effective against Grass, goddammit!

Zaq, I didn't know it was possible for me to think you were more awesome, but you found a way.

And that way was Pokemon. :smallbiggrin:

[Jeff the Green]

Needlefolk also have 3 RHD. And the whole "dormant for 1/3 of the year" thing might make life as an adventurer difficult.

Snakes don't have poison, they have venom. Poison is typically used to describe a toxin derived from a plant, while venom is a toxin from an animal. [/nitpickery]
To nitpick your nitpick, a poison is an absorbed (by e.g. skin), inhaled, or ingested toxin, while a venom is injected. For example, there are venomous snakes and mammals (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus), but birds are only ever poisonous (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooded_Pitohui).

[Person_Man]

Volodni are your lowest LA option.

IIRC Warforged can also gain the plant type (or at least all/most of the benefits) from the capstone of the Landforged Walker prestige class, which also features an uber Plant Shape ability.

[hamishspence]

What about plants that inject poison? (nettle)

Or animals that spray contact poison?

Is it both the "inject" + "animal" that define the "venom" type?

[Serpentine]

Also, Needlefolk from MMII are (after errata) a LA+1. Might be worth a look.I'm surprised it took so long for that to come up...

[Andorax]

Well, other than being tiny, notoroius cowards, no official LA/ECL, and nothing else much going for them...I suppose a Junior Worker Myconid could be a LA +0 plant. Also from MMII.

[Aethir]

Well, other than being tiny, notoroius cowards, no official LA/ECL, and nothing else much going for them...I suppose a Junior Worker Myconid could be a LA +0 plant. Also from MMII.

Junior Worker Myconid are LA+2, it's in the MM2 3.5 update packet.

[LOTRfan]

I have a minor solution. Like most Pathfinder races, the Oakling (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/3rd-party-races/alluria-publishing/oakling) would be considered LA +1 in a regular 3.5 game, despite being a plant. It seems that the (Humanoid Plant) subtype negates enough of the Plant type's immunities to reduce the LA derived from the plant traits (which seems to be +2) down by 1.

I guess if you could convince a DM to allow playable plants to have this subtype, they would become much more playable.

Volodni and Myconids become LA +1, while Needlefolk have no LA but 3 RHD.

[Fouredged Sword]

There is a treant level progression somewhere. I forget what book.