Stealthy Plants

[Corwin_of_Amber]

I'm looking for a plant creature that can harry a group of adventuerers travelling down a river in a sheer, narrow canyon. They will be forced to travel this river at night, so I want something that can surprise them.

Essentially, I'm looking for something that is a combination of a Roper and a Phantom Fungus. I need the ability to hide/camouflage along with a 15ft or longer reach. Also, ideally it would be CR 5-8.

Does such a thing exist?

[The Glyphstone]

Sounds like an advanced Assassin Vine (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/assassinVine.htm) is perfect for you, actually. 8 extra HD will triple its HP and give it a 30ft. reach with its vines.

[deuxhero]

Alternatly, Half Dragon Shambling Mound.

[Corwin_of_Amber]

Sounds like an advanced Assassin Vine (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/assassinVine.htm) is perfect for you, actually. 8 extra HD will triple its HP and give it a 30ft. reach with its vines.

I did consider that, but a DC 20 + distance spot check would be entirely too easy to see coming (at their current level/skills), which is why I would prefer invisibility or the ability to take ranks in Hide. Is there a way to increase this spot check DC other than arbitrary circumstance bonuses?

[Averis Vol]

i think a modified assassin vine is a perfect solution. refluff it to a waterdwelling plant with a constant camouflage (+10 to hide) effect, maybe HiPS with a bunch of other plants that look the exact same around it. this means that yea it will have to have ranks in hide, but thankfully.....your the DM!! who cares what the stat block says, you can give them as many skill ranks in any skill you want, they could be using a wand of invisibility if you say they are!!.

also i'd suggest stowing some piranha swarms in the plants cuz i mean, whats the point of grabbing them if theres no other real kill point? (not that i condone other people killing their PC's off of my suggestions.......*i totally do*) so you drop em into the water and the fish start nomming on them.

Edit: also, if its at night and they don't have dark vision they're pretty SoL on seeing them in the first place.

[The Glyphstone]

I did consider that, but a DC 20 + distance spot check would be entirely too easy to see coming (at their current level/skills), which is why I would prefer invisibility or the ability to take ranks in Hide. Is there a way to increase this spot check DC other than arbitrary circumstance bonuses?

You said they're travelling at night, in a canyon. That's going to be murder on natural light sources, and even Darkvision won't help outside its 60-ft range.

[Darrin]

Is there a way to increase this spot check DC other than arbitrary circumstance bonuses?

A natural fog/mist would negate any Spot checks beyond 5', although Listen checks would still work.

I'd consider a Tendriculous with the Dark Creature template: HiPS and a +8 bonus to Hide checks.

I'm not seeing a lot on that CR range... Greenvise is CR 10, but no hide skill (and about as stealthy as a Metallica concert). Night Twist or Ironmaw looks more like a TPK.

Yellow Musk Creeper (Fiend Folio) might work. CR 4, and you can add zombies, cuz, you know, everything is better with zombies. No hide skill, though.

[Corwin_of_Amber]

Are there any templates that grant an Int score? I was looking at Spellwarped and it can be applied to plants and greants +4 Int. How does this interact with mindlessness?

Other than that, I like the suggestion of fog, cinsidering Assassin Vine can sense through it. Sadly, 3 of them have darkvision.

[The Glyphstone]

You need something like Celestial or Fiendish to gain an Int score. Otherwise,[Null]+4 is still [Null].

[arguskos]

Other than that, I like the suggestion of fog, cinsidering Assassin Vine can sense through it. Sadly, 3 of them have darkvision.
I'm pretty sure that darkvision doesn't see through Fog. It just lets you see the Fog in sharper detail. :smalltongue:

All darkvision permits is seeing without light. It doesn't mean that you can dodge visual impairment.

[Darrin]

Are there any templates that grant an Int score? I was looking at Spellwarped and it can be applied to plants and greants +4 Int. How does this interact with mindlessness?


Technically, an "Int: -" and "Int: 0" are two different things, and adding +4 to "Int: -" should still result in "Int: -". However, most of the designers don't understand how templates work to begin with, and the difference between "Int: -" and "Int: 0" is often ignored.

As far as templates that increase or grant in Int score, the easiest is Fiendish/Celestial, which gives a default "Int: 3". Pseudonatural (from Complete Arcane/Lords of Madness) also gives "Int: 3". However, this switches the creature's type to Outsider, which is no longer valid for Spellwarped. You have to switch it to something else first, like Dragon (via Half-Dragon), Fey (via Half-Fey), or Aberration (via Corrupted by the Abyss).

Pseudonatural + Half-Dragon + Spellwarped results in an Int: 9.



Other than that, I like the suggestion of fog, cinsidering Assassin Vine can sense through it. Sadly, 3 of them have darkvision.

Darkvision is still based on "sight", and mist/fog/vapor (magical or otherwise) obscures all sight beyond 5'.

[Corwin_of_Amber]

I'm pretty sure that darkvision doesn't see through Fog. It just lets you see the Fog in sharper detail. :smalltongue:

All darkvision permits is seeing without light. It doesn't mean that you can dodge visual impairment.

Yeah, that was poor editing. I meant to say that sadly 3 have darkvision, so fog is a better cover than darkness. :smallwink:


Technically, an "Int: -" and "Int: 0" are two different things, and adding +4 to "Int: -" should still result in "Int: -". However, most of the designers don't understand how templates work to begin with, and the difference between "Int: -" and "Int: 0" is often ignored.

As far as templates that increase or grant in Int score, the easiest is Fiendish/Celestial, which gives a default "Int: 3". Pseudonatural (from Complete Arcane/Lords of Madness) also gives "Int: 3". However, this switches the creature's type to Outsider, which is no longer valid for Spellwarped. You have to switch it to something else first, like Dragon (via Half-Dragon), Fey (via Half-Fey), or Aberration (via Corrupted by the Abyss).

Pseudonatural + Half-Dragon + Spellwarped results in an Int: 9.



Darkvision is still based on "sight", and mist/fog/vapor (magical or otherwise) obscures all sight beyond 5'.

Well, I am not married to the idea of spellwarped, so I don't need my dragons to get down and dirty with plants. But Pseudonatural seems good, thanks.