Ideas For Plants

[GamerGrl]

Ok so I have this idea for a low level champaign like level 5 to 7 for DND 3.5. I want to send the PCs through a jungle and i have several enounters with different types of monsters. I really want some ideas for plants that can be used.

I dont know what kind are out there that can be used. I would like to have some that will set off maybe gaseous vapors when PCs get near them. Some that are viney and can grab and trip them. šome that wll harm them with a touch. any and all ideas will be greatly appriciated.

This will be my first experience with running a campaign of this size. I have DM'd small things for my husband and step daughter and thats about it. I really dont want to screw this up. Besides my husband we have a friend and they have both been playing for 20 yrs a piece. I really want them to be impressed with this.

[Phelix-Mu]

Fungus is the entry for the gas thing, I think. Also, check page 75 of the DMG for molds and slimes. They count as plants, though they aren't strictly plant creatures.

Assassin Vine is the one that grabs people. Monster Manual. You may need to increase it's HD or use multiples of them in concert with some threat (like quicksand) to properly challenge characters of this level.

I'd suggest Yellow Musk Creeper. For vets of the game, this is a classic, with excellent vintage. It's found in Fiend Folio. It gets paired with Yellow Musk Zombies, which have an awesome flavor, jungle-zombie infested by plants and such.

As for overarching theme, I'd go for a jungle that has a theme of being hostile to outsiders/sentient life. Kind of like a haunted forest that doesn't like intruders, but more like a curse that makes the land hungry for the flesh of visitors. Make the plants more malevolent. Give them some group tactics that might otherwise not fit the creature types (and let the Intelligent characters know that this behavior is suspicious). The party get waylaid in the jungle, hunted by the plants, and needs to discover what is going on while avoiding encounters.

Tips:
1.) Summarize encounters with low-CR stuff. Maybe there are hundreds of low hp assassin vines. Roll dice for the first encounter, but then explain that, once the party knows what to look for, a few sword slashes a caution kill the vines before they are a threat. Still, it's hours of slogging through deathtraps, never stopping.

2.) Cultivate the marathon atmosphere and the feel of being hunted with descriptive phrases, mysterious sounds that keep the characters on edge, shifting shadows, and the oppressive heat and humidity. The rustling of the leaves, but no breeze....:smallconfused:

3.) Allow players to win their way out eventually. But, later, have the nature of this jungle somehow be connected to another bit of the plot. Perhaps something was watching as they passed through the jungle, and followed them into the world beyond (a kind of Frankenstein's monster, perhaps; a sentient plant that is new born, looking for a way to understand other lifeforms beyond the jungle). Or, perhaps there is some vital resource only found in the jungle, and they must return, but this time are prepared (or are they?).

Anyway, good luck. Impressing vets sounds like a handful, but there are a plethora of good ideas and sources of inspiration out there.

[Tevesh]

I second the Yellow Musk Creeper. It's a classic monster that would send clear signals to the vets for the nostolgia factor.

The other classic plant monster that immediately springs to mind is a Shambling Mound from MM1, p.222. It gets powered up by electricity.

Dryads, and possibly other, Forest Fae would not consider any dangerous plant because the plant would ignore them. You can set up interesting encounters by having the Dryad accidentally send the PCs into danger because she didn't think that Assassin Vines are anything but convenient coat hangers. There's some RP potential there.

Now my personal fun-stuff is from Dungeonscape p.115 called a Hivenest. Its a combined CR Template, essentially you add a Swarm to a Plant, Construct or Undead so that the host creature adds Swarm damage after each hit and once the host is destroyed, the Swarm breaks free for an extended encounter.

This can pair up for interesting encounters, such as using a Swarm of Beetles that's infesting any sort of plant.

What can be fun are Woodlings, which is a Template from MM3 p.199, that turns any creature into a Plant. So you could have a Dragon made out of Wood, its a Plant Green Dragon for extra flavour. You can have some serious fun, taking your favourite monsters and turning them into intelligent plants.

Also from Dungeonscape are Encounter Traps, p.120. They're basically traps that are designed to occur over a few rounds, so that people can dodge, break and defend to contribute to the fight. Its way better than "Okay, let the Rogue disable that trap while we twiddle our thumbs." Add in a monster that's immune to the Encounter Trap and you have a very interesting encounter.

If you're dead set with your plant needs, I could recommend bigger versions of normal monsters. Fighting a Large-sized Praying Mantis could be really cool, just because it really evokes the old school monster movies. Also, Dinosaurs are really cool too. There are some Cave variations in Miniatures Handbook that are smaller (and little light on the CR). With the levels you plan this on being, a T-Rex is right up our alley! Snakes and Spiders can't be forgotten.

There's also the Lizard-folk, Yuan-Ti angle. Nagas from Oriential Adventures p.173 are a good based half-lizard/snake, half-human with magical powers that could be interesting. Serpent Kingdoms from the Forgotten Realms also has a lot of jungle-based monsters/encounters for you. New poisons, suggestions on how to build that sort of thing. Half of the adventure could be just surviving in the jungle!

I think my favourite Jungle monster combines all of the above with: Needletooth Swarm, MM3 p.109. Its like that scene in Jurassic Park where its a bunch of small dinosaurs. "Oh, one is cute. Two are cute. Five is getting strange. Why are twenty of them looking at me like that? Oh god, there's hundreds -it hurts!"

Lastly, PCs like winning! While don't make the monsters a bunch of push overs, people tend to like fights that they end up on top. Its only for special occasions should you really mess up the team. This means don't worry about trying to make the most awesome stuff ever, its a learning experience for everybody.

[GamerGrl]

Thank you for the great information and tips Phelix-Mu and Tevesh. The group is traveling through to get to another area when they come across this jungle. They encounter a village of primitive humans whom worship "She", a female leader whom has remained young and healthy after several centuries.

The players are all males by design, whom are rescued from the horrors of the jungle. One of the pcs is seen as the reincarnated soul of her beloved Thaddeus
whom she was betrothed too. Her plans are to captivate him and return the soul to her lover so they can be reunited.

The main theme as they find the ancient burial chambers of the villagers, a large series of caverns, which turn out to be infested by the undead. They must defeat the undead and choose to either join with "She" and her loyal followers, or the villagers ready to try and overthrow her reign.

I am uncertain what class to make her as of yet for she posses several abilities from various classes such as raise dead, control and speak with plants, suggestion spell like ability.

The undead are animated via a mixture of various plants, and spices for the embalming process. A side effect found as she uses in a ritual during the full moon to speak to her betrothed, it also began animating other undead as well. I was leaning towards a druid and another class worth a CR 10. So again any suggestions would be great. Thanks again.

[unseenmage]

You could also check out the list of plants in my sig. Mostly from Dragon Magazines and a lot of them are extraplanar but with magic and the internet all things are possible.

[Tevesh]

Undead seem like a tired trope, especially for the veterans. The Yellow Musk Creepers can make Plant-based Zombies, Woodlings could be her Plant-based minions. Animals and Plants would eventually attack Undead, I'm sure that Tiger doesn't care if the flesh is from a human or freshly dead human.

I'd make her a Fey. Fey don't have reason or rhyme, they just do whatever they want because they feel that way. I'm sure you're familiar with the trope that started with the Odyssey of Odysseus being stuck with the Nymph Calypso for 10 years because she wanted him all for herself. Perhaps the Fey had a human lover who died and the PC reminds her of him.

If they decide to side with her, you can 'reward' the PC with either Faerie Mysteries (multi-feat from Dragon Mag) or Nymph's Kiss from Exalted Deeds. They might not be Exalted, but the whole purpose of Nymph's Kiss is someone's awakening of the reality of the world due to the affection of an immortal being. Somewhat like the main character from The Wise Man's Fear trilogy (he gets held hostage by a Fey Goddess for a few years before he convinces her to let him go - he 'threatens' her of not completing a poem because she's too distracting).

If they decide to fight against her, then there could be plenty of Cold Iron found in Catacombs. Perhaps they could attempt to resurrect a Couatl (MM1) to be on her side. I don't know - I suddenly have this Aztec vision in my mind for the Jungle and Flat Pyramids the PCs needs to explore.

As for what she should be, there's the Bile Wrapped in Beauty (Acid Based Melee-type) from this Wizard's Page:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fey/20040411a

Nymphs (MM1) or Biles with Class Levels could be an imposing force. Nymphs more for the pew-pew, Biles for Melee.

Edit: Nymphs are CR 7 with Druid-Spellcasting. 3 Levels of Druid could make her quite imposing, spell-casting wise. As for what to transform, I'm partial to Legendary Eagle MM2 137 for ranged spellcasting or another Legendary animal if you want to go melee.

Or 1 level in Beastmaster gives her a beefy Animal Companion to wreck face with. Wild Cohort, a feat from the Wizard's Site, is another favourite. The go-to animal is a Fleshraker (MM3) just because of how much face punch it contains.

Edit2: As for Undead, I'd make her either a Necropolitan (Libris Mortis 114) if you want the spellcasting or Bane Wraith (Heroes of Horror 139) that looks very much alive. If you want to add more of a Cthulthu spin of "Evil That No One Understands" Unholy Scion from Heroes of Horror 157. Just above the Scion are two examples of potential 'slaves' - ones where their bodies are corrupted so they die, another who have gone insane. You could use those Templates for her followers.

And unseenmage has "Boomshroom" listed in his plant index. If there's ever an excuse to use Fungus or random plants, this is the one. Explosive Mushroom Trap, here we go!

[AzureKnight]

Juat for a flash from the past, her lair could be garded by the chia golem, just add water and watxh them attack lol. may need converted from 2nd however.

[GamerGrl]

thanks for all the info. AZUREknight gonna have to think about that gollum.

[Dairuga]

Another plant-based monster that has yet to be mentioned, would be the Vinespawn (MMV, P.198). A mixture of unholy terror and plants, these creatures create for a very worrysome encounter if played off correctly. While the creature itself is a being of vines, the actual creature is a collection, forming a large, hulking beast composed of said vines.

The Vinespawn as is, is a bit of a morbid creature, as it is, capable of entangling creatures and hold them in place, alongside engulfing its enemies, and deals Nonlethal damage when doing so. That is, as per with the words "Engulf", the large, shambling creature of vines comes apart to swallow a creature and keeps said creature inside of itself. Any allies that try to stab the plant or cast Are of effect effects on the plant also deals damage / applies the effect to the captured target, so the party has to be careful with how to go on about saving their comrade.

Back to the "Nonlethal" damage the plant deals; O\on the upside, the fact that a pseudo-sentient creature made out of plants actually deals nonlethal damage as opposed to dealing lethal damage is nice for adventurers. Hey, who likes dying?

On the downside, it's a living, sentient plant creature that deals nonlethal damage. That begets implications. Bad implications.

Long story short, the Vinespawn injects a spawning vine trough the captured victim's mouth, prevents them from speaking, and latches on once it reaches the target's stomach. It keeps its host nourished and supplied with air, and once it has a host, it retreats back into the trees, creating the whole encounter as a hit-and-run tactic to whittle down the party / Create a plot hook. Then over a period of four days, implants seeds and vines into the target's bodily systems. If the target is not rescued within four days, it dies and creates a new Vinespawn.

The book explicitly states that the Vinespawn takes periodical swift actions to keep its victim in a state of permanent unconciousness trough nonlethal damage as it goes about its day.

And that is a very terrifying thing for any Player Character to go trough.