Blood Bush
This creature appears as a 3-foot tall flowering bush with a thick trunk and small whip-like branches. Each branch is topped with a blood-red flower and deep, rich green leaves.
Blood Bush (CR 4)
Small PlantAlignment: Neutral
Initiative: +0
Senses: Blindsight 30 feet, Low-Light Vision; Perception +1
Speed: 0 feet
Space: 5 feet
Defense
Armor Class: 18, touch 11, flat-footed 18 (+7 natural, +1 size)Hit Points: 57 (6d8+30)
Saving Throws: Fort +10, Ref +2, Will +3
Immunity: electricity
Energy Resistance: cold 10, fire 10
Weaknesses: vulnerability to sonic
Offense
Melee: tendril +7 (1d4+2)Reach: 5 feet
Ranged: flower dart +5 (1d2+2)
Special Attacks: flower dart, implant
Statistics
| Str | Dex | Con | Int | Wis | Cha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 (+2) | 10 (+0) | 20 (+5) | - | 12 (+1) | 9 (-1) |
CMB +5
CMD 15
Feats:
Skills:
Languages:
Special Abilities
Flower Dart (Ex)
As a standard action, a blood bush can launch a barrage of six flower darts (make an attack roll for each dart). This attack has a range of 40 feet with no range increment. All targets must be within 30 feet of each other. The creature can launch only 30 such darts in one day.Implant (Ex)
A creature hit by one of the blood bush's flower darts is implanted with one of its seeds. A seed quickly germinates as follows:| Round | Effect |
|---|---|
| First | DC 18 Will save or flee in fear for 1d6 rounds |
| Third | Paralysis for 1d4+2 rounds; DC 18 Fortitude negates |
| Fifth | Wounding: 1 point of Constitution damage per minute until the seed is removed or destroyed. |
Sonic Vulnerability (Ex)
A blood bush that is subjected to a sonic-based attack or effect (such as a shout spell) loses its blindsight ability and is effectively blinded (as the blindness spell) for a 1d4+6 rounds.Ecology
Environment: Temperate ForestsOrganization: solitary, cluster (2-4)
Treasure: none
The blood bush is a fell plant creature cursed by a wizard in times past. It is named for its blood-red flowers and its thorny blood-red seeds. A blood bush is sometimes referred to as a \"grave marker plant\" because a creature that encounters it, and fails to see the danger this sinister plant presents, rarely lives to tell about it.
A blood bush can only be grown from a seed that has germinated inside the warm body of a Small or larger animal. Roots from the germinating seed kill the host and use the nutrients provided to grow rapidly into a deadly plant. A number of nobles use this horrid plant as a deterrent against thieves and robbers, sometimes creating entire hedges of these plants.
A blood bush appears as a flowering bush about 3 feet tall. Its thick trunk quickly splits off into many smaller, whip-like branches, each topped with a blood-red flower surrounded by deep green leaves. Blood bush seeds can be sold for about 20 gp each on the open market; collecting them and living to earn the money they bring is not the easiest of tasks.
When a blood bush detects a warm-blooded creature within 20 feet, it fires a volley of flower darts at the creature, attempting to implant it with its seeds. A creature that dies from the blood bush's seed implantation rapidly decomposes, and a new blood bush springs up in the area within four days. Living creatures within 5 feet of a blood bush are slashed and cut with its four whip-like tendrils.
Copyright Notice Authors Scott Greene and Lance Hawvermale.
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