Rakewood

Poking up through the leaf litter is a rounded hump of green, woody fungus. Waving in the air are three dull brown tendrils oozing a foul-smelling sap.

Rakewood (CR 9)

Large Plant
Alignment: Neutral
Initiative: +0
Senses: Blindsight 60 feet, Tremorsense 60 feet; Perception +9

Speed: 20 feet
Space: 10 feet

Defense

Armor Class: 24, touch 9, flat-footed 24 (+15 natural, -1 size)
Hit Points: 115 (11d8+66)
Saving Throws: Fort +13, Ref +3, Will +4
Damage Reduction: 10/slashing or piercing
Immunity: plant traits

Offense

Melee: 3 slams +16 (1d8+8 plus Grab), bite +16 (2d6+8/19-20)
Reach: 10 feet

Special Attacks: spores, Swallow Whole (3d6 acid damage, AC 17, 11 hp)

Statistics

Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
26 (+8)	10 (+0)	23 (+6)	1 (-5)	12 (+1)	11 (+0)

Base Attack Bonus: +8
CMB +17 (+21 Grapple)
CMD 27 (can't be tripped)

Feats: Cleave, Improved Critical (bite), Step Up, Weapon Focus (bite, slam)

Skills: Perception +9, Stealth +5 (+13 in undergrowth)

• Racial Modifiers: +8 Stealth in undergrowth

Languages:

Special Abilities

Spores (Ex)

As a standard action once every 1d6 rounds, a rakewood can release a cloud of deadly spores in a 20-foot-radius burst. Creatures caught in the cloud must succeed on a DC 21 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 2d4 rounds. Creatures succeeding their save are sickened for 1d4 rounds instead. The cloud lasts for 1 round before dispersing. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Ecology

Environment: Temperate Forests
Organization: solitary or grove (2-5)
Treasure: incidental


A rakewood is a barely sentient plant creature that lives deep within old-growth forests. It consists of a filthy, spheroid fungal mass with a ring of three brown tendrils at the top. The tendrils surround a sphincter-like mouth lined with razor-sharp spiny teeth. Although it can move of its own accord through the use of finger-like cilia at its base, a rakewood rarely moves once it has settled itself. Rakewoods live on decaying plant matter, and generally they are content to let the world go by as they soak up nutrients from the leaf litter. In less productive seasons such as winter, rakewoods supplement their diet with animal flesh.

Rakewoods are about 10 feet long and weigh 1,000 pounds. Coloration can vary from rakewood to rakewood, but most are dark green in color and covered in various fungi and molds. When at rest, a rakewood's tendrils appear to be tree roots or large, thick vines.

A rakewood enters combat by releasing its cloud of paralytic spores. Any opponents left standing are then pummeled with its slam attacks. A grappled or paralyzed opponent is pulled into its maw to be swallowed.