Umdhlebi

What appeared at first glance to be the decaying husk of an enormous tree erupts into motion, as thick tendrils reach outward hungrily from all sides. Amid the jumble of motion, a subconscious whisper promises sleep and sweet rest to any that lie down at the thing's base.

Umdhlebi (CR 12)

Huge Plant
Alignment: Neutral
Initiative: +5
Senses: Tremorsense 60 feet; Perception +12

Speed: 10 feet
Space: 15 feet

Defense

Armor Class: 27, touch 9, flat-footed 26 (+1 Dex, +18 natural, -2 size)
Hit Points: 178 (17d8+102)
Saving Throws: Fort +15, Ref +8, Will +8
Damage Reduction: 10/magic slashing or bludgeoning
Immunity: plant traits
Weaknesses: fire

Offense

Melee: 2 slam +21 (3d8+10/19-20 plus Grab)
Reach: 15 feet

Special Attacks: compelling whisper, Constrict (3d8+10)

Statistics

Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
30 (+10)	13 (+1)	20 (+5)	9 (-1)	12 (+1)	15 (+2)

Base Attack Bonus: +12
CMB +24 (+28 Grapple)
CMD 35

Feats: Alertness, Deft Maneuvers, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Lunge, Toughness

Skills: Fly +0, Perception +12, Sense Motive +6, Stealth +0, Survival +4

Languages:

Special Qualities: treacherous ground, writhing tendrils

Special Abilities

Compelling Whisper (Su)

As a standard action, an umdhlebi can entice any humanoid creature within 30 feet to approach and lie down at the base of its trunk. This acts as a suggestion spell, but the umdhlebi can only compel this one action. A creature that makes a DC 20 Will save is unaffected, and is immune to the same umdhlebi's compelling whisper for 24 hours. An umdhlebi can also use this ability on creatures it is grappling, increasing the DC to 25. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Treacherous Ground (Ex)

The mass of gnashing roots and stems at the base of an umdhlebi's trunk are constantly in motion. As a result, all squares within 5 feet of the umdhlebi's space are treated as difficult terrain for the purposes of movement through the area.

Writhing Tendrils (Ex)

All umdhlebis have eight tendrils, but the creature can only make 2 slam attacks in a single round. However, an umdhlebi can continue to make 2 slam attacks even while its other tendrils are grappling or constricting. An umdhlebi can use this ability as long as it has two or more tendrils free to attack.

Ecology

Environment: Warm Forests or Jungles
Organization: solitary
Treasure: standard


Umdhlebis are massive, intelligent, and carnivorous plants that take root in jungles. Their outer shell is brown and resembles the thick bark of a dead tree, while concealing the softer layer of green cellulose beneath. When they flower, umdhlebis grow broad, fragile-looking crimson leaves with sharp, grasping edges. Umdhlebis draw their prey close with mind-affecting suggestions, enticing would-be victims to rest at the plant's base, and then strike with their vine-like tendrils, each as thick as a man's forearm. Umdhlebis grow to almost 20 feet in height, but can be shorter or taller depending on the surrounding vegetation. An umdhlebi's trunk ranges from 3 to 5 feet in diameter, and the plant as a whole weighs over 10,000 pounds. Umdhlebis can live for up to 50 years.

Ecology Legends say that the first umdhlebi was created when an assassin vine crawled into the hollow corpse of a slain, jungle-dwelling treant. The creatures fused together, returning the treant to life, but instilling in it a devastating hunger. Regardless of its true origins, the umdhlebi is known and feared throughout the jungles of the world. Resembling a tree with a hard outer coating, the umdhlebi is actually an intelligent and mobile plant, capable of uprooting itself to find food or escape danger. Although ambulatory, the umdhlebi is too slow to truly hunt and has evolved several methods to attract prey. An umdhlebi uses its large vines and brightly colored leaves to draw in animals and other creatures of lesser intelligence. Once in range, the umdhlebi lashes out with its strong, vine-like tendrils, enveloping and crushing its prey with bone-shattering force. Umdhlebis, however, prefer to feed on humanoids and can compel even the most strong-minded individuals to approach their waiting snares.

When sensing a nearby humanoid, an umdhlebi vibrates rows of fine, cilia-like hairs along its trunk, producing a sound that targets the minds of any close enough to hear it. This enticing drone causes those under its sway to approach the base of the tree where the umdhlebi can strike. Although the majority of an umdhlebi grows aboveground, the creature's mouth and digestive system are just below the surface. Large, thick roots at the base provide stability and allow for movement, but between these larger roots and beneath the umdhlebi's central trunk exists a populous network of long, thin stems. Each of these growths ends in double-sided fronds lined with spine-like teeth, similar to the leaves of a flytrap. When an umdhlebi roots itself to the ground, these stems burrow up to breach the surrounding earth, forming a moss-like border around the larger roots. Fresh kills are thus devoured from beneath, as the umdhlebi's understems feed. Numbering in the thousands, the umdhlebi's tiny mouths can strip a human carcass to its bones in under an hour, and although these under-stems are too small to effectively damage foes in melee, their shifting, undulating motion makes traversing the ground around an umdhlebi difficult.

Umdhlebis produce a spiny red fruit twice a year. This fruit appears similar to the seed pods of chestnut trees, but instead of holding tough seeds, it contains a bland meat riddled with dozens of triangular seeds. While well-fed umdhlebis sometimes allow monkeys and birds to pluck their fruit and carry it to new ground, they often use their own tendrils to pick and fling the fruit where they please. Some stories tell of undhlebis braining wanderers with these dense pods, or of passersby warned of the dangerous plants by their flying fruit, but these seasonal growths never reliably serve as weapons or warnings. Some tribes maintain dangerous traditions of seeking out and collecting undhlebi fruit to use in the creation of mashes or alcohols. Such products possess a distinctive dry-bitter taste and so are only prepared for use in coming-of-age rituals or other rites of passage.

Habitat & Society Umdhlebis root themselves along roads and waterways near humanoid settlements whenever possible. As their roots are highly sensitive to vibrations and can detect the movement of other nearby creatures, they can stay out of sight, despite their size, and still be aware of their surroundings. As the dry shell of their outer layer is particularly susceptible to fire, umdhlebis always entwine themselves with surrounding foliage so that any such attacks against them also risk setting the entire wilderness ablaze. If threatened and such cover is not available, umdhlebis use their compelling whisper ability to manipulate one or more opponents and then draw them in to surround the plant's trunk, using them as living shields. Although they have no use for treasure, umdhlebis pile any leftover items from their prey into the base of their trunks as bait for passersby. When an umdhlebi moves on to other hunting grounds, it sheds its fruit first, hoping that the seeds will take hold and grow. Denizens of the Mwangi Expanse and other jungles are taught to recognize and burn umdhlebi seeds from an early age. Nevertheless, some umdhlebi seeds do make their way into the earth and take root, reaching maturity with frightening speed.