Weedwhip

This strange, vibrant plant slowly but dangerously whips about its trio of tendrils with spiked heads.

Weedwhip (CR 2)

Medium Plant
Alignment: Neutral
Initiative: +7
Senses: Blindsight 30 feet, Low-Light Vision; Perception +1
Aura: stench (DC 12, 1 minute)

Speed: 10 feet
Space: 5 feet

Defense

Armor Class: 14, touch 13, flat-footed 11 (+3 Dex, +1 natural)
Hit Points: 16 (3d8+3)
Saving Throws: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +2
dig in, poisonous
Immunity: plant traits
Weaknesses: languid whips

Offense

Melee: 3 tentacles +5 (1d4 plus poison)
Reach: 15 feet

Special Attacks: poison

Statistics

Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
10 (+0)	17 (+3)	12 (+1)	-	13 (+1)	5 (-3)

Base Attack Bonus: +2
CMB +2
CMD 15 (27 vs. Trip)

Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse

Skills:

Languages:

Special Qualities: camouflage

Special Abilities

Camouflage (Ex)

Since a weedwhip looks like a normal plant when at rest, a successful DC 15 Perception check is required to notice it before it attacks for the first time. Anyone with ranks in Survival or Knowledge (nature) can use either of those skills instead of Perception to notice the plant.

Dig In (Ex)

A weedwhip can bury its central bulb in earth or sand as a move action, granting it partial cover against all attacks (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 196), but preventing it from moving. It can extract itself from the ground as a move action.

Languid Whips (Ex)

A weedwhip's tentacles don't threaten any squares, and doesn't make attacks of opportunity.

Poison (Ex)

Tentacle-contact; save Fort DC 12; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect nauseated 1 round; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Poisonous (Ex)

Any creature that attacks a weedwhip with a natural piercing or slashing weapon is exposed to its poison.

Ecology

Environment: Temperate or Warm Forests
Organization: solitary, pair, or patch (3-6)
Treasure: incidental


A weedwhip is an animate plant that rarely attacks unless provoked. Its unpleasant smell (reminiscent of decomposing fish) and tendency to sprout in any passable soil makes it a nuisance to farmers and settlers. Those who don't know of the weedwhip's dangers quickly fall prey to this plant once they target it for culling.

Farmers have to deal with it in croplands and orchards, groundskeepers find it climbing walls like ivy, druids spot it encroaching on sacred groves, and even cave dwellers find it growing in dung heaps. Animals don't eat it because of its stench and poison, and fire is a risky way to destroy it because the weed mixes with other plants or wraps around trees or buildings.

A mature plant consists of a torso-sized bulb with small, ambulatory roots and three large, lashing vines, each as long as a whip, with blade-like thorns that secrete an irritating toxin. When the weedwhip is blooming, the bulb is crowned with a large flower and its scent is especially strong, often attracting pollinating flies.

In rocky areas lacking suitable soil, a weedwhip can root itself in a corpse, leading some adventurers to think it prefers feeding on dead bodies or plants seeds in its kills, but it does so only in extreme circumstances.