Walking Flower
There are some ideas so good that they merit numerous adaptions. For me, one of those ideas is the combination of flower and monster. Looking back, we have a few of these kicking around, including last year’s dread flower. Most often, these monsters are hungry and violent creatures who use their powers to lure adventurers to their doom. This time around, I thought, why not create a walking flower that was as pretty on the inside as the out? The walking flower is just such a monster: a good creature with little interest beyond merely getting along, unless someone inadvertently disturbs their sacred sites…
Walking Flower
Slightly taller than a man, this humanoid plant has extremely thin vines ending in tiny roots for its arms and legs, each connecting to the thin leafless stalk that comprises its torso. In place of a head is a massive flowering bud, in this case a daisy with petals that move about independently of the wind. Despite its lack of face, its petals are incredibly expressive.
WALKING FLOWER CR 11
XP 12,800
NG Medium plant
Init +6; Senses blindsense 60 ft., detect evil, low-light vision; Perception +22
DEFENSE
AC 25, touch 13, flat-footed 22 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +12 natural)
hp 136 (16d8+64)
Fort +14, Ref +9, Will +10
Immune plant traits; DR 10/slashing
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee slam +17 (1d8+4), 2 tentacles +12 (1d6+2 plus grab)
Special Attacks attract, constrict (1d6+4), seed shake, weakening scent
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +17)
Constant—detect evil
At Will—entangle (DC 14), goodberry, speak with plants
1/day—plant growth
STATISTICS
Str 18, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 17
Base Atk +12; CMB +16; CMD 29 (33 grapple)
Feats Dodge, Iron Will, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (slam, tentacle)
Skills Diplomacy +19, Perception +22, Sense Motive +19
Languages Common, Sylvan
SQ flower walker
ECOLOGY
Environment plains
Organization solitary, pair, patch (3-10)
Treasure standard
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Attract (Ex): A walking flower issues a sweet and attractive scent that most living creatures find irresistible. Whenever a living non-plant creature begins its turn within 30 feet of a walking flower, that creature must succeed on a Will save (DC 20) or fall under its compulsion from the sweet scent. A creature so affected must move closer to the walking flower, unless it is already within 5 feet of the flower. It is otherwise free to act normally. A walking flower can suppress or resume this ability as a swift action. The saving throw DC is Constitution-based. This is a mind-affecting effect. Creatures immune to poison are immune to this effect.
Flower Walker (Ex): A walking flower’s plant-like body makes it ideally suited for walking across other overgrown areas, including areas of magical overgrowth such as those created by an entangle spell or similar effect. The walking flower is immune to the effects of entangle and plant growth, and ignores difficult terrain due to natural or magical overgrowth.
Seed Shake (Ex): A walking flower can shake the flowering bud that is its head to produce rapidly sprouting seeds that can entangle and constrict its prey. As a standard action, the walking flower can shake its head to discharge seeds in each adjacent square. Creatures in one of these squares must make a Reflex save DC 20 or be covered in the sprouting seeds that quickly grow into thick, grasping vines. A creature that fails this save gains the entangled condition and is slowly crushed by these growing vines, suffering 2d6 points of damage each round she remains entangled. The entangled creature can make an additional Reflex save as a standard action to free herself from the seeds. A creature already affected by this ability is immune to further instances of this ability. This ability can be used at will, but the walking flower must wait at least 1d6 rounds between uses. The saving throw DC is Constitution-based.
Weakening Scent (Ex): In addition to its attractive qualities, a walking flower’s sweet scent wreaks havoc on the muscular systems of living creatures, making them easy prey. Any creature that begins its turn adjacent to the walking flower must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw (DC 20) or suffer a –4 penalty to Strength and Dexterity for as long as she remains adjacent to the walking flower, and for 1d10 rounds thereafter. A walking flower can suppress or resume this ability as a swift action. This is a poison effect and the DC is Constitution-based.
Ecology
Walking flowers are magical plants that resemble humanoid creatures in both appearance and attitude. They are social beings, spending much of their time in each other’s company and rarely seen far out of the company of their own kind. Capable of speech and possessing greater intellect than most plants, walking flowers have a complex culture, heavily focused on the worship of their gods of seasons as well as on the mutual prosperity of all walking flowers. Walking flowers are a nomadic people, lacking permanent settlements, though they do erect shrines and ceremonial building in common hunting grounds or places where their small bands meet up to exchange knowledge or trade goods. Often, these natural-looking structures go unnoticed by civilized people who pass them by as mere curiosities of nature.
Generally high-minded and good-natured, walking flowers rarely seek out conflicts with non-evil humanoids and do their best to avoid most living creatures, apart from the animals and savage monsters they subsist upon. However, when their sacred sites are threatened or when they are forced to compete for scarce food supplies, the walking flowers can turn their attention towards violent conflict with otherwise agreeable neighbors. Though they typically prefer to negotiate their way out of these dark circumstances, walking flowers don’t trust most humanoids and are only willing to cooperate with those that have proven themselves to be friends of nature.