Plants

Plants in this context are vegetable creatures, not ordinary flora. Most of them are ambulatory, and some are carnivorous. The quintessential plants are the shambling mound and the treant. Fungal creatures such as the gas spore and the myconid also fall into this category.

All Plants

Plants can make particularly dangerous and surprising threats due to the ubiquity and a natural assumption of passivity. Who expects a fern to be a deadly assassin? Or a potted plant to be plotting against you? Plants seem to lack clear motivations other than nutrition and need to expand in a given area. Their lack of innate intelligence means they cannot betray their masters or take independent actions that might upset plans. Given their passive nature, it’s up to a clever foe to take advantage of the benefits they provide:

  • Arrange plants to restrict access to or prevent retreat from certain areas. Screen traps or hiding spots from perceptive rogues or wizards.
  • Plants with tendrils might move about and use their arms to fling characters into pits or over cliffs, allowing gravity to act as an ally.
  • Monstrous plants can be granted lures of a visual, olfactory or auditory nature. Have the characters succeed at a reasonable saving throw or be drawn near against their better judgment.
  • Scattered treasure of previous kills is often an effective lure to greedy characters. Don’t hesitate to make mention of gleaming magical armor half-buried in the loam nearby or a half-filled potion bottle or moldy old scroll. No save is necessary when personal gain is the motivator. The possibilities for fungus are wide and varied, and the reputation of poison and rot might also be played up.
  • Maybe that shrieker developed a spore attack and can spray toxic particles with its screech?
  • Perhaps that violet fungi emanates an aura of sedating vibes that distracts from the decomposition surrounding it.
  • Black mold in the real world is both toxic and terrifying, but as far as we know, unintelligent. What if it began to demonstrate a sort of low-level cunning and chose key areas to spread into to maximize its effects.
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