Gourd Leshy

Family: Leshy

Small plant (leshy), neutral

Armor Class 12
Hit Points 13 (2d6+6)
Speed 20 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
6 (-2)	15 (+2)	16 (+3)	6 (-2)	11 (+0)	15 (+2)

Skills Perception +2, Stealth +6
Damage Resistances lightning, thunder
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Druidic, Sylvan
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Gourd Speech. Gourd leshies can communicate with grounds, asking them about events within the past day, gaining information about creatures that have passed, weather, and other circumstances, within a radius of 30 feet.
• Keepsake. Gourd leshys can pop off the top of their heads and store a single object such as a dagger or potion inside. While within the leshy’s head, the item is warded by nondetection. In addition, after 24 hours, the item within is cleaned and polished, and, if damaged, repaired as if by a mending spell.
• Pass Without Trace. In areas of natural vegetation, a leshy can’t be tracked except by magical means. The leshy leaves behind no tracks or other traces of its passage.
• Verdant Burst. When slain, a leshy explodes in a burst of fertile energies. All plant creatures within 30 feet of the slain leshy regain 6 (1d8+2) Hit Points, and gourds quickly infests the area. If the terrain can support the growth of gourds, the undergrowth is dense enough to make the region into difficult terrain for 24 hours, after which the plant life diminishes to a normal level; otherwise, the plant life has no significant effect on movement and withers and dies within an hour.

ACTIONS

• Seed. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 10 ft/30 ft., one target. Hit: 1 bludgeoning damage, and the target must make a DC 12 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the target is restrained by vines for 1 minute. A creature may use an action to make a new saving throw; on a success, the creature is no longer restrained.
• Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 (1d4 – 2) bludgeoning damage, and the target must make a DC 12 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the target is restrained by vines for 1 minute. A creature may use an action to make a new saving throw; on a success, the creature is no longer restrained.

ABOUT

Superstition and love of rituals run deep in gourd leshys.

They do their best to exactly reproduce what worked before with every trivial activity, and change seemingly random details when attempting tasks they previously failed. Gourd leshys collect random odds and ends as good luck charms, ranging from polished stones to bird feathers to tarnished coins. Credulous to a fault, gourd leshys believe nearly anything they hear from those they trust. However, their admittedly hollow heads still hold memories, and a gourd leshy betrayed rarely forgets.

As gourd leshys aren’t particularly strong, they often fight dirty. One favorite trick is to wait for an enemy to come within striking distance while in gourd form so that they can assume their true form and make a sneak attack in the same round.

Growing a Gourd Leshy. Gourd leshys grow best in small vegetable patches or in sunny meadows. Carving eyes and a mouth into a growing gourd leshy’s “face” is an important part of the growth ritual, for neglecting to do this robs the gourd leshy of its ability to see or speak. The exact nature and appearance of a gourd leshy’s features can vary wildly between individuals. Creating it requires 500 gp of materials, a DC 11 Nature check, and casting entangle, mending, a n d plant growth.

Growing a Leshy

The process of growing a leshy has some similarities to making a construct. Typically, the creator of a leshy must be a powerful druid, but anyone capable of making the required Knowledge checks and casting the required spells may attempt the process.

Growing a leshy body takes 2 weeks per Hit Die, during which the nascent form must be well fertilized, watered as needed, and kept safe from harm. During this period of growth, certain rare nutrients and fertilizer must be used to prime the leshy’s transformation from a normal plant into a sentient one—the cost of these components varies according to the leshy but is never less than 1,000 gp. The cultivator must make a successful Nature check; the required DC varies according to the leshy. If the check fails, the plant withers and dies and the cultivator must begin anew.

If, on the other hand, the skill check is successful, the cultivator must then step in and perform a 24-hour ritual within a day of the leshy’s cultivation. During this ritual, the cultivator must cast a number of spells (see each individual leshy for a list). At the ritual’s climax, there’s a flat 50% chance that the attempt to create a leshy succeeds—if this final check fails, no appropriate spirit is close enough to answer the call. The plant body rots and the creator must begin anew with fresh materials if he wishes to try again. At the GM’s discretion, this final chance for success might increase to 75% or even 100% for particularly magical areas where leshy spirits are much more common than normal. Discovering such a rare and magical site should be the focus of its own adventure. If the ritual is successful, the leshy awakens fully formed and able to serve as a minion. A freshly created leshy is under no particular compulsion to obey its creator, but most regard their makers as friends and allies.

Plant creatures are particularly adept at growing leshys, gaining advantage on their Nature checks to create them and reducing the time required to grow the leshy by 50% and the cost by 25%. A plant creature is always successful in luring a spirit into the body, and need not make the final percentile roll for success. At the GM’s option, leshys with more Hit Dice than normal can be created. Each additional Hit Die adds 2,000 gp to the cost of creating the leshy, increases the DC of the Nature check by 2, and requires an additional 2 weeks of growth.

Attempts to create leshys larger than Small always fail—the strange spiritual energies that animate these creatures are only capable of doing so to a body no larger than that of a human child.

Cantankerous flytrap leshys represent the harsh and seemingly cruel aspects of the natural cycle that are ultimately needed for the greater well-being of all creatures. When necessary to protect their homes, flytrap leshys start controlled fires, relying on their fire resistance to wade through the flames. Unlike most of their kind, flytrap leshys eat flesh and are not picky about the kind of meat that they consume. They particularly savor insects, and one of the few ways to placate a flytrap leshy is to offer it a rare or unusual insect to consume. A typical flytrap leshy is 2 feet tall and weighs 20 pounds.

Ready to Fight. Most leshys are peaceful creatures that focus their efforts on tending the natural region around them. While flytrap leshys do not leave their homes to pick fights, they relish the opportunity to attack intruders. These carnivorous plants tend to attack before asking questions.

While they rarely work together with other creatures, the aggressive creatures eagerly collaborate with others of their kind. They fight best in teams, and coordinate with each other so seamlessly that a group of flytrap leshys is nearly indistinguishable from a single creature—an illusion that the similarity between a flytrap leshy’s head and hands only compounds. While a typical flytrap leshy has one head and two hands, more powerful flytrap leshys exist with greater numbers of heads and hands.

Growing a Flytrap Leshy. A flytrap leshy is usually grown in swampy or marshy terrain. A flytrap leshy will only emerge if it is given a small pile of freshly killed insects to eat. Creating it requires 3,000 gp of materials, a DC 14 Nature check, and casting call woodland beings, plant growth, and thorn whip.