Sodwose

Medium plant, neutral evil

Armor Class 15
Hit Points 127 (15d8 + 60)
Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
10 (+0)	21 (+5)	18 (+4)	15 (+2)	14 (+2)	9 (–1)

Skills Perception +5, Stealth +8
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned, restrained, unconscious
Senses blindsight 120 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 15
Languages Common, Sylvan
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +3

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Grassland Camouflage. The sodwose has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in grassland terrain.
• Scarecrow. Any creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of the sodwose must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of its next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the sodwose’s Scarecrow for the next 24 hours.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The sodwose makes three Grass Whip attacks.
• Grass Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 15 ft., one creature. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 10 feet toward the sodwose.
• Entangle (1/Day). The sodwose compels all plants and roots within 20 feet of a point on the ground it can see within 60 feet of it to grasp and pull at nearby creatures for 1 minute. When a creature enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, that creature must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained by grasses and roots. A creature, including the restrained creature, can take an action to free the restrained creature by succeeding on a DC 15 Strength check.

BONUS ACTIONS

• Grass Step. The sodwose teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. The origin and destination spaces must contain grass.
• Set Snare. The sodwose creates a snare in a square area it can see within 30 feet of it that is 5 feet on a side and at least half-filled with grass. The first creature to moves into that space within the next 1 minute must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained by grasses. A creature, including the restrained creature, can take an action to free the restrained creature by succeeding on a DC 15 Strength check. The sodwose can have no more than three snares set at one time. If it sets a fourth snare, the oldest snare ceases to function.

ABOUT

A scarecrow rises from the long grass as nearby vines snake toward its victim.

Sodwoses are plants with an aversion to all creatures made of flesh and bone, and they truly despise humanoids and the civilization such creatures represent. When settlements encroach upon the wild places of the world, sodwoses find their beloved grasslands becoming fewer and smaller. Sodwoses stop at nothing to drive away intruders, fighting to the death to defend their grassland homes.

Hunters and Trappers. Sodwoses know the only way to deal with intruders on their lands is to utterly exterminate them. The intelligent plants use their connection to their home to remain unnoticed as they take action, setting snares for the unwitting invaders. Sodwoses revel in leaving gory evidence of their presence, ensuring their victims are displayed to instill terror in those who discover the grisly remains.

Facing Extinction. Sodwose myths foretell the end of their species at the hands of humanoid progress. Furthering this fear, sodwose communities have found that as settlements grow larger and consume more grassland, the fewer of their kind there are to combat the phenomenon. The more they are pushed back and hedged out by humanoids, the more desperate and violent they become.