Swarm of Vampire Blossoms

Large swarm of Tiny plants, unaligned

Armor Class 14
Hit Points 82 (11d10 + 22)
Speed 20 ft., fly 10 ft. (hover)

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
3 (–4)	19 (+4)	14 (+2)	3 (–4)	14 (+2)	13 (+1)

Saving Throws Cha +3
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
Damage Immunities psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, restrained, stunned
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages —
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Blood Frenzy. The swarm has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn’t have all its hit points.
• Blood Sense. The swarm of vampire blossoms can pinpoint, by scent, the location of creatures that aren’t constructs or undead within 30 feet of it. The swarm is otherwise blind.
• False Appearance. While the swarm of vampire blossoms remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a carpet of flower petals.
• Swarm. The swarm of vampire blossoms can occupy another creature’s space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny plant. The swarm can’t regain hp or gain temporary hp.

ACTIONS

• Petal Slashes. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 0 ft., one creature in the swarm’s space. Hit: 18 (4d8) slashing damage, or 9 (2d8) slashing damage if the swarm has half its hp or fewer. The target must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, reducing its hp maximum by an amount equal to the damage taken on a failed save, or by half as much on a successful one. This reduction lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hp maximum to 0.

ABOUT

The pile of white petals swirls around of its own volition. Individual petals cut with razor sharpness and turn pink then red as they absorb the blood they let.

Vampire blossoms embody the idea of deadliness lying in wait within the most pleasant façade. The plants feed on blood and take so much from their victims that they become bloated and stained with their bounty.

Patient Hunters. Swarms of vampire blossoms can sense blood from a fair distance. However, they instinctively know not to immediately react to the presence of such creatures, since the swarms move slowly and might drive away their sources of food.

Blood Reservoir. Swarms of vampire blossoms subsist on blood, but they do so slowly. The swarms store excess fluid in their mass, causing their white flowers to turn pink and red. Creatures that feed on blood, such as vampires, cultivate the blossoms, allowing them to drink the stored blood without alerting others to their presence. Vampire blossoms don’t sense undead and remain dormant through the extraction process.

Created Through Bloodshed. Considerable bloodshed in groves and orchards containing trees with white flowers can spontaneously generate swarms of vampire blossoms. Scholars who study the phenomenon conclude an ancient deity unleashed a death curse against the deity’s slayer, whose symbol was a white flower.

A creature can deliberately spawn a swarm by pouring a quart of blood at the base of a tree with white flowers while intoning the nigh-forgotten deity’s name. The flowers disengage from the tree 24 hours later to create a new swarm. Regardless of how they are created, the swarms need not remain with their parent trees and often allow winds to carry them to new hunting grounds.