Witch Hazel Leshy

Family: Leshy

Small plant (leshy), neutral

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
HP 105 (14d6+56)
Speed 25 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
13 (+1)	15 (+2)	12 (+1)	10 (+0)	18 (+4)	15 (+2)

Saving Throws Dex +4, Wis +6
Skills Athletics +5, Medicine +6, Religion +3, Perception +6, Stealth +4
Senses passive Perception 16
Languages Common, Druidic, Sylvan

Challenge 3 (700 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Plant Speech. shrubs
• Plant Form. Small witch hazel shrub
• Verdant Burst. When the Witch Hazel leshy dies, a burst of primal energy explodes from its body, restoring 13 (3d8) hit points to each plant creature in a 30-foot radius. This area immediately fills with witch hazel shrubs, becoming difficult terrain. If the terrain is not viable for witch hazel, they wither after 24 hours.
• Embody Familiar. As an action, the mind of the Witch Hazel leshy enters that of its familiar. The leshy goes dormant and instead functions through the cat using the stats of a Panther. This effect ends if the leshy takes any damage or the familiar is killed.
• Innate Spellcasting. The Witch Hazel leshy’s innate spellcasting is Wis. (spell save DC 14, ability modifier +6)
  • At-Will: charm person
  • 3/day each: lesser restoration

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The witch hazel leshy attacks three times as an action, using either its Gnarled Staff or Magic Stone attacks.
• Gnarled Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10+2) bludgeoning damage.
• Magic Stone. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) bludgeoning damage.

ABOUT

Practitioners of the occult arts, Witch Hazel Leshies create black cats to act as familiars. They share a set of eyes with the cat, allowing them to split their vision and monitor the woods around their huts or camps. These leshies are often shunned by local settlements, that is of course until the villagers need medical attention and herbal remedies. Lucky for them, the Witch Hazel leshy doesn’t hold a grudge, and its treatments can always be trusted.

Easily recognizable for its yellow, twisted petals, the witch hazel is a prized plant both for ornamental and herbal uses. Its name actually derives from an Old English word for “pliant”, but the association with folk remedies and divination have given the name new meaning. While some focus on the plant’s looks and medicinal properties, the shrub is also remarkable for its exploding fruits, which can send seeds flying up to thirty feet away!

Witch Hazel Leshies are unusually intelligent and independent among leshies varieties. Initially crafted as magical familiars, the Witch Hazel is quick to strike out alone, typically setting up a remote, wooded encampment to continue its studies of magic and medicine. Rumors abound about these magical hermits, but truth can be stranger than fiction.