Witch Tree

Huge plant, chaotic evil

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 94 (9d12 + 36)
Speed 20 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
21 (+5) 10 (+0) 19 (+4) 7 (-2) 12 (+1) 16 (+3)

Skills Perception +4
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities acid
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Abyssal, Common, Goblin, Sylvan
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • False Appearance. As long as the witch tree remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal willow tree.
  • Innate Spellcasting. The witch tree’s innate spellcasting ability is Constitution (spell save DC 14). It can cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
  • Tendrils. The witch tree’s tendrils can be cut, have an Armor Class of 15, 10 hit points, immunity to poison and psychic damage, and the witch tree’s damage vulnerabilities, resistances, and other immunities. Cutting a creature free of the tendrils deals no damage to the witch tree. The tendrils can also be broken if a creature takes an action and succeeds on a DC 17 Strength check.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The witch tree uses its Constrict ability and makes four Tendril attacks.
  • Tendril. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (3d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 16). A grappled creature is restrained.
  • Constrict. All grappled creatures must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 15 (3d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage, or half as much damage on a successful saving throw.

ABOUT

From a distance, a witch tree is almost indistinguishable from a normal willow. Up close, however, a witch tree appears to be a tall, beautiful woman formed from a willow tree. The trees fronds form the woman’s hair and fingers, while the branches and trunk create her arms and torso. The willow’s roots form the woman’s legs and feet. The witch tree’s skin is thick and dark, resembling the bark of a tree. Witch trees gain nutrients from the soil where they take root, but they have a particular fondness for living flesh, particularly that of gnomes and orcs. As such, groves of these creatures can be found near such settlements.

The origin of the witch tree is clouded; on one side, sages argue that the witch tree is a magical creation created by an insane spellcaster to do his personal bidding. On the other side, sages argue that the witch tree resulted from miscast magic or is the result of “magical leakage” perhaps created when a spellcaster attempting to create a magical wand or staff or other such item failed in his endeavors and cast aside the item, thereby allowing what magic it held to “leak” out into the surrounding soil. Regardless of the origin, the creature has multiplied significantly in numbers and shows no signs of becoming extinct anytime soon.

Some adventurers tell tales of a witch tree grove that lured the entire population of a small village to its death through magical charms and hexes. Such stories are not without merit, and most intrepid adventurers warn others of their kind when a witch tree grove has been discovered. When a discovery is made, hunters, druids, and warriors move against the witch tree in an effort to remove the threat before villagers and livestock begin disappearing.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tome of Horrors 2020, (C) 2020, Necromancer Games

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