Assassin Vine

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Plant: Plants comprise vegetable creatures. Note that regular plants, such as one finds growing in gardens and fields, are not creatures, but objects, even though they are alive.

They have low-light vision.

Plants have immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms).

They have immunity to paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep effects, and stunning.

Plants breathe and eat, but do not sleep.

The assassin vine is a carnivorous plant that collects its own grisly fertilizer by grabbing and crushing animals and depositing the carcasses near its roots. These remarkable plants can see minute movements in the earth and air and detect changes in light and heat through their broad leaves, giving them exceptional awareness of the area around them. Possessing no intelligence or agenda, they lash out at whatever living things pass nearby, regardless of the target's size, sentience, or potential deadliness. A mature plant consists of a main vine, about 20 feet long; smaller vines up to 5 feet long branch off from the main vine about every 6 inches. These small vines bear clusters of leaves, and in late summer they produce bunches of small fruits that resemble wild blackberries. The fruit is tough and has a hearty and typically bitter flavor, although some say the berries change in taste depending on what victims composted a given plant's roots. The most murderous assassin vines supposedly produce the sweetest berries.

Since an assassin vine looks like a normal plant when at rest, it is hard to to notice it before it attacks for the first time. Anyone with ranks in Survival or Knowledge (nature) can use either of those skills instead of Perception to notice the plant.

They have blindsight.

An assassin vine can move about, but usually stays put unless it needs to seek prey in a new vicinity. The plants use simple tactics, lying still until prey comes within reach and then attacking. Once an assassin vine is engaged, it pursues prey (albeit slowly) in order to catch and compost the creature. The plants prove tenacious, as long as their quarry remains within sight. Once a creature moves beyond the plant's ability to perceive it, the unthinking vine falls still and lies in wait for the next passerby.

An assassin vine can cause plants to animate and grasp at foes. This ability is otherwise similar to entangle.

An assassin vine can crush an opponent, dealing bludgeoning damage, when it makes a successful grapple check (in addition to any other effects caused by a successful check, including additional damage).

If an assassin vine hits with a slam, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple. Grab can only be used against targets of a size equal to or smaller than the assassin vine. The assassin vine has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use the part of its body it used in the grab to hold the opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it takes a penalty to make and maintain the grapple, but does not gain the grappled condition itself. A successful hold deals constriction damage as well.

Assassin vines are good at starting and maintaining a grapple.

Assassin vines lurk within dense forests and swamps, but some might encroach upon poorly tended fields and vineyards. The vine's seeds might be spread far by birds swift enough to pluck them and escape. Tales often tell of assassin vines appearing in flower beds or infiltrating greenhouses, murderous surprises planted by rivals and enemies or arbitrary doom dropped by unsuspecting wing.

Assassin vines are resistant to cold and fire.

They are immune to electricity.

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