GluttongrassThese tall, bloodstained blades of bright green grass sway and
bend regardless of the presence of wind.Gluttongrass CR 1Source Bestiary 6 pg. 137
XP 400
N Medium plant
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +0DefenseAC 12, touch 11, flat-footed 11 (+1 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 9 (2d8)
Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +0
Defensive Abilities blood healing; DR 5/slashing; Immune plant traitsOffenseSpeed 10 ft.
Melee 3 fronds +1 (1d4 plus bleed)
Special Attacks bleed 1StatisticsStr 11, Dex 12, Con 10, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1
Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 12 (can’t be tripped)
Skills Stealth +1 (+9 among vegetation); Racial
Modifiers +8 Stealth among vegetation
SQ take rootEcologyEnvironment any plains
Organization solitary, pair, swath (3–11), or field
(see below)
Treasure incidentalSpecial AbilitiesBlood Healing (Ex) A patch of gluttongrass attacks with three fronds—these are primary natural attacks that deals slashing damage. When gluttongrass damages a creature that can be affected by its bleed attack, the gluttongrass has 1 hit point restored. If a creature is already suffering from a bleed effect, the gluttongrass instead has 2 hit points restored for each successful frond attack.
Take Root (Ex) Gluttongrass can embed its roots in soil as a full-round action or uproot itself as a standard action. While gluttongrass is rooted, it cannot move, but it can take 20 on its Stealth check to hide in plain sight as if it had the freeze ability. Gluttongrass gains a +8 circumstance bonus to CMD against bull rush and other combat maneuvers that attempt to shift its location while it has taken root.DescriptionScholars are unsure of the origins of this strange, deadly plant life. The typical suspicions persist that it is the result of a mad wizard’s experiments or the deliberate cultivations of druidic sects that have adopted anticivilization philosophies, yet those who have taken the time to truly examine these blood-drinking growths have noted disturbing elements that suggest a darker genesis. These botanists theorize that gluttongrass is seeded by the remnants of a creature that has died from starvation, whether in the wilds or in more urban territories. Indeed, patches of gluttongrass have been discovered flourishing in areas devastated by famine and around settlements whose populations have perished due to food supplies being cut off (such as in times of siege or after raiders have burned local crops). However, it has also been identified growing seemingly at random throughout forested areas and plains, blending in with normal grasses and other foliage, so certainly famine and starvation are not requirements for this plant’s growth.
Whatever its origin, one thing is certain: while a mindless plant, gluttongrass is far from harmless. Well-fed patches of this carnivorous grass average a height of 5 feet, with razor-sharp stalks able to pierce exposed skin with ease. Wary travelers should avoid rushing blindly through tall fields, as smaller patches of gluttongrass have been known to extend their roots toward one another, merging and slowly increasing their collective size, reach, and hunger. Some of the largest gluttongrass fields are suspected to have claimed hundreds of victims over the years.Gluttongrass FieldThe thing that makes gluttongrass so dangerous
when encountered as a field is the simple fact that
the plants merge and link their root systems once
enough of the plant monsters take root in close
proximity. If at least 12 gluttongrasses take root
in a single contiguous area, their roots begin to
commingle. As long as the gluttongrasses do not
move from their locations for at least 24 hours,
this process completes and the carnivorous
plants merge into a gluttongrass field.
Once a gluttongrass field has formed, all
of the individual gluttongrasses pool their hit
points into one shared pool—thus, a patch of
12 gluttongrasses (the minimum required to
make a field) has a total of 108 hit points. No
single gluttongrass in the field dies until all
of these pooled hit points are depleted, but a
gluttongrass field forever loses its mobility
and cannot uproot. Any area effect that deals
damage to multiple gluttongrasses within
a gluttongrass field treats the field as a single
creature for the purpose of determining points of
damage dealt to the field as a whole.
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