Leshy, Gourd LeshyThis little plant man walks on legs like tangled vines and has a pumpkin carved with eyes and a mouth for a head.Gourd Leshy CR 1Source Bestiary 3 pg. 178
XP 400
N Small plant (leshy, shapechanger)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +4DefenseAC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 11 (+2 Dex, +1 size)
hp 9 (1d8+5)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0
Immune electricity, sonic, plant traitsOffenseSpeed 20 ft.
Melee slam –1 (1d3–2 plus ensnare)
Ranged seed +3 (1 plus ensnare)
Special Attacks sneak attack +1d6
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 2nd; concentration +4)
Constant—pass without traceStatisticsStr 6, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 15
Base Atk +0; CMB –3; CMD 9
Feats Toughness
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +6 (+10 in plains and undergrowth), Survival +0 (+4 in plains and undergrowth); Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth
Languages Druidic, Sylvan; plantspeech (gourds)
SQ change shape (Small gourd; tree shape), keepsake, verdant burstEcologyEnvironment any hills or plains
Organization solitary or patch (2–16)
Treasure standardSpecial AbilitiesEnsnare (Ex) The seeds and slam attack of a gourd leshy entangle the target in vines for 2d4 rounds unless the target makes a DC 12 Reflex save. The target can attempt to burst these entangling vines before the duration expires with a DC 12 Strength check as a full-round action. The save and burst DCs are Constitution-based.
Keepsake (Su) Gourd leshys can pop off the top of their heads and store a single Fine-sized object such as a dagger or potion inside. While within the leshy’s head, the item is warded by nondetection. In addition, after 24 hours, the item within is cleaned and polished, and, if damaged, repaired as if by a mending spell. Both spell effects have a caster level equal to twice the leshy’s Hit Dice (CL 2nd for most gourd leshys).
Seed (Ex) A gourd leshy can hurl its seeds as a ranged attack. If it hits, this attack deals 1 point of damage (this damage is not modified by Strength) and affects the target with the gourd leshy’s ensnare ability. This attack has a 10-foot range increment.DescriptionWith tangles of leafy vines for limbs and a carved gourd for a head, gourd leshys present a rather comical appearance. Intimately connected with the harvest season, gourd leshys see to the health and sustainable harvest of crops, especially vegetables and grains.
Superstition and love of rituals run deep in gourd leshys. They do their best to exactly reproduce what worked before with every trivial activity, and change seemingly random details when attempting tasks they previously failed. Gourd leshys collect random odds and ends as good luck charms, ranging from polished stones to bird feathers to tarnished coins. Credulous to a fault, gourd leshys believe nearly anything they hear from those they trust. However, their admittedly hollow heads still hold memories, and a gourd leshy betrayed rarely forgets.
As gourd leshys aren’t particularly strong, they often fight dirty. One favorite trick is to wait for an enemy to come within striking distance while in gourd form so that they can assume their true form and make a sneak attack in the same round.Growing a Gourd LeshyGourd leshys grow best in small vegetable patches or in sunny meadows. Carving eyes and a mouth into a growing gourd leshy’s “face” is an important part of the growth ritual, for neglecting to do this robs the gourd leshy of its ability to see or speak. The exact nature and appearance of a gourd leshy’s features can vary wildly between individuals. Gourd Leshy CL 6th; Price 1,500 gp Ritual Requirements Knowledge (nature) 5 ranks, entangle, plant growth, summon nature’s ally I; Skill Knowledge (nature) DC 13; Cost 750 gpCreatures in "Leshy" CategorySource Bestiary 3 pg. 176
Originally grown as servants for more powerful fey and intelligent plant life such as elder treants, leshys are sentient plants who look after their unintelligent brethren and serve as nature's verdant watchers. Several breeds of leshy exist, each being kindred to a broad group of plants or fungi. Among the best known are superstitious gourd leshys, wise seaweed leshys, strange fungus leshys, and wary leaf leshys, though others are rumored to exist, such as the surly cactus leshy, the sinister flytrap leshy, the garrulous snapdragon leshy, and the enigmatic lotus leshy.
Leshys begin their existence as sentient though bodiless spirits of nature of the sort contacted by spells such as commune with nature. These spirits normally have no way to directly manipulate the physical world, but a skilled spellcaster (typically a druid) can grow a special plant body for one of these spirits, giving the spirit a home to animate.
Once accepted into a body, a leshy's spirit remains within unless the body is destroyed. Leshys do not fear death as many other creatures do, knowing that should they fall, their spirits merely return to the natural world and can be called to inhabit a new leshy body at some point in the future. As a leshy's body dies, the magic animating it unravels in a burst of life energy that infuses its surrounding and quickens the growth of any plants in the vicinity. Some leshys even voluntarily discorporate to save the lives of ailing plants, knowing that their sacrifice may mean the continuation of countless otherwise helpless flora. Regardless of how a leshy dies, leaving the body traumatizes the spirit, and the leshy retains only faint memories of past corporeal existences. Leshy spirits need not return to the same form if bound again to a body. During the course of its existence a single spirit can inhabit any number of different types of leshys. A leshy without a body has no power to affect or contact the material world.
The rites and special materials required to create a leshy's physical form vary between individual leshys. Once the creator assembles the necessary materials, a leshy must typically be grown in an area of natural power, such as a treant's grove, a druidic circle, or a site of pristine natural wonder. A newly born leshy is a free-willed, neutral being, under no obligation to serve its creator.
As a group, leshys share certain common attributes. They resemble plants but with vaguely humanoid appearances, and are always Small. While leshys of the same species share the same general shape, leshys have all the diversity of the plant world in appearance. For example, one fungus leshy may have a classic red, white-dotted mushroom cap, while another might have the spongier and darker contours of a morel, while a third might have the coloration of a pale gray cave mushroom. Growing a Leshy The process of growing a leshy has some similarities to making a construct, but doesn't require the Craft Construct feat. Typically, the creator of a leshy must be a powerful druid, but anyone capable of making the required Knowledge checks and casting the required spells may attempt the process.
Growing a leshy body takes 2 weeks per Hit Die, during which the nascent form must be well fertilized, watered as needed, and kept safe from harm. During this period of growth, certain rare nutrients and fertilizer must be used to prime the leshy's transformation from a normal plant into a sentient one—the cost of these components varies according to the leshy, but is never less than 1,000 gp. The cultivator must make a successful Knowledge check at this time (usually a Knowledge [nature] check) in order for the plant body to be properly formed—the exact check as well as the required DC varies according to the leshy. If the check fails, the plant withers and dies and the cultivator must begin anew.
If, on the other hand, the skill check is successful, the cultivator must then step in and perform a 24-hour ritual within a day of the leshy's cultivation. During this ritual, the cultivator must cast a number of spells (see each individual leshy for a list). At the ritual's climax, there's a flat 50% chance that the attempt to create a leshy succeeds—if this final check fails, no appropriate spirit is close enough to answer the call. The plant body rots and the creator must begin anew with fresh materials if he wishes to try again. At the GM's discretion, this final chance for success might increase to 75% or even 100% for particularly magical areas where leshy spirits are much more common than normal. Discovering such a rare and magical site should be the focus of its own adventure.
If the ritual is successful, the leshy awakens fully formed and able to serve as a minion. A freshly created leshy is under no particular compulsion to obey its creator, but most regard their makers as friends and allies.
Plant creatures are particularly adept at growing leshys. Such creators gain a +5 racial bonus on their Knowledge checks, halve the time required to grow the leshy, and reduce the cost to create the creature by 25%. A plant creature is always successful in luring a spirit into the body, and need not make the final percentile roll for success.
Leshys with more Hit Dice than normal can be created. Each additional Hit Die adds 2,250 gp to the cost of creating the leshy (and thus 4,500 gp to the overall price), increases the DC of the Knowledge check by +2, and requires an additional 2 weeks of growth. Attempts to create leshys larger than Small always fail—the strange spiritual energies that animate these creatures are only capable of doing so to a body no larger than that of a human child.
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