KudimmuTumorous, misshapen vines laden with dark red fruit make up the form of this lumbering humanoid creature, and its face is marked only by a pair of glowing, crimson eyes.Kudimmu CR 16Source Pathfinder #114: Black Stars Beckon pg. 86
XP 76,800
NE Large plant
Init +10; Senses low-light vision, tremorsense 30 ft.; Perception +32DefenseAC 31, touch 15, flat-footed 25 (+6 Dex, +16 natural, –1 size)
hp 252 (24d8+144); fast healing 15
Fort +20, Ref +14, Will +15
Defensive Abilities amorphous; DR 10/magic and slashing; Immune death effects, energy drain, negative energy, plant traits; Resist cold 10, fire 10; SR 27OffenseSpeed 30 ft., burrow 15 ft.
Melee 2 slam +28 (2d4+11 plus grab), 4 tentacles +27 (1d6+5 plus bleed and pull)
Ranged bombardment +23 touch (8d6 negative energy plus splash)
Space 10 ft., Reach 10 ft. (30 ft. with tentacles)
Special Attacks bleed (1d6), blood drain (1d4 Constitution), bombardment, create spawn, pull (tentacle, 5 ft.)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 24th; concentration +27)
3/day—wall of thorns
1/day—animate plants (DC 20)StatisticsStr 32, Dex 22, Con 22, Int 13, Wis 21, Cha 17
Base Atk +18; CMB +30; CMD 46 (48 vs. trip)
Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dimensional Agility, Dimensional Assault, Dimensional Dervish, Dimensional Savant, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Iron Will, Multiattack, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (tentacle)
Skills Perception +32, Sense Motive +29, Stealth +29
Languages Azlanti, Sylvan (can’t speak); telepathy 100 ft.
SQ bloodfruit, fieldboundEcologyEnvironment any land
Organization solitary
Treasure standardSpecial AbilitiesBloodfruit (Su) Fruit-bearing plants in a kudimmu’s field produce sickly, misshapen, blood-red versions of normal fruits of the same variety. An undead creature can consume a kudimmu’s bloodfruit in place of whatever bodily material it normally hungers for, whether blood, flesh, or something else. Doing so temporarily sates the undead creature’s hunger, but does not provide any other benefits normally gained from consumption. Upon consuming bloodfruit, an undead creature must succeed at a DC 25 Will saving throw or fall under the kudimmu’s control, as per control undead. A living creature treats bloodfruit as a drug with the following statistics (see page 236 of the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide for full rules on drugs and addiction): type ingested; addiction severe, Fortitude DC 25; effects 1 hour; +2 alchemical bonus on saving throws against necromancy spells and effects, fester as per the spell (caster level 24th); damage 1d4 Con. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Bombardment (Su) A kudimmu can produce bloodfruit from its body, which are charged with negative energy and can be thrown as splash weapons. These bloodfruit deal 8d6 points of negative energy damage on a direct hit, and 8 points of damage to creatures adjacent to the targeted square. A successful DC 25 Will saving throw halves this damage. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Create Spawn (Su) A creature killed by the kudimmu’s blood drain ability or by Constitution damage accrued through consuming bloodfruit rises as a vampire spawn under the kudimmu’s control 1d4 days later. A kudimmu can have a number of enslaved spawn totaling at most double its own Hit Dice; any spawn it creates that would exceed this limit become free-willed undead.
Fieldbound (Ex, Sp, Su) A kudimmu can designate an area of natural vegetation up to 100 feet by 100 feet per side as its field, fusing the root systems of the area’s plants into an interconnected mass. While in physical contact with the ground of its field, a kudimmu gains fast healing 15, tremorsense, and a 15-foot burrow speed. Additionally, the kudimmu can teleport to any location in its field as per dimension door. Spells and effects that attempt to alter the field’s earth or vegetation must overcome the kudimmu’s spell resistance to succeed. The kudimmu is physically dependent on its field, as the root system beneath it is in many ways an extension of the kudimmu’s body. A kudimmu separated from its field for more than 24 hours instantly decays into a lump of inanimate matter. A kudimmu that is slain or destroyed reforms in the ground beneath its field in a process that takes 1d10 days to complete. To prevent a kudimmu from reviving, its field must be sown with salt or destroyed by magic (merely destroying the surface plants is not sufficient—the roots must also be entirely destroyed). A kudimmu must maintain its field with the blood of the living. The field must soak up the blood of a Medium or larger creature once per week. For each week the kudimmu fails to feed its field, it takes 2 points of Constitution damage. This damage cannot be healed until the kudimmu feeds its field. A kudimmu can designate a new field once per month in a process that takes 1 hour to complete. It can have only one active field at a time.DescriptionWhen a city is destroyed, it is customary for the conquering army to sow salt or thorns to render the ground forever infertile and curse those who would dare to rebuild. In most cases, this is simply a symbolic gesture. However, this ritual has eminently practical roots. Death and devastation are potent seeds, and the blood of conquered peoples can mingle with the roots of burned fields to produce terrible creatures. These are called kudimmus, twisted weeds that corrupt the ground of vanquished cities and exact a terrible price upon invaders.
A kudimmu’s body is diffused throughout its field, and it can weigh tens of thousands of pounds. Its primary fruiting body is vaguely humanoid in shape, standing 10 feet tall and weighing 4,000 pounds.EcologyMost of the fruit a kudimmu produces is tainted by sinister magic. While this does not affect the taste or nutritional value of the fruit, it does leave them misshapen and renders any seeds inside dead. Kudimmus can, however, produce viable fruit should they choose to do so. These fruit are identical to their normal bloodfruit in every way, except that the seeds of these fruit sprout into new kudimmus if planted into unconsecrated ground. Kudimmus rarely use this ability, as more kudimmus in the world means more competition for food. However, if a kudimmu feels its life is threatened or it knows it will soon be attacked, it can send one of its undead minions to plant its seeds in a distant field to ensure the continuation of its line.
These monstrous plants require fresh sources of blood for their fields and thus prey on humanoid settlements to survive. Some kudimmus can make do with the blood of animals for a short time, but they do not find this subsistence living agreeable and almost always seek out farms or other civilized places to make their homes. Some kudimmus consume communities without care and live nomadic lives, always searching for fresh hunting grounds. Other kudimmus are more cautious and cunning, cultivating humanoid populations much as farmers tend to their crops.Habitat and SocietyOnce a kudimmu establishes itself in a field, it uses its addictive bloodfruit to conquer nearby settlements. If the local populace seems unwilling to eat the misshapen fruit, the kudimmu may leave its field at night to poison other fields and bring about a famine. Once one or two individuals fall under the kudimmu’s control, it sends its new vampiric minions to strong-arm or convert the town’s leadership.
Competition for feeding grounds keeps kudimmus from cooperating with each other. In fact, kudimmus often squabble over territory. As kudimmus are usually unwilling to leave their fields and fight powerful rivals on their own, these wars are fought through proxies, often the kudimmus’ vampiric minions.
As kudimmus prey on humans, so too do the undead prey on kudimmus. Usually this is to the plants’ benefit, as any undead that feed on their fruit eventually fall under their spell and strengthen their influence over the countryside. However, particularly strong-willed undead can resist the effects of kudimmus’ bloodfruit and exploit the plants as an alternative to hunting humanoids.
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