Alraune
Description
An alraune relies on its supernaturally soothing odor to render enemies incapable of making hostile acts against it—even if the alraune attacks a foe, its calming scent can wipe away any thoughts of violence from its prey. At rest, an alraune appears to be merely a large thorny plant with a single enormous and brightly colored flower at its center.
When an alraune attacks, its thorny vines lash out and its flower blooms, revealing an attractive, green-skinned humanoid form within. An alraune's apparent gender can vary even from encounter to encounter, for the plant can reshape its humanoid portions as it desires to increase the likelihood of setting its victims at ease. Regardless of the plant's apparent gender, it is itself asexual and reproduces (typically once or twice per decade) by budding a single offspring over the course of a spring season.
Despite their appearance, alraunes are quite mobile (capable of walking almost like a spider upon their numerous long roots and thorny vines). They hunt by using commune with nature to locate potential prey, preferring humanoid flesh over all others. When an alraune needs prey, it uses its mind-affecting abilities to convince foes to dig their own graves and bury themselves—once a foe is helplessly buried in the soil, the alraune can feed from it via its flesh-burrowing roots, converting the victim's blood and memories into the strange nutrients it so craves.
Combat Stats
- Melee
- 4 vines +20 (1d10+7 plus grab and bleed)
- Space
- 10 ft.
- Reach
- 10 ft.
- SR
- 24
- Aura
- calming fragrance (60 ft., DC 24)
Ability Scores
Special Attacks
bleed (2d6)
constrict (1d10+10)
Feed — An alraune's roots can feed on a helpless or willing target. At the end of an hour of feeding, the victim takes 1d6 points of both Constitution and Intelligence drain, and the alraune heals 3d6 points of damage.
Feats
Alertness, Cleave, Deceitful, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (glitterdust), Vital Strike
Special Abilities
Universal Monster Rules
Special Abilities
Feats, Traits & Items
You get a +2 bonus on Perception and Sense Motive skill checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in one of these skills, the bonus increases to +4 for that skill.
As a standard action, you can make a single attack at your full base attack bonus against a foe within reach. If you hit, you deal damage normally and can make an additional attack (using your full base attack bonus) against a foe that is adjacent to the first and also within reach. You can only make one additional attack per round with this feat. When you use this feat, you take a –2 penalty to your Armor Class until your next turn.
You get a +2 bonus on all Bluff and Disguise skill checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in one of these skills, the bonus increases to +4 for that skill.
As a standard action, you can make a single attack at your full base attack bonus against a foe within reach. If you hit, you deal damage normally and can make an additional attack (using your full base attack bonus) against a foe that is adjacent to the previous foe and also within reach. If you hit, you can continue to make attacks against foes adjacent to the previous foe, so long as they are within your reach. You cannot attack an individual foe more than once during this attack action. When you use this feat, you take a –2 penalty to your Armor Class until your next turn.
You can choose to take a –1 penalty on all melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +2 bonus on all melee damage rolls. This bonus to damage is increased by half (+50%) if you are making an attack with a two-handed weapon, a one handed weapon using two hands, or a primary natural weapon that adds 1-1/2 times your Strength modifier on damage rolls. This bonus to damage is halved (–50%) if you are making an attack with an off-hand weapon or secondary natural weapon. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every 4 points thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the bonus to damage increases by +2. You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll, and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage.
Choose one of the creature's spell-like abilities, subject to the restrictions described in this feat. The creature can use the chosen spell-like ability as a quickened spell-like ability three times per day (or less, if the ability is normally usable only once or twice per day).
Using a quickened spell-like ability is a swift action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The creature can perform another action—including the use of another spell-like ability (but not another swift action)—in the same round that it uses a quickened spell-like ability. The creature may use only one quickened spell-like ability per round.
The creature can only select a spell-like ability duplicating a spell with a level less than or equal to 1/2 its caster level (round down) – 4. For a summary, see the table below.
A spell-like ability that duplicates a spell with a casting time greater than 1 full round cannot be quickened.
When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the weapon's damage dice for the attack twice and add the results together before adding bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), precision based damage, and other damage bonuses. These extra weapon damage dice are not multiplied on a critical hit, but are added to the total.
Skills
Bluff +16, Disguise +9, Knowledge (nature) +9, Perception +17, Sense Motive +14
Spells
- Type
- Plant
- Alignment
- NE
- Size
- Large
- Environment
- temperate forests
- Organization
- solitary
- Treasure
- standard
- Senses
- low-light vision; Perception +17
- Aura
- calming fragrance (60 ft., DC 24)
- Languages
- Aklo, Common, Elven, Sylvan
- Source
- Bestiary 3