Description
The hangman tree prefers to lie in wait near remote forest tracks and game trails, waiting for victims to wander by. These carnivorous plants are incredibly patient, and can wait for months in a single location for food to approach. When prey does draw near, the tree's vines lash like striking snakes. The tree often uses its pull ability to hoist grappled foes 10 to 15 feet in the air so that they are out of reach of allies while they slowly strangle. The tree generally only swallows one foe whole at a time, letting its other captured victims dangle and ripen until it is ready to feed on them.
A hangman tree is 30 feet tall and weighs 12,000 pounds.
Combat Stats
AC
20, touch 7, flat-footed 20 (-1 Dex, +13 natural, -2 size)
- Melee
- 3 vines +11 (1d6+7 plus grab and pull)
- Space
- 15 ft.
- Reach
- 15 ft.
- SR
- 18
Ability Scores
Special Attacks
constrict (1d6+7)
Hallucinatory Spores — Once per day as a standard action, a hangman tree can release a cloud of spores in a 50-foot-radius spread. Creatures in the area must make a DC 20 Will save or believe the hangman tree to be a perfectly ordinary tree—or at worst, a treant or some other friendly tree-like creature. An affected creature becomes passive for 2d6 minutes and refuses to attack the hangman tree during this time. An affected creature can attempt a new Will save each round that the tree attacks an ally—if a hallucinating creature is attacked by the tree, it gains a +4 bonus on its Will save to see through the hallucination. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.
pull (vine, 5 feet)
strangle
swallow whole (2d6+7 bludgeoning damage, AC 16, 8 hp)
Vines — A hangman tree's vines are primary attacks that deal bludgeoning damage. When a hangman tree grapples a foe with its vines, the tree does not gain the grappled condition. A hangman tree that uses swallow whole transfers a pinned creature from a vine to inside its trunk.
Feats
Special Abilities
Universal Monster Rules
Grab
Grab
(vines)
Ex
from Universal Monster Rule
If a creature with this special attack hits with the indicated attack (usually a claw or bite attack), it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. The creature has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply to 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 –20 penalty on its combat maneuver check to make and maintain the grapple, but does not gain the grappled condition itself. A successful hold does not deal any extra damage unless the creature also has the constrict special attack. If the creature does not constrict, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals the damage indicated for the attack that established the hold. Otherwise, it deals constriction damage as well (the amount is given in the creature's descriptive text). Creatures with grab receive a +4 bonus on combat maneuver checks made to start and maintain a grapple. Unless otherwise noted, grab works only against opponents no larger than the same size category as the creature. If the creature can use grab on sizes other than the default, this is noted in the creature's Special Attacks line.
Constrict
(1d6+7)
Ex
from Universal Monster Rule
A creature with this special attack 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). The amount of damage is given in the creature's entry and is typically equal to the amount of damage caused by the creature's melee attack.
Swallow Whole
(2d6+7 bludgeoning damage, AC 16, 8 hp)
Ex
from Universal Monster Rule
If a creature with this special attack begins its turn with an opponent grappled in its mouth (see Grab), it can attempt a new combat maneuver check (as though attempting to pin the opponent). If it succeeds, it swallows its prey, and the opponent takes bite damage. Unless otherwise noted, the opponent can be up to one size category smaller than the swallowing creature. Being swallowed causes the target to take damage each round. The amount and type of damage varies and is given in the swallowing creature's statistics. A swallowed creature keeps the grappled condition, while the creature that did the swallowing does not. A swallowed creature can try to cut its way free with any light slashing or piercing weapon (the amount of cutting damage required to get free is equal to 1/10 the creature's total hit points), or it can just try to escape the grapple. The Armor Class of the interior of a creature that swallows whole is normally 10 + 1/2 its natural armor bonus, with no modifiers for size or Dexterity. If a swallowed creature cuts its way out, the swallowing creature cannot use swallow whole again until the damage is healed. If the swallowed creature escapes the grapple, success puts it back in the attacker's mouth, where it may be bitten or swallowed again.
Pull
(vine, 5 feet)
Ex
from Universal Monster Rule
A creature with this ability can choose to make a free combat maneuver check with a successful attack. If successful, this check pulls an opponent closer. The distance pulled is set by this ability. The type of attack that causes the pull and the distance pulled are included in the creature's description. This ability only works on creatures of a size equal to or smaller than the pulling creature. Creatures pulled in this way do not provoke attacks of opportunity and stop if the pull would move them into a solid object or creature.
An opponent grappled by the creature cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components.
Special Abilities
Hallucinatory Spores
from text
Once per day as a standard action, a hangman tree can release a cloud of spores in a 50-foot-radius spread. Creatures in the area must make a DC 20 Will save or believe the hangman tree to be a perfectly ordinary tree—or at worst, a treant or some other friendly tree-like creature. An affected creature becomes passive for 2d6 minutes and refuses to attack the hangman tree during this time. An affected creature can attempt a new Will save each round that the tree attacks an ally—if a hallucinating creature is attacked by the tree, it gains a +4 bonus on its Will save to see through the hallucination. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Vines
from text
A hangman tree's vines are primary attacks that deal bludgeoning damage. When a hangman tree grapples a foe with its vines, the tree does not gain the grappled condition. A hangman tree that uses swallow whole transfers a pinned creature from a vine to inside its trunk.
Feats, Traits & Items
You get a +4 bonus on initiative checks.
Calculated: +4 Initiative
You get a +2 bonus on all Will saving throws.
Calculated: +2 Will
You get a +2 bonus on all Reflex saving throws.
Calculated: +2 Ref
You get a +3 bonus on all checks involving the chosen skill. If you have 10 or more ranks in that skill, this bonus increases to +6.
Calculated: +3 Skill Bonus
Skills
Perception +11, Stealth -2