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Mandragora

CR 4.00 Plant CE Small HD 5

This filthy creature resembles a small, wide-mouthed fat child made from leaves, vines, tree bark, dirt, and pallid tubers.

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Description

A mandragora rises spontaneously from a mandrake root that has drawn nutrition from the corpse or ichor of a demon. A typical mandragora stands at just over 3 feet tall and only weighs 30 pounds. However, its size hides the creature's fantastic strength and brutality. When a mandragora attacks, its fingers grow into whipping, thorny vines nearly 10 feet long, with which it makes its slam attacks.

A mandragora rarely strays far from its lair amid tangled roots or vines, but when it encounters any other creature, it attacks regardless of the odds. However, a mandragora can usually recognize druids and does not attack them or their animal companions unless they attack it first. It has no qualms about attacking a druid's allies.

When mandragora poison is mixed with its thick, gooey, sap-like blood and 1,000 gp worth of alchemical reagents, the resulting fluid can be used as a focus for the scrying spell. The fluid only lasts for the duration of the spell's casting time and resulting effects but the subject of the spell takes a –4 penalty on the save to resist it.

A mandrake root that is growing on or near a demon's corpse or ichor has a 2% chance of awakening as a mandragora within a day of first absorbing the tainted material. A creature that wants to create a mandragora can do so with alchemy; the process requires a day of work, a mandrake root, several pints of ichor or the body of a demon of CR 6 or above, and a successful DC 25 Craft (alchemy) check. The newly created mandragora is hostile, even to its creator.

Combat Stats

37 (5d8+15)

17, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+4 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)

Init

Speed

40 ft., burrow 10 ft., climb 40 ft.

Fort

Ref

Will

BAB

CMB

+4 (+8 grapple)

CMD

Melee: bite +8 (1d6+2 plus grab), 2 slam +8 (1d4+2 plus poison)
Space: 5 ft.
Reach: 5 ft. (10 ft. with slam)
Racial Modifiers: +8 Stealth in vegetation

Ability Scores

str

dex

con

int

-1

wis

cha

Special Attacks

blood drain (1d2 Constitution)

Shriek — Once per day as a standard action, a mandragora can give voice to an unsettling shriek. All creatures within a 30-foot spread of a shrieking mandragora must make a DC 15 Will save or become nauseated for 1d4 rounds. This is a sonic, mind-affecting ability. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Feats

Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Finesse

Special Abilities

Universal Monster Rules

Blood Drain (1d2 Constitution) Ex from Universal Monster Rule

The creature drains blood at the end of its turn if it grapples a foe, inflicting Constitution damage.

Grab (bite) 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.

Poison (slam) Ex from Universal Monster Rule

A creature with this ability can poison those it attacks. The effects of the poison, including its save, frequency, and cure, are included in the creature's description. The saving throw to resist a poison is usually a Fort save (DC 10 + 1/2 the poisoning creature's racial HD + the creature's Con modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature's descriptive text). Poisons can be removed through neutralize poison and similar effects.

Special Abilities

Shriek from text

Once per day as a standard action, a mandragora can give voice to an unsettling shriek. All creatures within a 30-foot spread of a shrieking mandragora must make a DC 15 Will save or become nauseated for 1d4 rounds. This is a sonic, mind-affecting ability. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Feats, Traits & Items

Lightning Reflexes from Feat

You get a +2 bonus on all Reflex saving throws.

Calculated: +2 Ref

Skill Focus (Perception) from Feat

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

Weapon Finesse from Feat

With a light weapon, rapier, whip, or spiked chain made for a creature of your size category, you may use your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier on attack rolls. If you carry a shield, its armor check penalty applies to your attack rolls.

Skills

Climb +10, Perception +9, Stealth +14 (+22 in vegetation)

Details

Type: Plant
Alignment: CE
Size: Small
Environment: cold or temperate forests
Organization: solitary, pair, or grove (3-12)
Treasure: standard
Senses: low-light vision; Perception +9
Languages: Abyssal, Common
Source: Bestiary 2

Rules