Tendriculos
A tendriculos is a creature brought into being through a corruption of nature, often where foul magic has seeped into the environs for many years, or where the boundaries between the Material Plane and the mysterious realm of the fey have worn thin. Tales and myths speak of arcane manipulation from other planes, while others speak of a tendriculos as being the manifestation of an angered spirit of nature.
A voracious carnivore, the tendriculos is an active hunter when it needs to be but it prefers to rely on ambush tactics, choosing well-traveled areas in the forest where it can lie in wait in the undergrowth. The creature is quick to swallow any prey it happens to catch in its vines, relying upon the acid-filled reservoir in its trunk to finish off prey that may still have a bit of fight left in it. This acid not only consumes organic material with shocking ease, but also contains a powerful paralytic enzyme that further reduces a creature's chance of escape once it's been gulped down by the plant.
Although incapable of speech itself, the tendriculos generally understands a handful of words in a single language (usually Sylvan). While they tend to see all smaller creatures as nothing more than food, tales exist of certain creatures, particularly fey or druids, having secured a sort of alliance with local tendriculoses. In such cases, the tendriculos is more than willing to serve its ally as a guardian, so long as the ally is diligent at providing the plant with a regular supply of food.
The fact that a tendriculos displays a curious mix of plant, fungal, and even animal traits (in the form of its almost fleshy, toothed maw) has long intrigued sages. That the creature is a plant is firmly established, yet it lays egg-like spheres when the need to reproduce strikes. These “eggs” are in fact massive, puffball-like fungi filled with spores—when jostled, the cloud of spores that is released can carry for miles, ensuring that a single tendriculos can seed a huge territory.
A tendriculos is 20 feet tall and weighs 3,500 pounds.
- HP
- 76 (9d8+36); regeneration 10 (bludgeoning or fire)
- AC
- 19, touch 7, flat-footed 19 (-1 Dex, +12 natural, -2 size)
- Speed
- 20 ft.
- Init
- +3
- Melee
- bite +11 (2d6+7 plus grab), 2 tentacles +6 (1d6+3 plus grab)
- Space
- 15 ft.
- Reach
- 15 ft.
- BAB
- +6
- CMB
- +15 (+19 grapple)
- CMD
- 24 (can't be tripped)
- Fort
- +10
- Ref
- +4
- Will
- +4
- Racial Modifiers
- +8 Stealth in undergrowth
paralysis (3d6 rounds, DC 18)
swallow whole (2d6 acid damage plus paralysis, AC 15, 7 hp)
<p class="stat-block-1"> You get a +4 bonus on initiative checks.</p>
<p class="stat-block-1"> You get a +2 bonus on all Will saving throws.</p>
<p class="stat-block-1"> You get a +2 bonus on all Reflex saving throws.</p>
<p class="stat-block-1"> 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.</p>
<p class="stat-block-1"> 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.</p>
Perception +7, Stealth +1 (+9 in undergrowth)
- Type
- Plant
- Alignment
- N
- Size
- Huge
- Environment
- temperate or warm forests
- Organization
- solitary, pair, or grove (3-6)
- Treasure
- standard
- Senses
- low-light vision; Perception +7
- Languages
- Sylvan (cannot speak)
- Source
- Bestiary 2
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Uses feat: Improved Initiative (Feat)House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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Uses feat: Iron Will (Feat)House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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Uses feat: Lightning Reflexes (Feat)House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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Uses feat: Power Attack (Feat)House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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Uses feat: Skill Focus (Feat)House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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