Hura Bayou Creeper

Large Plant

Hit Dice: 4d8+12 (30 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 0 ft. (rooted)
Armor Class: 17 (-1 size, -1 Dex, +9 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +3 / +11
Attack: Branch slam +6 melee (1d8+4) or seed pod burst +5 ranged touch
Full Attack: 2 branch slams +6 melee (1d8+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Explosive seed pods, poisonous sap, thorned trunk
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, plant traits, camouflage, rooted stability
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +0, Will +2
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 8, Con 16, Int —, Wis 13, Cha 3
Skills: Hide +8 (+16 in swamp vegetation)
Feats: —
Environment: Warm marshes, swamps and bayous
Organization: Solitary, grove (2-4), or haunted stand (5-12)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 5-8 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —

A hura bayou creeper resembles a broad, moss-covered cypress until prey draws near. Thick bark conceals hundreds of thumb-sized seed pods and wicked conical thorns. Its white, milky sap is among the most feared natural hazards of the marsh, and local trappers know never to shelter beneath one during the wet season.

Although rooted, these plants have evolved limited awareness through vibrations in the water and soil. They lash out only when creatures come within reach or disturb their roots.

Combat

A hura bayou creeper prefers to weaken prey with exploding seed pods before striking with heavy branches. Reckless adventurers often discover the danger only after brushing against the trunk.

Camouflage (Ex): A hura bayou creeper can make a Hide check even while observed in swamp or bayou terrain. It resembles an ordinary tree unless it moves or attacks.

Explosive Seed Pods (Ex): Every 1d4 rounds, the creeper may violently rupture one of its mature seed pods as a ranged attack with a range increment of 30 feet.

The targeted square and every creature within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 15 Reflex save or take 3d6 points of piercing damage from dozens of razor-sharp seeds. A successful save halves the damage.

Creatures within 5 feet of the targeted square take a -2 penalty on this save.

The save DC is Constitution-based.

Poisonous Sap (Ex): Any creature striking the creeper with a natural weapon, unarmed strike, or slashing weapon, or grappling it, is splashed with caustic sap.

The victim must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or become blinded for 1d4 rounds and take 1d4 points of Constitution damage. One minute later, the victim must make a second DC 15 Fortitude save or take another 1d4 points of Constitution damage.

Washing the eyes or exposed skin with at least one gallon of fresh water within 1 round grants a +4 circumstance bonus on the saving throw against blindness but does not prevent the Constitution damage.

The save DC is Constitution-based.

Thorned Trunk (Ex): A creature grappling the creeper or striking it with an unarmed attack automatically takes 1d6 points of piercing damage.

Rooted Stability (Ex): A hura bayou creeper gains a +8 bonus on ability checks made to resist bull rush, overrun, trip, or similar effects. It cannot be moved against its will unless uprooted by magic or extraordinary force.

Ecology

The hura bayou creeper thrives in stagnant water, often growing beside narrow game trails and forgotten boardwalks where unsuspecting travelers are forced to pass within reach. Its explosive seed pods spread surprisingly far across the wetlands, allowing new saplings to colonize isolated hummocks after seasonal floods.

Many experienced marsh guides identify these trees by the unusually bare ground surrounding them. Small animals quickly learn to avoid the lethal bursts, leaving an eerie ring devoid of undergrowth beneath the branches.

Adventure Hook

A stretch of normally safe bayou has become strangely silent. Hunters report hearing loud cracks "like musket fire," followed by screams from travelers who sought shade beneath unfamiliar trees. The local ferryman offers a reward for anyone willing to clear a dangerous stand before the next trading barge arrives. Low-level adventurers who charge in without caution may quickly learn that sometimes the deadliest predator in the swamp never takes a single step.