The umbrie is a carnivorous plant native to the Outer Continent, found mainly in the margins of the inland desert but fully capable of growing in damper conditions. By day it is visible as a bright blue or purple stalk, taller than a human, that exudes a sweet nectar. This stalk is also covered with small sticky fibres that can bind prey with great strength. At dusk, the rest of the plant, which lies beneath a covering of sand or soil, emerges and encompasses the stalk, exuding acids and enzymatic secretions to digest any creatures that have become stuck during the day.
The umbrie is not generally a danger to creatures intelligent enough to avoid it, but the sticky secretions are strong enough to entrap a typical humanoid foolish enough to touch the stalk. The dromads revere the umbrie as a sacred spirit, and have been known to adhere sacrifices to one, usually just before dusk to minimise any chance for escape. They also collect the sweet sap to ferment into umbrie-sahra, one of their sacred drinks, and this they choose to do at night when the plant is active, in a ritual known as umbrie-kahra. Young dromads make it a sport to see who can gather the most sap without becoming entangled by the plant.
The "petals" of an umbrie range from deep purple to midnight blue, being the colour of the largest specimens which have a stalk that reaches well over 20 ft. tall.
Umbrie
Large Plant
Hit Dice: 10d8+40 (85 hp)
Initiative: -5
Speed: None
Armor Class: 10 (-1 size, -5 Dex, +6 natural), touch 4, flat-footed 10
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+12
Attack: Engulf (1d6 plus 1d6 acid)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Engulf, sticky sap
Special Qualities Plant traits
Saves: Fortitude +11, Reflex -2, Will +3
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 1, Con 18, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills: None
Feats: None
Environment: Warm desert
Organization: Single
Challenge Rating: 4
Advancement: 11-20 HD (Large), 21-30 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: -
Combat: During the day umbrie are inactive, relying on their sticky sap to entrap prey. Only at night do the "petals" become active, typically emerging at dusk to engulf the stalk, where they remain for an hour or so before retracting. After this, throughout the night, the petals emerge 1d6 rounds after the stalk has been touched to engulf any new prey.
Engulf (Ex): An umbrie automatically engulfs anything stuck to its stalk when it emerges. Each round, anything so imprisoned takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage plus 1d6 acid damage. A character who has a light slashing or piercing weapon to hand can attempt to cut their way out of the umbrie. The inside of an umbrie is treated as AC 7 with 15 hit points. There is one advantage to being engulfed - the sticky sap of the stalk is neutralised whilst the plant digests its prey and so anyone attempting to escape does not need to overcome the strength of the sap (see below).
Sticky Sap (Ex): An umbrie's stalk exudes a sticky-sweet sap that attracts prey and then binds it fast. Extracting oneself from the sap requires a Strength check DC 19. Due to the strength of the sap and the tiny sharp hairs on the stalk, each attempt to free oneself from an umbrie stalk causes 1d4 damage to the person attempting to escape, whether it succeeds or not. The DC is Constitution-based.
The umbrie is more of a natural hazard than a true monster, for best effects used in conjunction with an encounter with dromads. An alternative version might produce hypnotic pollen that induces intelligent prey to approach and adhere themselves to the stalk.
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