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Assassin Vine

Assassin Vine CR 3

This gnarled vine, as thick as a man’s arm and bearing hand-shaped leaves, convulses across the ground in an unnatural slither.

XP 800
N Large plant
Init –2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +8
Aura entangling plants (20 ft., DC 12)

DEFENSE HP 40

EAC 14; KAC 16
Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2
Immunities electricity, plant immunities; Resistances cold 10, fire 10

OFFENSE

Speed 5 ft.
Melee slam +11 (1d6+7 B plus grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

STATISTICS

Str +4, Dex –2, Con +2, Int —, Wis +1, Cha +0
Skills Perception +8, Stealth +8
Other Abilities mindless

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Entangling Plants (Su)

Mundane plants within 20 feet of the assassin vine grasp at non-plant creatures in that area, entangling them for one round if they fail a DC 11 Reflex save. This aura is suppressed while the assassin vine is waiting in ambush.

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate forest
Organization solitary, pair, or patch (3–6)

The assassin vine is a carnivorous plant that collects its own grisly fertilizer by grabbing and crushing animals and depositing the carcasses near its roots. These remarkable plants can see minute movements in the earth and air and detect changes in light and heat through their broad leaves, giving them exceptional awareness of the area around them. Possessing no intelligence or agenda, they lash out at whatever living things pass nearby, regardless of the target’s size, sentience, or potential deadliness. A mature plant consists of a main vine, about 20 feet long; smaller vines up to 5 feet long branch off from the main vine about every 6 inches. These small vines bear clusters of leaves, and in late summer they produce bunches of small fruits that resemble wild blackberries.

The fruit is tough and has a hearty and typically bitter flavor, although some say the berries change in taste depending on what victims composted a given plant’s roots. The most murderous assassin vines supposedly produce the sweetest berries.

An assassin vine can move about, but usually stays put unless it needs to seek prey in a new vicinity. The plants use simple tactics, lying still until prey comes within reach and then attacking.

Once an assassin vine is engaged, it pursues prey (albeit slowly) in order to catch and compost the creature. The plants prove tenacious, as long as their quarry remains within sight. Once a creature moves beyond the plant’s ability to perceive it, the unthinking vine falls still and lies in wait for the next passerby.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Alien Bestiary (Starfinder) © 2018, Legendary Games; Lead Designer: Jason Nelson. Authors: Anthony Adam, Kate Baker, John Bennet, Eytan Bernstein, Robert Brookes, Russ Brown, Duan Byrd, Jeff Dahl, Robyn Fields, Joel Flank, Matt Goodall, Robert J. Grady, Jim Groves, Steven T. Helt, Thurston Hillman, Tim Hitchcock, Nick Hite, Daniel Hunt, Mike Kimmel Marshall, Isabelle Lee, Jeff Lee, Lyz Liddell, Jason Nelson, Richard Pett, Tom Phillips, Alistair J. Rigg, Alex Riggs, Wendall Roy, Mike Shel, Neil Spicer, Todd Stewart, Russ Taylor, Rachel Ventura, Mike Welham, George Loki Williams, Scott Young.