Moonflower

A twisted trunk clustered with bulbous blossoms holds up a gaping mouth ready to swallow a victim whole.

Moonflower CR 8

XP 4,800
N Huge plant
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +9

DEFENSE

AC 21, touch 8, flat-footed 21 (+13 natural, –2 size)
hp 104 (11d8+55); fast healing 5
Fort +12, Ref +3, Will +4
DR 10/slashing; Immune electricity, plant traits; Resist cold 10
Weaknesses vulnerable to fire

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft.
Melee bite +15 (2d6+9 plus grab), 2 tentacles +13 (1d8+4)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks light pulse, pod prison

STATISTICS

Str 28, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 17
Base Atk +8; CMB +19 (+23 grapple); CMD 29 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Blind-Fight, Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Multiattack, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Stealth)
Skills Perception +9, Stealth +4 (+20 in thick vegetation); Racial Modifiers +16 Stealth in thick vegetation
Languages telepathy (1 mile, other moonflowers only)
SQ pod spawn

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Light Pulse (Su)

As a standard action, a moonflower can release a pulse of bright light. All creatures within a 50-foot burst that can see the moonflower must make a DC 20 Fortitude save or be blinded for 1d4 rounds. Moonflowers are immune to this ability. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Pod Prison (Ex)

This works like the swallow whole ability, except the moonflower can only use it once every 1d4 rounds, and the swallowed creature is immediately wrapped in a tight digestive cocoon and expelled into an adjacent square, where it takes damage every round (2d6 bludgeoning and 2d6 acid, AC 15, 25 hp). The cocooned target cannot use Escape Artist to get out of the cocoon. Other creatures can aid the target by attacking the cocoon with piercing or slashing weapons, but the creature within takes half the damage from any attack against the cocoon. Once the cocoon is destroyed, it deflates and decays. Each creature swallowed by a moonflower is encased in its own cocoon.

Pod Spawn (Ex)

Should a moonflower’s pod prison kill and digest a small or larger creature, the pod transforms into an adult moonflower with full hit points after 1d4 hours. The newly formed moonflower has its own consciousness, but some aspect of its trunk or blossoms resembles the creature that died within. The dead creature’s equipment remains inside the new moonflower and can be retrieved by killing it.

ECOLOGY

Environment any land
Organization solitary or cluster (2–8)
Treasure standard

A fully grown moonflower easily stands 20 feet tall, its massive trunk frequently 4 feet or more in diameter. The roots extend away from the base and into the soil, making the plant seem well anchored, but the roots themselves possess an agility that belies the great size of the plant and allows the moonflower to uproot itself and move with surprising speed. The tendrils of the plant are independently prehensile and writhe around the large flytrap-like “head” that crowns the stem.

Moonflowers have never been known to communicate with other creatures, even with druids and others who regularly converse with plants. The plants do possess some manner of strange telepathy, though, and are in constant communication with their nearby brethren. Those who manage to intrude upon the creatures’ alien thoughts face an assault of horrible visions of terrifying jungles filled with ancient, sentient, and malign plants.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2, © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Graeme Davis, Crystal Frasier, Joshua J. Frost, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, James Jacobs, Steve Kenson, Hal MacLean, Martin Mason, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, and Greg A. Vaughan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.

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