Symbiont, Living Armor

A humanoid mass of leaves, vines, and roots stands with a hunched posture. Its hands end in wicked claws and its head is little more than an oversized thorny maw.

Living Armor CR 3

XP 800
N Medium plant (plant symbiont)
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +1

DEFENSE

AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+1 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 32 (5d8+10)
Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +2
DR 5/slashing; Immune plant traits

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee slam +6 (1d4+3 plus attach), bite +6 (1d6+3 plus grab)
Special Attacks liquefy

STATISTICS

Str 16, Dex 13, Con 14, Int —, Wis 12, Cha 7
Base Atk +3; CMB +6 (+14 grapple when bonded); CMD 17
SQ bond, host abilities, mind link, symbiont healing

ECOLOGY

Environment any
Organization solitary
Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Liquefy (Ex)

While grappling, an armor symbiont exudes a digestive acid it uses to break down living matter which it then absorbs as sustenance. Each round an armor symbiont maintains a grapple it deals 1d6 points of acid damage to the target of its grapple.

HOST ABILITIES

Damage Reduction (Ex)

When bonded, an armor symbiont grants the host DR 2/slashing.

Natural Armor (Ex)

When bonded, an armor symbiont grants the host a +2 natural armor bonus to AC.

Strength Enhancement (Su)

When bonded, an armor symbiont grants the host a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength.

Construction

Slot body; Price 20,000 gp

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Create Plant Symbiont; Cost 10,000 gp

A living armor symbiont appears as a mass of writhing, leafy vines. When it bonds with a host, via the roots embedding themselves into the host’s chest, the vines wrap around the host, extending to the upper arms and legs. The vines are bred to be extra strong, increasing the host’s natural strength as well as providing protection from damage.

Detached, a living armor symbiont takes on a disturbingly humanoid form, its vines entwined around its roots to form legs, two arms formed from dozens of vines, and a pair of giant leaves forming a snapping maw for the head. It lurches forward with a shambling gait, dozens of vines and roots working together. In combat, the armor symbiont closes in to melee to make use of its liquefy ability.

The cost of a living armor symbiont made it too impractical for common soldiers during the Century War, so it was often used by elite soldiers and high-ranking military officers who were worth the costly investment. This symbiont’s effectiveness makes it a popular item not only with the erahthi military but also by private security forces and militaries on other planets.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Alien Codex © 2018, Legendary Games; Lead Designer: Jason Nelson. Authors: Anthony Adam, Kate Baker, John Bennet, Eytan Bernstein, Robert Brookes, Russ Brown, Duan Byrd, Paris Crenshaw, 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, Jeff Provine, Alistair J. Rigg, Alex Riggs, Wendall Roy, Mike Shel, Neil Spicer, Todd Stewart, Russ Taylor, Rachel Ventura, Mike Welham, George Loki Williams, Scott Young.

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