Saturday, May 23, 2009

Why, that's a Nutrition Bulb!

The final comments are in from last week's "Weekly What the Heck". The result is the nutrition bulb, a small plant that uproots itself and starts sprinting randomly until it bumps into something.

I'd like to thank Ripper and ChaoticBlackSheep (with special thanks to both for names) for their ideas, all of which have been mashed together to create:
Nutrition Bulb
It is said that these rare bulbs only appear to those who are kind hearted and in dire need ... of nutrition.

Level 3 Minion
Nutrition Bulb
XP 37
Small natural animate (blind, plant)
Initiative +4 Senses see hungersense
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC 17; Fortitude 15, Reflex 16, Will 15
Speed 8
MEnthusiastic Trip (standard; at-will)
+5 vs. Reflex; the target is knocked prone.
Delicious And Nutritious * Healing
Any attacker who reduces a nutrition bulb to 0 hit points with a melee attack may regain 3 hit points. If the attack is a critical hit the attacker may instead regain 5 hit points and make a saving throw.
Hungersense
The nutrition bulb always knows which creature in the area has the fewest hit points remaining (as a percentage of their maximum) and will run toward that creature.
Alignment Unaligned Languages -
Str 12 (+2) Dex 17 (+4) Wis 14 (+3)
Con 14 (+3) Int 1 (-4) Cha 12 (+2)

Nutrition Bulb Tactics
Nutrition bulbs sprint around seemingly randomly, but they are actually always running toward the creature that is most wounded.

Level 4 Minion
Spore Bulb
XP 43
Small natural animate (blind, plant)
Initiative +6 Senses see hungersense
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC 18; Fortitude 16, Reflex 17, Will 16
Speed 8
MEnthusiastic Trip (standard; at-will)
+6 vs. Reflex; the target is knocked prone.
MUgh, That Tastes Terrible! (when reduced to 0 hit points) * Disease
+7 vs. Fortitude; the target takes ongoing 2 damage (save ends) and contracts seed-spore phage (see below).
Hungersense
The spore bulb always knows which creature in the area has the fewest hit points remaining (as a percentage of their maximum) and will run toward that creature.
Alignment Unaligned Languages -
Str 13 (+3) Dex 18 (+6) Wis 15 (+4)
Con 15 (+4) Int 1 (-3) Cha 14 (+3)

Spore Bulb Tactics
Spore bulbs use the same tactics as nutrition bulbs.

Nutrition Bulb Lore
A character knows the following information with a successful Nature check.
DC 10: The nutrition bulb is a mobile plant that can quickly restore vitality if killed and eaten.
DC 22: Those unfamiliar with nature and wilderness lore may have a hard time distinguishing between the nutrition bulb and the deadly spore bulb, a similar looking plant that spawns by releasing seed-spores into the body of any unsuspecting creature that has ingested it.

Endurance stable DC 17, improve DC 22
Level 4 Disease
Seed-Spore Phage

The target
is cured.
<
Initial Effect: Seed-
spores are released
into the target.
< >
The target
regains only half
the normal number
of hit points from
healing effects.
>
The target dies.



It's handy that I picked up the Monster Manual 2 yesterday. The bullywug croaker's nature's release provided inspiration for delicious and nutritious.

I think I'll be avoiding doing any more diseases. The formatting on that was a pain and I'm not terribly happy with how it came out anyway.

1 comment:

benpop said...

I like how that turned out. It would make for a very interesting addition to a campaign, especially if you waited several sessions after introducing the nutrition bulb to introduce the spore bulb.

The idea of little leeks running around underfoot on a battlefield makes me giggle.