I hope you enjoy the bramblekin (at least before it dies at the hands/swords/spells of your PCs), and I'll see you next week with another monster!
This stout, green bipedal
creature has a friendly countenance, doglike ears, and expressive black eyes. Its
most notable feature is the brambly bush sprouting from its back.
Bramblekin CR 2
XP 600
CN Small fey
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +8
DEFENSE
AC 15, touch 13,
flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)
hp 18 (4d6+4)
Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +5
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft.,
climb 10 ft.
Melee slam +5
(1d4–2
plus burrs), bramble whip +5 (1d4–2 plus bleed and trip)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with bramble whip)
Special Attacks
bleed (1)
Spell-Like Abilities
(CL 4th; concentration +5)
3/day—daze (DC 11), ventriloquism (DC 12)
1/day—entangle (DC 12)
1/week—plant growth
STATISTICS
Str 6, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 13
Base Atk +2; CMB –1; CMD 11
Feats Skill Focus
(Bluff), Weapon Finesse
Skills Bluff +11,
Climb +6, Disguise +8, Knowledge (nature) +6, Perception +8, Stealth +13
Languages Common,
Sylvan; plantspeech
SQ rustling
distraction
ECOLOGY
Environment temperate
forests
Organization
solitary or patch (2–12)
Treasure
incidental
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Burrs (Ex) A
bramblekin leaves burrs behind when it successfully strikes a foe with its slam
attack. The target must succeed at a DC 13 Fortitude save or become sickened
until the burrs are removed; the target takes a –1 penalty for each previous
time the bramblekin used this ability. If the bramblekin attacked a creature
larger than itself and exceeded the creature’s Armor Class by 2, the creature
is treated as though it stepped on a caltrop, reducing its speed by half until
the burrs are removed. Removing the burrs requires a success on a DC 13 Heal
check, requiring a full-round action; failing the Heal check by less than 5 still
removes the burrs but deals 1d2 points of damage. The save and check DCs are
Constitution-based.
Rustling Distraction
(Su) A bramblekin can use its ventriloquism
spell-like ability to create the sound of rustling bushes. As part of using ventriloquism, it can attempt a Bluff
check to create a momentary distraction. The check is opposed by a Sense Motive
or Knowledge (nature) check to determine whether the sound is real. Creatures
that fail their checks are unable to make attacks of opportunity against the
bramblekin until the end of its turn.
Bramblekin serve as gardeners and horticulturists for the fey
courts in the primal lands they inhabit. Despite their thorny appearance, they
are gifted with green thumbs and take personal pride in the plots they tend,
growing despondent when their plants wither and die, as is the natural course. If
these bramblekin become overwrought with grief, their employers deploy them to
the Prime Material Plane to accompany and protect dryads. They are also meant
to gain perspective on the beauty they have available to them as contrasted by
the state of plant life in the mundane world. Some bramblekin quickly learn the
lesson and return home grateful to be away from the pale and lifeless
imitations. However, many become fervent protectors of their new homes and
attempt to recreate the glories of the plots from their previous homelands.
In combat, most bramblekin lose any semblance of bravado and
attempt to restrain and harry their opponents. When they become severely
injured, they attempt to mimic nearby rustling brush to capture their opponents’
attention and slip away while they are preoccupied. More serious bramblekin
take levels in druid or ranger to make themselves formidable.
Bramblekin stand just over three feet tall, plus another
half a foot to account for the bushes housed on their bodies, and they weigh 70
pounds. They have natural lifespans reaching 60 years. At the end of their
time, they detach the bushes growing from their bodies, plant them, and expire,
their rotting bodies providing nourishment for the plants. Three months later,
several bramblekin emerge fully formed from the ground.
