Don't Read Past Here if you Haven't Listened to Episode 46
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A HUGE thank you to Friendly Mike for the delicious artwork!
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The Bloom
Armor Class: 15
Hit Dice: 5 hp per tendril (50), 1 hp main body
Move: see below
No. of Attacks: 10
Damage: 1-6 and see below
No. Appearing: 1/unique monster
Save As: Fighter 10
Morale: Morale is equal to the number of remaining tendrils x 2
(Original Artwork by Friendly Mike)
The Bloom is a unique magical creature that exists in – and in some ways is part of – the Crystalwood. It is composed of a delicate body, and 10 vine-like tendrils.
The body is extremely delicate, so vulnerable that is has no Armor Class and can sustain only a single point of damage before being destroyed. It resembles a membranous sac with luminescent flecks floating around in the fluid inside. This sack is buried a foot underground and would be almost impossible to find were it not for the enormous flowers, bone-white stippled with light blue that grow above ground over top it. These flowers are most strange to look upon for in addition to their enormous size – with each flower being 1-3 feet in diameter – each has, in its centre, a rolling eyeball, ranging from acorn to fist-sized.
The Bloom can cast a version of the druidic spell Pass Plant at will. Although the main body cannot move, using this power, it may cause its tendrils to appear anywhere in the Crystalwood at any time.
The Bloom has ten tendrils that come in two types. Eight are thick and thorn covered. They lash, bludgeon and tear at their opponents, each one striking with the force of a mace for 1-6 points of damage.
The other 2 tendrils are covered in white blossoms patterned with light blue, each blossom has an eye, the size of a human eye, at its centre. These tendrils have no physical attack, but they can puff out a small cloud of pollen at a single opponent each round. This pollen will, if the victim fails a saving throw vs poison, cause them to hallucinate (see table below).
Both types of tendrils have a high Armor Class of 15, due to their speed and because they can attack from any direction, then withdraw and reappear from from somewhere else. Tendrils of either variety have 5 hit points.
The Bloom attacks by shooting all of its tendrils at once and all from different locations. For each tendril still intact, the Bloom attacks with a +1 (therefore in the first round of combat it has +10 to hit). For each tendril that is destroyed, this bonus is reduced by 1 point. When it has lost its fifth tendril, the Bloom will begin making morale checks and will continue to do so every time another tendril is destroyed. Moral checks are made by counting the number of remaining tendrils and multiplying that number by 2.
The Bloom can regrow severed tendrils at a rate of one per day.
The Bloom cannot be surprised except by invisible creatures.
Hallucinatory Effects from Spores (roll 1d8)*
1 =Individual in a swamp-strips off armor to keep from sinking.
2 = Spiders attacking-individual strikes/attacks floor area to kill them.
3=lndividual hasshrunk-shoutsfor helptoreturntonormalsize.
4 =Item held is a viper-individual drops it and leaps back to avoid its attack.
5 =Individual is suffocating-runs gasping in random directions to breathe.
6 =Associates are diseased-individual avoids coming within 10 feet of them.
7 = Individual is melting-stands howling and "holding self together."
8 =Leech on back-individual tears off anything worn on back and attacks it.
*Effects last 1-4 rounds. Once a person has suffered a hallucination, they are immune to the effects of the Bloom's pollen for one full day.
