Dragonweed
“Dungeons and Dragons Monsters - 17″ © Tim Morris, accessed at his deviantArt gallery here
[Commissioned by @glarnboudin. The artist involved designed about eighty creatures, mainly hybrids and fakeosaurs, as potential D&D threats. Check them all out here]
Dragonweed CR 5 N Large Plant This fibrous plant has a ovoid, woody body from which grow six roots, which clamber along the ground like tentacles. Above a crown of leaves is a long stalk, ending in a massive beaked head.
Dragonweeds are a pernicious and dangerous type of carnivorous plants. They are so named for their fear and elemental powers, but some dragons do encourage dragonweeds to grow outside their lairs as a security measure. Dragonweeds can conceal themselves among ordinary plant growth by retracting their stalk-like necks, and they are surprisingly stealthy for their size. A dragonweed radiates fear that overwhelms many creatures and keeps them from fleeing or fighting—this compensates for their slow speed and allows dragonweeds to close the distance to catch and eat all manner of prey.
Dragonweeds of all elemental affinities can crossbreed effortlessly, and new mutations can crop up even in pure bred strains. The only physical difference between dragonweeds of different affinities is the color lining their beak-like mouth. Acid-affiliated dragonweeds have a green mouth lining, blue indicates cold, yellow indicates electricity and a red color marks fiery dragonweeds. Stranger affinities are rumored but unsubstantiated, such as force, sonic or negative energy damage. They are of animal-like intelligence, but are fairly dim and uncurious at that. They ignore plant creatures of all kinds, and some more intelligent plant monsters keep them as pets and companions.
