Rock Cactus
Rock Cactus CR 1
XP 135
N Tiny plant
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +0
Defense
AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+2 size, +1 Dex)
hp 9 (2d8)
Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +0
Immune plant traits
Offense
Speed 0 ft.
Melee 3 spines +4 melee (1d3-1 plus moisture drain, Grab)
Space 2-1/2 ft., Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks moisture drain, (Bloodsucking only; blood drain, spine burrow)
Feats Improved Natural Attack (spine), Weapon Finesse
Statistics
Str 8, Dex 12, Con 14, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 4
Base Atk +1; CMB –4; CMD 6 (can’t be tripped)
Ecology
Environment warm deserts or plains
Organization Solitary or cluster (1-10)
Treasure none
Special Abilities
Hurtling Charge (Ex) A ravenous tumbleweed that travels at least 20 feet as part of a charge action does not provoke an attack of opportunity when it enters an opponent’s space to make a melee attack.
Wind-Borne (Ex) While in an area of moderate wind (11–20 mph), a ravenous tumbleweed’s speed increases by 10 feet when it moves in the direction of the wind. In an area of at least strong wind (21+ mph), its speed instead increases by 20 feet when it moves in the direction of the wind, and it gains a +2 dodge bonus to its AC against attacks of opportunity on any round in which it moves in that direction.
Description
A small cluster of spherical rocklike plants that are found wherever water is rare, these cacti are a sandy brown in color and no more than a foot across. The most common form of rock cactus is a plant that survives by attaching itself to other living creatures and draining the moisture from them through its spines. It lives in clusters near game or caravan trails and attacks when prey draws near. The rock cactus exudes pheromones that, while undetectable to most humans and humanoids, are compellingly attractive to many rodents and mammals.
The rock cactus is edible if peeled, having a taste and texture similar to apples, and a single plant will yield up to a pound of flesh and 4 pints of fluid. The plants can be safely harvested by tricking them into attacking a dummy target and then snapping their spines before they have a chance to retract them. Live rock cacti will fetch as much as 5 Cp in most markets, but the flesh of a single cactus is only worth a ceramic or two. Generally a foot across and weighing three pounds, a rock cactus will double in size and weight as it feeds. As it swells with moisture, the cactus will darken in color, eventually becoming black.
During Sun Ascending and the first months of High Sun rock cacti are in flower and produce a bright yellow bloom that lasts for only a few hours.
Combat A rock cactus detects the approach of prey with its plant senses and waits until a target draws to within 2 feet of the cactus. It then rapidly extends its powerfully muscled spines, stabbing with these at its prey. Improved Grab (Ex): If the rock cactus successfully hits a target with one of its spines it may initiate a grapple attempt as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
A rock cactus may grapple a target of any size. If the grapple is successful and the target is larger than the cactus, the cactus may retract its spine in order to drag itself next to the target. *Rock cacti receive a +8 racial bonus on grapple checks.
Moisture Drain (Ex): A rock cactus drains moisture from a grappled opponent, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage each round it maintains the hold. The rock cactus continues to drain until its target breaks loose or until it has drained 12 points of Constitution, at which point it is sated and releases its hold voluntarily.
Rock Cactus, Bloodsucking
Approximately one rock cactus in every 500 is a bloodsucking mutation that feeds not on moisture but on the very lifeblood of its prey. Indistinguishable from the standard rock cactus, they are somewhat tougher and more precise in their attacks, seeming to home in upon blood vessels and major organs.
Combat A bloodsucking rock cactus attacks in an identical fashion to its more common cousin. Once the bloodsucking rock cactus feeds, it begins to stand out from its fellows. The most feared characteristic of the bloodsucking rock cactus, however, is the tendency of its spines to break off in the wound, from where they subsequently work their way inwards, usually causing the death of the opponent.
Blood Drain (Ex): A bloodsucking rock cactus drains blood from a grappled opponent, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage each round it maintains the hold. On each such successful attack, the bloodsucking rock cactus expands, gaining 5 temporary hit points. A hunting cactus will continue to drain prey until it has drained 20 points of Constitution, at which point it seeks to withdraw from combat.
Spine Burrow (Ex): If a bloodsucking rock cactus is forcibly removed from a grapple, the barbed tip of its embedded spine may snap off inside the opponent‘s body. The opponent must make a Reflex save (DC 10), or the spine snaps and the barbed tip remains inside the target. The save DC is Strength-based. A broken tip begins to work its way inward, eventually coming to rest in the heart. The creature suffers 1d4 points of Constitution damage per hour until the barb is removed or the creature dies. A remove disease or heal spell removes a barb from the creature and prevents further damage.