Razor Grass

Razor Grass (CR 9)

Neutral - Fine - Plant (Swarm)

Lore:	Know (Nature)
16		35
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

14

Perception:
24	+14
Passive	Active

Ambush:

6+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses

Movement Types:

Defense

AC

27

Man Def

26

Monster Health
178	89	14
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+11
Refl:	+6
Will:	+6

Strong Against:

• (Mindless) Immune (no effect): all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, fear, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)
• (Plant 1) Immune (no effect): poisons (tainted, poisoned, blighted), magical sleep (drowsy, sluggish, asleep), paralyzed, stunned, polymorph
• (Plant 2) Immune (no effect): Forced movement (including Drag, Reposition), Prone (quelled, prone, splayed)
• (Swarm 1) Hardened (½ damage): slashing (physical, common), piercing (physical, common)
• (Swarm 2) Immune (no effect): Critical Hits and Flanking
• (Swarm 3) Immune (no effect): any attack that targets Maneuver Defense
• (Swarm 4) Immune (no effect): any spell that targets a specific number of creatures, except mind-affecting spells (if this creature has an Int score).

Weak Against:

• (Swarm 1) Vulnerable (1.5x damage): area of effect spells (including Channel Divinity)
• :* Due to Fine size, susceptible to high winds, such as those created by a gust of wind spell. Takes 1d3 squares of forced movement from such effects, as adjudicated by the DM.

Offense

Size:	Fine
0.5 ft.		0 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+15

Man Off

+18

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Razor-Grass Slices (swarm -- auto-hit) (0/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)

Full Attack (Melee):

• 1x Razor-Grass Slices (swarm -- auto-hit) (2d8+8/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

8

STR

18

DEX

18

CON

—

INT

12

WIS

12

CHA

Skills:

• Perception: 14
• Stealth: 14 (+4 if in any grassy area, plus gets concealment in any natural setting with vegetation.)
• All other skills: 9 (no ranks)

Languages: -

Feats:

• Trip, Improved (EFFECT: Trip, Improved (Feat))

Special Abilities

Distraction (Ex)

Any living creature that takes damage from a creature with the distraction ability must make a Fortitude save, DC 19, or become Afflicted. If the creature makes the save, they are instead Sickened. If they take damage on any following round while still Sickened or Afflicted, they must make another DC 19 fortitude save, or move up one on the Status Array. While sharing a space with the swarm, you cannot get rid of the Sickened condition. At the end of any round in which you are outside of the swarm, you may make another DC 19 Fortitude save to attempt to move down a step on the status array. (While outside of the swarm's space, you cannot go up on the status array if you fail the save, you simply remain at the status you currently have.) Nauseated ==> Afflicted ==> Sickened In addition, spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Caster Check against the creature's Maneuver Defense of 26. Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 26 Will save, or the spell fails and the action to cast it is wasted.

Underfoot (Ex)

As a swift action, Razor Grass can make a Trip combat maneuver (roll 1d20 + 14) versus the Maneuver Defense of any one creature that is in the same square as the Razor Grass. Due to the Improved Trip feat, Razor Grass is not susceptible to being counter-tripped by the target creature, nor does the trip attempt provoke attacks of opportunity.

One With The Earth (Ex)

If you are tripped or otherwise suffer the Prone condition while fighting razor grass, when you fall it can now whip and saw away with its razor-sharp leaves at your entire body area, rather than just your feet and legs. If razor grass is in the same square as a Prone victim, it inflicts its swarm damage twice.

In the Bosom of the Mother (Ex)

In any area where there is adjacent vegetation (such as forest, meadow, prairie, lawn, etc), razor grass is able to initiate stealth, as though it has total concealment. Note that the razor grass does not actually have total concealment, unless it is currently stealthed, and the attacker has failed its perception check to see it. Being in an area of vegetation, by itself, does not grant the razor grass any miss chance.

Razor Grass

One of the worst vegetable menaces in the wide world is no less awful because it is also one of the smallest.

Razor Grass is exactly what it sounds like, common grass. Except that razor grass is magical, and dislikes being eaten or walked on, intensely, and is sharp enough and animated enough to make sure that if you try to eat it, it eats you back.

The worst thing about razor grass is the fact that is nearly impossible to spot from a distance. Farmers have lost entire herds of cattle, their legs cut from beneath them and their bodies sliced into ground beef, without ever seeing a thing. And this in a nice field, with the grass no more than a foot high! Razor grass is incredibly fast moving for a plant, and in the right environment, telling the deadly grass from the harmless grass is nearly impossible.

If razor grass is found near a settlement, drastic measures are taken, including burning all the grazing meadows. Nobody wants to get a grass infection going.

Combat Tactics

Razor Grass is deceptively simple stuff. It is completely mindless, but considers anything that walks to be a mortal enemy...and source of food. It detects you by your footsteps and comes to kill you on pure instinct. The patches of grass will mob the closest enemies and make Trip rolls. Once prone, the damage comes in fast and furious. Razor Grass is deadly hard to see and deadly hard to hurt.

Approach with caution....

Out of Combat

Few monsters cultivate razorgrass, its just a little too deadly and unpredictable for even the most debased sorts of monsters. Yet, surprisingly, it is the civilized races that get the most use out of the vicious little weeds. It is not unheard of for nature-aspected temples, city facilities, and the holds of the rich to utilize razorgrass as part of their defenses.

It takes an especially cold and debased mind to consider a razorglass lawn instead of some geese, but it certainly will make anyone pause when they find a 'Keep Off The Grass' sign. Such razorgrass-infested lawns are as dangerous as any moat filled with crocodiles, if not worse, but are far more aesthetic. When grown in such lawns and left alone, razorgrass tends to be remarkably docile stuff, and can usually be kept confined with some brick edging or low, decorative walls. If watered regularly and fed a few sheep or pigs once per season, a razorgrass lawn can be nearly maintenance-free while still staying lush and green.

Rewards

XP: 6,400

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 5,125 gp.

Weight: 90 lbs.     Volume: 3.6 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)