Razor Grass

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Razor Grass (CR 9)

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 haarmless 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.

GENERAL

CR 9 Hit Dice 14

XP 6,400

N, Fine Plant Universal_Monster_Rules#Swarms Swarm

Init +4; Senses tremorsense 60, Perception +14

DEFENSE

AC 28, touch 18, flat-footed 22 (+5 armor, +6 dex, +5 natural, +2 deflection)

hp 160

Fort +12, Ref +8, Will +8

Aura: -

SR: -

Special Defenses: -

Immunities:

• not subject to critical hits or flanking.
• not subject to precision damage (except half damage from Rogues Sneak Attack)
• half damage from slashing and piercing weapons
• immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate)
• all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)
• poison
• sleep
• polymorph, paralysis, stunning

Weaknesses:

• takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation spells.
• susceptible to high winds, such as those created by a gust of wind spell.

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.

Space / Reach: 5 ft. / 0 ft. Must move into a victim's hex to attack, damage is automatic.

Single Melee Swarm-Auto (2d8+1/x2)

Full Melee Swarm-Auto (2d8+1/x2)

Ranged -

Special Attacks Distraction, Underfoot, One With The Earth

Action Points 0

STATISTICS

Str 10, Dex 18, Con 18, Int -, Wis 12, Cha 12

Base Atk +9; CMB +15 (+19 with Trip only); CMD 25

Feats Improved Trip

Skills Stealth +15 (+25 if in a grassy area)

Languages -

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 level check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Will save.

One with the Earth (Ex)

If razorgrass is in the same square as a Prone victim, it rolls its swarm damage twice.

Underfoot (Ex)

When razor grass moves under a victim's feet, as they do damage, the deadly grass grows around the victims feet, toes, and ankles with supernatural speed, and worse, both attacks and wrenches at their balance. This is resolved as a Trip attack, with no chance to counter-trip due to the Improved Trip Feat. If you fail against this Trip attack you are now prone, lying atop the razor grass, which allows it to attack you more effectively.

TREASURE

sell value of approximately 4,000 gp

COMBAT TACTICS

Razor Grass is deceptively simple stuff. 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....