This tangle of rotten, seemingly lifeless roots twitches slightly, moving the damp, bloody ground beneath it.
Leechroot CR 4
XP 1,200
NE Large undead
Init -1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft.; Perception +3
Defense
AC 18, touch 8, flat-footed 18 (-1 Dex, +10 natural, -1 size)
hp 32 (5d8+10)
Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +7
Defensive Abilities bloodthirst, channel resistance +2; DR 5/slashing; Immune undead traits
Offense
Speed 5 ft., burrow 5 ft.
Melee 2 roots +7 (1d6+5 plus 2 bleed and grab)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks bleed (2), bloody sap, drag under
Statistics
Str 20, Dex 8, Con —, Int —, Wis 17, Cha 15
Base Atk +3; CMB +9 (+13 grapple); CMD 18 (can't be tripped)
Skills Stealth +11; Racial Modifiers +16 Stealth
SQ earth barrier
Ecology
Environment any forests
Organization solitary, garden (2-5), or hivemind (4-10)
Treasure none
Special Abilities
Bloodthirst (Su) A leechroot can absorb blood directly from its victims' cuts and from the soil on which that blood has dripped. The leechroot gains fast healing equal to the number of creatures with the bleed condition within its reach (if any).
Bloody Sap (Su) The viscous resin that exudes from a leechroot's tentacles is infused with negative energy, preventing both natural and magical healing. The DC of the Heal check to stop the bleeding from a leechroot's attacks increases by 2. While the bleed damage persists, any magical healing requires a successful DC 15 caster level check or the spell or ability has no effect on the bleeding creature.
Drag Under (Ex) As part of an action to maintain a grapple, a leechroot can move the grappled creature up to 5 feet (within the leechroot's reach) and bury it partially into the ground. The buried creature is pinned and can't receive help to break free from the grapple. A buried opponent that escapes the grapple remains pinned unless it digs itself out with a successful DC 10 Strength check attempted as a move action.
Earth Barrier (Ex) A leechroot burrowing 5 feet below the surface is partially visible, can make attacks using its normal reach, and gains concealment and partial cover. It can be uprooted with a successful drag combat maneuver. It may burrow back under the earth as a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity.
Leechroots emerge from the remains of plants poisoned by the blood-drenched soils of war-torn forests. Chaotic intertwinings of rotten roots, these monstrosities quickly spread their curse, soaking other dead plants in their sap to spawn horrid offspring. A leechroot is driven solely by an insatiable thirst for blood. It hides among undergrowth and below the earth while waiting for unwary prey. With its razor-sharp roots, a leechroot slashes at anything that comes its way, snatching victims and feeding directly from their wounds. The absorbed blood mutates into a thick, dark-red sap that runs through the leechroot and oozes from its unhallowed body, helping to heal and sustain the predatory creature.
An adult leechroot averages about 12 feet across (not including its thick, lashing root appendages) and weighs 700 pounds. By consuming enough blood, however, leechroots can grow significantly larger.
Leechroot Hivemind
Sometimes a network of leechroots can reach a state of sentience, creating a creature called a leechroot hivemind. The hivemind has an Intelligence score, which increases depending on the number of plants that compose the leechroot hivemind. This single mind shares a limited sentience, and it holds a bloody grudge against any who dare to slay a member, its cunning giving it the ability to plot against such hated foes.
