This is an immense climbing plant with long, grasping green tendrils, large, vibrant leaves, and beautiful yellow and purple orchid-like flowers positioned throughout its mass.
The yellow musk creeper’s flowers emit a heady, entrancing odor. The plant’s musk draws victims to the heart of the creeper, where hungry, naturally sharp vines probe at its head, extracting brain matter in gluttonous gulps. Drained victims become yellow musk zombies, mindless servants who care for the insidious plant.
Despite their bulk, yellow musk creepers react swiftly to potential prey and maneuver their flowers within spraying distance. The plants grow from a single bulbous root that is submerged beneath the creature alongside the buried trappings of previous victims.
Yellow musk creepers usually grow in underground regions that have some amount of loose soil, and they shrink from direct sunlight.
Yellow musk zombies
The zombies created by a yellow musk creeper are much like ordinary fast zombies, but they are plants, not undead. Yellow musk zombies have the augmented subtype for the creature type they had in life.
Combat
A yellow musk creeper has a symbiotic relationship with the yellow musk zombies it creates. The zombies attempt to protect the yellow musk creeper to the best of their ability. The creeper attempts to ensnare any living creature that approaches within range of its musk, and it defends itself with its vines only if it comes under attack.
Yellow musk creeper
Huge plant
Init +3; Senses blindsight 30 ft.; Perception +0
Defense
AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (−2 size, +3 Dex, +6 natural)
hp 97 (6d8+60)
Regeneration 5/fire or acid
Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +2
Offense
Speed 5 ft.
Melee 6 vine whips +5 (1d6)
Ranged musk puff +5 ranged touch (30 ft.)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks consume intelligence
Statistics
Str 10, Dex 16, Con 21, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 9
Base Atk +4; CMB +8; CMD 21
Feats Weapon FinesseB
Morale fearless (n/a)
Ecology
Environment any land or underground
Organization solitary or infestation (1 plus 2d4 zombies)
Special Abilities
Consume Intelligence (Ex)
As a free action, a yellow musk creeper can extend dozens of probing, sharp-edged tendrils into the head of any helpless or unresisting creature that also occupies its space. These tendrils begin to devour the victim’s brain, inflicting 1 step of Intelligence damage each round. If a victim is reduced to the final state (dead) by this damage, he must make a Fortitude save (DC 18). Those who fail die, and their bodies grant sustenance to the hungry plant. Those who succeed are implanted with a seed and become yellow musk zombies.
The only way to stop a yellow musk creeper from consuming a victim’s Intelligence is to kill either the victim or the creeper.
Musk Puff (Ex)
Yellow musk creepers attack by puffing a spray of potent-smelling dust upon a nearby target. The musk has a range of 30 feet and can target one creature per round.
Creatures struck by a yellow musk creeper’s musk puff must make a Fortitude save (DC 18) or fall under a mind-affecting compulsion to get closer to the entrancing source of the musk. The duration of the effect is 2d8 rounds, although creatures within the plant remain under the compulsion until removed from the creeper.
Creatures under the yellow musk creeper’s compulsion can take no actions other than moving to enter the plant’s space. (The creeper does not oppose these attempts, of course.) Affected creatures do anything they can to comply with the compulsion and even attack companions who seek to restrain them. Once within the plant, the affected creature drops anything in hand and stands motionless. The creature is dazed and does not resist the creeper’s attacks as long as it remains within the plant.
Blindsight (Ex)
A yellow musk creeper maneuvers and fights not only by sight, but also by using hearing and smell to ascertain its surroundings. This ability enables it to discern objects and creatures within 30 feet. The yellow musk creeper usually does not need to make Perception checks to notice creatures within range of its blindsight.