Spes Magna Games

Creepy Mutant Plants

Well, I’ve spent the first few days of Spring Break on a combination of being lazy and resting from being sick while not being able to take any time off from work. I’m finally starting to feel better, so it’s time to start doing things I’ve been putting off. First up, this post featuring two new mutant plants for Mutant Future.

Bloodcap

Bloodcap, a mutant fungus, resembles a pale blob that produces thick, crimson jelly from cavities in its irregularly shaped cap. A single bloodcap grows to about two yards across almost always on the ground near some larger plant. While the bloodcap itself is immobile, its jelly oozes slowly. A bloodcap feeds on the carbon found in adipose tissue, the connective tissue in which fat is stored in animals. A bloodcap’s body acts much like an auditory organ. By rapidly expanding and contracting its blobs of jelly, a bloodcap produces sucking noises which it uses as a form of echolocation.

When a bloodcap detects a potential source of food, it spews a glob of acidic jelly out to a range of 45 feet as a ranged attack with a +2 bonus to hit. If the jelly misses or falls short, it oozes toward the nearest. A blob of jelly inflicts 3d6 points of damage from its highly caustic acid that rapidly breaks down the bonds of molecules containing carbon, attacks as a 4-HD monster, and has a 9 AC and 4 hit points. A successful bare-hand or similar attack against a blob of jelly exposes the attacker to the blob’s acid. The blob absorbs adipose tissue from its victim and then oozes back to the bloodcap to deliver the nutrients.

No. Enc.: 1d8
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: None, or 30′ (10′) for jelly
Armor Class: 9
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 1
Damage: 3d6 (acidic jelly)
Save: L2
Morale: None
Hoard Class: None
XP: 245

Mutations: Dermal Acid Sap; Full Senses (Echolocation, Hearing); Unique (Acidic Jelly)

Flying Drosera

The flying drosera is an intelligent, carnivorous plant. It resembles a fleshy vine covered with stems that excrete a viscous, clear fluid from their tips. This fluid is a paralytic poison used by the flying drosera to disable its prey. The monster follows up a successful poison sap attack by constricting its prey like a python (regardless of whether the prey is paralyzed by the initial attack). Most of the time, this monster moves by slithering, but via mental power it can fly at a speed equal to its Will times 10 feet per round.

Flying droseras live in small packs, usually high up in the boughs of the larger trees in their forested hunting grounds. These monsters communicate with each other via clicking and body posture. While they have no need for treasure, they understand the bargaining power of coins and technological artifacts. Communication with flying droseras is difficult, but it is not unknown for these monsters to offer treasure to appease powerful, intelligent creatures.

No. Enc.: 1d4 (2d4)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120′ (40′), or fly (3d6 x 10′)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 6
Attacks: 2 (poison sap, constrict)
Damage: Class 11 poison/2d8
Save: L6
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: VI
XP: 1,320