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The Black Brambles, Paragon Advanced Blightspawned Awakened Assassin Vine
Colossal Plant
Hit Dice: 48d8+912 plus 576 (1872 hp)
Initiative: +12
Speed: 15 ft.
AC: 52 (-8 size, +8 Dex, +18 natural, +12 insight, +12 luck), touch 34, flatfooted 44
Base Attack/Grapple: +36/+104
Attack: slam +89 melee (4d6+60/19 plus 1d6 on critical)
Full Attack: slam +89 melee (4d6+60/19 plus 1d6 on critical) or crush +88 melee (4d8+60)
Space/Reach: 30 ft./30 ft.
Special Attacks: Blight touch, constrict 4d6+60, create spawn, entangle, improved grab
Special Qualities: Blindsight 30 ft., camoflage, damage reduction 10/epic, fast healing 20, immunity to electricity, low-light vision, plant traits, resistance to cold 10 and fire 10, spell resistance 60
Saves: Fort +55, Ref +34, Will +35
Abilities: Str 64, Dex 27, Con 49, Int 26, Wis 27, Cha 23.
Skills: Bluff +42, Climb +60, Diplomacy +37, Disguise +41, Gather Information +29, Intimidate +46, Jump +56, Knowledge (history) +31, Knowledge (nature) +47, Knowledge (local) +31, Sense Motive +44, Survival +43 (+47 in aboveground natural environments)
Feats: Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Crush, Devestating Critical (slam), Dodge, Fling Enemy, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Initiative, Improved Multigrab, Improved Natural Attack (slam), Mobility, Multigrab, Overwhelming Critical (slam), Power Attack, Spring Attack, Weapon Focus (slam), Whirlwind Attack
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 35
Effective Character Level: 51
Alignment: Neutral Evil

Some woods are light, airy and welcoming, while others are dark and menacing. At the heart of the darkest, most menacing forest lives the Black Brambles, a vast tangle of blighted malevolence that even the mightiest druids fear. Legends say that the Black Brambles has lurked there since the dawn of time, nursing its hatred and incubating corruption. The Black Brambles desires nothing more than to spread its dark realm across the land, eliminating everything except plant life.

The merest touch from the Black Brambles can infect a creature with a blighting illness that wracks its victim, eating away at its body and soul. Plants and animals infected with the disease often become carriers of the blight under the Black Brambles' influence. In addition it is a formidable opponent in melee, its powerful slam and grapple can kill many creatures outright, and it can crush and throw smaller opponents with impunity.

Although blind, the Black Brambles has a network of minions and spies throughout its home forest and beyond. Most of these have no idea what they work for, but the Black Brambles is usually well aware of any threat long before it strikes.

The Black Brambles speaks common, druidic, elvish and sylvan.


Combat

The Black Brambles hides in wait, letting its blightspawned minions deal with intruders. If any approach close enough, the Black Brambles casts haste on itself and lashes out with a whirlwind attack, then choosing one target to grapple and constrict with its remaining attack. It will release animals and plants that if feels might make good blightspawn, particularly if it knows that they are not a serious threat to it.

Blight Touch (Su): Supernatural disease--slam attack, Fortitude save (DC 68), incubation period 1d6 days; damage 1d4 temporary Constitution and 1d4 temporary Charisma. Unlike ordinary diseases, the effects of blight touch continue until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies), Charisma 0 (becoming a blightspawned creature, if the victim qualifies), or recieves a cure disease spell or similar magic.

Constrict (Ex): The Black Brambles deals 4d6+60 points of damage with a successful grapple check.

Create Spawn (Su): An animal or plant affected by the blight touch becomes a blightspawned itself if its Charisma reaches 0 before its Constitution reaches 0. When a creature infected by blight touch becomes a blightspawned, it recovers all ability score points lost to the progress of the disease.

Crush (Ex): The Black Brambles deals 4d8+60 points of damage with a successful crush attack against all creatures of size Large or smaller that are in its space. Each affected creature must make a Reflex save (DC 55) to avoid being pinned and automatically take crush damage each round.

Devestating Critical (Ex): On a critical hit with a slam attack an opponent must make a Fort save (DC 61) or die instantly. Creatures immune to critical attacks are immune to this effect.

Entangle (Su): The Black Brambles can animate plants within 30 feet of itself as a free action (Ref DC 55 partial). The effect lasts until the Black Brambles dies or decides to end it (also a free action). The ability is otherwise similar to entangle (caster level 4th).

Fling Enemy (Ex): The Black Brambles make a grapple check with a -20 penalty on an opponent up to Huge size. If it succeeds it may throw its opponent on its next action with a range increment od 120 feet. A creature flung vertically takes normal falling damage. A creature thrown horizontally takes half falling damage for the distance thrown. A creature can be thrown at another opponent with a +65 ranged attack. If the Black Brambles hits, both creatures take the same damage as the thrown creature.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the Black Brambles must hit with its slam attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict. The Improved Multigrab feat means that the Black Brambles can grapple an opponent without being denied its Dexterity bonus to armour class at no penalty to the grapple check.

Blightmind (Su): At will as a standard action, the Black Brambles may establish a mental link with and dominate (as dominate monster) a single blightspawned creature within 60 feet. The mental link lasts for up to one day, and has a range of up to 10 miles. While the link is in effect, the Black Brambles may concentrate to recieve sensory input from the linked creature or issue it instructions. The creature obeys any orders to the best of its ability and need not be continuously directed in its actions. The blightspawned creature recieves a Will saving throw (DC 55) to negate the effect.

Blindsight (Ex): The Black Brambles has no visual organs but can ascertain all foes within 30 feet using sound, scent, and vibration.

Camouflage (Ex): Since the Black Brambles looks like a normal plant when at rest, it takes a DC 74 Spot check to notice it before it attacks. Anyone with ranks in Survival or Knowledge (nature) can use one of those skills instead of Spot to notice the plant.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): The Black Brambles has the ability to use greater dispel magic, haste, and see invisibility three times per day, at 15th caster level.


Notes: the blightspawned template can be found in The Unapproachable East. I'm not assuming the Forgotten Realms connection to Talona: the Black Brambles is its own source of blight, and so I gave it an improved version of the blightmind ability from the Talontar Blightlord class. The CR is reasonable by WotC standards, but that tends to break down at very high levels. It is reccomended that you use the ECL instead of CR for determining whether or not to use the thing (see discussion page for details).

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