Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition (A5E)
A Leveled Up Bestiary
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 8808410" data-attributes="member: 6915329"><p>Unlike the other plants in this article, the <strong>helborn</strong> is intelligent and mobile, if slow. There’s no illustration, but the description makes it sound a lot like Audrey II from <em>Little Shop of Horrors, </em>a chomper from <em>Plants Vs. Zombies</em>, a piranha plant from the Mario games, or a cowplant (sans udders and cake) from <em>the Sims</em>. Only it has tendrils it can use to club people with. Basically, it’s a monster plant with a giant flower-head that can nom you. Like yesterday’s bloodflower, it’s such a standard type of plant monster I’m surprised it’s not used more often.</p><p></p><p>This is also one of those monsters where the different body parts were given different ACs <em>and </em>it had age categories, in case you wanted even more complexity. I decided against it, though.</p><p></p><p>Also. November is coming up, which is NaNoWriMo time. While I don’t normally participate and have no plans to write a novel, I <em>do </em>want to actually concentrate on my many writing and art projects for a bit, as well as prep for my next adventure (which, I am sad to report, is using o5e, not Level Up). Also, I’m sick with what I <em>hope</em> is just a nagging cold. Therefore, I will be taking the rest this month and all of November off. Tun in December 1st for one of my favorites: the ferrous dragons!</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)"><span style="font-size: 22px">Helborn</span></span></strong></p><p>The Dragon’s Bestiary, Dragon Magazine #167</p><p>Created by Gregg Chamberlain</p><p></p><p>Helborn are tremendous, carnivorous plant monsters. A helborn has a large, colorful “head” made of tough, wood-hard bracts, surrounded by tiny, delicate flowers and large, hairy leaves, supported on a strong, flexible trunk. Coiled around the trunk are a pair of heavy, leafy vines. A helborn’s head, in fact, is nothing more than a tremendous mouth, lined with backwards-facing spines, and their use their vines to capture prey and bring it to their mouths, where it is crushed, swallowed, and quickly digested. While a helborn’s sense of smell is excellent and they can detect movement from afar, they lack hearing or vision.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Intelligent and Telepathic.</em></strong> Helborns are quite smart, and while they are incapable of speaking, they can understand several languages, and can telepathically communicate images and emotions. They are remarkably good at getting their points across even without words. On top of that, they have the ability to influence or even outright control other creature’s minds. Few creatures are able to escape their mental tendrils for long.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Feed Me!</em></strong> Helborn are always hungry, and what they want is bloody red meat, preferably still alive and kicking. While they can and do hunt on their own, they prefer to get others to feed them. Using telepathy, they lure creatures in and persuade them to provide food, promising goods—helborn always have a stash of treasure nearby—if obeyed, or threatening harm if ignored. Although they can’t move fast, their magic ensures that they usually have one or even more minions who are willing to assist the plant in procuring food. Helborn will eat any sort of meat, but they tend to be very vain and want only the best for themselves, such as prize livestock… or a sacrificed villager. They gather the treasure that their meals once wore or carried and use it when they negotiate with others.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Fiendish Offshoots. </em></strong>The name “helborn” is a play on both the harmless flower called the <em>hellebore </em>and on these plant’s hellishly cruel nature. They grow in dark, dank places where fiends have spilled their blood; the evil that runs through a fiend’s veins both nourishes and corrupts the seeds in the soil and gives them their powers.</p><p></p><p>Helborn are self-centered to a fault. They tolerate no carnivorous creatures nearby unless they are completely under the plant’s leafy thumbs—they hate even small predators such as foxes and hawks. The land around a helborn often develops a glut of prey animals, and while the helborn’s predations can keep those numbers down, such animals tend to overrun and overeat their territories. That being said, a helborn’s needs and desires are simple enough that they <em>are </em>willing to work with other powerful creatures who can provide enough high-quality meat for it. Such creatures, however, always need to watch out. Helborn are all but incapable of loyalty and may eventually decide that their ally makes for a better snack.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Legends and Lore</span></strong></p><p>With a Nature check, the characters can learn the following:</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 10.</strong> Helborn are intelligent, carnivorous plants who use teeth-lined petals and vines to hunt. They are capable of slowly moving about. They mostly live in dark, dank places. They keep other meat-eaters out of their territory.</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 15.</strong> Naturally telepathic, helborn are capable of manipulating the minds of other creatures both through natural charisma, threats, bribes, and magic. They often have several people working for them, but not always willingly.</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 20.</strong> Helborn sometimes grow in places where fiends have bled and died.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Helborn Encounters</span></strong></p><p><strong><em>Terrain:</em></strong> forest, ruin, sewer, swamp</p><p></p><p><strong><em>5-10</em></strong> helborn; helborn with druid or ogre; helborn with green dragon wyrmling.</p><p><strong><em>Treasure:</em> </strong>175 gp, 500 sp, silver jewelry box (250 gp), gold locket with an image of a local noble in it (75 gp), 3 topazes (500 gp each), vial of antitoxin, <em>+1 breastplate </em>of elven design, <em>wand of prestidigitation</em></p><p></p><p><strong><em>11-16</em></strong> helborn with 1d4+4 cuthroats or kech, helborn with 1-2 coven green hags.</p><p><strong><em>Treasure: 70 pp, </em></strong>1,300 gp, black pearl nose ring (750 gp), coral and gold pendant necklace (500 gp), <em>pipes of haunting, scrolls of hallucinatory terrain </em>and <em>find the path</em></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Signs</span></strong></p><p>1. A pile of treasure.</p><p>2. An upturned pile of earth. Digging through it reveals broken roots and the bones of both animals and humanoids.</p><p>3. The scent of foul rotten blood.</p><p>4. A pair of charmed humanoids dragging a struggling third humanoid to be devoured.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Behavior</span></strong></p><p>1. Telepathically contacting a victim to ask for food in exchange for treasure.</p><p>2. Slowly moving itself to a new location.</p><p>3. Devouring a humanoid.</p><p>4. Hungry; will attack on sight.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)"><span style="font-size: 26px">Helborn</span></span></strong></p><p><strong>Large plant (fiend)</strong></p><p>Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)</p><p><strong>AC</strong> 17 (natural armor)</p><p><strong>HP</strong> 122 (14d10+28; bloodied 4561</p><p><strong>Speed</strong> 5 ft.</p><p></p><p><strong>STR</strong> 19 (+4) <strong>DEX</strong> 13 (+1) <strong>CON</strong> 14 (+2)</p><p><strong>INT</strong> 8 (-1) <strong>WIS</strong> 12 (+1) <strong>CHA</strong> 15 (+2)</p><p></p><p><strong>Proficiency</strong> +3</p><p><strong>Maneuver DC</strong> 15</p><p><strong>Saving Throws</strong> Wis +4</p><p><strong>Skills</strong> Deception +5, Insight +4, Intimidation +5, Perception +4, Persuasion +5</p><p><strong>Condition Immunities</strong> blinded, deafened, prone, stunned, unconscious</p><p><strong>Senses</strong> tremorsense 120 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 14</p><p><strong>Languages</strong> understands Common, Druidic, and Sylvan but can’t speak</p><p><strong><em>Evil.</em></strong> The helborn radiates an Evil aura.</p><p><strong><em>Innate Spellcasting (3/day).</em></strong> The helborn can cast <em>suggestion. </em>It’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13).</p><p><strong><em>Insidious. </em></strong>The helborn gains a d4 expertise die on Charisma checks against any creature that has been charmed by it, even if the creature is no longer charmed.</p><p><strong><em>Keen Smell.</em></strong> The helborn has advantage on Perception checks that rely on smell.</p><p><strong><em>Limited Telepathy.</em></strong> The helborn can magically communicate simple ideas, emotions, and images telepathically to any creature within 120 feet of it.</p><p><strong><em>Magic Resistance.</em></strong> The helborn has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.</p><p><strong><em>Plant Nature. </em></strong>The helborn doesn’t have to sleep.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Actions</u></strong></p><p><strong><em>Multiattack.</em></strong> The helborn attacks once with its tendril and once with its bite.</p><p><strong><em>Bite. </em></strong><em>Melee Weapon Attack:</em> +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. <em>Hit: </em>13 (2d8+4) piercing damage plus 5 (2d4) acid damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature grappled by the helborn, the target is swallowed. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, has total cover from attacks outside the helborn, and takes 5 (2d4) acid damage at the start of each of the helborn’s turns.</p><p>If the swallowed creature deals 20 or more damage to the helborn in a single turn, or the helborn dies, the helborn vomits up the swallowed creature. The helborn can only have a single creature swallowed at a time.</p><p><strong><em>Tendril. </em></strong><em>Melee Weapon Attack:</em> +7 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. <em>Hit: </em>8 (1d8+4) bludgeoning damage and if the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 15) and pulled up to 10 feet closer to the helborn.</p><p><strong><em>Dominate (3/Day). </em></strong>The helborn targets one humanoid within 30 feet of it, forcing it to make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target is magically charmed for 1 day. The charmed creature obeys the helborn’s telepathic commands, and the helborn can use its actions to use the creature’s senses as its own and to speak through it, as long as the charmed creature and the helborn are on the same plane. The creature may make a new saving throw whenever it takes damage or if it receives a suicidal command or a command that goes directly against its moral code. If the creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, it is immune to any helborn’s Dominate for 24 hours.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Bonus Actions</u></strong></p><p><strong><em>Tendril. </em></strong>The helborn makes a tendril attack.</p><p><strong><em>Read Thoughts.</em></strong> The helborn magically reads the surface thoughts of one creature within 60 feet that it can detect with its tremorsense. Until the end of the helborn’s turn, it gains a d4 expertise die on Deception, Insight, and Persuasion checks against the creature.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Combat</span></strong></p><p>The helborn is smart enough to know that it can’t flee if it loses a battle, so it only tries to attack creatures that are obviously weaker than it. It will gladly sacrifice minions or make deals if it means it will survive.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Faolyn, post: 8808410, member: 6915329"] Unlike the other plants in this article, the [B]helborn[/B] is intelligent and mobile, if slow. There’s no illustration, but the description makes it sound a lot like Audrey II from [I]Little Shop of Horrors, [/I]a chomper from [I]Plants Vs. Zombies[/I], a piranha plant from the Mario games, or a cowplant (sans udders and cake) from [I]the Sims[/I]. Only it has tendrils it can use to club people with. Basically, it’s a monster plant with a giant flower-head that can nom you. Like yesterday’s bloodflower, it’s such a standard type of plant monster I’m surprised it’s not used more often. This is also one of those monsters where the different body parts were given different ACs [I]and [/I]it had age categories, in case you wanted even more complexity. I decided against it, though. Also. November is coming up, which is NaNoWriMo time. While I don’t normally participate and have no plans to write a novel, I [I]do [/I]want to actually concentrate on my many writing and art projects for a bit, as well as prep for my next adventure (which, I am sad to report, is using o5e, not Level Up). Also, I’m sick with what I [I]hope[/I] is just a nagging cold. Therefore, I will be taking the rest this month and all of November off. Tun in December 1st for one of my favorites: the ferrous dragons! [B][COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)][SIZE=6]Helborn[/SIZE][/COLOR][/B] The Dragon’s Bestiary, Dragon Magazine #167 Created by Gregg Chamberlain Helborn are tremendous, carnivorous plant monsters. A helborn has a large, colorful “head” made of tough, wood-hard bracts, surrounded by tiny, delicate flowers and large, hairy leaves, supported on a strong, flexible trunk. Coiled around the trunk are a pair of heavy, leafy vines. A helborn’s head, in fact, is nothing more than a tremendous mouth, lined with backwards-facing spines, and their use their vines to capture prey and bring it to their mouths, where it is crushed, swallowed, and quickly digested. While a helborn’s sense of smell is excellent and they can detect movement from afar, they lack hearing or vision. [B][I]Intelligent and Telepathic.[/I][/B] Helborns are quite smart, and while they are incapable of speaking, they can understand several languages, and can telepathically communicate images and emotions. They are remarkably good at getting their points across even without words. On top of that, they have the ability to influence or even outright control other creature’s minds. Few creatures are able to escape their mental tendrils for long. [B][I]Feed Me![/I][/B] Helborn are always hungry, and what they want is bloody red meat, preferably still alive and kicking. While they can and do hunt on their own, they prefer to get others to feed them. Using telepathy, they lure creatures in and persuade them to provide food, promising goods—helborn always have a stash of treasure nearby—if obeyed, or threatening harm if ignored. Although they can’t move fast, their magic ensures that they usually have one or even more minions who are willing to assist the plant in procuring food. Helborn will eat any sort of meat, but they tend to be very vain and want only the best for themselves, such as prize livestock… or a sacrificed villager. They gather the treasure that their meals once wore or carried and use it when they negotiate with others. [B][I]Fiendish Offshoots. [/I][/B]The name “helborn” is a play on both the harmless flower called the [I]hellebore [/I]and on these plant’s hellishly cruel nature. They grow in dark, dank places where fiends have spilled their blood; the evil that runs through a fiend’s veins both nourishes and corrupts the seeds in the soil and gives them their powers. Helborn are self-centered to a fault. They tolerate no carnivorous creatures nearby unless they are completely under the plant’s leafy thumbs—they hate even small predators such as foxes and hawks. The land around a helborn often develops a glut of prey animals, and while the helborn’s predations can keep those numbers down, such animals tend to overrun and overeat their territories. That being said, a helborn’s needs and desires are simple enough that they [I]are [/I]willing to work with other powerful creatures who can provide enough high-quality meat for it. Such creatures, however, always need to watch out. Helborn are all but incapable of loyalty and may eventually decide that their ally makes for a better snack. [B][SIZE=5]Legends and Lore[/SIZE][/B] With a Nature check, the characters can learn the following: [B]DC 10.[/B] Helborn are intelligent, carnivorous plants who use teeth-lined petals and vines to hunt. They are capable of slowly moving about. They mostly live in dark, dank places. They keep other meat-eaters out of their territory. [B]DC 15.[/B] Naturally telepathic, helborn are capable of manipulating the minds of other creatures both through natural charisma, threats, bribes, and magic. They often have several people working for them, but not always willingly. [B]DC 20.[/B] Helborn sometimes grow in places where fiends have bled and died. [B][SIZE=5]Helborn Encounters[/SIZE] [I]Terrain:[/I][/B] forest, ruin, sewer, swamp [B][I]5-10[/I][/B] helborn; helborn with druid or ogre; helborn with green dragon wyrmling. [B][I]Treasure:[/I] [/B]175 gp, 500 sp, silver jewelry box (250 gp), gold locket with an image of a local noble in it (75 gp), 3 topazes (500 gp each), vial of antitoxin, [I]+1 breastplate [/I]of elven design, [I]wand of prestidigitation[/I] [B][I]11-16[/I][/B] helborn with 1d4+4 cuthroats or kech, helborn with 1-2 coven green hags. [B][I]Treasure: 70 pp, [/I][/B]1,300 gp, black pearl nose ring (750 gp), coral and gold pendant necklace (500 gp), [I]pipes of haunting, scrolls of hallucinatory terrain [/I]and [I]find the path[/I] [B][SIZE=5]Signs[/SIZE][/B] 1. A pile of treasure. 2. An upturned pile of earth. Digging through it reveals broken roots and the bones of both animals and humanoids. 3. The scent of foul rotten blood. 4. A pair of charmed humanoids dragging a struggling third humanoid to be devoured. [B][SIZE=5]Behavior[/SIZE][/B] 1. Telepathically contacting a victim to ask for food in exchange for treasure. 2. Slowly moving itself to a new location. 3. Devouring a humanoid. 4. Hungry; will attack on sight. [B][COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)][SIZE=7]Helborn[/SIZE][/COLOR] Large plant (fiend)[/B] Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) [B]AC[/B] 17 (natural armor) [B]HP[/B] 122 (14d10+28; bloodied 4561 [B]Speed[/B] 5 ft. [B]STR[/B] 19 (+4) [B]DEX[/B] 13 (+1) [B]CON[/B] 14 (+2) [B]INT[/B] 8 (-1) [B]WIS[/B] 12 (+1) [B]CHA[/B] 15 (+2) [B]Proficiency[/B] +3 [B]Maneuver DC[/B] 15 [B]Saving Throws[/B] Wis +4 [B]Skills[/B] Deception +5, Insight +4, Intimidation +5, Perception +4, Persuasion +5 [B]Condition Immunities[/B] blinded, deafened, prone, stunned, unconscious [B]Senses[/B] tremorsense 120 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 14 [B]Languages[/B] understands Common, Druidic, and Sylvan but can’t speak [B][I]Evil.[/I][/B] The helborn radiates an Evil aura. [B][I]Innate Spellcasting (3/day).[/I][/B] The helborn can cast [I]suggestion. [/I]It’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13). [B][I]Insidious. [/I][/B]The helborn gains a d4 expertise die on Charisma checks against any creature that has been charmed by it, even if the creature is no longer charmed. [B][I]Keen Smell.[/I][/B] The helborn has advantage on Perception checks that rely on smell. [B][I]Limited Telepathy.[/I][/B] The helborn can magically communicate simple ideas, emotions, and images telepathically to any creature within 120 feet of it. [B][I]Magic Resistance.[/I][/B] The helborn has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. [B][I]Plant Nature. [/I][/B]The helborn doesn’t have to sleep. [B][U]Actions[/U] [I]Multiattack.[/I][/B] The helborn attacks once with its tendril and once with its bite. [B][I]Bite. [/I][/B][I]Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. [I]Hit: [/I]13 (2d8+4) piercing damage plus 5 (2d4) acid damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature grappled by the helborn, the target is swallowed. A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, has total cover from attacks outside the helborn, and takes 5 (2d4) acid damage at the start of each of the helborn’s turns. If the swallowed creature deals 20 or more damage to the helborn in a single turn, or the helborn dies, the helborn vomits up the swallowed creature. The helborn can only have a single creature swallowed at a time. [B][I]Tendril. [/I][/B][I]Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +7 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. [I]Hit: [/I]8 (1d8+4) bludgeoning damage and if the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 15) and pulled up to 10 feet closer to the helborn. [B][I]Dominate (3/Day). [/I][/B]The helborn targets one humanoid within 30 feet of it, forcing it to make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target is magically charmed for 1 day. The charmed creature obeys the helborn’s telepathic commands, and the helborn can use its actions to use the creature’s senses as its own and to speak through it, as long as the charmed creature and the helborn are on the same plane. The creature may make a new saving throw whenever it takes damage or if it receives a suicidal command or a command that goes directly against its moral code. If the creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, it is immune to any helborn’s Dominate for 24 hours. [B][U]Bonus Actions[/U] [I]Tendril. [/I][/B]The helborn makes a tendril attack. [B][I]Read Thoughts.[/I][/B] The helborn magically reads the surface thoughts of one creature within 60 feet that it can detect with its tremorsense. Until the end of the helborn’s turn, it gains a d4 expertise die on Deception, Insight, and Persuasion checks against the creature. [B][SIZE=5]Combat[/SIZE][/B] The helborn is smart enough to know that it can’t flee if it loses a battle, so it only tries to attack creatures that are obviously weaker than it. It will gladly sacrifice minions or make deals if it means it will survive. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition (A5E)
A Leveled Up Bestiary
Top