Death at the hands of a plant! You thought “Oh, this is is a nice place with shade. It’s not too hot. I can take a rest.” And BAM! Here comes some Jurassic flora to ruin your quest. Not just any any old wimpy flowers though. We’re talking Roundup defying, super hit dice, multi-tendril, acid-producing weeds that want nothing more than your very soul. Or something like that. I once had a run in with these. Cost us part of a wine shipment we were transporting.
Anyway, these guys made their module debut in David Cook‘s Slave Pits of the Undercity A1 (9039) in 1980! That’s when I was getting serious about D&D. This was the first part is a four part module set.
| FREQUENCY: Uncommon NO. APPEARING: 1-4 ARMOR CLASS: 7 MOVE: 1” HIT DICE: 8 TREASURE TYPE: Nil NO. OF ATTACKS: Special SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard INTELLIGENCE: Semi- ALIGNMENT: Neutral SIZE: M PSlONlC ABILITY: Nil Attack / Defense Modes: Nil LEVEL / X.P. VALUE: Vll / 1,075 + 1O hp |  |
Unlike its smaller cousin, this plant is almost sentient, being slightly aware of its surroundings. Preferring shaded, cool places to grow, the giant sundew grows only hair-like roots to lightly anchor it in place. Furthermore, it may at will withdraw these roots and pull itself along the ground with its sticky tendrils. It primarily derives its sustenance from the prey it catches.
The giant sundew is able to detect moving creatures by vibrations and when anything moves within 5’ of it, it will lash out with its tendrils. Its lump-like body is covered with hundreds of these, so up to six may attack each creature in range each round. These tendrils end in sticky globs of sap. For every three tendrils that strike a victim, that creature will suffer a -1 on the victim’s subsequent “to hit” rolls. This effect is cumulative, so that if 6 tendrils hit, the victim will be -2 on its “to hit” roll. If a 20 is rolled “to hit” by the sundew, that tendril will have struck the character across the mouth and nose, clogging these with its sap. The character will suffocate in 2-4 rounds unless the sap is removed. In addition to these attacks, the sap is composed of a mild enzyme acid that will cause 1 point of damage per tendril each round until the
tendril is broken. These tendrils may be broken at the same chance as that for opening doors for each character and each tendril should be checked for individually. The sap will dissolve and become harmless if soaked with vinegar or alcohol (such as wine), and this is the only nonmagical way to prevent suffocation. Due to the plant’s sticky exterior, missile and fire-based attacks will only do VZ damage.
Description: Giant sundews appear as 3 to 4’ large mounds of gray-green tarry ropes or rags. Areas where they are found are often heavily fly-infested. If found in a closed area, the air will often have a thick odor like sweet syrup.
Theras Freman was born in the early 1970s and grew up in a small town in rural America. From a young age, he developed a fascination with fantasy and science fiction literature, devouring everything from J.R.R. Tolkien to Isaac Asimov.
In the decades that followed, Theras continued to be a prominent figure in the D&D community. He maintained a popular blog where he shared his insights and advice on all things related to the game, and he was a fixture at gaming conventions and other events.
To this day, Theras remains one of the most respected voices in the world of D&D and other tabletop roleplaying games. His passion for the hobby has never waned, and he continues to share his expertise with anyone willing to listen.
