Blood Rose Creeper
The Blood Rose Creeper is one of the many horrific results of genetic experimentation conducted under the influence of the Reckoners by Dr. Gersholm. Its genetic lineage is much debated, although it obviously has bloodvine and the common rose somewhere in its "family tree". The Creeper is found in the moist, temperate clime found amongst the riot of plant life in the Rainforest biome. It resembles a large mass of thick, clinging vines and leaves of a rich deep green coloration, strewn with heavy, rose-like blossoms of various sizes, usually of a red or yellow hue. The blossoms even give off a heady scent not unlike that of a rose. The vines of the creeper are covered with small, barbed thorns, and seem to constantly sway to and fro as if from the wind. Close examination of the blooms will reveal that the petals are hard, and at the center of each blossom is a black, pulsing fleshy sac that is almost brain-like in appearance.
The Creeper has a predator's intelligence, can sense movement and heat in its immediate vicinity, and has an impressive striking range with its vines. It specifically hunts warm-blooded prey. When attacking, vines snake off of the main mass at considerable speed and buffet a target with an effect similar to that of a cat-o-nine-tails, trying to catch and burrow into the target's flesh. Once imbedded into the flesh, the vines will continue to burrow inward, dissolving flesh and sinew as they go with a caustic agent, causing considerable pain and damage as they do so. The liquefied matter is the prime nutrient of the Creeper. This burrowing and liquefaction process of course kills the target in a relatively short amount of time. Upon the target's death, the vines will continue to burrow into the corpse, splitting and multiplying, knotting and twisting around the skeletal system and replacing muscle and organs as it feeds. Upon reaching the head and absorbing the brain, the vines burst the skull into gory fragments, and a large, rose-like bloom will grow from out of the exposed neck. This "head sized" bloom will be red or yellow in color, with hard, ridge like petals, but will otherwise resemble the smaller blooms on the Creeper. Once this bloom has formed, the body will animate and separate itself from the rest of the Creeper, forming a Blooming Corpse, which will then begin to move and hunt for more prey (this is the rather disturbing fashion the Creeper reproduces). This process takes one hour for each size increment of the corpse (i.e. a size 6 corpse would take 6 hours). Blooming Corpses typically last for 4+1d4 days before bursting/collapsing and becoming a new Blood Rose Creeper plant.
Corporeal: D: 2d6, N: 3d10, Q: 4d8, S: 4d6, V: 3d10
Fightin' brawlin': 4d10, sneak: 4d10
Mental: C: 4d8, K: 2d4, M: 4d10, Sm: 3d6, Sp: 3d10
Search: 4d8, overawe: 4d10
Pace: 0
Size: 2 (vines), 8 (creeper plant)
Wind: NA
Terror: 7
Special Abilities:
Damage: The Creeper's vines can range up to 20 yards away from the main plant, and strike using fightin' brawlin' skill and do Str+1d4 damage. If a vine causes a wound, it can make a Nimbleness roll (TN 5) on the same action to attempt burrowing into a wound. If successful, the vine will move slowly into the wound and begins the dissolving process, causing an additional wound to the location at the end of each turn. Removing a vine from a wound requires an opposed strength roll vs. the vine. A success removes the vine, but causes an automatic additional wound. Severed vines can live up to an hour separated from the main plant, longer if provided with sustenance. If a burrowing vine is severed, it will continue to burrow and dissolve, feeding and growing as it goes. A creeper typically has 20 to 30 such vines, which take damage according to their size. Neither the vines nor the plant itself take wind.
Scent: Anyone approaching or caught downwind of a Blood Rose Creeper without some sort of artificial breathing or protection must make an easy (TN 3) Smarts roll, or become enamored with the scent of the blossoms and approach the plant.
Weaknesses: The Blood Rose Creeper is very susceptible to both extreme heat and cold, taking double damage from all such attacks. Also, each Creeper has one slightly larger central blossom (TN 9 on an active search roll to determine which one it is) which functions as the "brain" of the plant, and it's hard ridged petals act have an AV of 1. If the Creeper takes a maiming wound to this location, the plant will die (treat as a "head" shot for aiming purposes, without the additional die of damage if successful).
Description: See above.
Bloomin' Corpse
A Bloomin' Corpse is the disturbing side effect of a Blood Rose Creeper's reproduction process. While individual examples vary according to the type and species of the Creeper's original victim (Size, Pace, etc.), each Bloomin' Corpse is made from a warm-blooded creature, and looks exactly like the creature did in life but for two major differences. Firstly, it has a number of thorny, waving vines jutting from the flesh of various parts of its body that move of their own volition (number equal to 2 times its size, statistics the same as Blood Rose Creeper). Second, in place of the head is a large, head-sized (in accordance to the size of the creature) floral bloom (red or yellow in hue) resembling a rose with a black, pulsating sack at its center.
A Bloomin' Corpse is mobile with a slow, shuffling gait (uses half of the original creature's pace). It has the same inherent abilities of the Blood Rose Creeper, including scent (which conveniently masks the smell of decaying skin and other remaining tissue) and the ability to detect heat and motion. Once detected, it will pursue prey doggedly and without tiring. Bloomin' Corpses have the same weaknesses as the Blood Rose Creeper. If no prey is detected in the immediate vicinity, the Bloomin' Corpse will choose a random direction and begin walking. Once created, a Bloomin' Corpse will typically last for 4+1d4 days before it bursts or collapses. Where the corpse falls upon collapsing, a new Blood Rose Creeper plant will take root and grow (it even brings its own fertilizer). Bloomin' Corpses are not considered undead.
(Stats for a human Bloomin' Corpse)
Corporeal: D: 2d8, N: 2d8, Q: 3d10, S: 2d10, V: 3d8
Fightin' brawlin': 4d8, sneak: 3d8
Mental: C: 2d10, K: 1d4, M: 1d6, Sm: 3d6, Sp: 1d4
Search: 3d10, overawe: 4d6
Pace: 4
Size: 6
Wind: NA
Terror: 9
Special Abilities:
Damage: The Corpse's vines can range up to 5 yards away from the body, and strike using fightin' brawlin' skill and do Str+1d4 damage. If a vine causes a wound, it can make a Nimbleness roll (TN 5) on the same action to attempt burrowing into a wound. If successful, the vine will move slowly into the wound and begins the dissolving process, causing an additional wound to the location at the end of each turn. Removing a vine from a wound requires an opposed strength roll vs. the vine. A success removes the vine, but causes an automatic additional wound. Severed vines can live up to an hour separated from the main plant, longer if provided with sustenance. If a burrowing vine is severed, it will continue to burrow and dissolve, feeding and growing as it goes. A corpse typically has 5 to 10 such vines, which take damage according to their size. Neither the vines nor the corpse itself take wind.
Scent: Anyone approaching or caught downwind of a Bloomin' Corpse without some sort of artificial breathing or protection must make an easy (TN 3) Smarts roll, or become enamored with the scent of the blossoms and approach the plant.
Weaknesses: The Bloomin' Corpse is very susceptible to both extreme heat and cold, taking double damage from all such attacks. The Corpse has a central blossom in place of the original body's head which functions as the "brain" of the plant, and it's hard ridged petals act have an AV of 1. Treat called shots to this area as "head" shots, but without an extra die of damage. If the Corpse takes a maiming wound to this location it will die.
Description: See above.