Verdant Blockade

D&D 3e (3.0/3.5) Rules

by Clive Squire

Requirements:

Race:Centaur, Kagonesti elf, kender, wild gnome.
Base Attack Bonus: +5.
Skills: Hide 5 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 4 ranks, Profession (siege engineer) 3 ranks, Survival 4 ranks.
Feats: Ballista Proficiency (Heroes of Battle), proficiency with any type of crossbow.

Class Skills:

A verdant blockade's class skills are: Climb, Concentration, Craft, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (engineering), Knowledge (nature), Listen, Profession (siege engineer), Spot, Survival.
Class Skills Per Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier.

Class Features:

Weapon & Armour Proficiency: The verdant blockade gains proficiency with all simple and martial weapons, as well as all light armours and all types of shield (except tower shields).

Weave Flinger (Su) : The verdant blockade's natural link with nature allows him to coax and coerce living plants to shape themselves into mighty weapons at his behest. The verdant blockade can create one such living weapon per verdant blockade level and can have no more than one flinger per 2 character levels at any one time.

The living weapons created by the verdant blockade, known as flingers, can be of any size from 5-feet to 15-feet across, depending on the type that is created. Once a verdant blockade has decided to create a type of flinger, and is in an area capable of supporting the flinger, the plants and undergrowth of the designated area begin to weave the flinger.

The process takes 1-round for each 5-foot square, and the verdant blockade must be within an area that is able to support a flinger of the size required. In desolate to spare vegetation areas, the verdant blockade is unable to form a flinger. In areas of sparse vegetation to light vegetation, the verdant blockade can create a Small flinger. In areas of light vegetation to light forestation, the verdant blockade can create a Medium flinger. In areas of light vegetation to heavy vegetation, the verdant blockade can create a Large flinger. In those rare areas that have undergone intense magical transformation to the local ecology, such as the forests of the Khaorlis Mountains, which were induced by the Dragon Overlord, Beryll, the base size of the flinger is increased by one size category. Only the verdant blockade that created the flinger can use it, and they must be within 10-feet per verdant blockade level to do so. The flinger is both "manned" by the local vegetation and reloaded by it, with the verdant blockade controlling the weapon, which is a move equivalent action that provokes an attack of opportunity.

Once the flinger has been formed, it retains its shape and continues to grow in the new form. The flinger requires tending or it will become overgrow and useless. To tend to a flinger, the verdant blockade must succeed on a Knowledge (nature) skill check, DC 15, and spend 6-hours per size category tending to it. The plants that comprise the flinger grow at the normal rate, and it is considered to become overgrow when it has reached a size one size category larger than its initial size. The flinger is treated as a standard ranged, missile weapon.

• Small Flinger: The smallest flinger that can be created, this flinger can be quite deadly, dealing 3d8 points of bludgeoning damage with each shot. This flinger has a range increment of 120-feet and can score a critical only on a 20. A Small flinger has a reload time of two full-round actions.
• Medium Flinger: The mid-range flinger, the Medium size has greater range than the Small flinger, and delivers more power with each shot, but at the cost of being unable to attack things closer to it affectively. The Medium flinger deals 4d6 points of bludgeoning damage with a successful hit, and has a range increment of 150-feet, although for opponents that are closer to Medium flinger (within 100-feet), the Medium flinger imposes a -2 penalty to the attack roll. A Medium flinger has a reload time of two full-round actions.
• Large Flinger: The largest of the natural flingers, the Large flinger is a truly awesome weapon, possessing even more power and strength than the Medium flinger. The Large flinger deals 6d6 points of bludgeoning damage with each successful strike, and has a range increment of 200-feet. Like the Medium flinger, the Large flinger is ineffective against close range opponents, imposing a -4 penalty on the attack roll against opponents within 150-feet. A Large flinger has a reload time of four full-round actions.
• Huge Flinger: Infused by powerful magic, the Huge flinger dwarfs even the power of the Large flinger. This magic soaked flinger can deal enough damage to shake the foundations of even mountains. The Huge flinger deals 8d8 points of bludgeoning damage with a successful strike, and has a range increment of 250-feet, and similar to the lesser, more mundane flinger, the Huge flinger imposes a -6 penalty on all attack rolls against opponents that are closer than 200-feet. A Huge flinger has a reload time of f full-round actions.

Nature's Fury (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a verdant blockade's training and savvy in nature lore, allows him to use the flinger to deliver other types of missiles other than the standard bludgeoning damage. Each verdant blockade is able to select one of the following choices, and once selected it can not be changed later.

• Fire: The flinger missile has a sticky, flammable sap within it, that bursts into fire when the missile is bruised or damaged (such as when launched at an opponent). The fire deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage to the struck opponent each round for 3 rounds (Small), 4 rounds (Medium), 6 rounds (Large) or 8 rounds (Huge). The fire can be extinguished by the target spending a full-round action to roll on the floor to smoother the flames, or by immersion in water.
• Vine Plant: The flinger missile explodes outwards when it strikes the target, encasing the target and a 10-feet radius (Small), or a 20-feet radius (Medium), or a 30-feet radius (Large), or a 40-feet radius (Huge) in an effect similar to that created by the entangle spell. The target of the effect is not allowed a saving throw to avoid the initial effect, but in the following rounds, both he and all other creatures within the area, are allowed a Reflex save, DC 15, to move at half-speed through the effected area.
• Earth: This flinger missile has sap that, when exposed to the air through it becoming damaged (such as striking an opponent), immediately solidifies and reinforces the plants fibres. This makes the flinger missiles deal and additional 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage. As a secondary effect, the sap can damage possessions and equipment if left untreated on them. This effect deals another 1d6 points of damage to exposed possessions and equipment after 1 minute. This damage bypasses the objects normal hardness. Total immersion in water removes this effect.
• Magma: Much like the fire and earth flinger missiles, this flinger missile has a strange sap that creates an effect when exposed to air. In the case of the magma missile, the missile strikes a target dealing an additional 1d4 points of fire damage and the plant's fibres are reinforced, dealing an additional 1d4 points of bludgeoning damage. Once the missile strikes an opponent, it explodes, covering an area of 5-feet (Small), 10-feet (Medium), 15-feet (Large) or 20-feet (Huge) radius in a shower of sharp stone-like plant fibre and flaming sap. This deals 1d4 points of fire damage and 1d4 points of piercing damage to all creatures that fail a Reflex save, DC 15. A successful save negates this additional damage.
• Humanoid: The verdant blockade has trained with the concept of using allies as living missiles. The verdant blockade can launch a creature that is two size categories smaller than the flinger used to launch them. All such creatures must be of the same type and have the same subtype (if any). Training with the creatures takes 1 month per creature and the verdant blockade can not train more creatures than he has verdant blockade levels. Such creatures are launched into combat and can be used to place opponents near specific targets or attack specific targets, the later option deals 1d6 points of damage to both the launched creature and the target opponent on a successful strike. Using a creature in this manner is an evil act, and unless the creatures that have been trained as missiles are under the effects of some sort of charm or compulsion, they immediately rebel against the verdant blockade. Evil aligned verdant blockades can make a Diplomacy skill check, DC 30, to quell this and maintain control over his living missiles.
• Animal: This missile is almost exactly as the humanoid missile, above, with the exception that the verdant blockade must succeed on a Handle Animal skill check, DC 30, to coerce the animals after rebelling (or use such abilities as Wild Empathy). Unlike the humanoid missile, animals launched in to a melee attack the nearest creature to them that is unknown, regardless to the wishes of the verdant blockade. Unless the verdant blockade has some method of communicating with the animals, or they are within 30-feet of him, they act as they can against all that they can see and reach.

Blooded Vine (Ex) : Starting at 2nd level, whenever a flinger missile draws blood from a target, that target suffers an additional amount of damage and possible weakness for two rounds after the attack. Over the next two rounds that sap from the missile has an additional effect of damaging the target, dealing an additional 2-points of damage and imposing a -1 penalty to the target's attack rolls and weapon damage rolls. On ever even level thereafter, the additional damage increases by 2-points and the penalty increases by 1 (+4 damage/-2 attack & damage at 4th, +6 damage/-3 attack & damage at 6th, +8 damage/-4 attack & damage at 8th, and +10 damage/-5 attack & damage at 10th). The target is allowed a Fort save on the round the effect begins (DC = 10 + 1/2 character level + Wisdom modifier) to negate the effects.

Rapid Reload: At 3rd level, the time that it takes to reload a flinger is reduced. A Small flinger now takes a full-round action to reload, a Medium flinger takes a full-round action to reload, a Large flinger requires two full-round actions and a Huge flinger requires two-full round actions to reload. Should the verdant blockade gain the Rapid Reload feat, either as a bonus feat (see below) or as a standard feat, the effects of that feat do apply to the reload time. The full-round action to reload the Small and Medium flinger, would take a standard action, while the two-round actions for the Large and Huge would be reduced to a full-round action.

Bonus Feat: The verdant blockade can select a bonus feat when he reaches 3rd level. The bonus feat must be selected from the following list: Able Sniper (Races of the Wild), Bowslinger (Underdark), Brachiation (Complete Adventurer), Crossbow Sniper * (Player's Handbook II), Great Weapon Focus **, Greater Weapon Specialisation **, Rapid Reload */**, Skill Focus (concentration, hide, profession [siege engineer]), Weapon Focus **, Weapon Specialisation **. For feats marked by a single asterisk (*), the weapon proficiency prerequisite of the feat applies to the flinger, instead of the noted weapon in the feat's description. For feats marked with double asterisk (**), the feat applies only to the flinger. The verdant blockade must still meet all other prerequisites of the selected feats. The verdant blockade gains another bonus feat at 7th level, and again at 10th level.

Rolling Nature (Sp) : A verdant blockade that reaches 4th level or more has the ability to use the local vegetation to move and reposition a flinger. The flinger has a base speed of 5-feet and a verdant blockade can turn the flinger by as much as 90o. moving the flinger is a move equivalent action that requires concentration, should the verdant blockade responsible for moving the flinger suffer damage while moving it, and fails a Concentration skill check (DC 10 + damage dealt), the flinger shudders to a halt and reverts to the position that it had at the beginning of the round.

Sniper (Ex) : Starting at 5th level, a verdant blockade is able to fire a flinger from concealed locations to great effect. When attacking opponents that have been denied their Dexterity modifier to their Armour Class (such as being caught flat-footed, for example), the verdant blockade gains a +2 circumstance bonus on the attack roll and is allowed to make an Immediate Hide skill check, to conceal his location. This circumstance bonus increases to +4 at 9th level.

Animate Flinger (Sp) : At 9th level, the verdant blockade can animate a flinger that he has created, enabling it to attack exactly like an animated object (see animated objects in the Monster Manual). The size of the created flinger determines the size of the animated object, either Small, Medium, Large or Huge. The animate flinger remains animated for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the number of verdant blockade levels gained.

Liana - CR 9

Female wild gnome ranger 4/mystic of Plant 2/verdant blockade 3
Races of Ansalon (wild gnome), Complete Adventurer (Brachiation feat), Heroes of Battle (Ballista Proficiency)
N Small humanoid (gnome)
Init +1; Senses Listen +6, Spot +6
Languages Common, Gnome, Sylvan
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 17
(+1 size, +1 Dex, +3 armour, +2 shield, +1 natural)
Hp 70 (9 HD)
Fort +13 (+15 vs. poison & disease), Ref +6, Will +7
Spd 20 ft; Brachiation
Melee +1 scimitar +11/+6 (1d4+2/18-20)
Ranged +2 light crossbow +12/+7 (1d6+2/19-20)
Ranged +2 light crossbow +10/+10/+5 (1d6+2/19-20) with Rapid Shot
Base Atk +8; Grp +5
Ranger Spells Prepared (CL 2nd)
1st – pass without trace
Mystic Spells Known (CL 2nd)
  1st – (5/day) cure light wounds, endure elements, entangle(D)
  0 – (6/day) create water, detect poison, guidance, purify food & drink, resistance
  Domain: Plant (rebuke or command plants, add Knowledge (nature) to skill list)
Attack Options blooded vine +2/-1, favoured enemy (animals) +2, Rapid Shot
Special Attacks rebuke or command plant 3/day (+2, 2d6+2, CL 2nd)
Abilities Str 13, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 10
SQ animal companion, combat style (archery), nature's fury (fire), rapid reload, weave flinger, wild empathy +4 (+0 with magical beasts)
Feats Alertness, Ballista Proficiency, Brachiation(B), Endurance(B), Rapid Reload, Rapid Shot(B), Stealthy, Track(B).
Skills Climb +4 (+9 in woods), Concentration +8, Craft (woodworking) +3, Handle Animal +3, Hide +12, Jump +4 (+9 in woods), Knowledge (geography) +2, Knowledge (nature) +9, Listen +6, Move Silently +4, Profession (siege engineer) +6, Speak Language (sylvan), Spot +6, Survival +9 (+11 above ground); ACP -1
Possessions +1 brachiating leather armour (see below), +1 buckler, +2 light crossbow, 20 bolts, +1 scimitar, amulet of natural armour +1; 2,703stl.
Blooded Vine (Ex) If a flinger missile successfully strikes an opponent, he must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 15) or suffer an additional 2-points of damage and a -1 penalty to all attack and weapon damage rolls for 2 rounds.
Nature's Fury (Ex) This verdant blockade's flinger deals an additional 1d6-points of fire damage on a successful strike, for a number of rounds depending on the size of the flinger used (3 rounds for Small, 4 rounds for Medium, 6 rounds for Large and 8 rounds for Huge).
Rapid Reload (Ex) The time needed to take to reload a flinger is reduced.

Brachiating Armour Quality

Price +3,750 stl.
Property Armour
Caster Level 4th
Aura faint; (DC 17) transmutation
Activation –

This armour is embossed with flowing plant vines and tendrils, which accentuate the proportions and dimensions of the armour, granting it an almost living quality.
While wearing the armour, you gain a +5 insight bonus to all Climb and Jump skill checks made when moving through wooded areas.

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