Assassin vine
| Assassin vine | |
|---|---|
 A standard land-based assassin vine from the MM3e, art by Mark Tedin (2000). | |
| General information | |
| Size: | Large to Colossal |
| Alignment: | Neutral |
| Type: | Plant |
| First appearance: | Monster Manual third edition. |
Description
Ecology
There are at least three varieties of assassin vine: typical land-based assassin vines, as well as aquatic[1] and subterranean ones.[2][3][4]
Aquatic assassin vines "live in symbiosis within [seaweed beds or] strands of a sargasso"[1] or in shipwrecks.[5]
Subterranean assassin vines "grow near hot springs, volcanic vents, and other sources of thermal energy."[2][3][4]
Typical physical appearance
"This vine has a fibrous stem, covered with brown, stringy bark and is as thick as a human's forearm. It's leaves are shaped like human hands."[2][3]
"A mature plant consists of a main vine, about 20 feet long. Smaller vines up to 5 feet long branch off from the main vine about every 6 inches. These small vines bear clusters of leaves, and in late summer they produce bunches of small fruits that resemble wild grapes.[2][3][4] The fruit is tough and has a hearty but bitter flavor,[2][3] but is believed to be poisonous.[2] Assassin vine berries make a heady wine."[2][3]
The reference to being "believed to be poinsonous" is not in the description after the original third edition Monster Mnaual and in all later sources. The reference to wine is omitted in fifth edition creature entries, but the wine itself is referred to and is present (as an item) in Ghosts of Saltmarsh.[6]
"[Subterranean assassin vines] have thin, wiry stems and gray leaves shot through with silver, brown, and white veins so that they resemble mineral deposits.[2][3] An assassin vine growing underground usually generates enough offal to support a thriving colony of mushrooms and other fungi, which spring up around the plant and help conceal it."[2][3][4]
Abilities
Str 20, Dex 10, Con 16, Int —, Wis l3, Cha 9
Assassin vines are enormously strong and are capable of wrestling even with ogres.
They are able to Camouflage themselves as normal plants, using this to surprise their victims. They then use their Improved Grab supernatural ability to snare their surprised victims, and then begin to entangle them by animating mundane plants around their victims. They then Constrict victims, until they become a "grisly fertilizer".[2][3]
While they rarely do, assassin vines are capable of moving from place to place. An assassin vine can move about, but it is exceedingly slow in comparison. They can only move at a speed of 5ft. This means they can move 4 miles in a day.
Aquatic assassin vines "are identical to the ones in the Monster Manual, save that they have a swim speed of 5 feet and can survive in air or water with ease."[1]
See Also
Appearances
- "Tammeraut's Fate"[6][7]—Tallos, a druid on Firewatch Island uses a charm of plant command to gather assassin vine berries to make assassin berry wine.
In Living Greyhawk
 | This section contains content from the Living Greyhawk organized-play campaign. |
In the lead-up to the Isles of Woe event in the Living Greyhawk campaign in 592 CY (2002), prequel encounters were published in the Living Greyhawk Journal.[8][9] Deep within limestone caves, PCs discover an underground cove which holds an "arcane boathouse" with three sail-less, corroded copper longships which take PCs to the Isles. "This is the Heraan Boathouse—the once lost passage to the strange, obscured city that dominates the Isles of Woe. Once aboard the strange arcane boats, the characters can cross over to the magical isles. But the characters are not the only ones who have found (or are looking for) this place. Before they board the boats, the characters must defeat monsters lurking here."[9] Amongst other creatures the PCs have to overcome are assassin vines.
Gallery
External Links
Other publishers
The assassine vine appears in both first and second edition Pathfinder RPG, by Paizo Publishing. They are described slightly differently, however, and they "resemble wild blackberries" in first edition[10], and have "bunches of plump, blood-red berries" in second edition.[11] Assassin vine wine is still present, however.[12]
References
Notes
Citations
- ↑ a b c "Sea Wyvern's Wake". Dungeon #141 (Dec 2006), p.43
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Monster Manual (Oct 2000), p.20.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Monster Manual v3.5 (2003), p.20.
- ↑ a b c d Ghosts of Saltmarsh (2019), p.230.
- ↑ "Sea Wyvern's Wake". Dungeon #141 (Dec 2006), p.44
- ↑ a b Ghosts of Saltmarsh (2019), p.146, 150, 157, 230.
- ↑ "Tammeraut's Fate". Dungeon #106 (Jan 2004), p.28, 30-31
- ↑ "Campaign News". Living Greyhawk Journal #10 (Dragon #294, Apr 2002), p.90-91.
- ↑ a b "Campaign News". Living Greyhawk Journal #11 (Dragon #295, May 2002), p.96.
- ↑ Bestiary (Pathfinder RPG, 1e) (2009) , p.22.
- ↑ Bestiary 2 (Pathfinder RPG, 2e) (2020) , p.26.
- ↑ Treasure Vault (Pathfinder RPG, 2e) (2023) , p.47.
Bibliography
- Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet and Skip Williams. Monster Manual. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000. Item code 17755.
- Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet and Skip Williams. Monster Manual v.3.5. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2003. Item code 17756.
- Mearls, Mike and Kate Welch. Ghosts of Saltmarsh. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2019. Item code C6297. ISBN 978-0786966752.
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
| Topic | Type | Description | Product | Page/Card/Image
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin Vine | Monster | Dragon magazine #295 | 96 | |
| Assassin Vine | Monster | Ghosts of Saltmarsh, D&D 5e | 150, 157, 230 | |
| Assassin Vine | Monster | Monster Manual 1, D&D 3.5e (Premium Edition) | 20 |