Field of Thorns. The thorns on the battlebriar’s body protrude into the area surrounding the creature, causing several effects on creatures moving within 10ft of the battlebriar. A battle briar may make up to four attacks of opportunity each round. Creatures three or more size categories smaller than the battlebriar cannot freely move through the area that a battlebriar occupies and are restrained.
Entangling Briars. Whenever a battlebriar successfully starts a grapple with a Medium or smaller creature, the battlebriar presses the creature into its back, entangling the creature in it’s thorny hide. As long as the creature that it is grappling is entangled, the target is restrained, the battlebriar is not considered grappled, and can use its remaining attacks against other opponents.
Siege Monster. The battlebriar deals double damage to objects and structures.
Multiattack. A battlebariar makes 4 slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 15 ft. one target. Hit: 19 (2d8 + 10) bludgeoning damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 23).
Thorn Volley. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 60 ft, within 10-foot radius. Hit: 28 (8d6) piercing damage.
Description
This six-legged lion-like creature has a body made of writhing vines and thorns. Each of its gorilla-like pairs of limbs is slightly shorter than the pair in front of it – its forelimbs are the longest, the middle pair of limbs is slightly shorter, and its rear pair of legs are the shortest of all. Long thorns protrude from every part of the creature's body, making it seemingly impossible to approach or move around the creature without risking serious injury.
Plants magically engineered to serve as massive living siege engines, battlebriars on the field of battle can easily destroy massed formations of lesser troops. Although created for war, battlebriars have long since escaped the control of their creators, and they now roam through forest and battlefield alike. A single battlebriar is capable of destroying a small town, and for this reason it is an event of major importance when one is seen near a settlement of any size.
Battlebriars possess a rudimentary intelligence but no capacity for speech. On the few times that druids and spellcasters of similar skill have been able to communicate with them, battlebriars have proven intractable and uncaring. A few powerful evil druids have been able to find magical means of controlling battlebriars, and these controlled beasts make fearsome guardians.
A battlebriar walks about on all six limbs, but when fighting, it stands on only one set of legs, swinging both pairs of its huge forelimbs wildly. A battlebriar is almost as broad as it is tall, and compared to a humanoid of similar size, is quite short and stocky.
Battlebriars have a tough, rubbery hide the colour of drying mud, although some of the more vine-like strands that run through its body are greenish in colour. A massive plant, one can grow up to 15 feet in length and weigh as much as 18,000 pounds.
Battlebriars do not speak, but they understand simple words and phrases in Sylvan.
A battlebriar is neither smart enough nor inventive enough to give much thought to tactics. It moves toward its foes with ponderous steps, launching volleys of thorns if its foes are too mobile to catch. Although slow-thinking by human standards, a battlebriar is at least perceptive enough to use its various attack forms to its advantage, trampling larger groups of smaller foes, using its volley of thorns against fleeing enemies, and moving close to foes who engage in melee combat so as to expose them to its deadly thorns.
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