Large Plant, Unaligned
Armor Class 5 Natural Armor
Hit Points 50 (6d12 + 20)
Speed
STR
6 (-2)
DEX
2 (-4)
CON
10 (+0)
INT
1 (-5)
WIS
3 (-4)
CHA
1 (-5)
Condition Immunities Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Frightened
Senses Tremorsense 50 ft., Passive Perception 5
Languages --
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

Lying in Wait. The sand cactus is very hard to detect. DC25 Wis (Perception/Survival) check to recognize its needles among the sand.

Immobile. The sand cactus is unable to move and the majority of its body is buried beneath the sand. Needles are considered prone and the cactus body has protection from attacks and line-of-sight spells or spells unable to penetrate the sand.

UndergroundThe Sand Cactus is typically located 7 ft. (1d6+4) underground, at the center of the sand needle circle.

Actions

Needle Attack. The initial Sand Cactus attack takes place as a reaction to a creature stepping on it. See the Reaction DescriptionMelee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, Reach touch, One target. Hit:  2 (1d3) piercing damage. DC30 to not be grappled by the needle's barbs.

Blood Sucker. For each round after being grappled, the needle remains in a creature, the creature takes 2 (1d3) necrotic damage due to blood being drained from it. If the creature's current hit points drops below half, the creature must succeed at a DC12 Con Check each round or become unconscious due to blood loss.

Removing Barbed Needle. The needles have barbs on them when make them extremely painful to remove once stuck into a creature. Removing the needle causes 3 (1d6) slashing damage. DC12 Con check to determine if the creature is rendered unconscious by the pain. The creature can repeat the check at the end of each of its turns to regain consciousness from the pain.

Cutting the Needle Stalk. The stalk attaching the needle to the Sand Cactus can be cut. Each stalk has 2 (1d4) hit points, separate from the Sand Cactus hit points, and an AC of 2. A victim who is cut free still has the needle their body. If not removed it will fester. Removing it can be accomplished by casting cure disease on the wound, which dries up the needle, or by cutting it free with a DC10 Int (Medicine) check, which causes 1d6 points of damage to the victim. The blood poisoning causes 1 additional level of exhaustion, per day that the needle remains embedded, for each needle embedded (3 needles would add 3 levels of exhaustion per day). If it is not removed, the victim eventually gets blood poisoning, weakens and dies. Once the victim is dead, a new sand cactus sprouts from the body.

Reactions

Sand Needles. A sand cactus has needles sticking out of the sand above it, randomly arranged in a 30 ft diameter area. For each round a creature is in contact with the needle area, roll a 1d4. On a 1, the creature is stuck by a needle in whatever part of their body made contact. The sand cactus reacts with a melee needle attack.

Needle Field. If a creature falls prone while in the 30 ft. diameter Sand Needle field, the Sand Cactus makes an additional 1d6 attacks as a reaction.

Description

Sand Cacti are a vile form of plant life that dwells anywhere there is sand. It feeds on the blood of its victims. Sand cacti are well protected; the entire plant (except the needles) is hidden below the sand. The body is from 5-8 feet across and about 4 feet thick. It has many barbed needles attached to it with long, thin, fibrous strands. The bulbous body of the plant and the strands are sickly white, while the needles very closely resemble the color of the sand in the area.

Habitat/Society: The sand cactus is a solitary creature, existing
wherever the sand blows.

Ecology: The sand cactus is a trapper, existing on any food that comes along. It is unable to digest creatures without fresh blood, such as the undead; a cactus releases a grappled creature without fresh blood after one round. Anything else is fair game.

Monster Tags: plant

Environment: Desert

Blue_Elephant_Brigade

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