Rooted Awareness. The Barbed Gnarlroot has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks when it is stationary and partially buried in sand, stone, or loose earth.
Mirage Step. Once per short rest, as a reaction when targeted by an attack, the Gnarlroot can create a desert mirage around itself, causing disadvantage on that attack roll.
Plant Camouflage. The Gnarlroot can take the Hide action as a bonus action when in a desert environment, blending seamlessly with nearby rocks and plants.
Sand Meld. The Gnarlroot can move through sand and loose earth as if it were difficult terrain. While in sand, it gains advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
Multiattack. The Gnarlroot makes two attacks with its Thorn Lash.
Thorn Lash. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn.
Acidic Sap (Recharge 5-6). The Gnarlroot releases a burst of acidic sap in a 10-foot radius. Each creature in that area must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 12 (3d6) acid damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one. Creatures that fail the saving throw are also affected by mild hallucinations, causing disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and attack rolls until the end of their next turn.
Entangle (1/Day). The Gnarlroot can cast Entangle (DC 14) at will, with a range of 30 feet. The area is considered difficult terrain, and creatures who fail their saves are restrained by gnarled roots and thorny vines.
Thorns. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage. If the star lancer moved at least 20 feet straight toward the target immediately before the hit, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) piercing damage.
Desert Retreat. When reduced to half of its hit points, the Gnarlroot may use its reaction to burrow 10 feet into loose sand or earth, potentially escaping melee range of enemies.
The Barbed Gnarlroot can take 1 legendary action, choosing from the options below. It can only take one legendary action at the end of another creature's turn and regains spent actions at the start of its turn.
Root Burst (Costs 1 Action). A 5-foot radius of ground within 30 feet becomes spiked with roots and thorns. Any creature that enters the area or starts its turn there takes 5 (1d10) piercing damage.
Intimidating Gaze (Costs 1 Action). The Gnarlroot locks eyes with a creature within 15 feet. That creature must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened until the end of its next turn.
Description
The Barbed Gnarlroot is a fascinating, elusive creature from the heart of Bormia’s desolate sands, a landscape where life clings to a thread in a sea of heat and aridity. Said to have emerged from the roots of trees that once populated the desert in an ancient, now-lost age, the Gnarlroot is a living relic of a time when greenery blanketed Bormia’s unforgiving soil. This creature is a small, sentient being of hardened roots, twisted branches, and gnarled bark, exuding a strange vitality that both perplexes and frightens desert travelers.
### Physical Characteristics
Barbed Gnarlroots stand about one to two feet tall, with twisted, angular bodies covered in thick, bark-like layers. Its frame is built primarily of dark, fibrous roots that have coiled and tangled together over centuries, forming a rigid but flexible exoskeleton. Despite its small size, the Gnarlroot’s body is dense and formidable. It moves on two stubby, root-like legs, which are knotted and reinforced with tough, thorny protrusions. Its arms, if they can be called that, are long, winding tendrils that appear frail but can extend and lash with surprising force. These “arms” are lined with short, barbed thorns that deliver a faintly acidic sap capable of causing minor burns and itching—an effective deterrent for would-be predators.
Gnarlroots lack a traditional face, but their “head” contains a pair of deep-set, glowing amber eyes that seem to burn with an ancient, almost feral intelligence. These eyes are keenly perceptive, allowing the Gnarlroot to see in near-darkness, which is invaluable in the cool desert nights where they primarily operate. There’s a strange, hypnotic quality to their gaze that unsettles those who look too closely, as if staring into a memory of Bormia’s verdant past.
### Origins and Habitat
The Gnarlroots are believed to have been animated by powerful desert magics or the latent energy of the ancient Thral-karn worship practiced in the region. Legends tell of a time when lush forests covered Bormia, but as the land became arid, the trees withered, their roots burying deep into the sands. Some roots remained alive, surviving millennia by drawing energy from the strange relics and magics buried with them. Over centuries, these roots took on forms of their own, each unique Gnarlroot imbued with traces of its progenitor tree’s personality and history.
Barbed Gnarlroots dwell in the deepest recesses of Bormia’s wastelands, often in the ruins of long-abandoned settlements or near ancient Thral-karn shrines, where the energy of their past lingers strongest. They have an affinity for oases, particularly those with ancient water sources, but never venture too close to the life-giving water, preferring instead to remain just at the edges, like forgotten sentinels.
### Behavior and Abilities
Gnarlroots are highly territorial and possess a powerful, instinctive drive to protect what they see as their ancestral lands. They communicate with each other through a subtle language of root-clicking and rustling sounds, which can be inaudible to humans but carries over long distances through the sands. Barbed Gnarlroots rarely interact with other desert creatures, except to defend themselves or drive intruders away from their territory. Though their size may make them appear defenseless, Gnarlroots have evolved several potent abilities to help them survive.
Their primary method of defense is their barbed, acidic thorns. When threatened, a Gnarlroot will lash out, releasing small bursts of a mildly toxic sap from its thorns, which can cause itching, burning, and nausea if it makes contact with skin. This sap is also mildly hallucinogenic and is known to affect the minds of desert animals, often deterring them or confusing them enough to give the Gnarlroot time to escape. Additionally, the Gnarlroot’s thorny appendages can extend and twist rapidly, making them capable of entangling or immobilizing small prey, though the creatures themselves are vegetative and appear to have little need for traditional sustenance.
### Reproduction and Life Cycle
Gnarlroots reproduce through a peculiar process known as *root budding.* Each Gnarlroot, upon reaching a certain age, begins to grow an offshoot from its core. This offshoot gradually develops into a small sapling with similar characteristics to its progenitor but with slight variations in form, depending on the Gnarlroot’s surrounding environment and experiences. When fully mature, the offshoot separates from the parent and plants itself nearby. This root budding process is incredibly slow, with some Gnarlroots only producing a single offshoot every few decades, leading to a very slow population growth.
A fully grown Gnarlroot can live for centuries, seemingly unaffected by age. Their bark thickens over time, and older Gnarlroots become more twisted and barbed, with their eyes taking on a deeper, richer amber hue.
### Mystical Properties and Relationship with the Vartel
The Vartel of Moriae consider the Barbed Gnarlroots to be sacred. In their mythology, these creatures are seen as spirits of ancient forest guardians, still lingering to protect Bormia’s few remaining sources of water and fertility. On rare occasions, a Vartel shaman may approach a Gnarlroot, offering a small token of respect—such as a bowl of sand mixed with herbs from the oasis or a polished stone from the desert. In return, the Vartel believe the Gnarlroot blesses the land around it, encouraging the sparse desert flora to bloom.
Gnarlroots are rumored to contain magical properties, with their sap serving as a potent ingredient in desert alchemical practices. Some believe their thorns can be crafted into potent charms to ward off spirits or protect against dehydration in the desert. However, the Vartel fiercely discourage harvesting from Gnarlroots, considering it an affront to the ancient spirits and warning of curses that follow those who harm them.
### Rare Sightings and Myths
Most desert dwellers have only heard of the Barbed Gnarlroots through campfire tales or the occasional hushed stories of those who have seen them glinting in the moonlight. Myths abound about the Gnarlroots, with some claiming they have the power to shift sands around them or conjure mirages to fool travelers into wandering away from water sources, all in a bid to keep their ancient domains undisturbed. Others say the Gnarlroots can sense when someone is approaching a relic or artifact tied to Bormia’s past and will appear to guard it or frighten trespassers away.
### Encounters and Combat
In rare encounters with adventurers, Barbed Gnarlroots avoid combat if possible, preferring to hide under the cover of desert rocks or sink partially into the sand, becoming indistinguishable from their surroundings. However, if threatened, they fight tenaciously, using their thorny limbs as whips and entangling foes in a frenzy of barbed strikes. Their ability to withstand harsh conditions makes them resilient, with a high resistance to heat and an innate sense of self-preservation that leads them to retreat rather than fight to the death.
The Barbed Gnarlroot embodies Bormia's ancient heart and holds within its gnarled form secrets of an era long past, an age when the desert was fertile and green. To see a Gnarlroot is to glimpse Bormia’s lost legacy, and to harm one is to risk invoking the wrath of the sands themselves.
Comments