PILFER VINE
by Richard Stump
FREQUENCY: Rare
No. APPEARING: 1 patch
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 1" (main plant), 9" (vines)
HIT DICE: 1-10
% IN LAIR: 100%
TREASURE TYPE: See below
NO. OF ATTACKS: Variable
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4 per vine
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Strangulation
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Resistances to
blunt weapons and cold
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Semi-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: S to M
PSIONIC ABILITY Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: II to VII / 22
+ 1/hp to 2250 + 14/hp
Pilfer vines are sentient plants that have
an unusual affinity for bright, shiny items.
They are usually encountered in jungles or
forests when wild, but the plant
may also be
found near a settlement or monster lair, for
it otherwise would have little chance to
acquire the items it has such an intense
desire to filch. Why a pilfer vine ?steals? is
a question no one has been able to answer,
as it will take things for which it has no
possible use.
A pilfer vine is able to find shiny objects
with visual organs located upon its broad
leaves. The images that the organs receive
are transmitted to its vegetable brain, which
is surrounded by a tough mass of twisted
vines. The plant is color-blind. Two mobile
tendrils are-possessed for each hit die that it
has. These tendrils can reach out up to 5?
away and can lift up to 5 gp in weight per
vine.
A pilfer vine?s base chance to steal any
item from a being is 70%. Some of the
modifiers to this chance are: victim standing
still, 0%; walking, -20%; running, -60%;
sleeping, + 15%. More modifiers can be
devised if needed. A victim will notice the
attempt if the die roll is 25% or more over
the number needed to pilfer an item. Char-
acters of 5th level and above have an in-
creased chance to foil the attempt; subtract
1% from both the base chance to steal and
notice the theft for each level over the 4th.
Thus, if an 8th-level fighter was the victim,
the base chance of a successful theft is now
70% - (8-4)% = 66%) and the person will
notice the attempt on a roll 21% over what
is needed. Tendrils can dig into pouches,
backpacks, and the like to find
items, and more than one tendril can help
steal an item. Lifting an item from a victim
takes 1 round per attempt. If the plant is
successful in stealing a random item from
someone, it will hide the item amongst the
gnarled vines of the main plant.
A pilfer vine will attack only if attacked
first. It can lash out with its whiplike vines,
doing 1-4 hp of damage per strike and
gaining one attack for each mobile tendril it
possesses. Up to six vines may attack a
man-sized creature at a time. A vine can
take 5 hp damage from edged weapons
before it is severed and becomes useless.
These hit points are in addition to those of
the plant?s central body. The plant?s struc-
ture makes it resistant to blunt weapons,
which do 1 hp of damage plus magical
bonuses per strike.
When a tendril?s ?to hit? roll in combat
is a natural 20, the vine has wrapped itself
around the victim?s neck. The creature so
hit takes 1-6 hp damage, and will continue
to take this damage each round until the
vine is broken (only possible by those with
18+ strength; use one-half of exceptional
strength rounded up as the base number) or
severed. A being with a 19 strength has a
75% chance to snap the vine, and 20
strength or greater means automatic success
at breaking the vine.
Fire (magical or non-magical) does dou-
ble damage to pilfer vines. Because of this,
a pilfer vine will never send its tendrils
towards anyone carrying a torch or other
heat source. A pilfer vine takes normal
damage from electricity, but cold only does
half damage and slows the plant?s move-
ments by 50% for 2-5 rounds.
A pilfer vine?s treasure is hidden in or
around the plant. It consists of treasure
types Qx2 (gems of less than 500 gp base
value), and 20-200 coins of various types.
There is a 40% chance for the plant to have
1-4 pieces of jewelry, and a 10% chance for
a small magic item (dagger, scroll in metal-
lic case, glass potion bottle, etc.) to be
present. There will also be various shiny
items such as bits of broken glass, metallic
darts, small mirrors, holy symbols, etc.,
from 5-20 in number.
Sometimes a druid or magic-user will
grow and feed a pilfer vine, as well as sup-
ply it with shiny items, in return for the
protection of his or her abode. Being semi-
ntelligent, the pilfer vine will recognize its
benefactors and not steal from them or their
friends, if so instructed (though it takes time
for the pilfer vines to understand that, even
using speak with plants spells).
A pilfer vine is a large mass of tangled
and twisted vines, not unlike those of a
creeper. The vines of the plant are dull
green or greenish-gray in color, while the
leaves are broad and of green-brown colora-
tion. Tiny, dark splotches appear on the
leaves; these are the sensory organs used to
see bright objects. The plant is almost al-
ways found coiled about a tree, column,
post, or pillar.