These vicious flowering vines are the result of strong curses, whether cast on purpose (often as a barrier or trap) by a skilled mage or sorceress or blindly by a vindictive, untrained person with some tiny magical ability. The latter are often a deathbed curse, so the tales claim.
The large blooms’ colors range from a fresh-blood crimson to an almost-black shade of dark red. These blooms often appear distorted, like opened, fanged mouths and the movements of the vines and leaves makes a sound closer to hissing than rustling. Many of those vexed by these flowers swear they seem genuinely malevolent and nearly sentient.
CURSED CLIMBING ROSES
Large Plant, Unaligned
Armor Class: 6
Hit Points 84 (8d10 + 40)
Speed: 15 feet
Strength 15 (+2)
Dexterity 10 (+0)
Constitution 10 (+0)
Intelligence 1 (-5)
Wisdom 6 (-2)
Charisma 1 (-5)
Condition Immunities: blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone
Senses: Blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius),
Passive Perception 8
Languages —
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Creepy Climber. The vines of Cursed Roses can climb up walls. They can also grow through or over fences, into open windows and doors, through large cracks or breaks, etc., much like an ooze. It ignores difficult terrain.
Cursed Roses often twine around sleeping victims, entangling them in the tough vines, digging the long, sharp thorns into flesh.
ACTION
Thorn Vines. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (3d6) slashing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained.
Design & Play Notes: The Cursed Rose Vines are, of course, the traditional challenge for Sleeping Beauty’s prince. Darker versions of the fairy tale, many by modern writers, feature roses which do much more than just impede would-be husbands of princesses. One of those modern Sleeping Beauty variants is Grace Draven’s wonderful fantasy romance novel Entreat Me. These Rose Vines are based off her scary floral descriptions. (Caution: the novel includes “adult” scenes–you have been warned.)
After a lot of thought, I decided that the Rose Vines acted most like the various 5e Oozes, which I used as a starting point. The Thorn Vines attack is a common melee damage-and-grapple combo.
This Cursed Rose Vine is of a size that has infiltrated some small bedchamber, solar, or garden. If it suits your purposes, Cursed Rose Vines can be much larger, yes, even big enough to cover a castle’s grounds.
Image: Baccara rose, a real black-red rose
Linda Whitson
Latest posts by Linda Whitson (see all)
- Astral Projections – The Ripperdoc Is In - May 8, 2023
