More Blood for the Blood Vines

BLOOD VINE (#31/31, #31/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: The Blood Vine consists of a large buried bulb, attached to many long spiky vines that spread out from it like a spider's web, snaking across the ground, hiding under leaf litter, and draped from the lower branches of nearby trees.

Distribution: Plains, forests, jungles, marshes, lake-shores and river-banks across Khul.

 

Effects: The Blood Vine is a weird type of carnivorous plant found across Khul (see below), often growing in large 'patches' or colonies. A Blood Vine bulb is of interest to alchemists and herbalists for its chemical components, who will not just buy fresh bulbs but also information on the location of a Blood Vine colony where they can be harvested. Getting such bulbs is another matter, requiring spades, picks, lantern oil and a lot of effort to clear and harvest an entire patch; while each bulb itself is several feet across, requiring a wagon or cart to transport them.

 

Cost: City 20gp, Town 22gp, Village 24gp (per bulb)

 

Availability: Uncommon

 

BLOOD VINE (#1/28, #32/365) [OOTP IV]

 

SKILL: 7

STAMINA: 0 (see below)

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Blood Drain

ARMOUR: None

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Plains, Forests, Jungles, Marshes, Lakes/Rivers

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 6-36 (in a field or 'patch')

TYPE: Plant

REACTION: Neutral

INTELLIGENCE: None

One must be vigilant in the wilds of the Dark Continent of Khul lest they carelessly stumble into a field of BLOOD VINES! Any creature wandering into such an area will activate the plant's thorny tendrils. These will attempt to grab hold of the prey and dig their spikes into its flesh, starting to drain the unfortunate victim of blood, while dragging it towards a central bulb, where they will be pulled underground for leisurely digestion. Blood Vines are extremely dangerous as they are found in colonial patches of up to twenty or thirty plants, spread out across an area, waiting to snare anything unfortunate enough to come too close.

A victim must test their Awareness Special Skill if possible, as the vines start to slither around them. If they succeed, they quickly spot the safest route out of the patch, and only spend one Attack Round fighting the Blood Vines. If they fail the test, they blunder further into the patch and must spend 1-6 Attack Rounds fighting their way out!

A patch of Blood Vines is too large to be beaten with a few sword swings. The aim is to fend them off while escaping. Blood Vines attack by wrapping themselves around the body of a victim and sucking out blood - if they hit they cause 1-3 STAMINA damage per hit, with no protection from Armour or the Dodge Special Skill. Clearing a field of Blood Vines requires spades, picks, lantern oil and a lot of time and effort.  

(See also: Adventure Creation System, p. 227)