Plants with Defensive Abilities

Hey folks, something I couldn’t find in the NPC’s / Creatures examples was an example of a plant with defensive capabilities.

This could translate to all sorts of plants or inanimate objects, but what I’m trying to create specifically are Cacti that are not sentient, but if something comes within a certain distance / disturbs the cactus, it launches its needles / spikes to defend itself / dissuade predators and the like.

Do you think I should make some kind of Stat block for these things, or perhaps just treat them as a trap with a certain save throw or something?

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If you use the rules in Chapter 9, I could see your idea as an item with the Autonomous property and an associated bane attack. Then you’d have something for any clever PCs who want to use it as a resource for crafting! :grin:

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Easiest thing would be to just set them up as a trap.

Complex to make them an NPC/Creature

or like Brycelor, you could make it an item.

if NPC/Creature, they just have a held action that when something comes with in X feet, they deploy spikes.

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I think I’ll set them up as a trap. They are definitely used by PC’s and NPC’s alike as they are one of very few sources of potable water in my setting. Most beings will be pretty proficient, through experience, at avoiding the launch of needles in some way. So they’ll only really pose a danger when you don’t realize you’re near one, or when they are being whipped around in a storm, etc…

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