Word Verification Wednesday [Late Edition] - Carnfor

Another late post (ugh work), but this week's monstrisity, born from the randomness of word verification, is a variation on the killer plant and a bit of a nod in the direction of zombies without being zombies. Woohoo, let's hear it for not-zombies!

Carnfor
Tree
No. App.: 3d6
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: Stationary
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 8
Attacks: Special (see below)
Damage: Special (see below)
Save: L8
Morale: N/A
Hoard Class: None
Mutations: Natural vegetal weapons, vegetal parasite

Seed Host
No. App.: 6d6
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 90' (30')
Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 3
Attacks: 1
Damage: 4d6
Save: L4
Morale: N/A
Hoard Class: None
Mutations: Prehensile tendrals (simple), free movement, carnivore, animal limbs

Menacing the dark, overgrown forest of the northwestern regions of what used to be the United States are the strange creatures known as carnfors. The common form of this creature is actually the infected host body inhabited and dominated by the seed of the carnfor tree - mutant fir trees. They are feared from Banana Land commune of Olympus to the the wilderness of the Southern Free Ranges.

 

When a carnfor reaches maturity it grows hundreds of cones, heavy with seeds which it holds onto until the local migrations begin or a group of travellers blunders by. Carnfor trees are marginally intelligent and possess rudimentary senses of motion, heat and vibration that allow them to determine if the animals in their vacinity are of proper number and size to warrant dropping of their seeds. Canrfor trees are not foolish, however, and will drop their seeds on smaller groups or creatures if they have been without a propper host group - better some than none.

 

When a carnfor releases its seed cones, the result is a shower of grenade like missiles, falling in an area covering some 30' - 60' in diameter, per tree in a grove. Each carnfor spaces itself from its neighboring trees so that each tree covers an area that touches on the area of those next, guaranteeing maximum coverage in their grove. Once released, the seeds fall to the ground and explode in a show of sharp, piercing seeds. Anyone caught in the area of effect of carnfor tree seed release suffer 2d6 damage and becomes infected by 1d6 carnfor seeds.

 

Once infected, if the seeds are not removed within 3 rounds of infection (victim take 1d4 if the seeds are removed physically) a victim must save vs poison at -1 per infecting seed. Failure means that the seeds have taken root and the victim will begin to be taken over by the seeds, transformed into an ambulatory seed incubator.  As the victim's mind is consumed by the growing and highly invassive seeds, he will become quite unpredictable, unable to sleep, feeling a need to wander and keep moving at all times (Roll vs Will). 

 

The infection attacks the hosts central nervous system first, destroying a point of Intelligence for every day, per seed.Once the victim reaches zero Intelligence, his mind is totally destroyed and he is now completely controlled by the maturing seeds. At this time, the victim is a vehicle for the seeds and they will use him to seek out a new place to grow away from their parrent trees. Along the way, the seeds will continue to mature, converting body tissues into food and eventually replacing the host body with tuborous fibrous materials from which grow many flesh root stalks.

 

Seed hosts tend to stay together, forming roving bands. These bands, in constant need of food to continue their travels and maintain their growth, attack any living creatures they come across, bent on making a meal of them. Carnfor seed hosts are surprisingly powerful, their lumby, soily bodies able to exert sustantial fluid pressure that they can tranfer into motion through their limbs. Once a creature is killed by the seed host, it will be fed upon by sinking the root-like appeendages of the host into it's body, digesting it through a process of accelerated decomposition facilitated by enzimatic secretions.

 

Once the seed hosts have reached maturity, usually 3-6 weeks after initial infection, they will find a proper place to grow, burrying themselves and taking root. Carnfor trees grow incredibly fast and it only take a few years for them to reach maturity. Like most trees they will continue to grow as long as there is an ample supply of nutrients, sunlight and water.