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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Phytohydra

Wood elementals are nearly as varied as plant life itself. The following are particularly powerful elementals formed when immense plants experience environmental stress.

The fresh shoots that sprout from especially grievous cuts sometimes develop minds of their own, eventually budding off from the injured plant to create a phytohydra.

Recall Knowledge - Elemental (Arcana, Nature): DC 30
Recall Knowledge - Plant (Nature): DC 30
Unspecific Lore: DC 28
Specific Lore: DC 25

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

PhytohydraCreature 12

Huge Elemental Plant Wood 
Source Pathfinder #203 Shepherd of Decay pg. 86
Perception +25
Languages Arboreal, Muan; (can't speak any languages)
Skills Acrobatics +21, Athletics +25
Str +7, Dex +3, Con +5, Int -1, Wis +4, Cha +2
AC 32; Fort +25, Ref +19, Will +22
HP 30 (body) 180; Immunities bleed, paralyzed, poison, sleep; Weaknesses fire 10
HP (head); Immunities area damage, bleed, paralyzed, poison, sleep; Weaknesses fire 10, slashing 5
Coppice Regrowth A phytohydra ordinarily has five heads. A creature can attempt to sever one of the heads by specifically targeting it and dealing damage equal to the head's Hit Points. A head that isn't completely severed returns to full Hit Points at the end of any creature's turn. A phytohydra can regrow a severed head using phytohydra regeneration. A creature can prevent this regrowth by dealing fire damage to the stump, sealing it. Single-target fire effects need to be targeted at a specific stump, but effects that deal splash damage or affect areas covering the hydra's whole space seal all stumps if they deal fire damage. If the attack that severs a head deals any fire damage or was dealt by an axe, the stump is sealed instantly. If all five heads are sealed, the phytohydra dies.Phytohydra Regeneration The phytohydra has regeneration equal to 5 × the number of heads it has. If a phytohydra's body is missing any heads and the remaining stumps haven't been cauterized, the phytohydra attempts a DC 35 Fortitude save after it regains Hit Points from regeneration. On a success, one unsealed stump regrows two heads; on a critical success, two unsealed stumps regrow into two heads each. The phytohydra can never grow more than double the number of heads it ordinarily has. The phytohydra's regeneration only fully deactivates if all its heads are severed and all stumps are sealed, at which point it dies.Reactive Heads A phytohydra gains an extra reaction per round for each of its heads beyond the first, which it can use only to make Reactive Strikes. It can't use more than 1 reaction on the same triggering action, even if a creature leaves several squares within its reach, and the phytohydra must use a different head for each Reactive Strike it makes. Whenever one of the phytohydra's heads is severed, the phytohydra loses one of its extra reactions per round.Reactive Strike [reaction] (see reactive heads)
Speed 25 feet, climb 25 feet
Melee [one-action] branch +25 [+20/+15] (reach 10 feet), Damage 4d6+11 bludgeoning plus Push 10 feetMelee [one-action] fangs +25 [+20/+15] (reach 10 feet), Damage 4d6+13 piercingFocused Assault [two-actions] The phytohydra attacks a single target with its many heads. The phytohydra Strikes with its branches or its fangs. On a successful attack, the phytohydra deals damage from its branches or fangs Strike to the target, plus an additional 2d6 damage for every head it has beyond the first. On a failure (but not a critical failure), the phytohydra deals the damage from one branch or fangs Strike to the target creature. This Strike counts as a number of attacks equal to the number of heads the phytohydra has toward its multiple attack penalty.Splinter Breath [two-actions] The phytohydra spews splinters in a 60-foot cone that deals 4d6 piercing damage to all creatures in the area (DC 32 basic Reflex save). The damage increases by 2d6 for each head the phytohydra has. The phytohydra can't use Splinter Breath again for 1d4 rounds.Storm of Branches [two-actions] The phytohydra makes a number of Strikes up to its number of heads, each against a different target. These attacks count toward the phytohydra's multiple attack penalty, but the multiple attack penalty doesn't increase until after the phytohydra makes all its attacks.

Sidebar - Treasure and Rewards Arboreal Treasures

The same wounds that form phytohydras often generate vast quantities of sap that the elementals absorb. Over time, the elementals' movement dries and compresses this sap, leaving nodules of amber throughout their bodies. A careful adventurer can harvest a fortune in gems from the oldest phytohydras, and even a severed head left behind could conceal a life-changing bonanza.

All Monsters in "Elemental, Wood"

NameLevel
Carved Beast6
Elemental Thicket11
Living Grove5
Moss Sloth2
Nursery Crawler3
Painted Stag9
Phytohydra12
Pine Pangolin7
Snapdrake8
Timberweb14
Twins of Rowan13
Vegetable Lamb1
Whipping Willow4

Elemental, Wood

Source Rage of Elements pg. 204 2.0
At first glance, wood elementals might not seem to have the same destructive potential as their cousins from the Planes of Fire, Water, or Air, but don't be fooled. The woods can be a dangerous place.

Though some resemble animals, the elemental beasts presented here are still plants, and their life cycles reflect it. Vegetable lambs grow on rooted stalks, from which they can't be removed until they've matured (or perhaps ripened), leaving them dependent on their immediate surroundings for food. Moss sloths are little more than lumps of green fluff for the first century of their existence, only gaining limited mobility once they can grow their defensive wooden claws.

Elemental

Related Groups Elemental, Air, Elemental, Air, Elemental, Earth, Elemental, Earth, Elemental, Fire, Elemental, Fire, Elemental, Mephit, Elemental, Metal, Elemental, Scamp, Elemental, Water, Elemental, Water, Elemental, Wisp
The Elemental Planes—primordial realms defined by aspects of air, earth, fire, or water—are home to a diverse group of beings known as elementals. Spellcasters on the Material Plane call upon elementals for aid, though these enigmatic creatures can also travel to the world of mortals via interplanar gateways and rifts. The elementals on these pages exemplify the creatures of the Elemental Planes, but this list is by no means exhaustive.

Sidebar - Additional Lore A Brain By Any Other Name

Even if Lady Shumunue taught the wood elementals' ancestors to mimic animals, a wood elemental's consciousness is contained not in a brain but in its root system. Entities like nursery crawlers, living groves, and carved beasts use this to their advantage. That an elemental's wooden body can be carved and crafted, apparently without lasting harm, implies that they might not feel pain so long as their roots remain undamaged.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Wild But Unwild

Many wood elementals are created by kizidhar and other powerful creatures on the Plane of Wood and placed in rote roles. Populating nature preserves and sprawling estates, they can be unsure how to behave if released into the wild. They're essentially born domesticated and will likely act far differently than the wild creatures they mimic, even in natural environments. Their natural predators are few, putting the elementals at less risk, although they're still sometimes eaten by giant termites or captured by some as pets.