Spirit Tree

the way out of combat. Those with riders are usually directed to attack the same opponent as the rider.

Energy Drain (Su): A spectral steed that hits a target with its bite bestows one negative level upon the target. The Fortitude save to remove the negative level has a DC of 12.

Soul Charge (Su): Once per day, a spectral steed can make a charge attack at a single corporeal creature. The steed passes through the target’s square and the target itself (provoking an attack of opportunity for doing so) and bestows 1d4 negative levels upon the target, which must also make a Fortitude save (DC 12) or be stunned for 1 round. The spectral steed can continue moving after using this attack, up to its normal speed. It cannot use this attack on incorporeal opponents or those protected by force effects (such as mage armor). If it has a rider, the rider also passes through the target, and the target can use its attack of opportunity against the steed or the rider.

Incorporeal: A spectral steed can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, +1 or better magic weapons, spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. The creature has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source, except for force effects or attacks made with ghost touch weapons. A spectral steed can pass through solid objects, but not force effects, at will. Its attacks ignore natural armor, armor, and shields, but deflection bonuses and force effects work normally against them. A spectral steed always moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks if it doesn’t wish to be.

Sunlight Powerlessness (Ex): Spectral steeds are utterly powerless in natural sunlight (not merely a daylight spell) and flee from it. A spectral steed caught in sunlight cannot attack and can take only partial actions.

Undead Traits: Immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, necromantic effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, or death from massive damage. A spectral steed cannot be raised, and resurrection works only if it is willing. The creature has darkvision (60foot range).

Huge Plant Hit Dice: 7d8+35 (66 hp) Initiative: –1 (Dex) Speed: 10 ft. AC: 20 (–2 size, –1 Dex, +13 natural) Attacks: 2 slams +12 melee Damage: Slam 2d6+13 Face/Reach: 10 ft. by 10 ft./15 ft. Special Attacks: Trample 2d12+4 Special Qualities: Blindsight 30 ft., fire vulnerability, half damage from piercing, plant traits, plurality of minds, potion sap, spell-like abilities, tree leader, wood speech Saves: Fort +10, Ref +1, Will +6 Abilities: Str 28, Dex 8, Con 20, Int 15, Wis 15,

Cha13 Skills: Concentration +10, Diplomacy +3, Hide –9*,

Intuit Direction +5, Knowledge (any one) +6,

Knowledge (ghost lore) +6, Knowledge (nature) +9,

Listen +11, Sense Motive +9, Spot +11, Wilderness

Lore +9 Feats: Alertness, Iron Will, Spell Penetration Climate/Terrain: Temperate or warm forest Organization: Solitary or grove (4–7) plus 1–3

Arboreal Guardians Challenge Rating: 10

Treasure: Standard coins, goods, and items; double potions Alignment: Often chaotic good Advancement: By character class

Spirit trees are the repositories of elf and half-elf souls. They practice nature magic and preserve the knowledge and history of the souls within them. Superficially resembling treants, spirit trees may or may not have portions of their bark that resemble elven faces. Their speech is like rustling leaves and creaking branches, and they can draw upon the mem-

ories, personalities, and consciousness of any of the souls residing within them. Spirit trees originate from normal trees; some quirk of sprouting or development causes a tree to attract elf souls, and after a few have come to rest there, it develops a communal consciousness and the powers of an adult spirit tree.

Spirit trees have the best and worst qualities of elves: their joy, their belief in personal freedom, their arrogance, and their xenophobia. It is thought that the first few elf souls a tree acquires help shape its personality, and thereafter, most of the souls it attracts are those of similar temperament. As such, most spirit trees are chaotic good (like most elves), but trees of a darker and more cruel mindset also exist in the Spirit Wood.

The trees develop bonds with certain living creatures, usually elf or half-elf druids or rangers. These beings, called Arboreal Guardians, are the trees’ agents and their contact with the outside world and living elven communities. The Arboreal Guardians usually live near their bonded tree, and the tree prefers to keep at least one of its guardians within 300 feet of it at all times. A tree attracts guardians of an alignment similar to its own, and usually the soul of a slain guardian merges with its tree.

COMBAT

Spirit trees usually rely on their Arboreal Guardians to protect them, and the spirit trees use their magic to heal their allies or to summon help. When they are forced to, they pound opponents with huge tree limbs or trample.

Trample (Ex): A spirit tree can trample Mediumsize or smaller creatures for 2d12+4 points of damage.

Opponents who do not make attacks of opportunity against the spirit tree can attempt a Reflex save (DC22) for half damage.

Blindsight (Ex): A spirit tree has no visual organs, but they can sense all creatures within 30 feet by using sound, scent, and vibration. Invisibility and darkness are irrelevant, though the tree still can’t discern ethereal beings. The tree usually does not need to make Spot or Listen checks to notice creatures within range of its blindsight ability.

Plant Traits: A spirit tree is immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. It is not subject to critical hits or mind-affecting effects. The creature also has low-light vision.

Plurality of Minds (Ex): A spirit tree advances by character class but never takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing. Spirit trees are not subject to the special restriction of monks or paladins who multiclass.

Potion Sap (Su): A spirit tree has the ability to create potions from the materials within its own body. The tree can create a potion of any spell or spell-like ability of up to 3rd level that it can use. Making a potion takes 8 hours. The tree takes 2 points of Constitution damage per spell level of the potion created and must consume rare herbs and ingredients with a value equal to the cost to create the potion using the Brew Potion feat. These potions are normally hidden under the tree and given only to its Arboreal Guardians to use. Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day— animal friendship, create water, cure light wounds, cure moderate wounds, entangle, faerie fire, goodberry, light, move earth, speak with animals, speak with plants, summon nature’s ally IV. Caster level 7th; save DC 11 + spell level. Tree Leader (Su): A spirit tree can cause up to three trees within 100 feet to animate and follow it at a speed of 10 feet. The animated trees are not intelligent and do not gain any combat abilities. Animated trees lose their ability to move if the spirit tree that animated them is incapacitated or moves out of range. This ability is normally used by a spirit tree to relocate other trees from an area of danger or to repopulate a deforested area.

Wood Speech (Su): A spirit tree can telepathically communicate with its Arboreal Guardians or any other spirit tree at a range of 1 mile.

Skills: Spirit trees receive skills as if they were fey. *They have a +16 racial bonus on Hide checks made in forested areas.