Savage Menagerie: Medusaweed

No. Enc.: 1d4
Alignment: None
Movement: None
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: Special
Damage: Stun, Special
Save: L2
Morale: None
Hoard Class: None

Medusaweed is an insidious naturally occurring plant found in deep overgrown forests in the Mutant Future. They appear to be the same as any other overgrown vines, snaking up tree trunks, hanging from branches, or laying across the forest floor. A strange sign that a Medusaweed patch is present is the appearance of 1d4 lifelike vine-covered "statues" scattered throughout the area. These are actually the fossilized victims of the 'Weed.

If a character comes into contact with Medusaweed for more than 2 rounds, he should roll a save versus poison attacks. If the save fails, he will be paralyzed by the vine's slowly absorbed dermal poison sap. The slow-acting poison ensures that a victim is unaware of the danger until they are well within the Medusaweed patch. Once paralyzed, the vine will slowly start wrapping itself around the character, which then triggers the Medusaweed's fossilization mutation. The 'Weed will begin "feeding" on the character for 2d4 points of damage each round. As it absorbs the character's life force, the character's flesh will begin to fossilize, turning to a calcified stone-like substance. When the character's hit points are completely absorbed, all that remains is a rock-like "husk" of the dead character. If a character makes the initial save vs. poison, he is able to pull himself away from the Medusaweed, but he takes 2d4 points of damage from the plant's initial attempt to calcify the character.

Medusaweed moves incredibly slowly, so there is no danger to the cautious character. But one who stumbles into a Medusaweed patch alone may find himself as yet another "statue" in the wilderness.

Mutations: dermal poison sap, fossilization