Giant Bladderwort (CR 3)

Originally Posted by Shade of the En World forums.

On this Thread

A giant bladderwort is a rootless water plant found floating in stagnant marshes. These carnivorous plants float just below the surface of the water, appearing to be a harmless mat of vegetation. It requires a DC20 Spot or Knowledge (nature) check to notice the plant is dangerous. A typical giant bladderwort is between 20 and 30 feet across.

Giant bladderworts trap prey inside translucent bladders about 4 feet across, each plant has 1d10+10 such traps, each bladder-trap occupies a separate 5-foot square. The bladders contain a partial vacuum, as soon as a creature bumps into a bladder it pops open and the water rushing into the vacuum will suck all creatures with 5 feet of the bladder into the trap unless they succeed on a DC 20 Reflex save. The plant then releases digestive enzymes that inflict 1d8 points of acid damage per round to all organic creatures (or objects) trapped by the bladder. Note that since the bladder is flooded with water, any air-breathing creature trapped within it also risks drowning. A bladder can trap 1 Medium, 2 Small, 8 Tiny, 32 Diminutive or 128 Fine creatures.

Each bladder has a lid with AC 12, DR 3/- and 10 hit points, the bladder’s lid can be broken open with a DC 20 Strength check or cut open by reducing the lid’s hit points to zero (creatures trapped inside the bladder can only use light slashing or piercing weapon to cut their way free). Once a bladder’s lid is forced open all creatures trapped inside can escape.

Each bladder can only trigger its trap once per day. It requires 24 hours for the trap to reseal its lid and restore its partial vacuum after the plant finishes digesting any meal it has trapped. It takes two weeks for the plant to replace a destroyed bladder.

Damage to the bladder-traps does not harm the plant, to kill a giant bladderwort its floating main body must be destroyed (AC 14, DR 5/-, 40 hit points).

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #167 (1991).