Dungeons and Dragons lore: Carnivorous plants

[@justinbaskall8291]

We're Gonna Need a Ten-Foot Pole for this one... And Timestamps. Those should help. 0:18 Intro and Become a Member/Patreon Patron 0:38 Triffids and Plant Creatures in D&D 2:22 Sundews, Pitchers, and How to Use them 3:46 Tri-Flower Fronds, Traits of all Carnivorous plants 5:39 Tactics for the Tri-Flower 7:26 Thorn Slinger 8:42 Assassin Vines (Check out that Artwork) 11:10 Mantraps and Tactics 13:00 Yellow Musk Creepers 15:18 Tactics of the Creeper 17:42 Combining the Plants to make an amazing encounter/ environment. You know, sometimes just seeing artwork of this stuff gives you ideas of little things you can add to your game. Imagine walking into a forest and finding a tree covered in writhing vines, with the corpses of animals and humanoids hanging from the limbs, with bones and more visceral rotting at the ground around the base of the plant. Gruesome, and I have no doubt would make even experienced D&D players wonder wth is going on. In any case, don't forget to Like, Share, Comment, and Subscribe, check out AJ's Patreon and KZbin Membership pages to support the channel, and see you all next time.

[@AJPickett]

Thank you Justin :)

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

Time stamps. Yes, we all need time stamps. Might be more important than the ten ft. poles for these monsters. Thanks, guy 😊

[@benediktreinartz1184]

Cool, very much appretiated! :)

[@benediktreinartz1184]

appreciated* sry, no native speaker here...

[@docop8926]

Thnx for this

[@matthill5426]

Fun fact: the largest life form on Earth is a fungus in the Pacific north-west, stretching miles in diameter just underneath the soil. X-Files even had an episode extrapolated from it, wherein Mulder and Scully were investigating disappearances near a cave. It turns out, people were being lured into and paralyzed by the hallucinatory effect of the fungus, to be slowly broken down and composted.

[@purplehaze2358]

“Think of this as retribution for every single salad, fruit, etc. you’ve ever eaten, filthy species of the kingdom animalia.”

[@LurkerDaBerzerker]

*Relevant and Supportive Comment* "No Mary Jane, nooooo!" *Ker-chomp*

[@victorvaldez8869]

Yellow Musk Creepers sound perfect additions to bolster the defensive ranks of the Golgari in one of their districts in the streets of Ravnica. Especially good if you hear the Rakdos are moving their circus too close for comfort, you just have a few of these lining a defensive perimeter. I can also picture the Violet Musk Creeper as a violet fungus for what would basically be an Underdark reskin of the Yellow Musk Creeper.

[@AJPickett]

Some sort of Illidid experiment involving violet fungus, for sure.

[@tatsusama3192]

This reminds me of that movie that came out several years ago. Some college kids were going to some South American ruins for spring break or something. Ended up stumbling onto some ancient pyramid with an evil living bush with flowers that could mimic sounds by vibrating the stamen😂 The small village that lived near the ruins was an ancient community that lived there with the soul purpose of making sure it couldn't grow anywhere BUT that pyramid it had taken over. They even kept the Earth salted around the area. Anything that went into that circle was immediately shot if it tried to get out

[@AJPickett]

Ha ha, that is exactly the movie I was talking about :) "The Ruins" 2008

[@tatsusama3192]

@@AJPickett haha, Sorry. It's early here. Missed that part😋 Should have payed more attention

[@puckshriekstheim6114]

Great movie. Being stuck on a pyramid, waiting for the plant to burrow into you and use you as fertilizer, or get shot for trying to run. Horrifying concept.

[@AJPickett]

@@puckshriekstheim6114 Yeah, I really liked that movie. Well, all but how it ended.

[@markusnavergard2387]

" Feed me DM!"

[@jgr7487]

1) have a nobleman with strange tastes 2) they own a massive greenhouse 3) sh¡t happens 4) all the plants that can work in tandem are free in a city 5) ... 6) enjoy the TPK

[@puckshriekstheim6114]

Favorite flower I ever made up was a Fey-catcher. They attempt to eat the first fairy/Sprite/etc they encounter once they bud. The flower they bloom into was different depending on if they caught a fairy,a sprite, or other fey of that size. Usually based on the Fairies powers.

[@AJPickett]

That's pretty good, could make a great variation on the Tri-Flower Frond.

[@SageofCancer]

FEED ME SEYMOUR, FEEED MEE One of the plants takes a level of Bard and suddenly can distract adventurers really easily while its plant-buddies secure the kill.

[@joshuazane3210]

The Clark Ashton Smith story "The Garden of Adompha" was about a murderous king who had body parts from his victims magically grafted onto the plants in his garden. I think one could use a similar idea (grafting human/animal parts onto plants) to create unique enemies and/or profoundly disturb one's players.

[@matthill5426]

Another point not touched upon is the role of toadstools and mushrooms in faerie lore, specifically Faerie rings in Ireland. Some unintelligent, non-threatening mushrooms may have a Plane Shift effect to the Feywild, possibly only if a certain specific ritual is done, perhaps unintentionally, such as walking around the circle counter-clockwise from a cardinal point.

[@AJPickett]

Fungi are not plants.

[@Greenscyth22]

Awesome video! I've always loved killer plants like Tendriculos, Greenvises, Oaken Defenders and Burrow Roots. I literally have a tattoo of an Assassin Vine on my left bicep!!! I've always wanted to play a angry Verdant Lord who brings all the worst ecological monstrosities out of the forest to wage war against some encroaching kingdom.

[@harris734]

"Ok O_O" Adds a jar Of lamp oil To my tool belt. *shivers* lol

[@AJPickett]

Lantanese Oil Spray Ignition Pump, for all those who wish to apply flame from a safe distance!

[@definitelynotawizard2828]

I was actually thinking about designing an island dominated by plants for my Pathfinder 1st edition homebrew setting so this was a very useful video for me. My idea so far is to have a magical artifact at the center of the island that's empowering the local plant life and also spreading a magical disease that turns anything that's not a plant into a plant. An idea I got from the Plantblood template from Green Ronin's Advanced Bestiary for Pathfinder 1st edition. It's not the most original idea but I find that some of the best ideas aren't.

[@mathewpoole3589]

As someone who's fascinated by ecology, carnivorous plants (IRL and fantasy) have always interested me. The one thing that displeases me about DND carnivorous plants, is that most of them are classified as neutral evil while most man eating beast are just neutral.

[@AJPickett]

agreed,

[@matthill5426]

Mathew Poole Though, if you have a character named Seymore, a giant, carnivorous, intelligent neutral evil Venus flytrap would be perfectly reasonable...

[@mathewpoole3589]

@@matthill5426 But the difference there is intelligence.... And a little shop.

[@kyleellis9177]

I made pine trees that shoot out needles into passing creatures and then the needles require a save for each one. if failed an infection spreads and a new bonepine grows from the body. they are identified by the skeleton around the trees base.

[@jorgeb1015]

Awesome video, specially for druids and nature-related characters. I've always wanted to see more nature stuff. Great job. Very inspiring.

[@AJPickett]

Thanks Jorge!

[@zacharyhawley1693]

When you have annoying neighbors/ live close to a thieves guild and you have max botany. Everyone loves pretty flowers and sometimes the city guard really should look the other way when certain people just vanish particularly near your vast botanical estate.

[@matthill5426]

For more inspiration, consider the technologically-advanced fungal Mi-Go race from the planet Yugoth in HP Lovecraft’s •The Whisperer in Darkness”!

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

This will help my feywild game a lot, thank you

[@volstad44]

A.j. loremaster: "Definately a carniverous plant." Dwark fighter: *scowls* Elven druid: "HAHAHAHA......what?" *confused arousal*

[@AJPickett]

OK, that made me LOL

[@zhondortoth8699]

I love lower grade plants 1d4 damage for early play, a threat to lvl1 thieves climbing a house or hoboes that set up camp in the wrong spot but just part of the flora at higher levels. Then again a the last of us city with yellow musk on every crumbling building is fun as well.

[@therebelempire0289]

Brilliant! Time for some plant based side quests!!!

[@nicholasschoonbeck6866]

I can't remember where or what its called but there's a type of pitcher plant I believe that coats the upper side in sugary goodness & a local little mammal creature sits above the pitcher so it can lick the upper part & its shits into the pitcher, feeding the plant.

[@AJPickett]

This is why we need Pizza and Burger trees.

[@theblocksays]

Id be funny if that's something Phanatons do. www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Phanaton_(3.5e_Creature)

[@GringatTheRepugnant]

Woe betide the player that joins in the campaign with the biologist DM! I've had a lot of fun with plant creatures in the past. A nest of assassin vines in the lair of an exiled grimstalker in the feywild is the first PK I ever had. Also, have a look at the Calthagar from Pathfinder. Icy flowers with alien sentience, able to fire sharp seeds and are healed by cold damage? They're an interesting one for sure. And a risky mission to undertake just for the sake of having the prettiest flower arrangements for the nobles' wedding...

[@That80sGuy1972]

Great video AJ. Carnivorous plants: The most underrated AD&D monster. Even veteran players underestimate them until they stop chuckling and then say "Oh Gods, this is bad. This is really, really bad. We needed to take this serious quite a while ago." Also, you can still spring them on your veterans or players who have all AD&D monster stats memorized if you homebrew them just a touch. I also created some horror story level carnivorous plants (did I mention that survival horror is one of my favorite gaming styles?) for my campaigns. If you are chopping through a lot of classical ones like these in my campaigns, stop being confident and be afraid of what is using these plants as distraction pawns.

[@frankm2662]

l love you video it gave me a fun idea. with a Necromancer is attacking a castle and the castle defenders planted some of the carnivorous plants and do a plants vs zombies thing. do you think something like that will work will the plants attack the undead.

[@frankm2662]

sorry i meant to say i loved your video i have bad riding skills

[@AJPickett]

Awww... well video loves you to.

[@mattnerdy7236]

Hey AJ, great video! I have been waiting for you to cover the Yellow Musk Creeper. I thought it would be its own video but great job doing a whole man eating plant video. I did a cultist boss with a creeper skull tailsman. It's a plant and fungus based encounter. With some zombies and humaniods. Thanks AJ & have a great day.

[@schizocdboy]

These will come in very useful in the coastal redwood setting I've been working on.

[@CapitanGreenhat]

I always liked the idea of the whomping willow or whatever it was from harry potter. Basically a tree with a lot of slam attacks. Or the gas pods from no mans sky, I can totally imagine a swamp full of hundred of various sized gas pods that erupt in a fog of whatever effect, there are a ton of spells to Basically pick from for an effect. Are they all the same? Is it a cloud of rot? A rust cloud via a fungus? With so many effects it can be hard to prepare, bring a cryomancer i guess?

[@starwall8755]

My Chult campaign is about to get a whole lot more interesting

[@gageabdul]

This video just gave me an idea for a story I am writing

[@markusnavergard2387]

yeah, fungus beings should not be here since they are Fungi, Fungi are a third kingdom, closer to animals than to plants but still their own weird thing

[@dubuyajay9964]

Yeah, no chlorophyll, thus they are not plants.

[@markusnavergard2387]

@@dubuyajay9964 they also use enzyms to digest matter, like animals but arnt animals. they are Fungi.

[@antwan1357]

You gave me an idea , technically mosquitoes do not need blood to live , but they need blood in order to reproduce. You could create a species of plants that does not need animals to live , but need animals to reproduce.

[@GringatTheRepugnant]

For most flowering plants, that is already the case!

[@joshwist556]

antwan1357 Awww naw mate. It’s enough that we haves actual bugs planting their eggs in others in real life. I don’t want to imagine cockroaches xenomorphing out of a body en masses.

[@antwan1357]

I was considering a plant that acts more like a parasite. It gives a tiny cut as you pass it. And merely with that drop of blood it pollinates where your blood drops out. Leaving a trail of where you went. A great way to trail a player or npc . If you knew the npc passed this way you could tell how long ago based upon how mature the plants growing where . Like a botanical detective.

[@santawashere4877]

I would have intelligent natives like the Batiri cultivate carnivorous plants for defense and battle. A yellow musk creeper in a clay jar makes an effective grenade.

[@syspreadbury4512]

Another excellent video, thank you for all your work

[@markusnavergard2387]

weird monster like animals, like Owlbears, Blame wizards, Hostile plants, Blame druids. Bored magic users are dangerous

[@Scortch-lo3xy]

ah this was the video you were talking about yesterday? very cool, also i must say that certainly was a fast upload.

[@00784865]

Can you do a video on symbiots and grafts in dnd? Great video, as always.

[@mudshrooze]

I love plant monsters man. Making swamps forests and jungles full of them are so fun. Even some deserts

[@joewhite6844]

What's that movie about the kids trap on top of pyramid with the plants...

[@AJPickett]

"The Ruins" 2008

[@chriscalvin5083]

Good video AJ

[@ethanotoroculus1060]

_FEED ME SEYMOUR_

[@verticalflats2816]

I am kind of surprised you did not add something like the plant from little shop of horrors to this group.

[@AJPickett]

Man Trap basically is that creature, physically.. though the Shop Monster is an intelligent, singing plant alien.

[@AureliusDux99]

Another great video! Thank you for the information and Inspiration you give tenfold in these videos! Do you think you could please do a video on the Boneclaw? I think it’s an interesting creature and thinking about wanting to use it in a upcoming session, if you did it would absolutely make my day while listening to it on the way to work.

[@AJPickett]

OK :)

[@AureliusDux99]

AJ Pickett thank you!! 🙏😭 I love the undead and recently stumbled upon the boneclaw and really wanted to learn more but noticed there really wasn’t any videos about them.

[@ethantaillefer-meyn9772]

So the creeper plant is basically a vegetable chrysalid, I don’t know how to feel about that

[@michaelkelligan7931]

Wheres the vampire tree at AJ?

[@docop8926]

13:14 that's a pot leaf

[@brodeeo]

Doing a Chult theme pathfinder game so just in time :D

[@andrewhalverson6974]

I loved day of the triffids as a kid. Had a tree behind my house that looted like one at night. Lol. That movie would be a great campaign idea!

[@florenmage]

I've always thought that dinosaurs and lizard people go well in a jungle with these things.I don't know.I guess its because of the green.

[@flibbernodgets7018]

Yellow Musk Creepers remind me of the Lungblossom, a plant-based boss in the game Bastion. I tried to recreate ot in one encounter I ran but didn't think to use these stats.

[@Taylor1989s]

Well now I got to work on my world geeze great video though!

[@AJPickett]

"What are the dangers of the fire swamp? Rodents of unusual size?" *ranger looks haunted* "Only the gods would be so merciful... no... rats can not survive there"

[@sesimie]

Gonnah run a one shot in the feywild. I'll be using these.

[@DracosDiabolis]

oh time to have some fun with a Circle of Spores Druid. ..... raise a zombie. and just plant a few of these plants inside the walking cadaver. and send them on the loose. and when you or the zombie (cant remeber which) when you can release spores. these plants are your spores. have fun

[@theblocksays]

I remember an issue of Dragon Magazine (I think 1st ed era)'s creature catalog which had stats for a giant pitcher plant, giant Venus flytrap, and the Pilfer Vine which I believe may have been inspiration for the Assassin Vine, only this one as I recall merely would just snatch shiny objects a player is carrying on them. I keep forgetting they can also animate mundane plants around them too, I could easily see Pilfer vines doing that too. In my head-cannon Greek Inspired setting I always imagine their genesis naturally being that Hermes once cut his finger on a particularly sharp briar and drops of his blood landed and absorbed into roots of some adjacent creeper vines. You could probably do another accompanying video for the dangerous trees which aren't Treants. Such as Hangman Trees, Dark Trees, Ironmaws, and I guess the Orcwort?

[@jgr7487]

channel's name: AJ Pikett AJ: "It's AJ, from TMG Channel!" oh the chaos! I do know that there was a poll on it, I even voted for the status quo.

[@AJPickett]

How about " Hey there everyone it's AJ the monster guy" ?

[@jgr7487]

@@AJPickett idk, I like the weird one better

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

This makes me think of the Flowering Vine from Jumanji.

[@anathema1828]

Amazing stuff! I’ll certainly be plopping these little buddies into my encounters in the depths of the Xen’drik wilderness 🕳️

[@johngleeman8347]

All excellent "friends" to place around an evil druid circle's lair. >:3

[@backroomgaming3305]

I love simple creatures.... I love using them against my high level group... if used right they can get that one round in of damage but more importantly....they burn resources.

[@AJPickett]

and in the case of the acid spitting plants.. they burn faces!

[@davidlewis8814]

Terrific. I have a party lost in a haunted jungle… they’re so screwed…

[@tOGGLEwAFFLES]

The very first ttrpg I participated in we fought a giant sundew.

[@musicloverfromA45]

Great video as always AJ! gioing to use some of these in my homebrewed game. I was wondering if you could shed some light on the fey creature known as a Forlarren?

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

Dungeon Dad just did one a couple days ago.

[@AJPickett]

I'm only just scratching the surface of Pathfinder creature lore.

[@taurvanath]

Thanks for the video. 💚

[@Purple.mind...Honored.one.]

5 level 20 PC's and one big jungle, a moving jungle

[@devinnichols6648]

Love your vids

[@drakeford4860]

You know, it occurred to me while listening about all these predatory plants that 5e seemingly has nothing resembling an Alraune. There's a few questionable homebrewed races, but nothing particularly worthy of note. It's a great shame too, since I could see them, depending on the version used, making an excellent addition as a random woodland encounter, a minor (albeit dangerous) NPC to run into during a quest in the wilderness, or even the boss of a low-level adventure (I could certainly imagine the creation of a sort of small town greenhouse-cult). I suppose this could be because their more recent pop-culture incarnations have been a little less _Book of Vile Darkness_ and a little more _Book of Erotic Fantasy,_ but then Wizards were happy enough to include Succubi and Lamias (and I'm am sure there are others in this vein which I have failed to recall), so that explanation seems a bit less than airtight. Any thoughts on the matter AJ?

[@cadenceclearwater4340]

In the book, Triffids are genetically engineered plants, farmed for their oil. They're kept in high security compounds due to their threat. Then, the meteorite shower happens. 🪴

[@alexandersmith9144]

The three headed one also reminds me of Biollante from the Godzilla franchise. Especially with the yellow one being able to spit acidic sap.

[@Honyi1]

What about a croups flower??

[@AJPickett]

That needs its own video

[@Lucanoptek]

Heck yes, i love plants monsters

[@utter-noncents]

What about non carnivorous but equally magical plants (i wont stop till the video on herbivores drops)

[@cameronpearce5943]

Musk Zombies and the Corps Flower are a great combo

[@DkKombo]

We're gonna need a bigger spray...

[@matthewbuss1804]

Assassin Kelp would be so nasty.

[@Jim_Owen]

Is there a video on the Corpse Flower?

[@AJPickett]

hmmm, I'm not sure, I don't think so.

[@The_Petrichor]

Think you could do a video on Trithereon? Maybe a vid on the gods from other settings in gen?

[@jameswilliams2075]

Imagine an elephant musk zombie with over 30 other carnivorous plants on It

[@carlborneke8641]

That sounds terrifying

[@jameswilliams2075]

@@carlborneke8641 thank you

[@muninrob]

Are the frogs a sound effect or your local wildlife?

[@AJPickett]

Sound effect, the frogs here outside in my fish pond are doing well this year though.

[@cryzone2376]

awsome video!

[@davidfletcher6703]

How about a predatory plant based on that one plant in New Zealand thats in one of national parts, the one that has those stinging spines on their leaves that killed that on guy years ago when he when hiking in that park, i cant remember the name of it or the toxin they inject

[@AJPickett]

You will have to find me a link because thats unlike any Native New Zealand plant I know of. We have an invasive species that infests a beach and can cause blindness from the sap... a lot that are toxic to eat and many that cause mild irritation. We don't have anything like the Australian Dendrocnide moroides (Stinging tree or Gympie Gympie)

[@davidfletcher6703]

@@AJPickett, I think it may have been the AMA-AMA, I cant remember what the name of the toxin was that killed him, it was one of the types that it requires a very specific test to detect

[@davidfletcher6703]

@@AJPickett, either that or the Urtica furox

[@AJPickett]

​@@davidfletcher6703 "On Boxing Day 1961 two young men hunting in the Ruahine Range stumbled through a patch of tree nettle and received a number of stings on their limbs. Within an hour one of them had difficulty in walking and breathing, and then lost his sight. He died five hours later in hospital. His friend had similar symptoms, but recovered. Although this is the only fatal incident on record, a number of people have been very ill for two to three days after being stung" so yes, it can kill.

[@padalan2504]

What would happen if a Yellow musk bulb is implanted on a troll?

[@AJPickett]

I'm inclined to say Something Weird.

[@ivory867]

Can you make a video on half orc pls?

[@keiths81ca]

Please leave me and my evil thoughts alone. Thanks A.J.

[@steveno3141]

Hunt the yellow Cooper Vine reminds me of the Ruins

[@DkKombo]

*The plants want to touch me.*

[@AKNeal81]

I thought it just sounded cool when i told my dad that i got him a carnivorous plant for Father's Day but this video just upped the cool factor to deeply nerdy for that pitcher plant!

[@llewelynshingler2173]

Are you going to talk of the Daelkyr?

[@AJPickett]

Eberron lore is not high on my list of subjects to cover.

[@llewelynshingler2173]

@@AJPickett Understood. There's a lot of universal Lore as is.

[@Sneemaster]

Who painted the picture of you at the beginning of the episode? Or was it photoshopped? Either way, it's awesome.

[@AJPickett]

Its a bit of art from Dragon Magazine, and about 20 minutes of my playing around with my smart phone and MSPaint and Paint.net I don't use photoshop because it is too damn expensive.

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

AJ, are you on anything other than Patreon? I wanna give you a few bits, but I don't like Patreon anymore

[@AJPickett]

You can become a member of the channel right here on KZbin.

[@MrJudeWanamaker]

Will you record and post games you either play or run or organize?

[@SlothinAintEasy]

Makes my druid sheets excited

[@BadwickProductions]

Thanks AJ I can't trust my house plants now lol

[@pOOkiNG79]

Hate me, but I'm just shamlessly plugging my sister's new D&D we series...

[@pOOkiNG79]

Subscribed and 🔔 kind sir!

[@michaelkelligan7931]

Like if you've encountered the dreaded Hangmans Tree! 🌲

[@glorbojibbins2485]

That was a good one

[@anubisgodess2353]

This video was enlightening and very informativey!😆 😁My partner has been stroking my interest for D&D for a while and I know of all the classes and the races but I want to try something different. So based of a manga I love my idea is a Homebrew Farmer who cultivates these monsters plants not only finding uses for them to benefit my party and other races but also having them for support in combat! Like a monster farmer!🌱☺ However I wish I could find a way to plant monsters and turn them into plants aswell.🤔

[@finepilot7777]

I know it has been a year lol but I love this idea, if you haven’t already done it, I recommend getting a pot of awakening for this home brew!

[@anubisgodess2353]

@@finepilot7777 You bet your sweet bippy I'm still around and still working on it to this day actually😫. I never even knew there was an item called that thanks for the great recommendation anything else you might want to throw my way?😯✏📓

[@dragonballtalk8527]

Weird noise at beginning

[@lelduck6388]

That’s throat singing