Green Men

NO. ENCOUNTERED: 1d4

SIZE: Medium (1 1/2' tall/HD)

HIT DICE: 2-5

MOVE:  15'

ARMOR CLASS: 14

NO. of ATTACKS: 2

DAMAGE: Sling thorns (1d6), Thorn claws (2d4)

SPECIAL: Entangle, Stun Spore

SAVES:  Physical

INTELLIGENCE: Low (6-8)

ALIGNMENT: Neutral

TYPE:  Plant

ORGANIZATION: Solitary*

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any

EXPERIENCE:  120-250

A curious denizen of the land of Grey Realm to be sure, the Green Men are elusive creatures that can blend in with foliage and vegetation. Considered by many as the spies of the forest, Green Men often serve in the employ of such fiends as rogue Elves or Faeries and other folk of the wilderness, using their camouflage to their advantage. For the Green Men specialize in hiding themselves in plain sight from simple, city dwelling mortals, and will often use no more than a tuft of weeds by a gate or a mass of ivy along a wall as cover. For the Green Men have faces that resemble leaves and long, spindly bodies reminiscent of vines or thin branches, and they can be as still as stone when they so choose, uttering not even a breath for hours on end if need be.  Green Men receive +4 to hide checks.

Green Men make excellent spies because of their ability to camouflage but also because of their ability to detect vibrations in the ground with their shallow roots and aerial movements through their leaves.

Combat

Green Men generally do not engage in open combat unless they are discovered, and even then they will likely try to surprise and distract their discoverer so that they can retreat and become entrenched in new surroundings. However, if hiding themselves again seems impossible, they will attack by slinging thorns (R: 30' for 1d6), slashing with thorn-like claws (2d4).  They also have the following special attacks:

Stun Spore:  Once per day, a Green Man may release a cloud of spores 20' x 20' x 20' which stuns any creature failing their constitution saving throw for 1d4 rounds.

Entangle:  Green Men do not often work in groups, especially if helping a fellow Green Man would compromise their position, but when they do they will use their unique physiology to their advantage. They will usually join hands as the battle wears on and using their other limbs similarly to roots they will slowly anchor themselves into the ground and form a prison of branches around their enemies.  Whenever two or more Green Men do this, the effect is similar to an entangle spell except that the Green Men are unaffected and for each round a victim is entangled they take 1d4 crushing damage.  If victorious, the Green Men will quickly and quietly go their separate ways, begrudging each other for losing a well earned hiding place.

Habitat/Society

Green Men may be cousins to such beings as the spriggans or other gobloid creatures, or may simply be the creations of druids and ecomancers of old. Very little is known of them other than the stories and rumors told around the fires of adventurers and farmers and others who may have seen them in fleeting glances. Green Men hold little camaraderie with one another, and may sometimes be seen together only if circumstance has forced them to hide close by one another, and view one another as competitors. It is not uncommon for Green Men to remain hidden for so long that they truly become one with their surroundings, unable to ever roam freely again. They will slowly harden and wither until all that is left is a stiff husk. For this reason, many folk decorate their homes with sculptures emulating the leafy corpses, sometimes for simple aesthetic pleasure and sometimes as wards in the hopes of warding off other malevolent spirits of the forest.