This tangled mass of thick reeds extends from a bulbous pod split by a wide, thorn-toothed maw.
Stranglereed CR 9
XP 6,400
N Large plant (aquatic)
Init +9; Senses low-light vision; Perception +10
Defense
AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+5 Dex, +9 natural, -1 size)
hp 114 (12d8+60)
Fort +13, Ref +11, Will +5
Defensive Abilities all-around vision, DR 5/slashing; Immune plant traits
Weaknesses vulnerable to fire
Offense
Speed 5 ft., climb 10 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee 2 tendrils +16 (2d8+7 plus grab), bite +15 (1d8+7)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (5 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks constrict (2d8+7), grab, pull (tendril, 5 ft.), strangle, suffocate
Statistics
Str 25, Dex 20, Con 21, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +9; CMB +17 (+21 grapple); CMD 32 (can't be tripped)
Feats Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Lunge, Skill Focus (Stealth), Stealthy, Weapon Focus (tendrils)
Skills Climb +15, Escape Artist +7, Perception +10, Stealth +15, Swim +15
SQ freeze, water dependency
Ecology
Environment warm rivers or lakes
Organization solitary or patch (2-6)
Treasure incidental
Special Abilities
Freeze (Ex) A stranglereed can hold itself so still that it appears to be normal vegetation. A stranglereed that uses this ability can take 20 on its Stealth check to hide in plain sight as a regular patch of reeds.
Grab (Ex) A stranglereed can grab a foe of up to one size category larger than itself.
Strangle (Ex) Stranglereeds have an unerring talentfor seizing their victims by the throat. A creature grappled by a stranglereed can't speak or cast spells with verbal components.
Suffocate (Ex) A creature affected by a stranglereed's strangle ability can't breathe and must hold its breath or suffocate.
Stranglereeds float motionless in calm lakes and rivers, waiting for prey to approach before lashing out with thick tendrils, grabbing their targets by the throat. Once the stranglereed has secured its prey, it pulls the victim beneath the surface of the water and directs the meal into it's "mouth," a submerged circular orifice ringed with gnashing barbs and thorns. Exceptionally voracious, the stranglereed never stops feeding, and in desperate times, the industrious plant can leave the water briefly in order to hunt on land. These vicious plants may even chase slower prey if it breaks free of their tendrils, but fortunately, a stranglereed can spend only a limited amount of time out of water. Each stranglereed resembles a patch of normal reeds that covers a roughly circular 10-foot-diameter area, while its large, mawed central pod normally hides beneath the water's surface. A stranglereed weighs 800 pounds.
A stranglereed reproduces by expelling seeds that float on air currents, much like dandelion fluff. Those that land on dry earth soon die or become meals for birds and other small animals, but those that land in water grow into full-sized stranglereed stalks within 1 month. A large body of water can be home to multiple stranglereeds, but only if the food supply can meet their demands.
