Shivering Candle Cacti
Shivering Candle Cactus
Large Plant
Hit Dice: 2d8+2 (11 hp)
Initiative: 0
Speed: 0 Feet
Armor Class: 8 (-5 Dex, +3 Natural, touch 5, flat-footed 8
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-4
Attack: See Spawn
Full Attack: See Spawn
Space/Reach: 5 foot/0 foot
Special Attacks: Flaming spines, Smoke, See Also Spawn
Special Qualities: Spawn, plant traits
Saves: Fort +4, Will -4
Abilities: Con 13, CHA 1
Feats: None
Environment: Deserts, Chaparral
Organization: Solitary or patch
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 3-6 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: N/A
Shivering Candle Cacti look like a multi-armed cactus that is often, but not always spread out like an open palm or fan. The parent plant may grow as tall as 20 feet tall and spread over 300 square feet. Its skin is normally a deep, waxy green ribbed with rows of slightly curved spines.
The tips of each ‘arm’ are tipped by rounded globes in shades of pink, orange, silvery-white, pale blue, red, or yellow. Long, white hairs drift down from the middle of the globes. At night the colored globes on the ends of the arms are lit with a phosphorescent glow that is bright enough to read by and can be seen for up to a mile on a clear night.
Combat: In their adult form, the Shivering Candle Cacti is unable to attack physically. However, when threatened, the Shivering Candle Cacti can cause the long hairs on the edges of the colored globes to ignite. As the hairs burn they release a thick, choking smoke that can blind and asphyxiate. The skin of the cacti is nearly impervious (save for ¼) to heat and fire; the spines act as a fire retardant if exposed to fire.
Shivering Candle Cacti produce spider-like spawn as part of their reproductive cycle. These spider spawn have a separate modes of combat (see below).
Flaming Touch (Sp): The cactus can ignite their hairs on its arms and body. If a flammable object such as oil, wood, straw or cloth brushes against the flaming cactus it can be set on fire. This fire will blister and burn exposed flesh, scorch stone and melt metal.
Smoke (Sp): The cactus can cause smoke to billow off the ignited globes, radiating in a 25-foot cone around it that chokes and blinds opponents. Anyone in the cone of smoke must succeed on a DC 16Fortitude save or take a -2 penalty on all attack and damage rolls for 1d6 minutes.
The cone lasts for one round, and can be used as a free action during its turn each round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
The smoke also serves to conceal the cactus from the normal sight of creatures 5 feet or more away. However, the smoke is not itself concealed. The smoke does not affect the cactus.
Society: Shivering Candle Cacti are normally solitary. They have an extensive network of roots that exude plant-killing chemicals. Two or more cacti may grow in close proximity to each other.
Shivering Candle Cacti have an unusual method of reproduction. Adult plants grow daughter plants that emerge 5 to 40 feet away from their parent. A flower-lined cavity opens in the trunk of the smaller cacti to lure in pollinators. Pollination occurs with the help of night-flying insects, bats and birds. The fertilized flowers are then sealed inside the trunk which seamlessly closes.
Several weeks later the daughter plants bloom again, this time outside of their trunks. If uprooted, the cacti become temporarily dormant. It will recover in 1d4 weeks.
4-6 weeks after the cavity closes, their skin begins to shiver violently. After several hours of quivering, the trunk will then split open to spill a swarm of 2-3 dozen green and sandy-hued spiders covered in fine hairs.
The spiders scatter to seek out a suitable place to construct their lair. When an ideal location is found, the spider begins to dig a nest with a ceiling of webs covered in sand or dirt to camouflage it. The spider uses this lair to catch prey and consume them until the spider grows to nearly ten times its ‘birth weight’ (approximately 1 lb with a body length of 1 foot).
The spider then seals itself (they have no gender) into its lair and begins a transformation into a small cactus. The young plant feeds off of the stored water and energy in the spider’s body.
It takes 5-7 years for a Shivering Candle cactus to reach its adult height of 5-6 feet. After reaching adult mass, the Shivering Candle cactus begins to reproduce every other year for the rest of its life unless severely damaged. They produce waxy white flowers and non-fertile, orange-red fruit like other Candle Cactus.
Shivering Candle cacti are often confused or mistaken for their less bizarre cousin, the Candle Cactus which reproduces by seed and asexual budding. Shivering Candle cacti are sometimes sold by the unscrupulous or inexperienced as Candle Cactus. Victims of the mistaken identity are surprised but, rarely harmed by the emergence of the spiders weeks or years later.
Candle Spider (Shivering Candle Cactus Spawn)
Small Insect
Hit Dice: 2d8 (11 Hp)
Initiative: +3 (Dex)
Speed: 30 Feet, Climb 20 foot
Armor Class: 14 (+3 Dex, +1 size), touch 14, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-6
Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6 +poison)
Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6 +poison) and Special
Space/Reach: 5 foot/5 foot
Special Attacks: Web, Flame
Special Qualities: Immune to fire , Darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +4, Will +3, Ref +3
Abilities: STR 7, DEX 17, INT 0, WIS 10, Con 13, CHA 2
Feats: Weapons Finesse
Environment: Deserts, Chaparral
Organization: Solitary or colony (1-5)
Challenge Rating: 1/2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 3 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: N/A
These spiders resemble tarantulas with brown or greenish colored bodies striped by gray, brown or dark green. Their rounded bodies and long legs are covered in fine white hairs that almost brush the ground. A eight black eyes cluster around its front fangs and carapace.
They are only 3 inches long at ‘birth’ but grow up to 1 ½ feet long from the tip of their carapace to the end of their thorax. The legs reach out at least a foot from the body on either side.
Combat: The Candle Spiders prefer not to engage in combat. They will defend themselves if attacked but, otherwise will flee from any confrontation.
Like tarantulas, the Candle Spiders can flick small hairs off their abdomen that sting exposed skin, mucous membranes or wedge between chitin plates to cause irritation. These hairs are extremely fine and nearly colorless. Removing the hairs is difficult first to find and then to pull out.
Candle Spiders can ignite the hairs on their body.
Flaming Touch (Sp): Candle Spiders can ignite its opponent on fire with a successful touch. Flammable objects such as oil, cloth, wood or straw begin to burn while the heat can blister or burn exposed flesh, scorch stone and melt metal.
Smoke (Sp): Smoke billows off the ignited hairs of the spider’s body, radiating in a 25-foot cone around it that chokes and blinds opponents. Anyone in the cone of smoke must succeed on a DC 16Fortitude save or take a -2 penalty on all attack and damage rolls for 1d6 minutes.
The cone lasts for one round, and can be used as a free action during its turn each round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
The smoke also serves to conceal the spider from the normal sight of creatures 5 feet or more away. However, the smoke is not itself concealed. The smoke does not affect the spider’s sight or other senses.
Society: The Candle Spiders are the spawn of the Shivering Candle Cactus. Each adult cactus produces several daughter plants. Each daughter is a smaller clone of its parent that grows off its roots 5-40 feet away.
A cavity opens in each daughter’s trunk where the flowers bud and open. Night-flying insects and animals such as bats, birds, moths and moths are attracted to the fragrant blooms where they pick up pollen and transfer it to the stamens of other flowers. The fertilized flowers are then sealed inside the trunk which seamlessly closes.
Several weeks later the daughter plants bloom again, this time outside of their trunks. If uprooted, the cacti become temporarily dormant. It will recover in 1d4 weeks.
4-6 weeks after the cavity closes, their skin begins to shiver violently. After several hours of quivering, the trunk will then split open to spill a swarm of 2-3 dozen green and sandy-hued spiders covered in fine hairs.
The spiders scatter to seek out a suitable place to construct their lair. When an ideal location is found, the spider begins to dig a nest with a ceiling of webs covered in sand or dirt to camouflage it. The spider uses this lair to catch prey and consume them until the spider grows to nearly ten times its ‘birth weight’ (approximately 1 lb with a body length of 1 foot).
The spider then seals itself (they have no gender) into its lair and begins a transformation into a small cactus. The young plant feeds off of the stored water and energy in the spider’s body.
The sole purpose of the Candle Spider is as a part of the Shivering Candle cactus reproduction. While they are able to function, eat and move around independently, they cannot breed nor do they pursue any goal except preparing themselves for the eventual emergence of the cactus.
Candle Spiders can be starved to prevent their transformation. In poor conditions or captivity, they will live for up to 20 years. Their body parts are valuable for use in fire-based spells, especially those dealing with protection against fire. They can also be used in potions of Spider Climbing, poison, and the manufacture of irritating powders.
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