Shadow Fern

The thick stalks of this dark-veined, gray plant are covered in a fine black fuzz.

Shadow Fern CR 4

XP 1,200
N Medium plant
Init +1; Senses low-light vision, see in darkness; Perception +2

AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16 (+1 Dex, +6 natural)
hp 39 (6d8+12); fast healing 2
Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +4
Immune cold, plant traits; Resist acid 5, electricity 5, fire 5
Weaknesses vulnerable to light

Speed 10 ft.
Melee 2 slams +8 (1d6+4)
Special Attacks poison, spore cloud

Str 18, Dex 13, Con 14, Int -, Wis 15, Cha 2
Base Atk +4; CMB +8; CMD 19 (can’t be tripped)

Poison (Ex)

Spore cloud-inhaled; save Fort DC 15; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves.

Spore Cloud (Ex)

Once per day as a standard action, a shadow fern can expel a cloud of poisonous spores in a 10-foot-radius burst that lingers for 1 minute before dispersing. A moderate wind (11+ mph), such as from a gust of wind spell, disperses the cloud in 4 rounds. A strong wind (21+ mph) disperses the cloud in 1 round. A new shadow fern grows out of the corpse of any creature that dies as a result of Constitution damage from this poison after 1 week.

Vulnerable to Light (Ex)

Shadow ferns use darkness for essential life functions in the same way normal plants use sunlight for photosynthesis. Their fast healing is suppressed in areas of normal light and bright light, and they are staggered in areas of bright light.

Environment any forests or underground
Organization solitary, pair, or patch (3-12)
Treasure none

Shadow ferns grow in large patches throughout dark-dwelling societies-including caligni, drow, and especially duergar-cultivate the plants underground, since they thrive in the lightless depths. Over the millennia, the plants have even spread into the Plane of Shadow, leading travelers using shadow walk to encounter the plants with increasing frequency during their umbral jaunts. Some shadowcasters believe that elder specimens of shadow ferns are capable of existing simultaneously on both the Material and Shadow Planes, and many such casters have a number of potted shadow ferns in their laboratories for further study. Malevolent druids have been known to weaponize shadow fern spores, killing their victims and seeding new patches of the invasive plant in their victims’ corpses.