Topiary Garden
RoomDCC 103 · p.5
Open source p.5Area 1-3 – Topiary Garden
This garden features several topiaries, including a bear, a tiger, and an elephant. Two odd-looking gardeners are trimming them with shears.
These life-sized topiary animals are formed from manicured greenery interwoven with other plants to give the illusion of natural coloring.
The topiaries will attack any PC not wearing a warding charm (e.g., amulet from area 1-1) as soon as the whole party has entered the garden. If the PCs wish to avoid a fight, they can attempt to run around the topiaries without engaging and leaving via another path—have each PC make a Luck check, those failing are subject to attack by the nearest topiary. Each topiary animal attacks differently (see descriptions). The topiaries are large and relatively slow and they can’t leave this area.
The gardeners are fungal zombies. They were infected by the puffball fungi in area 1-6, and somehow made their way back here, to continue working. They attack only if the PCs try to damage the topiaries.
Topiary Bear (1): Init ; Atk grab melee (, plus hug); Crit M/; AC 14; HD ; hp 16; MV 20’; Act ; SP hug (drains hp per round, adding to its own hp, DC 13 Strength check to escape); SV Fort , Ref , Will ; AL N.
A topiary as big as a grizzly bear covered in brilliant purple blooms on thorny stems. Bear attempts to grab and hug the target, draining blood and adding the hit points to its own total.
Topiary Tiger (1): Init ; Atk bite melee () or pounce; Crit M/; AC 14; HD ; hp 15; MV 30’; Act ; SP pounce (DC 14 Reflex save or knocked prone and pinned, DC 13 Strength check to escape); SV Fort , Ref , Will ; AL N.
An oversized topiary tiger with stripes of orange and white blossoms. Tiger pounces and pins the target to the ground, gaining to next attack.
Topiary Elephant (1): Init ; Atk trample melee () or trunk grab melee (special); Crit M/; AC 14; HD ; hp 20; MV 20’; Act ; SP trunk grab (lifted into air and thrown; DC 15 Reflex save or take falling damage); SV Fort , Ref , Will ; AL N.
A full-sized elephant made of dusty gray foliage and vines. The elephant tramples or can grab PCs with its trunk to lift and throw them for falling damage.
Fungal Zombie Gardeners (2): Init ; Atk garden shears melee (); Crit M/; AC 9; HD ; hp 3 each; MV 20’; Act ; SP puffball burst (DC 13 Fort save or poison damage, see below); SV Fort , Ref , Will ; AL C.
These humanoid figures are covered in green-gray fuzz, with a round, white bulb on a stalk emerging from their forehead. Each wears one of the bronze amulets that make the garden’s denizens ignore them (see area 1-1). Each time a fungal zombie takes damage from an attack, have the attacker make a Luck check. If failed, the puffball bursts. Any PCs within 5 feet must make a DC 13 Fortitude save or take poison damage and become infected. Infected PCs who die become fungal zombies after a day.