Black Widow Cypress
A rare and dangerous swamp-dwelling tree characterized by its soot-black bark and its tendency to house colonies of giant spiders. Its wood is highly prized for crafting composite bows, but the sap is a potent neurotoxin that sprays violently if the bark is punctured at the wrong point.
Black Widow Cypress
Defenses
Detection
“The tree stands forty feet tall, its charcoal-colored bark crisscrossed with fine, blood-red veins. Thick, glistening webs drape from its branches like funeral veils, and its wide base sits submerged in the murky swamp water.”
Standard Engagement
A creature strikes the tree, deals damage to it, or attempts to harvest its wood without correctly identifying the Harvesting Notch.
N/A
The tree refills its sap bladders after 24 hours.
Reaction: The tree releases a high-pressure jet of neurotoxic sap in a 15-foot cone facing the creature that triggered it. Creatures in the area take 4d6 poison damage and must attempt a DC 21 Fortitude save. Critical Success: The creature is unaffected. Success: The creature takes half damage. Failure: The creature takes full damage and is Enfeebled 1 for 1 hour. Critical Failure: The creature takes double damage and is Enfeebled 2 for 24 hours.
The accompanying Professor provides a +2 circumstance bonus to Nature or Survival checks to disable the hazard if they are not currently in combat. They can also assist with harvesting the silk after the spiders are defeated, reducing the Crafting DC to make the bow string by 2.
If the tree is attacked while the Giant Spiders are still alive, the spiders gain the Quickened condition for 1 round as they drop down to defend their host.
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