The Bliminy is a bizarre plant that has only ever been found on Vancouver Island. Anyone who has ever encountered the Bliminy while traveling across this island, however, are quite thankful for this small comfort - as it is a deadly creature that some suspect to be quite intelligent!
The Bliminy bears the body of a gargantuan bright green cabbage that is almost 8' (2.43m.) in diameter and in height. It has an extensive network of slimy dun colored roots that lay on the surface of the soil in a 20'-120' radius of the plant, depending on its age. Protruding from the middle of the top of the cabbage, where the leaves of the 'cabbage' come together, is a tall woody stalk of a deep reddish brown color tipped in a bizarre looking flower. This flower is 3-4' in diameter and is shaped much like a daffodil, with a wide spread set of petals that are a bright red in color, and an pinkish inner section of petals that protrudes out from the face of the flower. This middle section, unlike a daffodil, puckers towards the end forming an air bladder in the midst of the flower.
While the flower itself has no scent the Bliminy flower attracts attention by making sound. This bizarre organ is what gives the Bliminy it's name, by emitting a sad sounding human voice, wailing; "Blimin-blimy-blimin-blimin-bliminy" Sometimes the voice sounds feminine others it sounds masculine, without any real rhyme or reason behind it. Its effect, however, is very apparent. This sound almost invariably draws predators and curious sentients to the source of the sound - thereby becoming the prey of this carniverous plant!
Once the plants prospective prey gets to within the radius of the surface root network, it will begin to attack after 1D4 melees, attempting to ensnare them with its slimy tentacle-like roots. Once so ensnared, several other tentacles will also surround the victim, allowing their slimy exterior to smear across their victim's body. This slimy coating is mildly acidic and will begin to eat at any exposed flesh. Once the acid has managed to create a raw area in the skin - this allows the slime to enter the bloodstream, thereby killing the plant's unfortunate prey. While the plant cannot digest its prey on its own - it relies upon insects and the elements to liquefy its prey so that its entangled root structure can simply suck the nutrients from the corpse as it rots. Usually once the Bliminy has managed to established one or two kills, it will have an ample supply of food for the next several months, as scavengers will be attracted to the smell of rotting flesh - until the area is depleted of scavengers. After which time, the Bliminy begins its mournful cries again, in an effort to draw more victims to its poisonous embrace.
As mentioned previously, it is rumored that the Bliminy may actually be an intelligent (or at least semi-intelligent) predator from another world. This is said because of the Bliminy's strange ability to sense when not to provoke attention. They quit calling the moment a magic-user or heavy machinery is within a few hundred feet and they literally close their flowers up when a supernatural creature gets to within a few thousand feet of their root structure. A further suggestion towards the argument for intelligence is the way the creature reacts to harassment or harm. If a creature begins wailing, screaming, or otherwise making a fuss around it - and specifically targeting the plant-thing with its curses or cries, manages an escape or begins harming it from a distance it will 'respond'. An angry or otherwise annoyed Bliminy will "speak" more quickly, changing its tone to a more shrill and annoying, "Blim-blim-blim-blimy-blim-blim-blim-bliminy!".
The Bliminy does have one defensive mechanism - it's reproductive organ. If any creature attempts to land on the Bliminy flower, fly by it or damage it from a close range the Bliminy will react in the most bizarre fashion. It reacts by exhaling a cloud of spores from its air bladder, which are then inhaled by the intruding creature. The results are disorienting and make the victim suffer a mild asthma attack for the next 1D4 minutes, at which time the effect seems to clear up - for a little while. Within 6D6 hours the feeling of difficult breathing returns - as the Bliminy spores literally begin growing within the creature's lung tissues! This affliction will kill its host within a few days. Wherever the body falls - becomes the new sight of the next Bliminy.
Alignment: Selfish or Evil, depending on one's perspective.
Attributes: IQ: 1D4+2, ME: 1D6+2, MA: 2D6, PS: 4D6, PP: 2D6, PE: 2D6, PB: 4D6, Spd: N/A; Tentacles can snatch at prey at a speed of 6D6 in warm weather, 4D6 in cold. The Bliminy IS intelligent in a bizarre and alien fashion, but is somewhere between low human and high animal intelligence by comparison to earthly creatures.
Size: After 10 years of growth their bodies are 8' (2.44m.) in diameter and height, and their root network stretches out 20' (6.09m.) in diameter. For each additional year of growth their roots grow out an additional 2' (0.60m.). The flower itself stands an additional 8' (2.44m.) above the cabbage like body, with the flower petals radiating out 3-4' (0.91-1.22m.) in diameter.
Weight: 750-1000 Lb. (340.19-453.59kg.)
Hit Points: Seedlings have 2D6 H.P., while a fully grown plant has 2D6x10 H.P.
S.D.C.: Seedlings have no S.D.C. but a full-grown plant has 1D4x100 S.D.C.
Horror Factor: 12 - 16 for older plants due to the carnage around it.
P.P.E.: 2D6.
Natural Abilities: Sense the Supernatural 3,000' (914.4m.) range, Sense Magic 500' (152.4m.) range, Sense Movement 250' (76.2m.) range. It has a natural sense of smell through the pores in its fleshy cabbage like leaf system. It can also hear through minute vibrations passing through its root system - similarly to how a human's inner ear functions.
Acidic Roots: The surface roots secrete a slightly acidic sap like liquid that coats them at all time. This substance inflicts 1 S.D.C. per melee of contact with the plant. Getting touched and then pulling always only allows the sap to inflict 1D4 melees worth of damage. If the substance inflicts more than 25% of the victims S.D.C. total S.D.C. the area is rendered completely raw. The sap gets into the blood stream within 1D4 minutes of reaching this point. A save versus lethal poison is then required, with a -4 to save. Failing to save inflicts 2D6x10 S.D.C. to the creature in question and requires a save versus coma/death or the victim will fall into a coma from the shock inflicted to the victim's system.
Reproductive Spores/Breath of Death: This is perhaps the Bliminy's most certain way of killing an adversary, and it's most certain way of propagation. When threatened, attacked, or even approached the air bladder contained within its flower will belch a cone of pinkish spores out to a range of 40' (12.19m.). Those not wearing an air filter, gas mask, or environmental body armor automatically begin suffering the horrible effects of this ability. The first sign of infection begins moments after immersion in the cloud, as the character begins feeling the effects of a minor asthma attack for 1D4 minutes. During this asthma attack, the character is -20% on speed, P.E. is halved, and all combat bonuses are -2. After this initial feeling of breathlessness passes, most assume that the onslaught of this ability is over. They wouldn't be more wrong though. Within 6D6 hours the symptoms of the asthma attack return and remain in place. (A conventional M.D., not familiar with the effects of the Bliminy Breath of Death would likely prescribe some sort of inhaler or anti-inflammatory drug to counter what they assume to be a respiratory infection brought about by the spores.) Over the course of the next 1D4 days the symptoms remain as, unknown to the victim, the spores within their lungs begin to mature and root themselves to the moist lining of their lungs - growing into miniature Bliminy! After this point only four possible ends to this ailment can be made, death, lung transplant, psychic surgery, or the reception of a restoration spell. A small animal will be killed within 1D4 days of the spores maturing. A human child will not last more than 2D4+2 days. An adult human can make it 3D6+4 days before death.
Attacks Per Melee: Three - these are usually tentacle strikes to attempt to ensnare a victim. Other attacks include the Breath of Death.
Bonuses: +6 to initiative, unless the combatants are familiar with the Bliminy, in which case there is no bonus and +3 to strike.
Average Life Span: 60 years.
Vulnerabilities: It is especially vulnerable to heat and cold, taking double damage from any fire or ice based attacks.
Market Value: Some magic-users in Wa-Daisho considered using them as guards for their private domains, but the Republican Council ruled that such creatures are too dangerous - as they would spread their spore on to other areas, where they could kill innocent people.
Appearance: A bright green cabbage like body that can be as large as 8' (2.44m.) in diameter and height with a reddish brown stalk protruding from the top supporting a large red and pink daffodil like flower. Around the base of the creature is a wide network (of varying size) of roots that are on the surface of the earth around the plant.
Prey: The Bliminy relies upon the rotting carcasses of animals killed by its acidic roots for nutrition. Any type of animal can be caught but it is most likely to be predators attracted by its distressed sounding call and subsequently scavengers attracted by the smell of rotting flesh.
Social Behavior: They really don't have any kind of social behavior except to attempt to attract other creatures to their doom. They do not reproduce sexually, because they are asexual and rely upon birds primarily to carry their spore to new locations after becoming infected.
Habitat: The habitat of this bizarre plant is generally restricted to the forests and grasslands of Wa-Daisho, but it is primarily found in the forests. It does not do very well in the mountains because it cannot latch on to the rocks the way it can soft earth. It also doesn't do well in swamps and shorelines, as it tends to cause them to suffer from root rot.