Fantasy Monster: Youth-Seed

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Youth-Seed

A thick bundle of narrow, feathery leaves surrounding a beautiful central flower growing out of a thick pod.

CR 11; XP 12,800
N Small Plant

Init +14; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +21

Defense
AC 25, touch 21, flat-footed 18 (+10 Dex, +4 natural, +1 size)
hp 147 (14d8+84)
Fort +14; Ref +14; Will +10
Defensive Abilities evasion, uncanny dodge; Immune plant traits

Offense
Speed 30 ft.; climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft.

Melee 3 tendrils +15 touch (4d6 plus fatigue)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attacks sap vitality

Statistics
Str 18, Dex 30, Con 20, Int 13, Wis 19, Cha 13
Base Atk +10; CMB +13; CMD 33 (41 vs. trip)

Feats Ability Focus (Sap Vitality), Acrobatic Steps, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Nimble Moves, Toughness

Skills Acrobatics +24, Climb +12, Perception +21, Stealth +31 (+41 in light or heavy vegetation), Swim +12; Racial Modifier +10 Stealth in light or heavy vegetation

Language doesn't communicate

SQ youth-pod, water breathing

Ecology
Environment warm forests and underground
Organization solitary
Treasure special (youth-pod)

Special Abilities

Sap Vitality (Su) A youth-seed touch drains vitality from those it touches with its tendril, dealing damage on a successful melee touch attack and making the target fatigued on a failed Fortitude saving throw (DC 20). The youth-seed heals hit points equal to damage it dealt to living creatures. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Youth-Pod (Su) A youth-seed stores drained vitality in a bulbous pod beneath its flower. After the youth-seed is killed, its pod can be harvested and consumed to rejuvenate single mortal recipient, restoring their effective age to young adult. Each creature can only benefit from age rejuvenating effect only once. Alternatively, the youth-pod can be used in place of normal components for raise dead, reincarnate, resurrection, or any restoration spell, or a limited wish used to produce effects intended to heal or remove negative conditions. If the youth-seed is killed with death effect, its youth-pod becomes corrupted, cursing the rejuvenated consumer to rise as an undead creature of some sort after their death.

Youth-seeds are extremally rare plant beings that live in secluded places. They defend themselves by draining vital forces from attackers and storing it to sustain themselves in harsh times—an ability that also makes them a tempting target for those who would seek to extend their lives, if they know of the plant's existence.

Youth-seeds are poorly suitable for farming, requiring many years of draining vitality from other creatures before their youth pods fully mature and develop their life-giving properties, and can't be harvested without killing the creature. They are also skittish and try to flee any enclosures and are virtually untamable. No youth-seed has every reproduced in captivity—nor was their reproduction in native environments ever described—further undermining all attempts to farm youth pods.