Demon Trees

“It’s the tree, moving along in a glow of phosphorous light.”
“It looks like a human giant!”
“Do you two see what it is carrying?”
“It’s carrying Crane! Tucked up under that huge branch that looks like a human arm!”
“Now do you believe? Now do you admit that the tree is alive?”

– Scott Bishop, “The Demon Tree”, Dark Fantasy, 12-5-1941

The death of someone possessed by strong, all-consuming hatred dies in a forest lays the seeds of a demon tree. Such strong hatred cannot die. It seeps into the soil through the spilled blood and decaying corpse, nourishing the surrounding trees. One of these trees may then grow into an awful human shape. The ends of limbs twist into hands and fingers. The bark, rough in appearance, will be soft and warm to the touch.  

The trees delight in the torment and murder of anyone that enters their domain. The corpses of victims adorn the branches. There they are left as tree shuffles through the forest, feeding from the rot until the bodies fall away. After killing, the trees glow to signal their pleasure. 

Most demon trees are created through accident. Spells and curses do exist to create them. There are spells to some summon the monsters, though none are known that can bind them. Demon trees have no interest in bargaining. 

SPECIAL POWERS 

Blend: despite its unnatural appearance, the tree can become indistinguishable from other trees, if it so choses. The demon tree spends 1 Magic Point per person it wishes to hide from. Anyone effected must make an POW roll at Hard difficulty to see through the illusion. The effect lasts an hour.

Lose the Path: it becomes almost impossible for a victim to find their way out of the forest near the demon tree. Trails circle back on themselves or lead back to the tree. Vegetation becomes too thick or filled with cutting barbs to pass through. The tree spends 10 magic points to create this affect. Finding a path out of the forest requires a Navigation roll at Extreme difficulty. 

Shroud: an unnatural pitch darkness falls across the forest. Sunlight is unable to penetrate the forest canopy. Artificial light, such as flashlights, weaken. Seeing more than a few feet becomes almost impossible. The demon tree spends 10 Magic Points to affect a 1-mile radius around itself for 1 hour. 

Demon Tree, hate-filled stranglers

Average Hit Points: 36

Damage Bonus: +3D6

Build: +4

Magic Points: 20

Move: 5

ATTACKS

Attacks per round: 1 (fighting, strangle)

A demon tree fights by pushing and smacking a victim with its limbs. 

Strangle (mnvr): may grab a target up to half of its SIZ by the neck, squeezing the life from them (DB damage per round). The victim may escape with an opposed STR or DEX roll. If the tree takes 10 or more damage in a round it will drop the victim. 

Fighting: 45% (22/8), damage DB

Consume: 55% (27/11), damage special (see above)

Dodge: 16%

Armor: 4 points of bark-like skin. Fire ignores the monster’s armor and does maximum damage. Unless reduced to 0 hit points, the demon tree with regenerate all lost hit points in a day. Reduced to 0 hit points, the hate possessing the tree with infect another nearby. 

Skills: Skulk Unseen in Forest: 85%Sanity Loss: 1/1D6+1 to encounter a Demon Tree.

Bruce Priddy

Bruce is a sociology student and co-host of The Crypt Keepers podcast