Willowshore Waldgeist
CREATURE 7Variant waldgeist
Waldgeists act as avatars of nature that seek vengeance for environmental abuse, such as pollution and deforestation. These undead spirits of destroyed trees form at the site of their destruction or in a nearby woodland, if the original location was entirely razed. They become guardians of the forest, possessing power over the plants within its boundaries. Waldgeists show no mercy to anyone caught damaging their bonded woodland, attacking loggers, fey, travelers, and invasive species with equal prejudice.
When disaster befalls the natural world, a different kind of undead may rise, entirely unlike risen humanoids. Most plants, fish, insects, and other animals don't possess a psychology complex enough to experience the emotional catharsis required to return as undead without intervention from an outside force. Mass extinction can serve as that outside force.
Humanoids clear-cutting an entire forest or a seaside community wiping out a species critical to their ecosystem can spawn a verdorite. The collective spiritual energy and emotional distress of a dying biome powers these undead, formed as conglomerates or representatives.
A constant spell affects the monster without the monster needing to cast it, and its duration is unlimited. If a constant spell gets counteracted, the monster can reactivate it by spending the normal spellcasting actions the spell requires.
These waldgeists are only fleeting manifestations of a failed exorcism. They vanish without a trace after 1 minute has passed from their first manifestation in the mindscape.
A creature with void healing draws health from void energy rather than vitality energy. It is damaged by vitality damage and is not healed by vitality healing effects. It does not take void damage, and it is healed by void effects that heal undead.
The touch of a Willowshore waldgeist transforms flesh into thick rolls and compressed sheets of paper. A living creature damaged by the waldgeist's lignifying root Strike must succeed at a DC 24 Fortitude save or become Slowed 1 (or Slowed 2 on a critical failure). Further failed saves against papery lignification increases the slowed condition. Once a creature's actions are reduced to 0 by papery lignification, that creature becomes Petrified, except they're transformed into a statue of compressed paper (much like paper-mache) instead of turned to stone. Fortunately, this condition isn't permanent, and once the Willowshore waldgeists vanish a minute after they've manifested, creatures that have been turned to paper revert to living flesh, but are at 0 Hit Points and Unconscious (but not dying) from the trauma of the harrowing transformation.