| Class: | Vegimal |
| Hab: | Arid wastes |
| Fre: | Somewhat rare |
| Num: | 1-6 |
| Lair: | Sessile; 100% |
| Size: | 6-36' diameter bramble, half that high in center |
| Move: | Sessile; none |
| Def: | Tough, springy bramble, no vital organs |
| Att: | Passive: relied on allies, thorny vines only entwine trespassers Active: thorn tentacle vines grasp and pull prey in |
| Int: | Passive: none, active: basic beast or higher |
| Spec: | Guarded by carnivores - 10% by lycanthropes |
| Posns: | Incidental |
Only 10% of night-blooming moon torch cacti are true lycanthropes' lure cacti. In fact, in addition to the dangerous Moon Torches described here, there are several hundred lesser varieties which Adventurers pass by as uninteresting to any save an herbalist.
Most of the time a moon torch looks like nothing more than a pile of thorny brambles, vaguely fleshy vines that look half dead. The bramble is usually 6-36' in diameter; climbing over it to reach the flower bud concealed under its upper branches is very hazardous.
When the full moon shines, the bud rises from the bramble and unfolds. Then, it is a vision of luminous loveliness, like a flock of luna moths a-quiver. The scent is strangely intoxicating; the stranger will be startled to realize that the almost hypnotic scent is that of fresh blood; the moon torch cactus is pollinated by were-beasts.
Most Night-Blooming Moon Torches are passive plants. 10% are more aggressive. Should prey come within reach, its dozens of spiny vines seek to entangle, shredding the prey as it is pulled through the thorny bramble. The plant does not drink much of the prey itself; it is a gift for its attendants.
Most of these cacti are attended by (relatively) ordinary carnivore guardians. Even the 10% that are true lycanthropes' lures have only a chance (determined by local population and ecology) of seducing a lycanthrope (or a family of them.) Should a lycanthrope be enthralled by the plant, it will become devoted to the plant. The plant in turn benefits the lycanthrope by lending strength through a quasi-psychic bond; damage done to the lycanthrope is shares, 50-50, with the plant; the plant can absorb a great deal of damage.
The blossoms are highly valued for alchemy, as they are important ingredients in a wide range of lycanthropic potions.
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