Box-in-Bloom

It’s usually pretty hard to tell one quadrone from any other. Let’s face it, they all pretty much look alike. A metallic cube three feet to each side, with two mechanical arms, two mechanical legs, occasionally a pair of wings, and a face only Primus could love. But Box-in-Bloom’s pretty easy to distinguish from other quadrones on account of her verdant "toupee"; a three-by-three sod of lush green grass that flourishes on her head. Not just grass either, but herbs and flowers and occasionally even a patch of blueberries. The sod isn't just sitting there, it's well-rooted. Vines and shoots of varying thickness wind their ways in, through and out of her body, twisting and wrapping around her appendages. Tufts of grass and moss decorate her sides, and all over, various flowers, buds and berries grow.       As Box-in-Bloom recalls it, she awoke from a dream of endless marching to find herself completely buried in rich, dark soil, trapped with only the top of her head exposed. Unable to move, she found herself at the mercy of time and nature. She remembers the slow but inevitable encroachment of grass and roots into her body. She supposes that she’d been buried thus for a very long time, and hypothesizes that the penetration of roots and vines into her inner workings somehow severed her connection with the Source, causing her “awakening.” Awake as she was, she was trapped, until a landslide  finally freed her. Others might have been driven to insanity by the ordeal, but what is time to a tree, or to a modron?      Box-in-Bloom's mental capacity is, for the most part,  unimpaired by the overgrowth and she does make good use of the herbs and flowers for potions and poultices. Her outlook has certainly been affected. Once a loyal and unquestioning modron, Box-in-Bloom now searches for the meaning of life as a druid, studying the flora and fauna of the planes of existence and trying to come to grips with nature’s balancing act of good and evil, order and chaos.      Every druid’s got to have an animal companion of some sort, and Box-in-Bloom’s no different. A colourful, sizzling, popping, fluttering collection of Spire butterflies follows in her wake, drifting along on the scents of fruits, flowers and soil. She rescued this small flutter of the magical creatures from starvation several years back, and they’ve been with her ever since.

But wait, there's more! Box-in-Bloom joins a strange cast of modron outcasts in I, Modron, a play-by-post adventure on the Planewalker Forums.

Box–in–Bloom(Pl / ‘female’ modron outcast / druid 1 / LN)

Modron Outcast: "Female" modron outcast druid 1; Medium outsider; HD 1d8; hp 9; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; AC 17 (+1 dex, +4 natural, +2 armor), touch 11, flat-footed 10; Base Atk +0; Grp +2; Full Atk +3 melee (spear 1d8+2); SA none; SQ druid abilities, darkvision 120 ft., modron outcast traits; AL LN; SV Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +5; Str 14 (+2), Dex 12 (+1), Con 12 (+1), Int 14 (+2), Wis 16 (+3), Cha 10 (+0).       Skills and Feats: Concentration +5, Handle animal +4, Heal +7, Knowledge (nature) +4, Listen +5, Profession (guide) +5, Spot +5, Survival +7; Extend Spell, Track. Box-in-Bloom speaks Modron, Planar Trade, Sylvan, and Druidic.       Druid Abilities: Animal companion, nature sense, wild empathy, spell use (spells/day: 3,2)       Modron Outcast Traits (Ex): Immune to mind-influencing effects, immune to subdual damage or critical hits, acid, cold, and fire resistance 10, +4 natural armor bonus.      Equipment Carried: Modron leather armor, MW spear, silver dagger, cold iron dagger, sling and stones, modron storage container, healer’s kit, wand of cure light wounds, 2 potions of invisibility, 1 potion of sanctuary, 1 potion of spider climb.

Spire Butterflies (30): Tiny magical beast (lesser swarm); HD 1d10; hp 8 (pooled); Init +2; Spd fly 30 ft. (good); AC 14 (+2 size, +2 Dex); Base Atk/Grp -/-; Atk/Full Atk Swarm (1d4); SA Swarm attack, SQ Drain magic, Lesser swarm traits, SR 15; AL N; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +2; Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 12.       Skills and Feats:  Listen +6, Spot +6, Move Silently +6; Alertness.       Swarm Attack: Creatures with the swarm subtype don't make standard melee attacks. Instead, they deal automatic damage to any creature whose space they occupy at the end of their move, with no attack roll needed. Swarm attacks are not subject to a miss chance for concealment or cover.       Drain Magic (Su): Spire butterflies feed on magic; drawing sustenance from magic items and spell effects. Small swarms of 50 or fewer butterflies consume magic at a rate of up to one spell level per hour, though much less than this is actually required for survival. Excess magic is burned off as butterfly wings crackle, glow, screech, and shine with the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations of various spells. Full swarms, numbering in the hundreds or thousands, drain magic much more quickly and have been known to discharge stored magical energy in self-defence.       Lesser Swarm Traits: As swarm, but excluding Distraction.     

Credits:Author: Rob MooreEditor/Layout: Rob MooreArtist: Sergio Rodriguez