Illustration of a lumpy, oval-shaped bush that stands out from the other, more irregularly-shaped bushes around it. This lumpy bush has a vaguely animal-like shape.
Safety Rating: Mildly dangerous.
Environment: Wild Guard Bushes are grassland plants. Domesticated varieties have been bred for a wide range of growing conditions.
Details: Guard Bushes are dense, shrubby plants that react dramatically when they are damaged. They make bright lights and loud sounds that scare off herbivores and attract predators. This, combined with the fact that they are easy to grow, has made Guard Bushes a useful for protection. As a result, there is a wide variety of different types of cultivated Guard Bushes.
Wild guard bushes have distinctive leaves with white veins so that herbivores can easily spot and avoid them. However the cultivated varieties have plain leaves that blend into their landscape. Because of this, it can be hard to identify the different varieties of Guard Bush.
When a Guard Bush is damaged, the injured area glows brightly and it has a sharp smell that is reminiscent of sage. If enough leaves are damaged, the whole bush starts to glow and a loud “Whoaw-whoaw-whoaw-whoaw-” alarm sound starts. Nearby Guard Bushes echo the alarm signals of the damaged bush, but their reaction is less intense, making it easy to spot which bush or bushes are the origin of the alarm. The greater the damage, the more intensely the bush reacts. Wild Guard Bushes have different sound and light patterns for different herbivores, and some cultivated varieties have different patterns for different kinds of damage.
Lore: Guard Bushes originated in semiarid grasslands, but they have been subsequently bred to exist in a wide variety of environments. The wild version of this plant doesn’t move, but there are specially bred varieties that can move. These animated bushes follow around after the creature that damaged them, like a pack of lumpy guard dogs. A few varieties have even been bred to tackle their targets and hold them down.
Knowledge Rolls for Wild Guard Bushes: If a player character encounters a wild Guard Bush, they can roll Nature to identify it.
- 0 Successes: A failure means that the character believes that these are ordinary bushes that happen to have decorative leaves.
- 1 Success: A partial success means that the character knows that this is a wild Guard Bush that will make loud alarms sounds when it is triggered. Unfortunately, they can’t remember what sets them off or what the sound is for.
- 2 Successes: A full success means that the character remembers that damaged leaves set Guard Bushes off and that the purpose of their alarm is to protect themselves from herbivores by alerting predators to exact location of herbivores that are eating them.
- 3 Successes: An outstanding success means that the character knows which predator is most likely to come if the Guard Bushes are set off. Alternatively, the character knows a trick for hiding in wild Guard Bushes without setting them off.
Knowledge Rolls for Cultivated Guard Bushes: If a player character encounters a cultivated guard bush, they can roll Nature to identify it.
- 0 Successes: A failure means that the character believes that these are a type of bush that is commonly grown in gardens because they are easy to shape and maintain.
- 1 Success: A partial success means that the character knows that this is a cultivated variety of Guard Bush that will make loud alarms sounds when it is triggered. Unfortunately, they can’t remember what sets them off. In addition, they know that there are different varieties that do different things, but they can’t remember any specifics.
- 2 Successes: A full success means that the character knows that even minor damage sets Guard Bushes off and that some types of guard bushes will chase or restrain anything that sets them off.
- 3 Successes: An outstanding success means that, in addition to knowing about Guard Bushes, the character knows exactly what type of Guard Bush this is and what it does.
Getting Past Guard Bushes: If a character moves through a patch of Guard Bushes, they risk setting them off. Roll Mobility (or a different applicable skill) to determine whether or not the character sets off the bushes.
- 0 Successes: A failure means that the Guard Bushes go off immediately, with bright lights and loud sounds, along with any other abilities that they have.
- 1 Success: A partial success means that there is a mild reaction. The bushes glow softly and make a quiet sound, but none of their other abilities trigger. However the bushes are now more sensitive, and a second partial success will fully trigger them. Alternatively, a partial success could mean that a single bush becomes fully triggered.
- 2 Successes: A full success means that the character makes it through without triggering any of the bushes.
- 3 Successes: An outstanding success means the character does so well at navigating the bushes that they can help another person get through without triggering them. Alternatively, the character has found a hiding place inside the patch of bushes.
Inspiration: Plant defenses to being munched on by herbivores (wild tobacco).
Guard Bush is part of the Crossroads Setting for the tabletop role-playing game, Magic Goes Awry. Click here to go to the list of wild and whimsical magical plants from the Land of Crossroads.
