Stinkweed Shambler

Stinkweed shamblers are animate masses of foul vegetation that grow from necrotic soil where ghasts, disease-ridden zombies, or other putrid undead creatures have fallen. At a site where numerous undead creatures have been destroyed, an infestation of up to a dozen stinkweed shamblers might arise. Such "rot-mates" work well together, sharing a preternatural coordination. Stinkweed shamblers grow quickly, initially appearing as fast-growing green shoots with light-green leaves but soon growing into a humanoid form that can pull itself free from the ground and slowly move about on its own. Stinkweed shamblers' leaves are the source of their unpleasant smell, which is most pungent when the leaves are crushed or squeezed. Stinkweed shamblers are covered with several small, white flowers, each of which grows into the shape of a tiny skull.

Stinkweed shamblers are nasty creatures, but their methods are uncomplicated. They like to capture and torment larger creatures such as livestock and humanoids. Aware that they aren't particularly strong and that their smell can give them away, stinkweed shamblers like to set simple traps such as deadfalls or pits. Their perverse fun ceases only when their prey has died from numerous injuries. Stinkweed shamblers don't consume their victims and in fact lack mouths; they gain all the sustenance they need from sunlight but also seem to derive some nutritional satisfaction from the pain that their torments engender.

Most stinkweed shamblers grow to be about 3 feet tall and weigh only 30 pounds.