Re: [sg] Scenario with alien plants

as a veteran of  both the book and movie version of THE DAY OF THE
TRIFFIDS by JOHN WYNDHAM and THE MONSTER FROM EARTH'S END by MURRAY
LEINSTER, i have used mobile plants in my sci-fi games for many years.

(also some less well known UK and American 1950s sci-fi epics involving
mobile plant horrors or alien /human mutations)

since there were no triffid or TMFEE  models available , and my modeling
skills (then ) were not up to making my own, i bought and used el cheapo
plastic cacti  from bakery supply stores ( both the short flat leafed
version and the tall finger shaped versions-cannot remember the proper
names). 

generally, triffids/TMFEE  were mobile carnivourous plants, caused
terror moved slowly (in the  case of TMFEE only during hours of
darkness) could sense their prey within a fixed range  (6"), were very
tough and hard to kill (multiple hits, high armor value), were
vulnerable to fire, and very hard to "see" with the MARK I EYEBALL and
non-specific sensor scans.
and reproduced rapidly where there  was a good	food  supply. the
triffid had  a rangd attack and a close combat attack. both poisonous.
TMFEE had a close combat attack only, and this too was poisonous.
solitary hunter or packs of carnivores on the  prowl.  TMFEE will each
each other if NO OTHER FOOD SUPPLY IS AVAILABLE!   

other favorite boogery plants featured in my games were immobile
carnovores similar to the VENUS flytraps or AUDRY II (from THE LITTLE
SHOP OF HORRORS-both versions).  this is one of my favorite really
stupid movies-especially V2 in which  AUDRY II became a rock star!  

I even bought 4 or 5 lead models  (now OOP) of AUDREY II made by LASER
AND LANCE MINIATURES, and have placed them on nicely terrained	bases,
among my other	sci-fi terrain , for  years.
LOL, in just about  every game	appearance, AUDREY II manages to eat one
or two incautious soldiers! solitary (usually) but can grow in clusters
(colonies).

here are some of my other plant boogers;

THE BAG-BEAST (from book by JOHN BRUNNER). this carnivore is  immobile
and always lives near a body of water. it is very hard to detect with
the MARK I EYEBALL or sensors.	the beast   uses  water pumped from the
nearby source to  work with its own secretions to disolve a victim
within minutes of the unfortunate falling into the beast's camouflaged
but  open gut! solitary.

ARCHER BUSH (from MEN, MARTIANS, and MACHINES by ERIC FRANK RUSSEL).
immobile. fires  flights of "clothyard arrows" at ny warm blooded
critter or moving  critter that gets too close to it! poisoned	and
barbed "arrows".range 12 ". solitary.

i just had  minor braindeath and cannot  remember the  details of the
very obnoxious tree from the same  book.

BLACK WATER;  this horror  appears as a pool of black water in jungle
areas. it is always  surrounded by thick vegetation and trees., but is a
large immobile carnivourous plant that has several inches or  a foot  of
water floating on top of a fast acting digestive juices!  penetrate the
water  layer to get a drink, and meet the fast acting and  poisonous
digestive acids! from REDLINERS by DAVID DRAKE.

STICKY TREES and LOGS; another immobile horror that can as a standing
tree or as a tree or a rotting log.  anything that comes in contact with
it is IMMEDIATELY stuck to same, and is unable to break free. the
tree/logs then secrets digestive  acids that disolve the unfortunate!
from REDLINERS by DAVID DRAKE.

SPIKE GRASS;  from a story by CC MACAPP in WORLDS OF IF magazine way
back in the  early 60s. apears as "normal" grass up to 12" tall until it
is trod upon by the unwary. WHEN TROD UPON, the grass reacts as if it
were punj-stakes, able to penetrate most foot wear and unprotectd legs
or other parts of the anatomy that comes into contact with it. once the
victim is impaled,  barbs  engage the flesh making removal almost
impossible (as well as escape!), and poisons enter the victim's
bloodstream. solitary patches, any size up to 12"x 12"
 
FLYING CARPET; do not who to credit for this mobile monstrosity, but it
was in either WORLDS OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION or AMAZING or
ASTOUNDING or ANALOG way back in the late 50s or early 60s. this is a
flying, mossy looking  plant  carnivore that either lies  on the ground
or hangs from tree limbs waiting for its dinner. the mossy surface is
chameleon like, and the carpet is A LOT TOUGHER than it looks.	fire is
the most effective  weapon to use against  them. the carpet envelopes
its prey, sting  ing he/she/it with thousands of paralyzing and
poisonous barbs. the carpet then eats the prey by disolving he/she/it
with digestive acids.	solitary  hunter, but, with ample food	supply
can be found in large packs. fly up to 12". close combat attack only. 

SUNFLOWERS;  plants that can use sunlight to create  heat rays. this
nasty is from the RINGWORLD by LARRY NIVEN, but   i am not able to
remember the details about it right now. it was immobile and grew in
small , large, or huge patches, able to project those heat rays in 360
horizontal or 180s vertical fields of fire. 

there are others but this ought to be  enough  to provide some	ideas
for the GM to use on those who venture in the alien wilderness today!

DAWGIE