Its eyes gleam like polished walnuts, and its sly smile seems oddly placed on the tiny body, covered in spikes and thorns. The creature’s waist is no thicker than a clenched fist, and its sinuous arms are no wider than a finger but twice the length of its body.
Born of Magic. Children of the briar are a frequent nuisance to fey and mortal alike. They grow in deep briar patches in forest clearings or along sunny hillsides and riverbanks. More rarely, they spawn when a sorcerer or magical creature’s blood is spilled on the forest floor, or when summoned into being by obscure druidic items of power.
Thorn Fortresses. Despite their size, children of the briar gather in great numbers, cultivating ancient forest thickets into veritable fortresses. Wise men flee when they hear their clicking language in the underbrush, for the children have all the capricious wickedness of spiteful children and a taste for blood.
Spies and Scouts. From their lairs, the children of the briar creep far and wide to spy on the forest’s inhabitants, sometimes using spiders, monstrous centipedes, and giant dragonflies as mounts. They converse with travelers bearing interesting news, but their words are thorned with gleeful malice, jealous bile, and lies. They are not above murder. They trade news and gossip for trinkets, favors, and drops of spilled blood.
The fey have long used the children of the briar as spies and informants, and the power of the Otherworld now courses through their veins, allowing them to work simple magical tricks and slip between the mortal and faerie realms with relative ease.
Child of the Briar
Tiny plant, neutral evilArmor Class 13
Hit Points 50 (20d4)
Speed 20 ft., climb 10 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (-2) | 17 (+3) | 11 (+0) | 13 (+1) | 10 (+0) | 14 (+2) |
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +7
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Briarclick, Common, Sylvan
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Fey Blood. Children of the briar count as both plant and fey for any effect related to type.
Actions
Multiattack. A child of the briar makes two claw attacks. If both attacks hit the same target, the target is grappled (escape DC 13) and the child of the briar uses its Thorny Grapple on it.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Spitdart Tongue (Recharge 4-6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage. Every child of the briar can shoot thorns from its mouth.
Entangle. Two children of the briar working together can cast a version of the entangle spell with no components, at will. Both creatures must be within 10 feet of each other, and both must use their action to cast the spell. The entangled area must include at least one of the casters but doesn’t need to be centered on either caster. Creatures in the area must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be restrained. All children of the briar are immune to the spell’s effects.
Thorny Grapple. A child of the briar’s long thorny limbs help it grapple creatures up to Medium size. A grappled creature takes 2 (1d4) piercing damage at the end of the child’s turn for as long as it remains grappled.