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To be clear I'm not talking about with the disguise skill, alter self, disguise self, or similar effects. I just want to know if there are any Paizo-approved creatures that appear as a human with plants growing out of them with a human-like skin stone. when in conversation range or something of the like - rather than "humanoid-shaped vegetable creatures" like the race creation rules say, which invokes the image of a broccoli man in my head whenever I read it and feels a bit too narrow.

Race creation rules:

Plant (10 RP)

This type encompasses humanoid-shaped vegetable creatures. Note that regular plants, such as those found in ordinary gardens and fields, lack Wisdom and Charisma scores and are not creatures, but objects, even though they are alive.

A plant race has the following features:

  • Plants have the low-light vision racial trait.
  • Plants are immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms).
  • Plants are immune to paralysis, poison,polymorph, sleep effects, and stunning.
  • Plants breathe and eat, but do not sleep, unless they want to gain some beneficial effect from this activity. This means that a plant creature can sleep in order to regain spells, but sleep is not required to survive or stay in good health.

Creature types and Subtypes:

Plant

This type comprises vegetable creatures. Note that regular plants, such as one finds growing in gardens and fields, lack Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores; even though plants are alive, they are objects, not creatures.

A plant creature has the following features.

  • d8 Hit Die. Base attack bonus equal to 3/4 total Hit Dice (medium progression).
  • Good Fortitude saves. Skill points equal to 2 + Int modifier (minimum 1) per Hit Die. Some plant creatures, however, are mindless and gain no skill points or feats. The following are class
  • skills for plants: Perception and Stealth.

Traits: A plant creature possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).

  • Low-light vision.
  • Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms).
  • Immunity to paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep effects, and stunning.
  • Proficient with its natural weapons only. Not proficient with armor.
  • Plants breathe and eat, but do not sleep.
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  • \$\begingroup\$ I think the key question here is: from what distance should they appear human? On the horizon seems to be right out, but hundreds of feet? Tens of feet? Melee distance? Grappling distance? Plenty of plant creatures could fool the first couple, but all I can think of fail at conversation distance. \$\endgroup\$
    – Carduus
    Mar 2, 2020 at 14:04
  • \$\begingroup\$ Does your use of the words "plant-type" refer to the actual Plant creature type? Because reading the rest of your question, specifically "human with plants growing out of them with a human-like skin tone", it seems like it is not really a a requirement, and possibly even unlikely that they are actually of the plant-type. \$\endgroup\$
    – Tharkon
    Mar 4, 2020 at 15:01
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Tharkon yes plant creature type I was mainly giving an example since I'm trying to figure out how closely a plant creature can resemble an actually human \$\endgroup\$ Mar 4, 2020 at 15:03

2 Answers 2

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It depends on how narrow your criteria are. Some of the humanoid-shaped plant creatures are:

  • Mandragora - very roughly humanoid-shaped
  • Leshy (various types) - none look "human" but they follow the basic human body pattern
  • Jack-O-Lantern - except for the Halloween-pumpkin head, fairly human in appearance
  • Bodythief - while the Bodythief is not remotely human-shaped, it can create a pod-spawned creature that is a fairly good copy of a recently digested creature.
  • Mindslaver Mold - the mold infests a willing or helpless host. The combined host (if human) plus mold looks like a human with plants growing out of it, since that's what it is, and is probably the closest to what you are looking for. There is no illustration on the linked site, but there is in Bestiary 4.
  • Saguaroi - looks like a cactus version of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy.
  • Vegepygmy - humanoid in basic body shape.
  • Griefgall - as with the Mindslaver mold, the griefgall takes over a humanoid host. The host looks normal until the griefgall decides to do a tendril attack out of the humanoid host's mouth.
  • Ghoran - these plant creatures are human-looking from a distance, it is only up relatively close that the "skin" texture and other features reveal that this is a non-human. The first link is ghoran as a bestiary entry, this link is for running them as playable characters.
  • Greenman - humanoid-shaped, but at CR26 I would not even consider involving one in my campaign!
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  • \$\begingroup\$ I'd add the fungal creature template to your list, as its effects are very similar to Mindslaver mold. \$\endgroup\$
    – Carduus
    Mar 2, 2020 at 14:22
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This answer is under the assumption that your use of plant-type-creatures does not actually refer to the Plant creature type based on the spirit of the rest of your question.

  • Gaithlain are fey creatures that are grown from a seed, they look mostly humanoid, rpobably a bit elf-like but have large vines growing out of their back they can use to fly. Alternate traits exist to decorate these vines in thorns and/or flowers.
  • Oread are native outsiders with an essentially earthen quality to their skin, which may be taking your typo of "human-like skin stone" a bit too literal. They are known to grow plants in their skin though.
  • Veranallia are large azata that look like completely nude women except for the mass of vines and leaves that cover their lower body. They are not a playable race in any way though.
  • Huldra are fey that look normal from the front, but from the back they have a fox tail and a hollow bark-like back. Huldra are probably not playable.
  • Verdant Shifter is an archetype of shifters. While a class and not a race, they perfectly match your description, even counting as the Plant type in addition to their usual type. Their appearance, while permanent, is supernatural though so may fall under your "alter self or similar effects"-clause.
  • Nature-Bonded Magus is an archetype for magi. Again a class and not a race, but this magus gains the ability to merge with a plant familiar at level 4, "as though it were growing on him".
  • Fukujin are tiny kami look like little old humanoids with a tiny tree branch jutting out of the top of their head. They are the guardian spirits of bonsai trees and probably not playable.

EDIT: If you do require the resulting creature to be of the Plant type the Verdant Shifter is the only valid item on my list.

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