Whatever their origins, Oakmen are certainly among the most vile and malicious of creatures. Neither plant nor animal, Oakmen appear as twisted and gnarled humanoids roughly 3-4 feet in height. Their eyes are dark and deep-set, and their bodies are composed of rough, fibrous wood. In some individuals, the fingers and toes are twisted and elongated, resembling roots. In others, a fine growth of tendrils and shoots may ring the head and/or face, giving a bearded or hirsute appearance.
Though Oakmen are physically weak and slow moving, they possess an innate ability to control plants. This ability enables Oakmen to magically animate limited areas of trees or plants at will, causing plants to grow, entangle, part, or even wither and die. Vines may be made to strangle opponents, grasses may be made to ensnare, trees may be made to lash out at individuals, and so on. There is no limit to the number of times Oakmen may use these abilities, though animating plants for combat purposes requires their total concentration. If hard-pressed, an Oakman may use a branch or stick to defend itself, but in most cases, these miserable beings will flee if they are in danger of being slain.
Oakmen are hateful creatures and spend most of their lives in seclusion. They often create great areas of dead or weirdly tangled forest in which to brood and hatch new and more sinister plans. No animal will live in these “haunted” or “dead” forests, and even sylvan creatures and Sidhe will give such places a wide berth. Living creatures of almost any sort who dare to enter the twisted lair of an Oakman will certainly be attacked, and if captured, may be imprisoned in cages of living wood. It is said that Oakmen keep certain prisoners captive for years, so that they may watch them grow old and die. Oakmen themselves are immortal, though they may be slain with fire or magical weapons.
Attributes: STA: 6, INT: 16-18, SPD: 6, DEX: 5, CON: 10, WILL: 12, CHA: 2, PER: 19
Level: 3-7
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Damage: Strangle: 1-4 or as per weapon employed
Special Attributes: Control plants (range: 100 ft., area of effect: 10x10x10 ft.; see Comments), Fire does 2x damage to Oakmen
Armor: Studded leather
Hit Points: 12-36
Comments: Oakmen can cause various effects in plants or trees such as wither, warpwood, growth, entangle (vines and grasses; save vs STR to escape on following round), attack (branches: 1-6 x d6 according to size, vines: 1-8 points of constriction/strangulation damage per round), pass through plants (10 ft. per minute), and plant control .
