Wicker Man

A wicker man is a huge, hollow structure of branches and vines crudely woven into the form of a human. A tall crown of twigs juts up from its featureless head, and its arms end in massive bundles of sharp branches that it uses to snatch up creatures and to toss them through the cage door in its chest.

A wicker man is usually created for a festival by a druid or cleric in a community that reveres a deity such as Nerull. During these festivals, criminals and other undesirables are locked within the wicker man, and it is set aflame. If no such person is available, the people of the village sometimes seek to entice a foreigner to the site of the sacrifice. On those rare occasions when a sacrificial victim escapes, a druid can sometimes find the power to animate a wicker man after a suitable sacrifice of innocents. The druid then sends out the wicker man to retrieve the escapee.

Combat

A wicker man follows the commands of its creator, killing or capturing as instructed. The wicker man’s creator can command the construct if it is within 60 feet and it can see and hear its creator. When not being given an order, a wicker man generally follows the last order it received to the best of its ability, though if attacked it returns the attack. Its creator can give a wicker man a simple program to follow in her absence, such as “Capture four people and return,” or “Remain here and attack all who come near.”

Encage: A wicker man can attempt to encage foes of Large or smaller size by making a successful grapple check. Victims of this attack are tossed inside the wicker man’s chest cavity. The wicker man deals no damage to foes thus encaged unless it has been set aflame (see Flaming Body). An encaged foe can force its way out with a successful opposed grapple check (grapple bonus +26). An encaged victim can also cut its way out by using claws or a light slashing weapon to deal 20 points of damage (AC 14), or with a successful Escape Artist check (DC 20). If a creature cuts its way out, the wicker reknits; another encaged opponent must cut its own way out. A Huge wicker man’s interior can hold 3 Large, 6 Medium-size, 12 Small, 24 Tiny, 48 Diminutive, or 96 Fine opponents.

Improved Grab (Ex): If a wicker man hits an opponent that is at least one size category smaller than itself with a slam attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +26). If it gets a hold, it can encage the foe with another successful grapple check. Alternatively, the wicker man has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use its arm to hold the opponent (−20 penalty on grapple check, but the wicker man is not considered grappled). In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals slam damage.

Flaming Body (Ex): When exposed to fire, a wicker man becomes sheathed in flames. (The construct is not damaged by these flames because of its fire immunity.) Anyone within 30 feet of a flaming wicker man must make a successful Fortitude save (DC 16) or take 1d6 points of fire damage from the intense heat. Treat this effect as a burst that continually radiates from the creature. Anyone touched by a flaming wicker man must succeed on a Reflex save (DC 16) or take 2d6 points of fire damage. Foes grappling with a flaming wicker man take 4d6 points of fire damage, and foes encaged within a wicker man while it is flaming take 6d6 points of fire damage each round. (Thus, a foe encaged within a flaming wicker man that attempts escape by grappling would take 6d6 points of fire damage on the wicker man’s initiative count and another 4d6 points of fire damage when the foe makes a grapple attempt to escape on its initiative count.) A wicker man set afire flames for 10 minutes. After it has finished flaming, it cannot be relit by fire or fire-based effects until 5 rounds have passed.

Hardness (Ex): A wicker man has hardness 5. Subtract 5 points from all damage the wicker man would take.

Immunity to Magic (Ex): Wicker men are immune to all spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural effects, except as follows. A warp wood or wood shape spell opens its cage door for 1 round. Being in the area of an entangle spell when it is cast heals a wicker man of 2d8 points of damage. Fire and fire-based effects engage the wicker man’s flaming body ability.

Immunity to Piercing (Ex): Piercing weapons, even magic ones, deal no damage to a wicker man.

Wicker Man Construction

A wicker man is made from green vines and branches cut from ancient oak and darkwood trees; the total weight of these materials must be at least 800 pounds. Assembling the body requires a successful Craft (woodworking) check (DC 17) and a successful Craft (alchemy) check (DC 15).

Prerequisites: Craft Construct, entangle, liveoak, protection from energy

Cost to Create: 48,000 gp, 1,080 XP, 50 days.

Wicker Men in a Forgotten Realms Campaign

Communities that contain followers of Talos, or even extremists who worship Silvanus, may utilize the wicker man in their festival rites.

Source: Fiend Folio, page 188. Changes applied as per the D&D^® v.3.5 Accessory Update. Made the saves Constitution-based, which they probably already were⁠—​just not specified.