Ruunwaith
Contents
Ruunwaith
Common Name: Rootfolk Classification: Rooted Kind Creature Type: Large Plant
The Ruunwaith are a rooted kind of living being native to forests, jungles, and living waters throughout Elwindil. Neither mortal peoples nor spirits, they are plant-analogous entities whose lives unfold through growth, connection, and place.
They are most often mistaken for trolls, forest giants, or lake monsters. Elves recognize them as kin to the living world itself and call them by their true name, meaning “the Connected Folk.”
Names and Terminology
- Elven Name: Ruunwaith — “The Connected Folk”
- Common Name: Rootfolk
- Scholarly Terms (rare): Verdant Fey, Chthonic Fey
- Common Misnomers: Green Trolls, Wood Giants, Lake Trolls, Forest Giants
The Ruunwaith do not correct names. To them, names are weather.
Ruunwaith
Large Plant
- Hit Dice: 8d8+64 (100 hp)
- Initiative: +1
- Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares); climb 10 ft.; swim 20 ft. (aquatic variants)
- Armor Class: 22 (–1 size, +1 Dex, +12 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 21
- Base Attack/Grapple: +6 / +18
- Attack: Slam +13 melee (1d8+10)
- Full Attack: 2 slams +13 melee (1d8+10) and vine whip +11 melee (1d6+5 plus entangle)
- Space/Reach: 10 ft./15 ft. (see Living Reach)
Special Attacks
- Vine Whip
- Entangling Network
- Verdant Grasp
- Calm Beasts
Special Qualities
- Plant traits
- Photosynthetic regeneration
- Rooted stance
- Living reach
- Verdant speech
- Low-light vision
- Immunity to poison, sleep, paralysis, polymorph, stunning, critical hits
- Immunity to drowning and suffocation
- Saves: Fort +14, Ref +3, Will +6
- Abilities: Str 31, Dex 13, Con —, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 14
- Skills: Listen +13, Spot +13, Survival +13, Knowledge (nature) +11, Move Silently +11
Racial Bonuses: +8 Survival and +8 Move Silently in natural terrain
- Feats: Improved Grapple, Power Attack, Combat Reflexes
- Environment: Temperate or tropical forests, jungles, wetlands, lake shores, shallow aquatic regions
- Organization: Solitary, pair, or family-grove (3–6)
- Challenge Rating: 9
- Treasure: None
- Alignment: Usually neutral
- Advancement: 9–16 HD (Large); 17–24 HD (Huge)
Combat
Ruunwaith do not seek combat and rarely initiate violence. When forced to fight, they favor containment, restraint, and environmental control over lethal force. They escalate slowly and often allow opponents the opportunity to withdraw.
A Ruunwaith does not fight alone; the surrounding living network responds to its presence.
Special Abilities
Photosynthetic Regeneration (Ex)
A Ruunwaith heals 5 hit points per round so long as any one of the following conditions is met:
- In natural sunlight or bright diffuse light
- Rooted into living soil, vegetation, or mycelium
- In contact with a healthy plant or fungal network
- Has consumed glucose-rich fruit within the last hour
Regeneration is suppressed in complete darkness, lifeless stone environments, or areas of necromantic corruption or magical blight. Fire does not negate regeneration unless it destroys surrounding life.
Vine Whip (Ex)
A Ruunwaith may extrude living vine-fibers from its arms.
- Reach weapon (15 ft.)
- Deals 1d6+5 damage
- Target must succeed on a DC 21 Reflex save or become entangled
Entangling Network (Ex)
Standard Action; usable every 1d4 rounds
Roots, vines, or fungal strands erupt in a 20-ft.-radius area within 30 ft.
- DC 21 Reflex save
- Failure: entangled
- Failure by 5 or more: immobilized
- Duration: 5 rounds
This ability functions only where plant or fungal life exists.
Verdant Grasp (Ex)
Creatures grappled by a Ruunwaith take 2d6 crushing damage per round. Escape Artist and Strength checks to escape the grapple take a –4 penalty.
Rooted Stance (Ex)
Immediate Action
When subject to forced movement, the Ruunwaith may root itself, gaining a +20 bonus on opposed checks. It may choose to become immovable until its next turn.
Living Reach (Ex)
A Ruunwaith threatens all squares within 15 ft. and may make attacks of opportunity against creatures that move, stand, or attempt to pass through this area.
Verdant Speech (Su)
Ruunwaith communicate with plants, fungi, moss, root systems, mycelial networks, and other Ruunwaith. This grants awareness of disturbances within 300 ft. in natural terrain.
Calm Beasts (Su)
3/day — Animals within 30 ft. must succeed on a DC 18 Will save or become calm (as calm animals, CL 8). This does not compel behavior or override survival instincts.
Environment Variants
Jungle Ruunwaith
Influenced by Ultharae in the jungles of Tawar-Nur.
- Climb speed 20 ft.
- Entangling Network radius increases to 30 ft.
- Move Silently applies at full speed
CR +1
Aquatic Ruunwaith
Associated with Sha’taurë and the waters of Asha’Tor.
- Swim speed 40 ft.
- Entangling Network functions underwater via kelp or algae
- Immune to pressure and currents
- Never waterlogged, submerged or emerged
CR +1
Fungal / Deep Shade Ruunwaith
Found in decay-rich forests, caves, and deep shade.
- Darkvision 60 ft.
- Regeneration functions in dim or bioluminescent light
- Entangling Network manifests as fungal growth
CR +1
Life Stages
- Young Ruunwaith (CR 5): Small for their kind, curious and defensive; regeneration 3/round
- Adult Ruunwaith: Independent and regionally rooted
- Elder Ruunwaith (CR 13): Huge; regeneration 10/round; wide-area network awareness
- Ancient Ruunwaith (CR 17): Immovable living landmarks; regeneration 15/round; terrain reshapes slowly over hours
Ancients are features of the world rather than wandering creatures.
Ecology
Ruunwaith are plant-analogous beings that metabolize light and carbon dioxide. They do not respire oxygen, do not require protein, and never hunt animals. Glucose-rich fruits provide supplemental energy and are experienced as pleasure.
Aquatic Ruunwaith are never waterlogged; water flows across hydrophobic growth layers without saturation.
Relationship with Animals
Ruunwaith do not assign moral hierarchy to animals.
They will not stop a snake from eating a mouse, nor aid a hawk in killing the snake. Animals are participants in balance, not moral actors. Intervention occurs only when imbalance is artificial or imposed.
Society
Ruunwaith do not form civilizations, nations, or hierarchies. They exist as a kind, not a people.
Family-Groves
Kinship arises from shared root systems and region. Individuals may live alone for decades and gather naturally when paths align.
Birth and Care
New Ruunwaith emerge slowly at root-nexuses and are known in advance through mycelial shifts. Young are raised communally; there is no concept of biological parenthood or ownership.
Mantle and Appearance
Ruunwaith are humanoid in stance and proportion, typically 7–9 feet tall, with long arms and expressive faces. Their bodies are composed of heartwood, root-fiber, and living growth.
Each bears a mantle of accumulated growth formed naturally through movement, stillness, and environment. The mantle records lived experience.
Common Mantle Forms
- Deep Moss Mantle — decades beneath closed canopy
- Leaf-Laced Mantle — seasonal wandering
- Fungal Mantle — damp or decay-rich regions
- Kelp Mantle — shallow waters and reefs
- Bark-Heavy Mantle — exposure and endurance
Altering another’s mantle without consent is deeply offensive.
Divine and Regional Connections
The Ruunwaith are shaped by the connective principle embodied by Vaelthir-Ruun, though they are neither avatars nor servants.
They are most commonly found near strong expressions of its Facets:
- Vaelthir-Kaen — The Living Forest (Eryn Dur)
- Ultharae — Jungles of Tawar-Nur
- Sha’taurë — Asha’Tor and its shores
Elves describe the relationship simply: “They are what happens when connection is allowed to stand.”
Lore
Elves call them Ruunwaith, the Connected Folk. Humans most often know them as Rootfolk or misname them entirely. The Ruunwaith do not object.
Summary
The Ruunwaith are a rooted kind of living being whose lives unfold at the pace of forests and waters. They grow rather than age, gather rather than rule, and endure rather than expand.
Where they stand, connection remains unbroken.
