Topiary guardian

A topiary guardian was a plant that had been sculpted into the shape of a creature and then animated with arcane magic to serve as a guardian that was as much a construct as a plant creature. They were superb as sentries. While any creature was possible, three typical forms were known: a boar, a lion, and, for some reason, a triceratops. A topiary dragon was also known.

Creation
Making a topiary guardian was an involved process. First, one required a bush or shrub accurately cut into the shape of a creature; this took six weeks of careful work with skill in gardening or sculpture. Next, the topiary must be treated with oils and tinctures that were rare and expensive, costing 800 gp for a boar-sized topiary, 2,400 gp for a lion-sized topiary, and a 4,600 gp for a triceratops-sized topiary.

After that, a ritual was performed to animate it. This was necessarily done outside, as the shrub required soil, sun, and water until the very end. While the topiary guardian was not itself a construct, the spellcaster needed to be versed in the crafting of constructs and to know the spells awaken, geas/quest, and limited wish. Finally, a spirit of the Elemental Plane of Earth was magically bound to the plant like a golem to animate it.

In the Underdark, topiary guardians were formed from clumps of living moss. Meanwhile, underwater, aquatic elf druids developed a way to turn kelp beds into topiary guardians.

Description
Like a traditional topiary, this was a bush or shrub that had been meticulously trimmed and sculpted into the form of an animal. Although they were the same dimensions as the creatures they resembled, they weighed much less—only a quarter—because they're made of small twigs and branches and a lot of air. They could make no sounds, but only rustle.

Abilities
Being basically a bush, a topiary guardian was very difficult to damage with blunt or stabbing weapons. It could only be effectively damaged with slashing weapons, or perhaps a good pair of shears. It was of course also particularly vulnerable to fire.

Being rooted to the ground, a topiary guardian had tremorsense, letting it sense vibrations transmitted via the earth. They could detect any movement on the ground up to away.

By standing completely still, a topiary guardian was almost distinguishable from regular topiaries. It took an amazingly keen eye to spot it for what it was. Even in motion, it could move very quietly, with no more than faint rustling.

A topiary guardian moved as fast as its animal form could on land. However, whatever its animal form, it could not climb, burrow, or swim, let alone fly.

Combat
On first sensing a trespasser, a topiary guardian remained completely motionless until they approached within, whereupon they would charge and surprise them.

A topiary guardian's attacks and tactics were similar to those used by the creature it resembled. For example, a boar topiary guardian could gore with wooden tusks and fight ferociously to the death, while a lion could pounce on an opponent and rake it with its thorny claws and a triceratops could gore with its wooden horns and trample with trunk-like feet.

However, a topiary guardian could, if instructed, attack to subdue and tire rather than injure and kill. It was effective either way.

Ecology
Topiary guardians were not natural plant creatures, but spirits of the Elemental Plane of Earth bound to living wood. Thus opinions of druids varied from discomfort to rage at a crime against nature. However, their owners didn't care about the druids' or their shrubs' feelings, feeling the extra security outweighed such concerns.

There were stationed alone or in groups of two to eight called "gardens".

Behavior
A topiary guardian would follow any orders given by its creator if they were nearby (no more than away). Otherwise, they followed the last instructions they received as well as they could. The creator usually gave them basic instructions like "Attack any creature entering the garden at night". They could be told to subdue and pin trespassers so they could be arrested and questioned by guards, usually if placed at the home of an important person in government.

Uses
Topiary guardians were used to serve as sentries in gardens and courtyards of the palaces of rich landowners, nobles, and monarchs. They were a decorative defense that would easily fit in with normal topiaries and hedges, animating only when a trespasser was detected.

However, despite the concerns of druids, topiary guardians were in fact usually used to guard sites where druid circles gathered, in areas where nature and civilization met such as parks in cities like Waterdeep and others by the 1370s DR. A topiary dragon was employed to guard the tomb of a druid in Waterdeep by the mid-to-late 15 century DR.

Similarly, topiary guardians stood guard at temples and shrines to nature deities such as Silvanus, Mielikki, and Chauntea.

Notable Topiary Guardians

 * A semi-sentient topiary dragon was the companion and mount of Briarsting, a thorn who guarded a druid's tomb in Waterdeep.

Background
The topiary guardian may be based on the topiary hedge animals in The Shining by Stephen King (appearing in the novel and 1997 miniseries, not the 1980 movie). These also include a lion, but not a boar or triceratops.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * City of the Dead