Plant Dossier: Leaping Willow
“Look! Up there! It’s a dragon!”
“No! It’s a wyvern.”
“What are you all talking about? It’s a tree!” — A concerned adventuring party
Type: Deciduous tree
Where to Find: Forests, cloud giant gardens, the ocean, anywhere it flies. Comfortable range: -20° - 120° F
Distinguishing Features: Flat lightweight branches sticking straight up.
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When Trees Fly
Among the various phenomena in the world that run the risk of making paranoid adventurers feel unsound, the leaping willow is one of the most innocuous. Soaring at heights reaching 15000 ft. the leaping willow certainly defies what is expected of most trees. Like a hang glider, these trees use their unique branches to briskly sail through the air. With enough luck, the leaping willow will catch updrafts, wind currents, and flocks of birds to keep it airborne for as long as possible.
The leaping willow isn’t always in the sky necessarily, nor is it born of the sky. Instead, these trees grow and live much like other willows. Where they differ can be seen in their branches and interesting reactions to storms. The flat branches of the leaping willow jut upwards, forming multiple “wings” that catch breezes well. During a storm, hurricane, or tornado the heavy winds can exert a large amount of pressure on the branches to the point where the whole tree uproots!
The leaping willow’s wooden branches, while sturdy enough to catch hurricane-force winds without snapping, are light like balsa wood. In and after a storm, the leaping willow will be launched away from the spot where it took root. In the air, the willow rapidly lets off water by creating seeds. Droplet-shaped nuts form on the branches after about 5 days and fall to the ground if the tree is still aloft after this time. This is the only way the tree proliferates.
The sky-linked nature of the tree makes it a favorite inclusion within the temperate and blustery gardens of cloud giant palaces. Additionally, certain groups of ocean-crossing seabirds will use the tree as a temporary roost as it flies through the air. Some bird species have even been spotted forming a large flock around the soaring tree, using coordinated wing flaps to aid the tree in hovering across the seas.
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Gameplay Effects
Leaping willows can be caught from the air and taken back to the ground through flight-assisted means. A seed may be found after one flies overhead by succeeding a DC 12 Nature check.
Potion Ingredient. Muddling the fluid-heavy seeds of a leaping willow produces a cyan-colored paste. This paste can be used to create a potion of flying by using the rules presented in pages 128+129 of the DMG.
