| Class: | Animate Plants and Vegimals, Beasts to Folk |
| Hab: | Woodlands, temperate (banyan equivalent in tropics) |
| Fre: | Common ("wicked willows" quite rare) |
| Num: | 100's per forest; larger solitary, smallest grow in groves, mobile gather in time of need |
| Lair: | Varies; some sessile, others quite mobile |
| Size: | 10-100 ft tall, 3-30' diameter |
| Move: | Prefer to be sessile but can uproot; slow shuffle to rapid stride (varies) |
| Def: | Very tough, fibrous bark, inaccessible vitals buried in hard wood |
| Att: | Clubbing or grappling limbs (2-7) |
| Int: | Simple beast to Human; some with wisdom of minor divinities |
| Spec: | Most have mind-affecting powers |
| Posns: | Possibly; incidental or, for intelligent, a horde |
Willows hungering for the souls (or merely blood) of Humans are a staple of traditional mythology, from Celtic and Slavic to Chinese. The most famous model is Tolkien's Old Man Willow; SEE TreeFolk for details on Old Man Willow himself.
Tolkien describes Old Man Willow (AKA "Old Grey Willow-Man" or "The Great Willow") in The Fellowship of the Ring and in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (both of which SEE); the Monster Manual II's "Willow, Black" seems derived from Tolkien's model.
Willows range from simple beast-like willow trees (sometimes with "unnatural" appetites) to sentient plants such as Old Man Willow himself; it is likely that such Great Willows serve as region-spirits, minor local-divinities embodying the life of a forests or part of a forest. There is no sharp line dividing Willow Folk from Ents or Huorn (which SEE); they are on a merging continuum.
Some Willows seem motivated to act in ways many Folk would consider evil, but which Druids and their ilk might recognize as no more "evil" than any other automated defense system, while others are clearly benevolent forest-guardians. Few seem to realize that the difference between the inimical Black Willow and the beneficent Ent-Wives is one of personality and acquired character, not one of species; the (literally) enchanting Willow Maidens are notoriously fickly, sometimes kind and helpful, other times deceitful and inimical. The same Willow may play both roles, perceived by common Folk as good and evil, depending on mood and circumstance. A Willow's mood shifts may take years or decades. Because Humanoids tend to only notice the "wicked willows" and ignore the unassertive, less active Willows, the total population of Willows is generally greatly under estimated; "wicked willows" probably comprise less than 5% or 10% of the total willow population.
Tolkien's Old Man Willow may have once been a benevolent forest spirit himself, possibly originally a respectable Ent, who was corrupted, poisoned by his bitterness at the destruction of the Old Forest. He probably saw himself as simply trying to defend the last, tattered remains of what was once a green and pleasant place before the shortsighted Humanoids destroyed the greater part of the great forest that once clothed most of Middle Earth. While there is no suggestion that Old Man Willow actually digested his victims, there may be other carnivorous trees, and Tree Folk, who do.
Naturally, there are many other such mobile trees that either never really were intelligent, or are so degenerated that they are no longer considered intelligent. Often, a forest will have a population of such beast-willows, guided by a smaller population of sentient Great Willow "herders" (such as Tolkien's Ents) all overseen by a forest-king such as Old Man Willow, with his local-divinity wisdom.
While willows have few material needs, the intelligent Willows of a forest may maintain a collective horde in case of emergency. This may include treasures accumulated over aeons. Given their centuries-long lifespans, and an outlook as long as the collective life of their entire forest, these Willows will have anticipated a surprising range of possible circumstances - and be well prepared.
Being mobile, a willow can be encountered anywhere in or near its territory (or, in the case of a Great Willow, its realm), but is comfortable in places where a normal willow would grow well.
Willows prefer to remain well-rooted and are reluctant to move, but, after loosening themselves from the earth, some can stride as quickly as any Ent; others can only shuffle. It is a matter of practice.
While willows are plants of the temperate regions, there are banyan equivalents in the tropics, somewhat like strangler fig trees in form.
Willows with mind-affecting powers create an aura of safety, inviting passersby to rest on either a broad, secure limb or in a convenient trunk nook. The willow then puts its prey into a deep sleep; they are gently drawn into the trunk, to be slowly suffocated, crushed, or simply entombed alive. Shorter tendril-branches and roots may help bind and draw the victims in. Once in a willow's grasp, held tight by the surrounding wood, there is little chance to wiggle, let alone use a weapon.
Its ability to affect minds is an even greater means of masking itself and its true nature than the simple form-shifting of its simpler cousins.
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