Monster Kelp



Monster Kelp is a stationary predator often found in or around bodies of water, which hunts by dragging unsuspecting prey into its den.

Appearance
Monster Kelp are plant-like organisms which consist of a stipe (something akin to a stem) and blades (leaf-like growths). Monster Kelp is primarily black in coloration, accented by red or green edges around its blades.

Combat
While killing Monster Kelp is impractical in most situations, it is rather easy to do so if the player is prepared, as Monster Kelp is stationary and easy to hit. Dying in 2-3 hits, Monster Kelp takes many cycles to respawn.

Evasion
It is possible to stun and get past Monster Kelp by throwing a Spear, a, or alternatively (although this stuns it for a considerably shorter time) at it. It is possible to retrieve a Spear thrown at Monster Kelp if the player acts fast enough.

Stealth
It is also possible to sneak past Monster Kelp by moving slowly. This is possible on both land and water (although the water must not be disturbed by something such as a waterfall) and can be executed by tapping the move button a bit at a time. If this is executed successfully, the Monster Kelp will not attempt to move towards the player.

Abilites & behavior
When dormant, Monster Kelp is completely still, but when a creature it considers prey makes a sufficient amount of movement nearby, the Monster Kelp attempts to grab and drag it down into its den. When all nearby movement ceases, the Monster Kelp remains in this state for about fifteen seconds before it starts going back into a state of dormancy. Monster Kelp are only able to grab creatures with the tip of their stipe.

Taking Damage
Upon taking any amount of damage, Monster Kelp writhe around before either retreating into their den if the damage is lethal, or return to an active state after a period of time determined by the damage taken. While writhing around, Monster Kelp are unable to grab anything. While not being damaging to Monster Kelp, Flashbangs are able to stun them for a considerable period of time.

Senses
Monster Kelp rely primarily on motion based vision. The further a suitable target is from the tip of the Monster Kelp's stipe, the faster moving they must be to be visible to the Monster Kelp.

A strange quirk of the Monster Kelp's vision is that despite being most likely carnivorous, they will still attempt to consume any items which have collision. However, the items do still have to be moving for the Monster Kelp to notice them. This may be exploited by throwing bluefruits or bubblefruits at a Monster Kelp, causing it to retreat into its den with the items for several seconds. However care must be taken when doing this, as generally the time it takes to move past a Monster Kelp is barely longer than the duration it stays in its den for.

Variants & attributes
Monster Kelp vary in stipe length, stipe width, blade density, and individual blade length. They can have either green or red blades, but green-bladed Monster Kelp are exclusive to Shoreline.

Trivia

 * Monster Kelp cannot be tranquilized by Dart Maggots
 * While Kelp are only found in regions with lots of water, they can be located on land, and sometimes even on ceilings.
 * Some have a chance to lineage into a Monster Kelp when killed.
 * If the player is grabbed while carrying a, there is a chance the Monster Kelp will drag it under the ground to eat, instead of the player.
 * Developer commentary on the design of this creature as well as that of  can be found here.
 * While Monster Kelp is usually found growing out of the ground, there are various instances in Shaded Citadel of it growing out of the walls or ceiling.