Nepenthes

## Description

A writhing mass of tendrils with eight pitcher plant "heads" on top. Fought only in the Rith campaign.

## Attributes & Attacks

Nepenthes is a stationary boss, literally rooted to the center of its arena, and is completely invulnerable to all attacks. It has nine separate lock-ons, one for each pitcher-head and an additional one for the body.

Compared to some of the other bosses in Age of Fire Nepenthes is fairly relaxed, mostly content to just wave around and grope at the air in search of prey. When it does attack it's mostly in response to proximity, as each head will grow visibly agitated and start to target the player when approached. The heads can all perform a quick snap attack, a wide diagonal swipe, a downward bash, and a lunging swallow attack. The swallow is the most dangerous attack in its standard moveset by far, momentarily trapping the player inside a vat of digestive enzymes and shaking them around before spitting them back out. Between the initial attack and the acid effect it inflicts this grab move can take off half of the player's health bar at once.

As the fight goes on Nepenthes will gradually introduce three additional attacks, one for mid range, one for long range, and one used only in retaliation when a head is destroyed. At mid range pitcher-heads will rush forward and open their mouths, pouring out the acid inside to douse the player and inflict them with the same damage over time effect as their grab. Then, when players move farther away the heads regurgitate, sending balls of compressed skeletal remains rocketing into the air. These arcing projectiles break apart when they make contact, dealing damage and inflicting a shorter-lived version of the same acid effect. Finally, if a pitcher-head is destroyed Nepenthes will lift it into the air and let it drop, potentially crushing anything caught beneath it. This attack deals even more damage than the grab, taking roughly 80% of the healthbar if it connects, meaning it can easily one-shot the player if they're not at full health.

## Strategy

Because Nepenthes is invulnerable there's no point in trying melee attacks at all. Its ninth lock-on point, the base, is a red herring and should be avoided. Spitting at the heads is the only viable option here, but even then only situationally. Also take note that items are not available for this fight regardless of what was stocked up on in the previous level, meaning Muckwigglers, Floatstingers, and Bileberries are all totally off the table.

The lunging grab performed by Nepenthes' heads is the key to making progress. Each strike has a long wind-up that both telegraphs the move and creates an opening: try spitting into the opening pitcher before dodging. Each successful shot will incrementally raise the pH of the stomach acid inside, turning it from green to yellow and creating a steaming, fizzing effect. Enough hits will raise the pH value so high that even the plant's inner lining won't be able to contain it anymore and the whole pitcher-head will burn up from the inside out.

Do this two times to make the center of the plant shudder and bring about the first major change, the introduction of the acid spit and regurgitate attacks. Both moves should obviously be avoided at all costs, but sticking to mid range is generally the safest option: the bone regurgitation attack is not more damaging but *is* much harder to see coming, and getting too close will only make the plant's swipes and bites a major concern again. Burn up four more pitcher-heads to initiate the third phase.

When Nepenthes is down to its last two heads it will begin to attack more frequently, using all the same attacks it had in phase two but in faster succession. The wind-up animation for the grab move will also speed up, shortening the window of opportunity for counterattack. If the player is persistence and precise enough to overcome this they can destroy the last two heads, but be warned: they will each come down in dramatic fashion, so stay well out of the way when they die!

If all eight heads are destroyed and the plant's last ditch effort to crush the player fails then the ball of vines at Nepenthes' base will shudder, constrict, and sink underground, never to threaten the Rith again.

## Trivia

* *Nepenthes* is a real genus of carnivorous plant.
* While it's only *fought* in the Rith storyline, eagle-eyed players may notice Nepenthes in the distant background of swamp levels in all three of the other campaigns.
	+ Slightly larger Nepenthes can also appear in Legend levels as ambient hazards / enemies. They have the same model but use fewer attacks, only snapping and spitting bone-balls. They can be smashed for a SM health pickup.