Myconid

The statistics block below contains details for more than one shape, size, or type of myconid. Use the horizontal scrollbar below it to display the desired one or select from the links below that.

Junior Worker • Average Worker • Elder Worker • Guard • Circle Leader • Sovereign

These intelligent, mobile mushroms are among the more unusual creatures that live deep below ground. Myconids (also called fungus ones) are gentle, quiet, shy, and thoughtful. They always view outsiders with distrust because they assume that all strangers are destructive and violent. To ensure that they can live in peace, they usually make their homes far from the more commonly traveled subterranean paths.

A myconid can be from 2 to 12 feet tall. The primary physical characteristics that distinguish it from other giant toadstools are its limbs—the lower half of its trunk is split in half to form two legs, and two arms depend from just below its “cap”. It also has two eyes in the cap, which are perfectly concealed when it closes them. Its hands seem to have random numbers of fingers and thumbs. Occasionally, an individual with more than two arms or legs pops up.

A myconid has a life span of about twenty-four years. When first spawned, an infant resembles a giant toadstool. At the age of four, it reaches adulthood and becomes mobile. Thereafter, its appearance changes very little as it ages.

Combat

The fungus ones hide from strangers and fight only as a last resort. When forced into combat, a myconid releases spores as a ranged attack or uses its slams in melee.

Spores (Ex): As a standard action, a myconid can release a cloud of spores. These spores come in several different varieties, as described below. As it enters each new stage of life (increasing its Hit Dice by 1), a myconid gains a new variety of spore but does not lose access to the previous varieties. Each type of spore can be used a number of times per day equal to the myconid’s Hit Dice. A 3-HD myconid, for example, has the first three spores (distress, reproduction, and rapport), and it can use each variety three times per day. Spores can be released either in a 120-foot spread or as a 40-foot ray against a single target, as noted in the individual spore descriptions.

Distress: These spores alert all other myconids within the area that danger is near. They are released in a 120-foot spread.

Reproduction: These spores eventually germinate into new infant myconids. They are released as a 120-foot spread and have no detrimental effects on nonmyconids.

Rapport: Myconids do not speak, but these spores enable them to establish telepathic communication with each other and with outsiders. A successful Fortitude saving throw (DC varies; see individual descriptions) negates the effect, but it is harmless. Rapport lasts for 30 to 60 minutes with outsiders, but for 8 hours with other myconids. Rapport spores can be released as either a 120-foot spread or a 40-foot ray. Regardless of the release area, the communication range is 120 feet once rapport is established.

Pacification: These spores are released as a 40-foot ray. The target must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC varies; see individual descriptions) or become passive for 1 minute. Being passive is similar to being dazed, except that the target can take partial actions that don’t involve attacking. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect.

Hallucination: These spores are released as a 40-foot ray. The target must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC varies; see individual descriptions) or suffer powerful hallucinations that duplicate the effects of a confusion spell for 1 hour.

Animation: Only the myconid sovereign has access to these spores. When released over a dead body, animation spores begin a process that covers the corpse with purple fungus. After 1d4 days, the corpse reanimates as a servant. A servant has all the characteristics of a zombie of the same size, except that it retains its previous creature type and it cannot be turned or otherwise affected as an undead. Over the course of 1d6 weeks, a myconid-animated corpse slowly decays. At the end of that period it simply disintegrates into dust.

Skills and Feats: A myconid gains skills and feats as though it were a fey. A myconid of any kind has EHD as though it were a Tiny plant.

Junior Worker ⬆️

These youngsters are four to eight years old. They assist their elders with daily chores and serve as a circle’s first line of defense.

Combat

Junior workers are ineffective fighters. They release their spores at the first sign of danger and hide or retreat if threatened. If forced to fight, they tend to rush a single opponent as a group. Because a junior worker has a reach of 0 feet, it must enter an opponent’s space to make melee attacks.

Spores (Ex): Junior workers have access only to distress spores.

Average Worker ⬆️

These myconids are eight to twelve years old. They are the backbone of the community, and they can perform a wide variety of tasks.

Combat

Average workers are fairly proficient fighters. If alerted to danger, they usually try to hide and then either attack from ambush or wait until more capable myconids arrive on the scene. If such reinforcements are available, the average workers use the aid another action to assist their superiors in combat.

Spores (Ex): Average workers have access to both distress and reproduction spores.

Elder Worker ⬆️

These myconids are twelve to sixteen years old. They serve as supervisors for other workers and as shock troops in combat.

Combat

Elder workers usually spray intruders with rapport spores rather than hiding, as more junior myconids do. They are quite willing to communicate rather than take aggressive action. If forced to fight, they try to eliminate the most formidable-looking foes first. If more capable myconids join the battle, elder workers use much the same tactics that average workers do.

Spores (Ex): Elder workers have access to distress, reproduction, and rapport spores (save DC 12 where applicable).

Guard ⬆️

These myconids are sixteen to twenty years old. They are charged with the defense of the circle.

Combat

Guards are fairly aggressive in combat, at least by myconid standards. Their preferred attack is their pacification spores, though they can use their slam attacks if forced into melee.

Spores (Ex): Guards have access to distress, reproduction, rapport, and pacification spores (save DC 14 where applicable).

Circle Leader ⬆️

These myconids are twenty to twenty-four years old. As the name suggests, they lead and administer their circles.

Combat

Circle leaders join battle only if doing so seems necessary to keep their underlings from being slaughtered. In combat, they use their hallucination spores at the first opportunity. Like other myconids, they prefer to avoid melee combat altogether but can use their slams if they must.

Spores (Ex): Circle leaders have access to distress, reproduction, rapport, pacification, and hallucination spores (save DC 15 where applicable).

Sovereign ⬆️

A myconid sovereign is usually at least twenty-four years old. It rules over a tribe, advised by the oldest of the circle leaders. Sovereigns in neighboring areas try to ensure regular communication between their tribes, and they occasionally meet to discuss issues that affect multiple tribes.

Combat

Sovereigns use the same tactics as circle leaders, except that they also usually have a few myconid-animated zombies, or servants, to order into combat. If they join combat at all, sovereigns tend to advance on the enemy behind a rank of servants or circle leaders or both.

Spores (Ex): A myconid sovereign has access to distress, reproduction, rapport, pacification, hallucination, and animation spores (save DC 15 where applicable).

Potion Making (Su): Though it is not a spellcaster, a myconid sovereign can create various potions that mimic cleric and druid spells. It can duplicate the following effects, each once per day (but only for the purpose of brewing potions): bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, cure light wounds, cure moderate wounds, cure serious wounds, delay poison, endure elements, greater magic fang, hide from animals, lesser restoration, magic fang, neutralize poison, protection from energy, protection from negative energy, remove blindness/deafness, remove disease, remove paralysis, resist energy. Caster level 6th; save DC 12 + spell level.

Myconid Society

A circle of myconids contains equal numbers of 1-HD, 2- HD, 3-HD, 4-HD, and 5-HD individuals. Each day is rigidly structured into 8 hours of rest, 8 hours of work (tending fungus farms), and 8 hours of melding into a transcendental, hallucinogenic, group-mind state. A melding can be broken only by myconid distress spores.

Myconids grow fungus for food. A tribe usually maintains several fungus farms, which the workers tend with an almost religious zeal. These creatures know everything there is to know about fungus, including the optimum conditions for growing each type, and how large a crop a given area might be expected to produce. Myconids also know how to make various items from fungus. Most of these, however, are useful only to myconids.

Myconid tribes consist of several circles living in close proximity. The circles in a tribe usually arrange themselves so that the distress spores from neighboring circles can reach at least one member of another circle in the tribe.

A myconid encountered away from its circle is performing some mission for its superiors. Such missions usually consist of keeping a lookout for intruders or scavenging for refuse to fertilize the fungus beds. Should a wandering myconid chance upon a humanoid body suitable for animation, it takes that back to its circle.

The sovereign is the only 6-HD myconid in a tribe. This creature organizes the circles, watches over the tribe, protects it from outside influences, animates guardians, and brews potions. When it dies, the oldest surviving circle leader in that tribe becomes the new sovereign.

Source: Monster Manual II, page 154. This creature’s statistics block has been updated to version 3.5 as given in the D&D® V.3.5 Accessory Update for Monster Manual II. Removed reference to nonexistant “elder guard” in Organization entry for Myconid Circle Leader. In Potion Making description for Myconid Elder, changed endurance to bear’s endurance, invisibility to animals to hide from animals, negative energy protection to protection from negative energy (negative energy protection from version 3.0 was folded into death ward in version 3.5 which is too high in level to be a potion; this is the closest substitute), protection from elements to protection from energy, and resist elements to resist energy.