It’s a two-for-one day here, since these monsters have very small entries.
@xiphumor wanted some plants, so here we go.
Even though they’re fungi grumblegrumble. Here are the
ascomoid and
basidirond by Gary Gygax, who hopes we will be amused and entertained by them. The thing that amuses
me the most is that they have “unratable” Int scores and an evil alignment. I guess Gygax isn’t a fan of mushrooms.
Both of these are under the header of “Fungi,” so use that entry’s Legends and Lore, Signs, and Behaviors.
Artist: Jeff Easley
Fungi, Ascomoid
Featured Creatures, Dragon Magazine #68
Created by Gary Gygax
Ascomoids are giant puffball mushrooms. Their thick, leathery hide is covered in small divots which act as both sensory organs and pores from which toxic spores constantly waft.
Rolling Balls. An ascomoid roll slowly around their underground environment, picking up speed once it detects a warm-blooded creature, then ramming the creature at full-speed. They don’t eat their victims; their sole purpose is to infect the corpse with their spores so that a new generation of ascomoid can grow.
Unwitting Protectors. Some creatures who live in the underlands have taken to capturing ascomoids and using them as sentinels or releasing them against their foes. Others raise them to harvest their spores for use as a poison.
Ascomoid Poison
Uncommon, inhaled, instantaneous, cost 750 gp
A creature must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw when it is subjected to this poison, and on a failure it is poisoned. While it is poisoned, it can barely breathe and begins suffocating; it can double its Constitution modifier to determine how long before it drops to 0 hit points. A lesser restoration or effect that neutralizes poison allows the target to breathe again.
Ascomoid Encounters
CR 3-4 1 ascomid
Ascomoid
Large plant
Challenge 3 (750 XP)
AC 15 (natural armor)
HP 39 (6d10+6; bloodied 19)
Speed 30 ft.
STR 18 (+4)
DEX 10 (+0)
CON 12 (+1)
INT 1 (-5)
WIS 10 (+0)
CHA 1 (-5)
Proficiency +2
Maneuver DC 14
Damage Resistances acid, fire, force, lightning; slashing
Damage Immunities bludgeoning, poison
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, fatigue, frightened, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned
Senses blindsight 90 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 10
Languages —
Siege Monster. The ascomoid deals double damage to objects and structures
Actions
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 15 (2d10+4) bludgeoning damage, and if the creature is Medium or smaller, it must make a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Spore Jet. The ascomoid targets a creature within 30 feet of it and emits a jet of spores. That creature must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw. The creature takes 14 (4d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one, and until the end of its next turn, it is blinded and has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls it makes until the end of its next turn due to choking and coughing. Additionally, on a failed save, a creature is poisoned for 1 minute. The creature may make a new saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Combat
The ascomoid has no mind and no strategy; it attacks the closest creature within range.
* * *
Artist: Jeff Easley
Fungi, Basidirond
Featured Creatures, Dragon Magazine #68
Created by Gary Gygax
A basidirond can be described as looking like an umbrella turned inside out, with a three to six woody stems that act as legs. A stream of dark spores constantly drifts, smoke-like, from their caps. Their bodies are orange in color, tapering to darker brown on their “legs.”
Mobile Hunters. Basidirons consume rot and decay. They are primarily scavengers; when they find a corpse, they plant themselves in it, sucking it dry of all nutrients and moisture. If necessary, they instead hunt down large prey to consume, beating a creature to death with their long “legs.”
Hallucinatory Spores. The spores the basidirond constantly emits cause hallucinations in those who inhale them. These hallucinations are nearly always unpleasant and generally involve believing that the target or those near them are changing in size, melting, diseased, or are covered in blood-draining leeches or flesh-devouring insects.
Basidirond Encounters
CR 0-2 1-2 basidironds
CR 3-4 3-4 basidironds
Basidirond
Medium plant
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
AC 15 (natural armor)
HP 33 (5d8+10; bloodied 16)
Speed 20 ft.
STR 16 (+3)
DEX 12 (+1)
CON 15 (+2)
INT 1 (-5)
WIS 12 (+1)
CHA 1 (-5)
Proficiency +2
Maneuver DC 13
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, fatigue, frightened, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned
Senses blindsight 90 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 11
Languages —
Spore Cloud. A creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of the basidirond or enters within 5 feet of it for the first time on its turn must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned, the creature hallucinates and is incapacitated and its speed can’t be higher than 20 feet. A creature may make a new saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Actions
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 6 (1d6+3) bludgeoning damage.
Combat
The basidirond has no mind and no strategy; it attacks the closest creature within range.