Brown Mold questions

[kengar]

1) If exposed to flame (i.e. a torch) the mold doubles in size. Does this extinguish the flame?

2) Does the cold damage occur every round you are in range or just once?

3) Will the mold expand every round if flame remains present?

 

[frankthedm]

Brown Mold (CR 2)
Brown mold feeds on warmth, drawing heat from anything around it. It normally comes in patches 5 feet in diameter, and the temperature is always cold in a 30-foot radius around it. Living creatures within 5 feet of it take 3d6 points of nonlethal cold damage. Fire brought within 5 feet of brown mold causes it to instantly double in size. Cold damage, such as from a cone of cold, instantly destroys it.

Drawing heat sounds like it continuous. I'd assume the torch stays lit till the mold smothers it. That will happen quickly since the mold will grow pretty fast doubling each round.

Here is what 2e had to say on the matter.

Brown Mold
Brown mold is found in damp subterranean areas, such as caverns and caves. It is light to golden brown in color. Brown mold feeds by absorbing heat, even body heat; where brown mold grows, the temperature is below average. Direct sunlight or ultraviolet light kills it.
If a warm-blooded creature comes within 5 feet of a brown mold, the mold drains heat equal to 4d8 points of damage from its victim, per round. A ring of warmth provides complete protection against this attack. Brown mold grows instantly from heat. If a torch is used in its vicinity, it doubles in size; if flaming oil is used, it quadruples, and fireball-type spells cause it to grow eight-fold.
Brown mold is not fed by cold light sources (e.g., light, faerie fire). The only magic that affects it are disintegrate (which destroys it), plant-affecting magic, and cold spells. Ice storms or walls of ice cause it to go dormant for 5d6 turns. A cold wand, white dragon breath, or a cone of cold kills it. Brown mold does not affect cold-using creatures such as white dragons, winter wolves, ice toads, etc.

 

[kengar]

So 3d6 per round then?

 

[Pyrex]

I would say so. And I'd further specify that the 3d6 occurs:

1) When entering the radius on your turn.

2) When starting your turn within the radius.


I wouldn't assess damage if the radius expands to include you when it's not your turn, as unless it's killed before your turn that case is covered by 2).

 

[werk]

1) If exposed to flame (i.e. a torch) the mold doubles in size. Does this extinguish the flame?

No. But space limitations may. This is one of the problems with the battle grid...the mold is 5'x5'x? The grid is really 2 dimensional. Say the mold is 1' thick, if it doubles in size, it is now 2' thick and doesn't come anywhere near filling up it's square, but now there are two creatures in there and one gets shunted out. Now you have 5'X10'x1' No real danger of the mold ever reaching the torch. You can abstractly fill up the whole square with multiple creatures, but I think the rules are little quiet about this.

At some point the DM is forced to step in and arbitrate.

2) Does the cold damage occur every round you are in range or just once?

Every round you are in range.

3) Will the mold expand every round if flame remains present?

Yes.

Seems to be pretty poorly thought out, but that's the way it is for the old stuff that doesn't translate well to newer editions.

 

[Li Shenron]

I'd probably put a limit on the growth, and rule that the doubling follows D&D multiplying rules so that every time the mold increases +100% of the original size.

 

[frankthedm]

......never mind

 

[LostWorldsMike]

Since the only thing that kills these things now is cold, what happens if you dump one on the elemental plane of fire?

 

[werk]

Since the only thing that kills these things now is cold, what happens if you dump one on the elemental plane of fire?

At some point a little piece of the plane breaks off and forms the Plane of Brown Mold, which then whithers and dies...alone and cold in the multiverse.

"These things happen occasionally." - Queen Tedmur