Special Conversion Thread: Plants

[Shade]

Ditto here. Summarizing...

Gray Mold (CR 4)
If disturbed, a patch of this mold bursts forth with a cloud of diseased spores. All within 10 feet of the mold must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or be exposed to the disease below.

A patch of gray mold has 5 hit points, spell resistance 16 and vulnerability to light and cold effects. The mold goes dormant for 1d8 minutes if a cold attack penetrates its spell resistance. It also goes dormant while exposed to direct sunlight. It takes 1 point of damage per minute when within a light spell or indirect sunlight, and 1 point of damage per round when when within direct sunlight or continual flame.

Gray Mold Spores (Ex): disease - inhalation, Fort DC 15, incubation period 1 minute; damage 1d6 Con.

Unlike normal diseases, gray mold spores continue until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies) or is cured by a remove disease spell (or similar magical effect) or a DC 15 Heal check. A patch of gray mold will grow from the corpse of a creature killed by gray mold spores.

 

[Cleon]

Ditto here. Summarizing...

Gray Mold (CR 4)
If disturbed, a patch of this mold bursts forth with a cloud of diseased spores. All within 10 feet of the mold must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or be exposed to the disease below.

A patch of gray mold has 5 hit points, spell resistance 16 and vulnerability to light and cold effects. The mold goes dormant for 1d8 minutes if a cold attack penetrates its spell resistance. It also goes dormant while exposed to direct sunlight. It takes 1 point of damage per minute when within a light spell or indirect sunlight, and 1 point of damage per round when when within direct sunlight or continual flame.

Gray Mold Spores (Ex): disease - inhalation, Fort DC 15, incubation period 1 minute; damage 1d6 Con.

Unlike normal diseases, gray mold spores continue until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies) or is cured by a remove disease spell (or similar magical effect) or a DC 15 Heal check. A patch of gray mold will grow from the corpse of a creature killed by gray mold spores.

Looks fine. Should we add a bit of flavour? "Gray mold is a dangerous subterranean fungus which primarily grows on the floors of dungeons and caves."

The original text says it's "Often overlooked in subterranean caverns", presumably because of its gray colour. This suggests a Spot DC. "The mold has a fuzzy light gray to dark gray color that matches the stone background of subterranean caverns. A DC X Spot check or Knowledge (dungeoneering) check is required to notice gray mold in such places."

The "dungeons and caves" bit might be surplus to requirements. Make the Spot DC20 since it's "often" overlooked?

Putting it together...

Gray Mold (CR 4)
Gray mold is a dangerous subterranean fungus which primarily grows on the floors of dungeons and caves. The mold has a fuzzy light gray to dark gray color that matches the stone background of subterranean caverns. A DC 20 Spot check or Knowledge (dungeoneering) check is required to notice gray mold in such places. If disturbed, a patch of this mold bursts forth with a cloud of diseased spores. All within 10 feet of the mold must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or be exposed to the disease below.

A patch of gray mold has 5 hit points, spell resistance 16 and vulnerability to light and cold effects. The mold goes dormant for 1d8 minutes if a cold attack penetrates its spell resistance. It also goes dormant while exposed to direct sunlight. It takes 1 point of damage per minute when within a light spell or indirect sunlight, and 1 point of damage per round when when within direct sunlight or continual flame.

Gray Mold Spores (Ex): disease - inhalation, Fort DC 15, incubation period 1 minute; damage 1d6 Con.

Unlike normal diseases, gray mold spores continue until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies) or is cured by a remove disease spell (or similar magical effect) or a DC 15 Heal check. A patch of gray mold will grow from the corpse of a creature killed by gray mold spores.

 

[Shade]

Looks good to me! Added to Homebrews. Are we ready to move on to the next?

 

[freyar]

Let's move on, since this one seems done.

 

[Shade]

Death Mold
Climate/Terrain: Subterranean
Frequency: Very rare
Organization: Patch
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Carnivorous
Intelligence: Animal (1)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1-3 patches
Armor Class: 9
Movement: 3
Hit Dice: n/a
THAC0: n/a
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 1d8
Special Attacks: Spores, paralysis
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: S to L
Morale: n/a
XP Value: 175

Death mold appears as a large mold patch colored in swirls and spots of green, gray, and brown. Those who see it often confuse it with other types of mold. Death mold can move, slowly inching its way along cavern floors and walls in search of food. It often lurks on ceilings, waiting to release its cloud of spores on victims below.

When death mold touches a victim, it releases a cloud of spores that is 40 feet deep by 60 feet long by 60 feet wide, centered on the point of contact. This semi-intelligent mold can emit the cloud of its own volition, and can release a spore cloud once a turn, up to six times a day. Those within the cloud suffer 2d8 points of damage. In addition, those within the cloud must make a successful saving throw vs. poison or fall down helplessly, coughing and wheezing for the next 1d4 rounds. Once victims are down, the death mold moves toward them or drops on them from its ceiling perch. Prey engulfed by the mold takes 1d8 points of poison damage each round the mold remains in contact.

Death mold is immune to all wizard spells. Priestly cure wound spells stun the mold for the number of rounds equal to the number of hit points that would have been healed. Slow poison causes the mold to lie dormant for 1 full turn. A neutralize poison or heal spell instantly kills the mold.

Originally appeared in Ruins of Undermountain II: The Deep Levels (1994). This is the Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Two version.

 

[Cleon]

Looks good to me! Added to Homebrews. Are we ready to move on to the next?

Hold on, it's got an excess when in the second paragraph "when when within direct sunlight".

I think we can go on once that's fixed.

Onwards to the Death!

 

[Cleon]

Death Mold

Definitely a monster rather than a hazard, being intelligent and mobile.

It's listed as "Intelligence: Animal", but the combat text says it's "semi-intelligent" - not very consistent, eh.

 

[Cleon]

Looks good to me! Added to Homebrews. Are we ready to move on to the next?

Going back to the Gray Mold, it's got "If disturbed, a patch of this mold bursts forth with a cloud of diseased spores."

Wouldn't that work better with "disease spores" or "disease-bearing spores"? The spores cause gray mold sickness, they are not themselves sickly.

 

[Shade]

Hold on, it's got an excess when in the second paragraph "when when within direct sunlight".

Going back to the Gray Mold, it's got "If disturbed, a patch of this mold bursts forth with a cloud of diseased spores."

Wouldn't that work better with "disease spores" or "disease-bearing spores"? The spores cause gray mold sickness, they are not themselves sickly.

Fixed.

Definitely a monster rather than a hazard, being intelligent and mobile.

It's listed as "Intelligence: Animal", but the combat text says it's "semi-intelligent" - not very consistent, eh.

I'd say we peg 'em at Int 2.

 

[Cleon]

Fixed.

I'd say we peg 'em at Int 2.

That's what I was thinking.

So, I'm guessing we'll make these a Plant, although Ooze might fit too.

They have a "N/A" for Hit Dice, so we'd need to decide what to do about that. I'd give them Hit Dice (somewhere about 6-10 HD methinks), plus a wide immunity to weapons and attacks.

Hmm, an easy way to give a death mold immunity to weapons is make it a Swarm of Fine-sized Plants.

That could explain the two intelligence scores too! The individual plants are Int 1, but they have a Communal Intelligence of 2-4.