Vegepygmy alternatives?

[aboyd]

So, I had created a nice little modification to a module that entailed adding a russet mold to an area, and then a little past it, some vegepygmies that the russet mold had created. I loved the vegepygmies for 2 reasons: they are low-CR so I can have quite a few of them against 6 2nd-level PCs, and as plants, they are immune to lots of effects such as sleep and paralysis. This is soooo useful because it means they are just fine to hang out with most molds -- they will suffer no ill effects, and may form a symbiotic relationship.

In fact, I had pulled in the Creeping Moss from En World Critters. It blankets a lair, and so I thought the PCs might enter the room, have the moss' sleeping spores be released, and then the vegepygmies, unaffected, would pounce.

Problem: it turns out that russet mold is really deadly for a 2nd level character. Anyone who is not putting points into Constitution will likely die from merely average rolls for the russet mold spores. And 2nd level characters have almost no way to offset the ability damage (basically, a paladin with a caduceus bracelet seems to be the only way for such low-level characters, and even then it only will "undo" a point or two of damage).

SO. The russet mold & vegepygmies are symbiotic, or at least causal. Thus, if I have to get rid of the russet mold for being too overpowered, I have to get rid of my wonderful vegepygmies too.

Can anyone suggest some other creature that has the plant type, has at least almost-humanoid intelligence, and is around a 1/4 to 1 CR, or so?

I would like to salvage at least a little of my work by keeping the Creeping Moss. So now I need plant-type monsters to run & play in it.

I own every 3.5 edition monster book ever made, even those by 3rd parties. I'm monster obsessed. So feel free to use Tome of Horrors, En World Critters, Creature Collections, Blackdirge's Dungeon Denizens, etc.

Thank you so much for any ideas!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My first suggestion would be to look for one of the templates that grants the plant subtype. There's one in MM3 or 4 ("Woodlings" or some such) but it has a largish LA adjustment, as I recall. Still, one of the 3PPs should have something.

In addition, you should be able to find some carniverous plants- giant versions of sundews, flytraps and pitchers; also pure fantasy ones- possibly some fey.

Barring that, you could borrow a trick from Mother Nature: some insects (mostly social ones like ants) actually have "gardens" of or live in symbiosis with certain fungi or plants (like acacias, as I recall), which they guard ferociously. Do the same with some giant ants! Put some various plants & fungi in the space (mostly harmless) and it should work similarly to your original idea.

 

[Dandu]

Soypygmy.

 

[Nagol]

You could go fungal instead of vegetable. Myconids are low CR.

 

[Thanael]

How about the Yellow Musk Zombie template and Yellow Musk Creeper which is a bit similar to the Russet Mold/Vegepygmy combination. The Creeper is CR 4 though. (CR 2 in ToH) Or Slime Zombie and Olive Slime.

Or use the Half Plant template or create a Hivenest Monster.

How about the Mandragora (CR 1/2) .

Simply search the Sulerin Monster index for monster having plant in the field "Type" and order by CR: World of Sulerin - Creatures - 3.5E & 3E monsters, spells, magic items and D&D resources

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You could also get an interesting dynamic with mixing Formians who are trying to have a garden of veggies & fungi and intelligent veggies & fungi who don't want to be farmed (like myconids).

...or intelligent plants or fungi hiding within the Formian garden, while secretly controlling them.

...or having the intelligent plants/fungi simply having control over non-intelligent giant ants.

 

[Dandu]

What about fungi that control formians by infecting their brains and turning them into zombies?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

What about fungi that control formians by infecting their brains and turning them into zombies?

Lots and lots of that in the RW- there's a parasite that infects rats (Toxoplasma gondii), making them attracted to cat urine. In the process of seeking THAT out, they get eaten by cats, whom the parasite then infects. Said parasite can also jump from cats to humans.

This kind of thing has also caught the imagination of fiction writers- anyone remember the X-Files episode, "Firewalker"?

 

[Dandu]

More specifically, jump to pregnant humans.

 

[Vegepygmy]

Can anyone suggest some other creature that has the plant type, has at least almost-humanoid intelligence, and is around a 1/4 to 1 CR, or so?

Twig blight?