Upheaval

Phycomid

CR 4, N Small Plant

Senses: Perception 0, Tremorsense 30A creature with tremorsense is sensitive to vibrations in the ground and can automatically pinpoint the location of anything that is in contact with the ground. Aquatic creatures with tremorsense can also sense the location of creatures moving through water. The ability's range is specified in the creature's descriptive text.

Speed: 10 ft.  Skills: None

Languages: None

Ability Scores: Str 5 (+3), Dex 10 (+2), Con 15 (+8), Int --, Wis 11 (+2), Cha 1 (-3)

INIT: +0  CP: +4  HP: 39 (6d8+12)  SA: --  DC: 17

AC: 17  Touch: 11  Flat-footed: 17 [+6 Natural, +1 Size]

SR: --  Vulnerable: --  Resistant: --  Bypass: --

Immunity: Acid, Poison, Psychic  Effect Immunity: Enchantment Spells, Illusions, Mental Effects, Paralysis, Polymorph, Sleep, Stun, Suffocation, Starvation

QUALITIES

Spores (ex) - Any creature that takes damage from a phycomid's acid pellet (or consumes even a Small portion of the fungus) becomes exposed to the fungus's spores. These spores grow quickly in living creatures. This affliction is a disease effect, although its course runs much faster than most diseases and is more poison-like in its speed, and like a poison, the spores “burn out” after a short period. A creature that is slain by a phycomid spore infestation bursts open in 1d4 rounds as a fully grown new phycomid emerges.

Disease--injury or ingested; save DC 15; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Con damage; cure 1 save.

ACTIONS
Attacks
DESCRIPTION

Environment: any underground

Organization: solitary infestation (2-8)

Treasure: incidental

This tangle of purple-capped mushrooms growing out of a nasty green sludge shudders and writhes, wafting tendrils of smoke.

Typically found in damp dungeons, refuse heaps, and forgotten, filthy chambers, phycomids are dangerous fungoid creatures that grow in small, steaming patches among decomposing organic matter. The phycomid's main body is a mass of green-brown mold that can slither and move when necessary to seek out new carrion to feed upon. Numerous mushrooms sprout from the main body-vile green stalks topped with purple or red caps that seem to steam with rank-smelling smoke. This smoke is in fact vapor escaping from the numerous globs of acid the plant produces as a method of both self-defense and reproduction. This acidic substance is expelled from the phycomid whenever it senses movement nearby, and seasoned adventurers can often trick a phycomid into giving away its true nature by simulating movement within range of the fungus. Less fortunate encounters are typically marked by large infestations of phycomids growing among a scattered collection of dead bodies. Because of the filthy environment in which this fungus thrives, goblins are one of the few races that have learned to coexist with phycomids. Not content to simply give the fungi a wide berth, these foolish goblins actually harvest the phycomids, prodding them into positions in their warrens where they can serve as guards and sentinels, utilizing long poles they call slime sticks or placing delicious-smelling carrion to attract the fungus to a desired position. Although phycomids are deadly to eat, many goblin tribes view those who eat a phycomid mushroom and survive as great heroes. Needless to say, most goblin lairs that attempt to utilize phycomids as guardians eventually become nothing more than phycomid lairs-a goblin tribe's luck can only hold up for so long, after all.

A patch of phycomids is often found growing in garbage heaps, refuse, and other such places. A typical patch of phycomid covers an area of 2 feet. The actual number of mushroom-growths varies with the actual size of the patch. The mushroom caps are usually white, red, purple, or yellow in color, and the phycomid's body is milky white. The phycomid attacks by extruding a small tube from its body and firing a glob of acid at a foe. The phycomid has a range increment of 5 feet and can fire a globule to a maximum range of 20 feet.