Mycelidon

Mycelidon (Fungal Stabbers)
No. Enc.: 1d4
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 60' (30')
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 4 (can improve...)
Attacks: 2 (pod-swords)
Damage: 2d4/2d4
Save: F3
Morale: 12

Special: ESP, Leech Enchantment, Spiteful Demise

Mycelidons are cold, calculating, ruthless beings born of particularly aggressive and competitive fungal colonies that have come into contact with tool-using beings, all too often to their detriment. In the past.

Squat, dense-fleshed creatures, Mycelidons can traverse nearly any and every surface by nature of the sticky pads and hair-like tendrils they use to move about. They are quite fond of hanging from a ceiling and scything their pod-blades across a constricted passage whenever they detect the presence of potential prey.

ESP
Devoid of visual organs, Mycelidons perceive their surroundings with a form of all-around ESP that reveals everything within a 30' radius across at least three or four planes and possibly along other axes of reality as well. They also have excellent hearing and olfactory senses. But they cannot speak. The common form of the Speak With Plants spell does not always work with fungi and rarely works with Mycelidons, however there are variants attuned to the processes and patterns of fungi and anyone with a bit of effort and perhaps a touch of ESP or telepathy/empathy could re-work the plant-oriented spell into something more serviceable. Fungi-oriented spells are also available within several grimoires, notably Mycelonomenclature, Augsperl's classic Rhizolatry and others. The spell itself can be traded-for if need be by negotiating with most reputable morlock spell-casters, those sorcerers who've made the pilgrimage to Jodtathe, and some spore-gatherers as long as they are absolutely certain no one is moving-in on their territory or out to meddle with their guild.

Leech Enchantment
A Mycelidon who manages to acquire magic weapons in the course of their various ambushes will attempt to enfold the weapon in a foamy mass of fungal tissues and dissolve the thing by way of self-modified enzymes. Once they fully digest the weapon, they have a chance of gaining a +1 bonus to one of their own pod-blades, making their pods magical weapons. Each pod is enchanted separately. The process increases in difficulty at each step, so it is rare to find a Mycelidon who has anything over a +2 bonus, and rarely would they have both pod-blades enchanted to that bonus. But it could happen, especially if someone thought it would be clever to deliberately feed a Mycelidon magical weapons to boost their abilities as guardians or some such. This is not recommended. It usually turns out badly.

Spiteful Demise
Upon being reduced to less than 1d4 hit points, the Mycelidon will explode for 8d8 damage, forcing all within a 30' radius to Save or become infected with their spores. Anyone infected will suffer 1d4 damage per day for 1d4 days, after which their skin will rupture in 2d4 places, producing nasty, bloody sores and lesions as little Mycelidon-nymphlettes will flutter off and away to look for some place to roost and continue their metamorphosis into blade-equipped Mycelidons, preferably atop or within a handy corpse or mass of dead flesh.

Interesting Trivia and Rumors

• Mycelidon-nymphlettes that are boiled in a mixture of one-part cooking oil to three-parts vinegar or sour wine will produce a sweet-tasting broth that will provide complete protection from fungal infections for 1d4 days. However, if the nymphlettes have already rooted upon some dead flesh, the concoction will be highly poisonous: Save and only take 3d4 damage and be violently ill for 1d4 hours, fail save and become a frenzied raver for 1d4 days or until cured by the use of spells or potions. (Treat ravers as living zombies.)
• Consuming the inner flesh of an adult Mycelidon confers a limited form of ESP for 2d4 hours, with a cumulative 1% chance of it becoming a permanent ability. This makes the inner flesh of these creatures fairly valuable in certain circles and it is also a component for several rites, spells and formulas.
• Mycelidon spores can be used to create a potion of frenzied raving, which is sort of like a liquified form of zombification-in-a-bottle, but it only produces living zombies. Though there is speculation that this could be necromantically adapted and enhanced, with some research.
• It is alleged among the Karnaffi that it is possible to harvest pod-blades from semi-domesticated forms of Mycelidons and when specially treated, these pod-blades can be as effective as the best bronze weapons, but as non-metallic objects they do not interfere with certain forms of magic or the like.
• Especially intelligent Mycelidons have been encountered that begin their careers with only 2 HD and gain levels as Fighters.
• It may be possible to engrave various magical inscriptions into a Mycelidon pod-blade, making them potentially of interest to various parties prone to dabble or experiment in such areas. It is unclear whether the thing needs to be alive while being inscribed or not.
• Mycelidons are antagonized by the presence of their more mobile rivals the Crudiv, whom they loathe and will not cooperate with ever, for any reason.