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Myconid

It was on our third day in the Underdark that we found the grove of the mushroom-men. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, especially in a place as vile as the Underdark. The place glowed with bioluminescence and teemed with medicinal, poisonous, and edible fungi and plants. A freshwater stream trickled through the center of the cavern, filled with fish of all sorts. It was a true beauty if I've ever seen one. The creatures that called the grove home were just as strangely beautiful and out of place. They looked like giant fungi with their vibrant colors, their stocky bodies, and their mushroom caps. They were quite kind, too, and they allowed us to stay for several days in their mushroom grove, until they realized we attracted too much trouble with our daily excursions. After that, they kindly asked us to leave, but our commander insisted we would be no trouble. Then the spores descended on us like thick fog. After a series of strange and vivid dreams that seemed to be shared with the whole group, we woke up gods know how much later in an empty cavern. Around us were piles of fresh food and filled waterskins, as well as a detailed map and a roughly written note asking us kindly to avoid their grove.

                          -Eldrier, Tales of Adventure Vol II

Myconids are strange creatures to say the least. Often called fungus-folk or mushroom-men, they are intelligent, fungus-like plants that dwell in hidden groves and sanctuaries, deep within the Underdark.

Myconid Sovereigns

Myconids live and gather in colonies, the number of members ranging anywhere from 20 to well over 200. Each colony is led by the largest member of the dwelling. These leaders are known as sovereigns. Sovereigns are larger and more powerful than other myconids, having learned to infuse their spores with certain types of magic. They use these spores to enter into group hallucinations called melds, as well as to reanimate the corpses of fallen humanoids and beasts to help and protect the colony and its members.

Circles and Melds

Sovereigns also preside over one or more "circles". These circles are smaller groups of myconids within the colony, each one often built to serve a single, specialized purpose.

One colony, for example, might have a circle of hunters and a circle of farmers for growing and gathering food, as well as a circle of growers, specializing in the creation, growth, and care taking of new myconids, or sprouts.

Myconids also spend a great deal of their lifetime melding. Circles, and sometimes even whole colonies will meld together. The process of melding involves a type of meditation and the release of rapport spores as well as hallucination spores to link their minds together in a sort of group dream state. Myconids use melding as a form of entertainment, as well as social interaction.

Myconids also use melds to serve a greater purpose. Through melding, they hope to achieve a higher form of being and a collective consciousness. Melding holds an almost religious position in the life of a myconid, and most believe it to be their purpose in life.

 
Spore Clouds

Myconids are capable of producing many types of spores with many different effects, some magical, some mundane. When you level up as a myconid, you gain access to the following spores:

Pacifying Spores. You send a cloud of spores toward one creature you can see within 5 feet. They must make a Constitution saving throw (DC equals your Proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier) or become stunned for 1 minute. The target may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns and whenever it takes damage, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Hallucination Spores. You eject spores at one creature you can see within 5 feet. The target must make a Constitution saving throw (DC equals your Proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier) or become poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned in this way, the target also experiences vivid hallucinations and is considered incapacitated. The target may make another saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Animating Spores. You eject a small cloud of spores toward the corpse of one humanoid or Large or smaller beast within 5 feet. After 24 hours pass, the targeted corpse rises again as a spore servant (see the Monster Manual page 230 for a spore servant template). The spore servant may be a creature with a CR less than or equal to 1/2. The spore servant acts on its own turn in combat and obeys all of your mental commands to the best of its ability, defending itself if it is given none. The spore servant lasts for 1d4 + 1 weeks or until killed, and can not be resurrected in this way again. You may only have one spore servant at a time.

Myconid Names

Myconids are a single-gender race. They produce instead via the carefully controlled production of spores. Their naming conventions reflect this single gender. Myconid naming tendencies vary greatly, with some names sounding more human, while others sound more elvish, orcish, or sometimes utterly alien. The examples presented here do not at all represent the whole of the myconid race.

Myconid Names: Barosia, Namopbe, Oghmar, Phylo, Roo, Rumpledumpling, Stool, Toad, Yggdrasil, Yrb

Myconid Traits

Your myconid character has a number of traits it shares with all other greater myconids.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age. Myconids have extremely varying lifespans. Most, however, reach maturity at around the age of 12, and can live to be well over several centuries old, the oldest myconids growing into sovereigns.

Alignment. Most myconids tend toward some form of neutral, with a small few edging toward good. Evil myconids are extremely rare.

Size. Myconids can range anywhere from 3 feet to well over 6 and can weigh between 50 pounds to more than 300. your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim. You can not discern colors in darkness, only shades of grey.

Sun Sickness. While in direct sunlight, you have disadvantage on all attacks, ability checks, and saving throws. For every hour you spend in direct sunlight, your maximum hit points is decreased by 1 and return to normal only after you spend at least 1 hour in darkness. If your hit points are decreased to 0 in this way, you die.

False Speech. While you are unable to speak any language, you are capable of making simple noises, such as clicks and small whistles. When casting a spell that requires a verbal component, you are still able to fulfill the requirement.

Rapport Spores. As an action, you may begin emitting a cloud of rapport spores. The spores affect a 30 foot radius area spreading outward from you and affect all creatures that are not undead, constructs, elementals, and that have an Intelligence score higher than 2. For the next hour, all effected creatures are able to communicate telepathically with one another while they remain within 30 feet of each other and as long as they share at least one language. Rapport spores functions in the area of a silence spell.

Spore Cloud. Starting at third level, you may use an action on your turn to emit a cloud of spores. Each type of spore has a very different effect and use. At third level, you gain access to the pacifying spores. Starting at fifth level, you also gain access to hallucination spores and animating spores. Once you use any one of these spores, you may not use this ability to produce any type of spore again until you finish a long rest.

Languages. You can read, write, and understand Common and Undercommon, but you can not speak, instead relying heavily on your rapport spores to communicate.