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Archives of Nethys

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Sporeborn Myceloid

While most sporeborn are created from the flesh of vertebrates or creatures with exoskeletons, fungal and plant creatures serve as a fine host for a sporeborn's parasitic spores. In these cases, the sporeborn mycelial network burrows through the corpse, replacing the original hyphae in fungal creatures and the xylem and pith in plants. This allows the sporeborn to puppet the creature, much as it does in mammals by replacing the tendons with its own rugged mycelium. Fungus and plant hosts are more likely to develop the potent poison sporeborn ability to enhance the hosts' natural abilities.

Recall Knowledge - Fungus (Nature): DC 24
Unspecific Lore: DC 22
Specific Lore: DC 19

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Sporeborn MyceloidCreature 4

Legacy Content

Rare N Medium Fungus Mindless Sporeborn 
Source Pathfinder #193: Mantle of Gold pg. 89
Perception +10; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 30 feet
Skills Stealth +11, Survival +10
Str +4, Dex +3, Con +4, Int -5, Wis +2, Cha -5
AC 20; Fort +14, Ref +9, Will +10
HP 70; Weaknesses slashing 5
Rancid Spore Pods The sporeborn is covered in spore pods that rupture when it takes any piercing damage or a critical hit. In either case, adjacent creatures are hit with spores, causing them to become sickened 1 unless they succeed at a DC 18 Fortitude save.Spore Pop If a sporeborn myceloid is reduced to 0 HP by a critical hit, it pops, forcing it to immediately Emit Spores, even if it has already used the ability that day.
Speed 20 feet
Melee [one-action] fist +11 [+7/+3] (agile, finesse), Damage 2d6+4 bludgeoning plus purple poxEmit Spores [one-action] Frequency once per day; Effect The sporeborn myceloid expels spores in a 10-foot burst centered on a corner of its own space. This cloud lasts until the start of the sporeborn myceloid's next turn. Each creature that is in the cloud or enters it is exposed to purple pox.Purple Pox (disease) Myceloids are immune;
Saving Throw DC 22 Fortitude; Onset 1 minute;
Stage 1 2d6 poison damage and stupefied 1 (1 day);
Stage 2 6d6 poison damage, stupefied 3, and the creature is compelled to seek out the nearest myceloid colony—this compulsion is a mental and emotion effect (1 day);
Stage 3 The creature dies. Over 24 hours, its corpse becomes bloated and bursts, releasing a new, fully grown myceloid.Spore Domination [two-actions] (emotion, enchantment, incapacitation, mental, primal) The sporeborn myceloid targets one creature affected by purple pox within 60 feet. That creature must attempt a DC 24 Will save. It is then temporarily immune to spore domination for 10 minutes
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success Until the end of its next turn, the target is helpful to sporeborn myceloids and can’t take hostile actions against them.
Failure As success, but for 1 minute.
Critical Failure As success, but until the purple pox is cured.

All Monsters in "Sporeborn"

NameLevel
Sporeborn Myceloid4

Sporeborn

Source Pathfinder #193: Mantle of Gold pg. 88
When a mindless guardian is needed, but the ethical bounds of creating undead are too uncouth, ritual casters may turn to a more fungal solution by creating a mycoguardian. Using valuable parasitic fungal spores, a ritualist may seed the corpse of a creature and encourage them to grow, sending mycelium tendrils throughout the body. The tendrils bond to mobile tissue such as bones, while replacing tendons with reinforced mycelium. This ritual magically replicates the yellow musk creepers' ability to spread throughout a dead organism then mobilize its body. But rather than a completely mindless fungal carrier, the ritualist has some control over the infested creature's behavior.
The magic of the ritual includes basic instructions and rules that guide the new fungal mycoguardian (in this case, a sporeborn). Simple instructions like “guard this room” or “slay all of the tiny creatures in this basement” should work well enough, but complex commands such as “deliver this letter to the Harbormaster of Caliphas” are doomed to failure.

Creating Sporeborn

A sporeborn gains the fungus, mindless, rare, and sporeborn traits, and its alignment is usually adjusted to true neutral.The DC of any creature abilities it had in life are reduced by 2. Remove any traits that represent its life, such as animal or humanoid, as well as all languages, including telepathy. The sporeborn has an Intelligence and Charisma modifier of –5.
All Creatures: The sporeborn gains darkvision and scent as an imprecise sense up to 30 feet.
1st Level or Higher: The sporeborn gains one sporeborn ability.
4th Level or Higher: The sporeborn gains two sporeborn abilities.
7th Level or Higher: The sporeborn gains three sporeborn abilities.
12th Level or Higher: The sporeborn gains four sporeborn abilities.
17th Level or Higher: The sporeborn gains five sporeborn abilities.

Sporeborn Abilities

You can modify sporeborn with the following sporeborn abilities. Most sporeborn have one of these abilities, gaining more at higher levels.
Consume Biomatter (manipulate) If the sporeborn is adjacent to a helpless or unconscious creature, or a deceased creature who died in the past hour, the sporeborn can consume its flesh with mycelium tendrils to heal itself. This restores an amount of Hit Points equal to the sporeborn's level. If the creature is alive, the sporeborn deals damage equal to one of its unarmed attacks.
Contagious Spores (disease, fungus) The sporeborn continues to infect creatures with sporeborn infestation, creating more of its own kind.
Sporeborn Infestation (disease, fungus); An infected creature can't heal damage it takes from sporeborn infestation until it has been cured of the disease.
Saving Throw Use a Fortitude save for the creature's level using the DCs by Level table.
Stage 1 carrier with no ill effect (1 day);
Stage 2 1d6 poison damage (1 day);
Stage 3 2d6 poison damage (1 day);
Stage 4 3d6 poison damage (1 day);
Stage 5 dead, rising as an uncontrolled sporeborn immediately
Fungal Armor (fungus) The sporeborn grows broad patches of dense fungus on the outside of the corpse. It gains resistance to bludgeoning damage equal to its level. Potent Poison (fungus, poison) The sporeborn fungus enhances the dead creature's natural toxins rather than diminishing them. Increase the DC of poison and spore abilities of the base creature by 2 rather than decreasing them.
Rancid Spore Pods (disease, fungus) The sporeborn is covered in spore pods that rupture when it takes any piercing damage or a critical hit. In either case, adjacent creatures are hit with spores, causing them to become sickened 1 unless they succeed at a Fortitude save.
Spore Explosion (fungus, inhaled) When the sporeborn is destroyed, its body explodes, releasing toxic fumes and spores. Adjacent creatures take 1d6 poison damage per 2 levels (minimum 1d6) with a basic Fortitude save.

Creating Mycoguardians

To create a mycoguardian, such as a sporeborn, a ritualist can perform a ritual similar to create undead called create mycoguardian, but providing valuable parasitic fungal spores instead of black onyx. This ritual uses Fungus Lore (trained) or Nature (expert) for both the Primary Check and Secondary Checks, and lacks the Evil trait.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Different Mycoguardians

In addition to the sporeborn presented here, there are many versions of the create mycoguardian ritual for making mycoguardians other than sporeborn, such as for aquatic chytridions and so on. Some forms of mycoguardians, such as mycelial mindbores, come to be using their own unique methods and can't be created with a version of create mycoguardian.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Fungal Ritualists

While mycoguardians are rare, several different types of primal spellcasters might create a mycoguardian. Druids might turn the bodies of a poacher's victim against the poacher, seeking to avenge the wrongful death and rebalance the scales of life. Leshy spellcasters create mycoguardians to protect their hidden communities and sacred groves.
The fey of Northern Fangwood transform fallen or rotted trees into crustoreal mycoguardians, massive arboreal-looking creatures covered in parasitic lichen. These lumbering sentinels patrol their borders, crushing all non-fey who dare approach. There are rumors of crustoreals being imbued with negative energy from the Gravelands and going berserk.