Fungal Forest Encounters

Fungal Forest

For OSR Adventures

Spore Mechanic

Encounters, Monsters and Items may release 'spores' with a number next to it. These sports are common in the fungal forest and can have some very negative effects when you accumulate too many of them.

Each time a player gets spores, have them roll a 1d8 against their spore total. If the die rolls under their spore count, erase or remove all spores they currently have and advance them one stage in the Fungal Infection. If they succeed the roll and do not roll under their spores, the spores are accumulated for the next time they get spores and are forced to roll again now with more spores.

If players are very careful and take many precautions against the spores, such as sleeping only in airtight rooms, washing all clothes, wearing masks and gloves, etc. Then they may roll a d10 whenever they get spores instead. The only other characters that get any protection against spore rolls are Elves, whose natural magic give them a +1 on spore rolls.

Spore Disease Tract

Each time you roll under your spores, you will gain one step in this disease.

All stages except 6, and 7 are curable with common practices and time, but can only be cured outside of the fungal forest / downtime.

Stage #	Description & Effects
0	None.
1	Minor sniffling. No negative effects.
2	Shortness of breath. -1 to sneak rolls
3	Stomach Pain. Require double rations.
4	Yellowing of eyes. Potions ½ effective.
5	Rash. -1 AC
6	You are now unable to leave the fungal forest, use d6 for future spore rolls, plus your body has visible fungus growth.
7	Instant fungal zombification. No save.

Encounters

[1] Exploding toadstools. Make a save while walking through a field of toadstools or they start exploding- deals 1d6 damage and gives the character a spore point for each toadstool set off.

[2] Giant brown shelf fungi make up the path here. 1 in 6 chance that they crack when stepped upon, meaning get off now or make an agility save to avoid falling 1d6x10 feet. Also, if any of the fungi shelves crack and fall, they send up a big cloud of disturbed spores at the bottom of the area, giving a spore point to all who breathe it.

[3] Still waters of a black pond, the top of which is covered in a disgusting soggy mess of humid spores and algae. The humidity here means it is hard for spores to travel, and as such all spore points gained around the pond are reduced by -1 point (if any source only gives one spore point, it is instead ignored).

There is a 1 in 4 chance each turn around this pond, if no other random encounter is rolled, Abyssal Zombies will crawl from the bank of the pond to attack anyone nearby.

Abyssal Zombies (1HD, 2d4 claw attack damage)

Appearing; 1d6

Bone thin black zombies, make no noise and like to choke victims and drag incapacitated victims into the black pool to drown them.

[4] Golden locket and chain in the center of a circle of nearly transparent mushrooms. If you take the necklace 50% chance the mushrooms shake violently and release 3 spore points at whoever is in the center of the circle and 1 spore point to anyone standing nearby outside of the circle. No save.

[5] Large cluster of 'blackbread' fungus. Well known for being perfectly edible, even delicious, and long keeping useful for rations. There are 1d10 rations here, add the highest Wisdom character's Wisdom modifier to this number.

Each time one of the blackbread fungi ration is eaten, it gives the consumer1 spore point.

[6] Regular looking grove of trees being subsumed into the fungal forest, but holding out slowly. The center of this grove has the corpse of a dead elf, a smile on her face, looking as fresh as ever. If her corpse is disturbed the party gets a permanent -2 to reaction rolls with the elves living in and around the fungal forest.

The elf corpse has an elvish wooden chess-set of master level craftsmanship. Worth 50 gold.

[7] Fungal Zombie Deer come flying through the trees, attacking anyone in plain sight.

Fungal Zombie Deer (1HD, +1 initiative, release spores on death)

Appearing; 2d8

The zombie deer like to attack people with weak bites and kicks. Upon death, releases a cloud of pollen that delivers 1 spore point to whoever killed the deer in melee.

[8] Lynched corpse up on a tree. If examined the corpse was in stage 6 of spore exposure, with a toadstool coming out his feet and back. The corpse is no longer infectious.

The lynching rope is 30ft long and is still strong and could be useful for dungeoneering. The corpse itself has little of value except for a crudely drawn map of the area, with a X marked over [9].

[9] Small cave with heavy rolling stone near the front door. If the party shelters in this cave they will have no worries about wandering encounters or taking extra spore rolls during the night.

Additionally this room contains one random crate per party member. For each crate roll a 1d4 to determine its contents;

1. Rosy Neckerchiefs- Perfumed, reduces spores by -1 once.
2. 8 Golden Coins nailed to the bottom of average and muddy shoes.
3. Bottles of Grog, stylish mushroom topper but free from spores
4. Animal skull trophies, 1d8 skulls; worth 1d6x10 silver pieces per skull.

[10] Spore Cloud! Giant Cloud of spores on the horizon, incoming fast. If caught out in the open everyone takes 1d6 spore points from exposure. Reduce this to 1d4-1 if wearing a mask or something perfumed strongly.

[11] Kind old witch living in a mundane stone house among giant toadstools. She will sell discounted food and rations, untainted, if your party looks ragged enough to need it, and will also agree to bind up your wounds for free but each time she does spores fall into your open wound from her hair, causing you to take an equal number of spore points equal to the points she healed.

There is a 50% chance that underneath her floorboards there are 3d10 Fungal Zombies that obey her every command. She will only use them if the party tries to rob or attack her.

[12] Secret elf mushroom village. Ropes and walkways connect giant hollowed out mushrooms together. The place is abandoned, but the party will realize soon that the elves are still here, just hiding. They will not use their spore-based weaponry in their own home. If they take or ruin anything the elves will rain Arrow Shoots on them from afar as soon as they leave.

Arrow Shoots are a special and rare kind of mushroom, cultivated in secret grottos among regular mushrooms. They grow long and straight, and very hard, and when pulled from the ground their roots curl out into bristles like the fetching on an arrow. Only deal 1d4 damage, but also give the hit target and equal number of spore points to the damage dealt by the ranged attack. They typically lose all their spores after hitting a target.

[13] Shroom man merchant. Giant mushroom head, kindly disposition. He's a typical traveling merchant with one unique special item (d4);

1. Mushroom Shaped iron helmet.
2. Spore Cloak- Ignore the next 5 spore pts
3. Mashed Fungus- Smells terrible, stored in jar. Acts like bait for Fungal Zombies.
4. Bright Red poison fungus. If eaten it cures the body of one spore stage, but consumer takes 3d10 damage.

[14] Shallow cave houses a dozen sarcophagi. Roll 1d4 to determine origin;

1. Elvish
2. Dwarf
3. Ancient Human
4. Something else entirely

Within each sarcophagus is 1d6x10 GP worth of artifacts and treasures, but each requires a prybar and a turn of pure lifting to open. Additionally there is a 50% chance when each Sarcophagus is opened it will release a cloud of spores, inflicted all openers with 1 spore point.

[15] Ruined campsite filled with 1d8 Fungal Zombies. Underneath one of the tents is a bag filled with silver rings, each one engraved with the name of a dead orphan hero.

[16] Giant Ant colony. The hole in the ground is heavily guarded by a Door Ant. The ant colony has several valuable larva by the queen as well as a huge amount of edible Blackbread fungus the ants cultivate within them. Naturally the entire colony is swarming with literally hundreds of giant ants so trying to hack and slash your way through it would be a challenge for anyone.

Door Ant (2HD, +2 AC if facing enemy, can block tunnels with head, 1d4 weak bite)

Door Ants are used exclusively at the front entrance as well as the key rooms of the colony, guarding them. There is one at the front entrance, one at the larval room, one in the queen's chamber. Unlike other kinds of ants they are not enraged by pheromones and just want to keep people out.

[17] Armor-Lichen. Strange yellow moldy lichen growing on a discarded plate vest in the forest. If you scrap some of the lichen onto your own armor or a shield it will help knit the armor back together whenever it is damaged, defend it against rust monster attacks, and absorb a single blast of dragon fire before being destroyed utterly.

The armor-lichen only needs a bit of moisture and a damp place in return. It will take an advanced knowledge of fungus to identify it though and it can only be spread to one piece of armor or shield.

[18] Giant Sac Fungi. There is a slight stirring inside one of them, actually contains a forest elf. Releasing this elf will grant +1 reactions with the elves here and they may even be friendly with the players at [12]. The other sacs can be used as a way to hide from enemies. Roll 1 random encounter.

[19] Glowing mushrooms found under a fallen log. If ripped out and squeezed for juice they provide a new kind of lantern oil that lasts thrice as long as regular lantern oil and gives off a strange blueish glow. If you touch this liquid with your bare hands though you get 1 spore point.

[20] Crazed Wizard apprentice. Will assume the party members are walking talking trees and asks them to hold still as trees should (Cast petrification spells, Hold Person, etc)

On his person he has a bag with 1d6+1 psychoactive mushrooms, worth 5 gp each.

Wandering Monsters

Roll 1d6

(1) Fungal Zombies (1HD, d6 bite attack, infect 1 spore point on a roll of 5 or 6)

Appearing; 2d6+1

Humanoid fungus zombies with mushrooms growing out of their skulls. Love damp, dark places and hiding in muck to attack humans.

(2) Forest Elves (1 HD, d4 and spore damage Arrow Shoot mushroom arrows, each carries a 1d8 silver arrow)

Appearing; 1d6

Territorial and unfriendly elves inhabiting the mushroom forest. Fungal Zombies seem to ignore them, and the elves don't seem to mind if intruders get infected or become fungal zombies themselves. They use their silver arrows on tough opponents or those immune to the spore arrows.

Make a regular reaction roll for them. If it succeeds you just don't see them. Failure means they attack with arrows.

(3) Fungeater (2HD, +1 AC, d6 claws)

Appearing; 1

Huge furry anteater-looking creature that is immune to and enjoys eating fungus spores. It's shaggy coat is strong enough to keep spores away as well as bladed weapons a bit.

If party stands still and lets the Fungeater eat the spores off their body they'll receive a d10 next time they roll against spores.

However moving or making noise will enrage the creature and it will attack with its sharp digging claws instead.

(4) Giant Ant Party (Varies)

Appearing; 1d4 Warriors, 2d6 Workers

Warrior Ants (2 HD, +1 AC, d8 bite)

Huge ants with heavy mandibles, unable to feed themselves. Defend workers.

Worker Ants (1 HD, d4 bite)

Weaker and smaller giant ants that mostly gather mushrooms and rotting plant life to bring back to the hive. Each worker ant has a 10% chance of being infected by cordyceps and if a fight breaks out it will try to climb up somewhere high, grow a toadstool out of its head, and release 1 spore point to anyone fighting below.

(5) Crawling Multinucleate (2 HD, drains 1d4 health as attack)

Appering; 1 or 2

Huge ambulatory web of fungal networks, awoken to feed on living things and bring them down for more nutrients to feed the forest.

(6) Fungal Zombie Bear (stats as bear, feels no pain, roar infects 1 spore point to those that hear)

Appearing; 1

Huge grizzly bear infected with fungal zombie fungus. Still rubs itself on tree trunks, which now just leads spores everywhere. Its pelt is too dusted with fungal spores to be valuable.