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Spore-Cougher Swarm

Spore-Cougher Swarm
Spore-Cougher Swarm
CR 2
Large Swarm of Tiny plants, Unaligned
Reveal Stat Block
Armor Class
12 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points
52 (8d10 + 8)
Speed
30 ft.
str
12
+1
dex
14
+2
con
13
+1
int
1
-5
wis
10
+0
cha
3
-4

Traits

Swarm.The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny proto-goblin. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Damage Resistances.Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing
Condition Immunities.Charmed, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Stunned
Reactive Spore Rupture.Whenever the swarm takes bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, it releases a puff of indigo spores. Each creature within 5 feet of the swarm must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn. While poisoned in this way, a creature's vision is blurred by indigo fluid and it is considered Blinded.

Actions

Slapping Limbs.Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 0 ft., one creature in the swarm's space. Hit: 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage, or 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
The Great Stillness (Recharge 5–6).The swarm releases a concentrated cloud of hallucinogenic spores in a 10-foot radius. Each creature in that area must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 9 (2d8) poison damage and is Incapacitated until the end of its next turn as its mind is overwhelmed by a rhythmic, fungal harmony. On a success, the creature takes half as much damage and isn't Incapacitated.

Spore-Cougher Swarm

A Spore-Cougher Swarm is a carpet of mindless, translucent proto-goblins, freshly birthed from the damp, bioluminescent spawning pods of the deep earth. These creatures represent the raw, feral infancy of the goblinoid lifecycle. They do not possess the cunning of a scout or the wisdom of an "old growth" titan; instead, they are a singular, writhing tide of plant-fungal biomass. Their skin is a pale, sickly cerulean, stretched thin over soft, unformed bones, and their eyes are milky orbs that weep a constant stream of infectious indigo fluid.

Ecologically, the swarm serves as the planetary immune system for Mycelia-Zul, The World-Root. They are the first responders to any perceived "pathogen"—which, in the eyes of the fungal god, includes any creature possessing individual free will. When they move, they do so with a wet, rhythmic slapping sound, a thousand tiny limbs striking the stone in unison. Their primary biological function is to die; each proto-goblin is essentially a walking spore-cask. When struck or crushed, their bloated abdomens rupture, releasing a dense, choking cloud of blue-green dust that coat the lungs and minds of their victims, initiating the first stage of the Spore Infection.

Secret Motivation Beyond the basic biological drive to consume and expand, the Spore-Cougher Swarm is driven by an obsessive, collective yearning for "The Great Stillness." They perceive the heartbeat, breath, and frantic thoughts of "flesh-beings" as a violent, discordant noise that hurts the hive-mind. They do not seek to kill out of malice, but out of a horrific, warped sense of compassion. They believe that by forcing their spores into the orifices of the living, they are "muting the screaming ego" and bringing the victim into the blissful, silent harmony of Mycelia-Zul. They are the frantic, weeping mutes of a god that wants to turn the world into a graveyard of peaceful statues.

Adventure Hook: The Whispering Vents The geothermal vents of Steamfort have begun to "cough." Instead of the usual rhythmic hiss of steam, a wet, rattling wheeze echoes through the lower residential districts. High Forge-Master Thordin has dismissed it as "mineral buildup," but the truth is far more dire. A massive Spore-Cougher Swarm has wedged itself into the primary ventilation shafts, using the city’s own heating system to incubate. As the heat rises, the proto-goblins are bursting prematurely, pumping concentrated, hallucinogenic spores directly into the dwarven bunkers. The players are hired by a desperate, low-level engineer to descend into the "Wind-Tunnels" and clear the blockage, only to find that the walls are no longer made of stone, but of pulsing, screaming blue flesh.