venerdì 2 febbraio 2018

Help! My Dog Ate Strange Fungi!

What happens if a dog eats too many infected fungi -or if in the case of The Tomb of the Serpent Kings it digests too much fungus goblins' gluey white secretions while tearing them apart?

Let's find out! Roll 1d6 and have fun!

1) Fungus Dog Monster
The fungus grows inside the dog's stomach and body from the inside, converting its entrails into a fungus-like spongy stuff. Once it has reached the brain, the dog is totally converted into a Fungus Dog Monster.
From now on it will feed on humidity, humus, and whatever a mushroom can feed upon, but will lose 1HP every day it stays in a dry environment.
It will remain loyal to its owner, but will fear fire (taking double damage by it) and will try to stay away even from torches and candles and naked flames in general.
Every time it is hit the dog body will release poisonous spores into the air (Save vs Poison or temporary lose 1 Constitution point).

2) Poopshroom
Every time the dog poops (once every 4-6 hours) in a humid environment, the faeces will start to grow up as Poopshrooms, smelling like fresh shit causing nausea for 1d6 turns (-2 to every d20 roll, -1 to every d6 skill roll).
If left uncontrolled, the Poopshrooms will continue to grow at a rate of 1d4 x 10 cubic feet per week.
The Poopshrooms growths can be easily destroyed by fire, but inhaling the smoke will require to Save vs Poison or be extremely sick for 2d6 days (-4 to every d20 roll, -2 to every d6 skill roll).

Pilobus fungi, they actually grow on shit

3) Poopshroom Monster
Similar to the above, but instead of a Poopshroom growth, a Poopshroom Monster will grow up from the faeces ready to colonise the immediate area. It is a mix between a shit-smelling dog-like biped creature and a mushroom. It reproduces itself by pooping around, generating other Poopshroom Monsters.
Poopshroom Monsters feed on humidity, humus and whatever a mushroom can feed upon. They have an insect-like intelligence, and are not hostile but they will defend their colony with force if necessary.
They fear and takes double damage from fire.
Poopshroom Monsters have the stats of goblins, but also have a spore cloud special attack that releases a poisonous cloud in an area of 10 cubic feet. If inhaled, the spores cause nausea for 1d6 rounds if a Save vs Poison is failed (-2 to every d20 roll, -1 to every d6 skill roll, neither cumulative in case of multiple spore cloud attacks).
They reproduce at a rate of 2d12 fully formed Poopshroom Monsters every week (1d4 every day).
4) Eyeshrooms
Dog's eyeballs fall out, replaced with clusters of light-sensitive spongy fronds. They still work perfectly well, plus now the dog can see into the ultraviolet, can smell a lot better than before (if you roll for this kind of stuff, consider a +20% bonus) and gives the dog immunity to any kind of poison or toxin.
The dog will glow in the dark of a blue-violet light and will smell like rotten mushrooms.

5) Fungal Stalk
A Fungal Stalk erupts from the dog's head, periodically getting a chance to control the dog's actions: roll 1d12 every turn, with a result of 1 it wants the dog to get eaten by something big, so its spores can get inside a larger carnivore and grow bigger and badder. The Fungal Stalk also wants to spray spores onto corpses, carcasses or into wounds to reproduce itself other than into the host's body.
If someone's wound gets sprayed by these spores, the target must Save vs Poison or get infected. A new Fungus Stalk will grow into the target's wound and will also periodically get a chance to control the host with the same probabilities as above, and with the same intentions.
If a corpse or body gets infected by the spores, it will raise as a Fungus Zombie (controlled in turn by a Fungus Stalk). It will have the same stats and immunities of a zombie, but will get double damage by fire.
Its intentions are not to be eaten (because who would eat a rotten corpse?) but to spread the spores as much as possible in a zombie-style (biting, clawing, tearing).



6) Dog Spawning Fungus
The dog's head suddenly falls off without any previous clue, leaving the dog dead on the floor.
The dog -the same dog- returns after a few days wherever the previous owner is. From then on, whenever the new dog dies, a new identical one walks a few days later into wherever the owner is.
If the owner is dead (or dies), the dog will go to his final resting place and patiently wait for him to come back. If undisturbed, the dog will eventually grow roots and will guard the place, forever alive and loyal.
If the place where the original dog's head remains are left is investigated, a fungus growth can be found growing from a dog's skull. It is from here that the new dog grows up.

Come here doggy! Oh I missed you so much!

For humanoids too!

I wrote this piece because I needed weird results for the party's dogs, but if any humanoid swallows the Fungus Goblins' white slime or eat infected fungi, feel free to use the same table on them!
Just think an alternative for result number 6... or don't, it may be fun if a party member comes back after every time he dies (especially the first time!). Just remember that when coming back it will be the exactly same copy of the one who died the first time, so no gained levels or skills.

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The results of this table are elaborations of very interesting prompts given by good fellow players at on the threads at the following links:

A side note: I saw a lot of nasty things searching for the pictures you saw here. Sometimes it would be better for my stomach to make only-text posts.