Continuing on from my last Field Guide post, I’ll discuss more of the creatures encountered in my last session of The Seventh Arch.
Leshys are one of my favorite Pathfinder monsters. They have a similar “small low level monster” feel to kobolds and goblins, but aren’t a Dungeons and Dragons staple. They feel different, and have some cool abilities that make them fit into that niche differently.
The Fungus Leshy is the version of the Leshy you can expect to find in caves, bogs, and other dark, damp places. They look like a walking mushroom. Sort of like Toad from Mario, but as a monster.
Mushrooms by Tery14 used under CC-BY-SA 2.0
Stats and Basics
Fungus Leshys have a high dexterity and moderate strength, constitution, and wisdom.
These are creatures that do their farming, but will mostly not stick around to have a fair fight with you. If engaged directly, they’ll run away to use their spore pod ability to hamper you from a distance.
They’ll blind you with their spores, then hide as a mushroom using their Change Shape ability until you decide to go away.
The Leshy’s do have a fist attack that does bludgeoning, but with the spore powers, it is not the Leshy’s first resort.
Ruptured puffball. by Bernard Sprag, which has been released by the creator into the public domain.
Change Shape
The Fungus Leshy’s first line of defense is their ability to change shape. Perception will not reveal that their mushroom form is a trick, only nature or survival checks will reveal something off.
If the Leshys hear a threat coming, they’ll hide among their farmed mushroom gardens to allow the threat to pass, only attacking if their mushroom garden is actively threatened.
Spore Cloud and Spore Pods
Spore Cloud affects a 15-foot emanation around the Leshy, while Spore Pods are a ranged attack against a single creature with a 30-foot range increment.
Whichever spore power is chosen, the targeted creatures must make a fortitude save or suffer both persistent poison damage and have its vision distance reduced by the spores.
Verdant Burst
All Leshys have special powers when they are killed, representing the nature spirit that was bound into their being getting suddenly released.
In the case of the Fungus Leshy, that power takes to form of a 30-foot burst erupting into a patch of fungus which becomes difficult terrain. The burst also heals other fungus-based creatures in the area.
Tactics
Like I mentioned before, the Fungus Leshy is likely to use its ability to Change Shape as its first line of defense. If it hears combat nearby, or loud noises suggesting a threat, it will hide by taking the shape of just another mushroom. If the threatening creature stays clear of the mushroom patch, it may never realize there was a Leshy there.
Mushrooms by Jim Bahn used under CC-BY 2.0
If actively threatened itself, it uses its spore cloud to immediately impair the vision of the threatening creature, then retreats to a safe distance where it can pummel the offending creature with spore pods.
In a combat featuring multiple fungus leshys, a weakened fungus leshy feeling that death is imminent is likely to take a position to place itself near its allies so that its death will heal them and give the mushrooms they farm a chance to survive.
Licensing
This post relies on information from the Pathfinder Second Edition Bestiary, copyright 2019, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Alexander Augunas, Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, John Compton, Paris Crenshaw, Adam Daigle, Eleanor Ferron, Leo Glass, Thurston Hillman, James Jacobs, Jason Keeley, Lyz Liddell, Ron Lundeen, Robert G. McCreary, Tim Nightengale, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Michael Sayre, Mark Seifter, Chris S. Sims, Jeffrey Swank, Jason Tondro, Tonya Woldridge, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.
Used pursuant to the Open Gaming License v 1.0a
Featured Image
The featured image is Mushrooms by oatsy40 used under CC-BY 2.0
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