The Mushroom Plague
An Adventure for 5th Level Characters
Summary
It's time to end this plague...
Thwarting Lief‘s plans again, you have found a map to his
location outside the city. It’s time to end this plague once and
for all.
The party has defeated Tayla Enrel and her minions,
disrupting Lief’s plans to kill the Earl and poison the city with
his toxic mushrooms. Finding a map of the city and outlying
areas on her person, the captain of the guard, Timon Beller,
asks for your help once more. With the Earl recovering and
the city still threatened by the mushroom plague, Timon
implores you to use the map to track down Lief and put a
stop to this horror for good.
Adventure Hooks
While this adventure is meant to be played as the final
installment to Druid in the Sewers and Lief's Revenge, it
can easily be adapted as a stand alone adventure. If the party
is playing it as the sequel, they will have found the map at the
end of Lief's Revenge and Timon Beller will ask the party to
use the map to hunt down Lief and kill him once and for all.
If the party is playing it as a stand alone adventure, you can
have the adventurers arrive in the town of Chadbridge and be
approached by Timon Beller. He will explain that they are
under attack by a mad druid who has twisted the forces of
nature and is trying to take over Chadbridge and neighboring
towns with his poisonous mushrooms. The GM should make
it as enticing as possible to encourage the party to go.
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 How to Start
The Story To start this adventure, it will pick up directly after Lief's
The party has successfully prevented the spread of the spores Revenge in the warehouse of Tayla Enrel. Timon Beller will
by defeating Tayla Enrel and her cohorts. Having found crates ask the party to locate Lief using a map left behind in the
laced with spores, the party can quickly deduce that the plan warehouse, detailing a few ways of attacking Chadbridge
had been to spread the plague via the trade routes to using the Brain Spores as spies, and sneaking in equipment
neighboring towns. While the region has been saved from coated in spores. The map roughly shows the location of
potential disaster, Lief was nowhere to be found and Lief's location, see the maps in Appendix A and give your
therefore the threat of spores still hangs over the city. players the player copy.
Beginning the Adventure Acknowledgements
Having found a map of the area in the warehouse where This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the
Tayla Enrel was planning her attack, Timon Beller sees this Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with
as proof that the situation is far from over. Timon, after permission under the terms of the Wizards of the Coast
consulting with the Earl and the advisors, approaches the Open Gaming License (OGL). All other original material in
party and asks for one last favor. this work is copyright 2019 by Dump Stat Adventures and
Determining that the map is the key to finding Lief - Timon published under the terms of the Wizards of the Coast Open
asks the party to hunt Lief and the spore menace down and Gaming License (OGL).
put an end to him once and for all. With limited resources,
untrained men, and the Earl still not fully recovered from the Images
assassination attempt; Timon is unwilling to risk going out Images are provided by Wizards of the Coast.
into the forest.
Reviewing the map with the party, Timon will explain that
they have determined the general area in the forest where
Lief is and wants the party to travel there and destroy Lief.
Also, the party should find some way to destroy the spore
menace, maybe using fire to burn any spores. Timon has very
little information about the areas past the farmlands but does
know that there are some creatures beyond just normal
beasts that make the forest their home.
A Side Quest
Before the party sets off to hunt down Lief, Timon will ask
the party to check on the small hamlet of Weston. Located six
miles outside of Chadbridge, the village is home to the
farmers that work the fields. Several of the farmers and there
families have just arrived in Chadbridge, telling stories of
mushroom covered creatures in the cornfields. A few of the
farmers are unaccounted for and Timon would like to to see
if the party can find out what has happened to them, and
bring them to Chadbridge. Timon will provide the party with
clear directions and to follow the road to Weston.
Setup for Newcomers
If the party is running this as a solo adventure and has not
played either of the two previous adventures, the party can be
approached by Timon Beller upon arriving in Chadbridge. He
will tell the party that the city has been under attack by the
mad druid Lief and his spore plague and will ask them to
hunt Lief down and kill him. He will explain that he cannot go
himself as the Earl has been poisoned by an agent of Lief and
he needs to remain in Chadbridge until the Earl has fully
recovered.
Running this Adventure
This adventure is set up differently than most. Because it is a
hexcrawl across an open map, it may require the DM to have
many ideas as to how to keep the party moving towards their
ultimate objective. In this adventure, we provide random
encounters, maps and story encounters to help guide you to
the final conclusion.

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The Area of Chadbridge Navigating
The map depicts the area to the North/Northwest of While the party is journeying across the farmlands or into the
Chadbridge. The land surrounding most of the city of forest, they will need to make a Wisdom (Survival) check
Chadbridge is prominently farmland, while the area past the depending on the terrain they are crossing. The frequency is
farmlands is home to dense forest and wild creatures. Most dependent on how challenging you would like the Hexcrawl
hunters will only go a few miles into the forest as there have to be. We recommend every 3 hexes they wish to travel
been reports of wolves, strange bears, and other unknown across, you call for a Wisdom (Survival) check from the
horrors. party's navigator. If someone has proficiency with
    Each hex on the map is 1 mile and should take the party 20 Cartographer's Tools, they can give advantage on this check.
minutes to traverse. As they have a map, and a general The GM may decide to roll the check for the players to
location of where they are heading, the party should have an keep them from knowing if they are lost or not.
easy time trekking through the forest, but there are monsters Traveling along the road Travel
in the forest and it's easy to get lost under the dense canopy typically won't incur a Terrain DC
of leaves. Wisdom (Survival) check,
The full map is available in Appendix A. though per the GM's Road 5
discretion, they may rule that Farm 10
certain environmental
effects, like heavy fog, may Forest 15
call for a check to continue.
 Getting Lost
If the party gets lost while traveling, the GM must roll a d6
and randomly determine which hex they travel to. They do
not know they are lost until they succeed on a Wisdom
(Survival) check, when that happens, they make no progress
but you show them where they are located on the map. They
can then announce their next movements, and repeat the
Wisdom (Survival) check to continue their journey.
    If you are calling for a Wisdom (Survival) check after a
number of hexes traveled, you can choose which Hex they
traveled across and got them lost. When traveling across
multiple terrains for a single Wisdom (Survival) check, the
DC is chosen by which terrain they are in the longest. If they
are in the Farms for 1 hex and the Forest for 2 hexes, they
must roll against the DC of the Forest. If they spend an equal
amount of time in the Farm hexes and in the Forest hexes,
choose the easiest DC, in this case the DC is 10.
Random Encounters
While traveling across the hexes, there is a random chance
that the characters may stumble across a random encounter.
When the party first travels into a new hex, roll a d20. On an
18 or higher, roll on the encounter table to determine what
happens.
    If your party grows tired of random encounters, you can
always choose to roll a d20 for every other hex they cross,
that encounters only happen on the result of a 20, select
roleplaying-based encounters or a combination of any of
these or other ideas.
Variant: Not-So-Random Encounters
You do not have to roll for encounters if it is not the right fit
for your table. You can instead pick your favorites, as many or
as little as you want, and run them at predetermined hexes or
time. Though, this may remove a bit of the Hexcrawl feel of
this adventure.
What is a Hexcrawl
A hexcrawl is an open-ended sandbox that allow
players to freely move across a provided map. The
map is populated by hexes, with hexes containing
random encounters, preplanned events or are
important keyed locations.
The Mushroom Plague features a hexcrawl that
allows players to explore the surrounding areas of
Chadbridge as they search for the location of Lief
and the spore threat. As the players move across
the map, they will find clues as to which direction
they should travel and maybe even find some
traveling companions!
 
Random Encounters
Random encounters occur on every hex the party crosses and
the GM must then roll an 18 or higher on a d20. If an
encounter is to occur, roll a d20 and consult the chart below -
or you can choose a random encounter from the list below or
use one of your own creation. If an encounter is to occur on
the road, you can either choose from the Forest or Farm
column.
If you roll for an encounter, and get a repeat encounter, you
can roll again, choose a different one or reflavor the
encounter.
Encounters
Monster Farms Forest
Animated Mushrooms 1 1
Bandits (Infected) 2 -

Variant: A Harder Hexcrawl Bloody Encampment - 2-3

If you wish to make the journey more challenging to the party, Boar (Infected) 3-4 4
you can call for a Navigation check for every hex they travel Farmers in a Barn 5-8 -
across and when you roll for encounters, a result of 15 or
higher on the D20 results in an encounter. Giant Rats (Infected) 9-10 5-6
Hunters (Uninfected) 11 7-8
Variant: Dynamic Destination
While we have a specific location that Lief and the Spore Hunters (Infected) 12 9-11
Menace is located, you can decide to set it in a different hex if Hunters Trap - 12
your players are finding it too difficult to find them or if you
wish to end the adventure earlier. Mushroom Cluster 13-14 13
Ogre (Infected) - 14-15
Pseudodragon 15 16
Scarecrow 16-18 -
Spore Blight 19-20 17
Spore Carrier - 18-19
Wolves - 20

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Animated Mushrooms
See Animated Mushroom in Appendix B.
As the party is journeying, they can stumble across 1d10
animated mushrooms hiding on the ground. They are
indistinguishable from a normal, albeit large mushroom and
incredibly sensitive, exploding when they take any damage. If
they sense any creature, like the party, they will dash at them
if they think the creatures won't get close enough for their
Spore Blast ability. They hold little value for their own life
and only wish to spread their poison.
Farms
These mushrooms are tucked away in the corn rows and
many of the farmers avoid them as they look incredibly
suspicious.
Forest
These mushrooms are hiding behind trees and try to blend in
with the other mushrooms around them and can be found on
dead logs and other rotting organic material.
Bandits (Infected)
See Spore Carrier in Appendix B.
These bandits were set upon on their way back to their
hideout and have been transformed into Spore Carriers.
They stumble over the land looking for humanoids to join
their growing spore army. Each bandit has 1d10 gold pieces
and 1d20 silver pieces on them.
Farms
Screams echo across the corn fields as 2 infected bandits are
chasing after a halfling farmer. The halfling has a bad leg and
can only shuffle, their speed reduced to 15 feet. The spore
carriers are 20 feet behind the halfling and will close in on
him after 3 rounds unless the party decides to save the
farmer. If the bandits get up to the halfling before the party
can arrive, the farmer takes the dodge action.
    The farmer's name is Nolan Cornfoot, see Commoner on
page 345 of the Monster Manual, if the party is able to save
him, he is delighted and will insist on taking them straight to
Weston as personal thanks for their help. Really he wants
them to be a type of guard service for him on the way back,
but he is more than happy to provide a meal for their help
which consists of cornbread, corn chowder soup and corn
mash moonshine.
Forest
Shuffling out from behind the trees appear a number of
creatures that once looked humanoid. They are dressed in a
light leather armor which is bursting at the seams as
mushrooms have pushed their way through. Moving slowly,
they continue their slow walk directly towards you. There are
6 former bandits that have been infected by the mushrooms.
They are wandering aimlessly through the forest and upon
seeing the party, they will immediately attack them, going for
the closest character first. They will sacrifice themselves
without hesitation in an attempt to infect as many people as
possible. All spore carriers fight to the death and follow the
party if they attempt to flee.
Bloody Encampment
As the party moves through the forest, they find an
abandoned campsite, though three tents are still hanging in
shreds from their wooden poles. The campfire has died out,
but the ashes are still warm, indicating that creatures were
here not too long ago. On the ground are blood and drag
marks, and the ground is torn up as if there was some sort of
fight. If the party searches through the tents, they can find
that each tent has a footlocker and between all three of them
there is enough supplies to create an explorer's pack.
Boar (Infected)
See Giant Boar on page 323 of the Monster Manual.
Replace its Beast tag with the Undead tag, reduce its speed
to 30 feet, remove its Relentless ability and it deals an
additional 1d6 poison damage with its tusk. The Boar also
gains the Spore Blast ability upon its death, see Spore
Carrier in Appendix B for more information.
Farms
A loud squeal and the sound of tiny hooves is all the warning
the party gets as a large creature explodes out of the
cornfield. It gives one more intimidating squeal and charges
into the group, attacking any creature in the center of the
party. It is covered in grotesque wounds bleeding purple ooze
and several mushrooms are growing around the wounds. It
doesn't stop until it is destroyed.
Forest
The sounds of squeals can be heard echoing through the
forest, and not too far off from the characters are two boars
fighting, presumably over territory. One boar is covered in
oozing and pulsing toadstools, while the other boar looks to
be reasonably healthy besides that it has a long wound down
its side from the other boar's tusk. If the party continue to
watch, the uninfected boar is defeated and it tries to flee but
is run down by the infected one before it can get too far. The
infected boar then runs off into the woods, squealing madly.
Farmers in a Barn
See Appendix A for Map 3 of the barn, and see Bandit
Captain on page 344 of the Monster Manual.
As the path opens up into a large clearing, you see the front of
a large, old barn. The barn does not look like it has been used
in some time, as you can see large areas where the paint has
worn away. The main barn door looks closed from this
distance, though a humanoid can be seen looking out one of
the second floor windows, as if on guard.
The barn is a two-story building with a pitched front. It is in a
state of disrepair, and the red paint has peeled in many places
and all of the windows have been boarded up from the
outside. The farmer who owns this building stopped using
this barn after they built the new barn found in the hamlet. A
large barn door is ever so slightly ajar in the front of the barn
and looks as if it has come off the rails that would allow it to
slide open.
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 If the party is looking to approach the barn silently, they must
roll a Dexterity (Stealth) check contested by the passive
Perception of the Bandit Captain on guard. Once the
characters are closer, they notice on a successful DC 12
Wisdom (Perception) check that one of the ground floor
windows is not boarded up. This window opens up to 1r.
    Characters that wish to open the main door must make a
DC 15 athletics (Strength) check to open it so that they may
enter. Any character with a passive Perception of 15 or higher
will be able to hear the voices of the bandits arguing inside
the barn once they get up to the barn itself.
    The inside of the barn is made up of a large common area,
2 small rooms near the front, 4 horse stalls and a wooden
staircase that leads up to the 2nd floor where a single bandit
captain is supposed to be a look out but is currently dozing. If
the party comes through the front door, the bandits inside will
have heard them and will hide in the stalls and behind walls
to surprise the characters, they aren't interested in talking.
    If the party enters through the unboarded up window, they
will find themselves in a small room on the East side of the
barn. The characters will be able to hear the bandits without
making a Perception check and see two bound and gagged
farmers through the slightly open door on the far side from
them. The farmers are in a small room, 2r, directly across
from their room. The two farmers are Elmer and Samuel, the
farmers that missed lunch earlier from Weston. The bandits
have been using the old barn as storage for their ill-gotten
gains and the farmers discovered them.
    Four Bandit captains are huddled together in the center of
the common area and arguing loudly. If the party listens to
the conversation, the bandits will sound frightened. They are
trying to figure out what attacked them as they left the forest
and what to do about the loss of their comrades.
    Located in 4h is the bandit's stash. This stash is hidden
under a bit of old hay and contains: 2 cases of fine wine
containing 6 bottles each, each bottle worth 5 gp, a small
chest containing 50 gp and 200 sp, and a potion of speed.
Giant Rats (Infected)
See Giant Rat on page 327 of the Monster Manual. Replace
their Beast tag with the Undead tag and their bite attack
deals an additional 1d4 poison damage on a hit.
Farms
The party hears the rustling of the corn, the sound moving
closer to them. Emerging from the corn fields are 1d10
infected giant rats who will immediately swarm whoever is
closest to them. They lack any thought of running away and
fight until destroyed.
Forest
The party sees two groups of 6 infected giant rats heading
toward them from opposite sides. Upon reaching striking
distance of the party, each group of rats will attempt to
swarm a different party member, who ever is closest. They
lack any thought of running away and fight until destroyed.
6
Hunters (Uninfected)
See Scout on page 349 of the Monster Manual.
Farms
These hunters are sitting down for a short breather on their
way to Chadbridge. There are 4 hunters who are out of
breath, muttering among themselves about the dangers out in
the forest and hoping they will be able to make enough profit
from their bounty to get away from here. Piled near the
hunters are the pelts of various woodland animals they hope
to sell at the market. If the party ignores them, the hunters
will look warily at them, but otherwise continue on. If the
party tries to talk with them, the hunters will tell the party
how they saw these strange shambling creatures heading
towards them as they were emptying their traps. Not waiting
to see what horror was headed their way, they gathered up
what they could and immediately set off for Chadbridge.
Forest
Two hunters are quietly eating a small lunch of hardtack and
stale wine when they are attacked by a spore carrier
stumbling out from behind a tree. If the party decides to do
nothing, the spore carrier will kill the hunters in 2 rounds
and then continue stumbling through the forest. The hunters
will rise up in 1d4 hours as spore carriers.
    If the party decides to help, the hunters are grateful and
quick to share information about the Spore Menace to the
North-West! They refuse to go any deeper into the forest and
only wish to leave as soon as possible, leaving behind their
lunch in great haste.
Hunters (Infected)
See Spore Carrier in Appendix B.
Farms
At the edge of the cornfield the party will come across what
was once a hunter, now grotesquely twisted into a hideous
spore carrier. It will be unable to enter the cornfield itself and
looks as if something is holding it back. Upon closer
examination, the party notices a large bear trap attached to a
mangled leg and a chain attached to it that stretches back
into the forest about 50 feet. This former hunter set off one of
his own traps after his conversion into a spore carrier and the
attached chain is stuck between a couple trees. If the
creature sees the party, it will try to shuffle toward towards
them in vain. They party may ignore this creature and easily
walk around it, or can destroy it where from a safe distance.
Forest
As the party moves through the forest, they find 2 humanoids
laying face down on the ground. A character who succeeds on
a DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check can determine that the
creatures died several hours ago. A character who succeeds
on a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check can determine that the
creatures are infected by spores and will be rising very soon.
If the party leaves the bodies alone and continues on, the
bodies will rise and attack them from behind.
Hunters Trap
See Hunting Trap on page 152 of the Player's Handbook.
A group of hunters have left behind several of their traps in
the forest. If a character has a passive Perception of 13 or
higher, they notice that something seems out of place. On a
successful DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) or (Nature)
check, they will notice that the leaves are out of place and
that there is something hidden under the leaves, finding the
trap if they move the leaves away.
    If no one in the group has a passive Perception of 13 or
higher, or they fail their check to find the trap, roll a die to
randomly determine who gets hit by the Hunting Trap. They
must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 1d4
piercing damage and must deal with the trap.
Mushroom Clusters
See Dungeon Hazards on page 105 of the Dungeon
Master's Guide.
Farms
A cluster of pulsating Mushrooms, using the Brown Mold
stats, are growing along the side of the road. When the party
passes near it, they can feel the temperature suddenly drop. If
they investigate the cluster of mushrooms, the mushrooms
start growing towards them at astonishing speeds.
    If someone gets within 30 feet of the mushrooms, they
almost instantaneously begin sprouting from the ground near
their feet and they must find a way to quickly destroy it or be
able to outrun the mushrooms which can grow 10 square feet
per round and always towards a source of heat.
Forest
A tree in the dark of the forest is covered in light yellow
mushrooms, use the Yellow Mold stats. If the party has an
active source of light on them, the yellow mushrooms
immediately wither away. If the party touches the yellow
mushrooms, they eject a cloud of spores in a 10 foot square
area and anyone in the blast radius must make a DC 12
Constitution saving throw or take 2d10 poison damage and
become poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned, the creature
continues to take 1d10 poison damage at the start of their
turn, and they can repeat the saving throw at the end of their
turn.
Ogre (Infected)
See Spore Ogre in Appendix B.
The sound of heavy footsteps and breaking limbs reach the
ears of the party. Just 50 feet ahead of them, walking through
tree branches as if they weren't there is a hulking brute
covered in gaping wounds that seem to be oozing. Upon
seeing the party, the Spore Ogre will run towards them
making a bellowing noise at them in an unintelligible
language. It attacks without regard for its own safety and
until it is destroyed.
    If the party sneaks past it, it continues on to Chadbridge
and begins battering down walls.
Pseudodragon
See Pseudodragon on page 254 in the Monster Manual.
Farms
A pseudodragon has flown out of the forest and is currently
looking for adventurers, hunters or guards to deal with the
situation in the forest. Recently, it's home was over run by
mushrooms, spore carriers and other undesirable undead
and it is hoping to find someone to help. It can only
communicate with images and emotions, but if it finds an
adventuring party that it thinks will help, it will attempt to
communicate to anyone who is clearly nature oriented or a
wizard.
    The small pseudodragon will first send images and
emotions regarding the spores, and then send images of
valuable magic item it recently found and added to its hoard.
The item could be anything small that fits in with your world,
like a luckstone or a ring of protection. If the party is
agreeable, it will tail behind them as they continue their
journeying, helping only if things are going poorly for the
party, though it won't risk its own life for people it just met.
    Depending on how the party interacts with it, it may decide
to continue traveling with the group or immediately flee from
them.
Forest
Inside the forest is the home of the Pseudodragon. If the
characters met it in the farms, the pseudodragon can take the
party to its treasure hoard, a large hole in a tree. Inside the
tree are 1d4 x 10 gold coins, 1d4 x 100 silver coins, 1d6 x
100 copper coins, 2d4 trinkets from the Player's Handbook,
as well as the magic item it promised to them. If the party
attempts to take anything but the promised magic item, it will
grow dismayed and send its emotions at the party of dismay
and sadness. If the party ignores the pseudodragon, it will flit
off into the forest making a crying-like noise, attracting 1d4
spore carriers that are nearby.
Scarecrow
As the party makes their way through the cornfields, they will
see the shoulder and head of something sticking out of the
corn, standing completely still. Dressed in a thick red shirt
and some sort of green pants, it looks as if the creature is
standing on one leg and looking directly at you. It is difficult
to make out at this distance and the party must move to get
closer if they want to examine it further.
    The figure is a scarecrow, which is fastened to a large
wooden pole and the bottom of it is 4 feet from the ground.
The scarecrow is dressed in a red woolen shirt covered by
green overalls. When the party moves with 30 feet of the
scarecrow, it will start yelling at them "Leave now. Begone
you foul creatures! No corn for crows!"
    The scarecrow has a Magic Mouth spell cast upon it in an
effort to scare away the birds and vermin. It will continue to
repeat this message for ten minutes as long as their is
someone within 30 feet of it. Beyond that, there is nothing
remarkable about the scarecrow.
7
 Spore Blights Forest
See Spore Blight in Appendix B. A voice screaming help rises out of the forest. If the party
Farms goes to investigate, they find a man, Erik Thylan, trapped 10
The party can hear the sound of something squishy beating feet down in an hold hunter's trap. He claims that he broke
quickly down a row of crops. Quickly looking around, they his leg, and if the party could help him out he'd really
can see 2d8 small, brightly colored mushrooms running appreciate it. If the party asks what he is doing in the forest,
down a row of wheat giving chase after a rabbit. If the party he can explain that his son, Tyler, ran off into the forest and
get close enough to the small, mindless mushrooms they he was looking for him. While the party is distracted, a Spore
immediately give up the chase on the rabbit and run straight Monster, see Appendix B, slowly makes it way over to them
at the party with the intent to kill. and attempts to knock one of the party into the hole and
attacks the rest. The trapped man will try to kill the downed
Forest character, and if the man's body dies, the brain spore will
Clinging to tree branches and shrubbery, these small leave the body in 3 rounds and attempt to kill the character if
mushrooms are hunting for any type of living organism they they haven't left the hole yet. It is unable to climb the steep
can find. The party is likely to find 2d8 of them hunting sides of the hole.
through the forest and so long as the party stays out of range Wolves
of their blindsight, they won't attack. Anytime a spore blight is See Wolf on page 341 of the Monster Manual.
chasing a creature and a bigger one enters its senses, it will     A pack of a dozen wolves are running through the forest
change over to the larger creature. and are attempting to flee the forest and the spore carriers.
Spore Carriers The wolves are more interested in getting to safety than
See Spore Carrier in Appendix B. engaging with the party and so long as they are left alone, the
wolves will run pass the party, not giving them a second look.
Farms If the party engages the wolves in any fashion, they will
It is rare for the party to come across spore carriers outside defend themselves and attempt to disengage and resume
of the forest, and any spore carrier they find outside of it is by running away.
itself, wandering either towards Weston or Chadbridge in
search of something to destroy.
Forest
Roving in bands of 1d4 spore carriers, these creatures are
hunting down any living creatures, more specifically
humanoids. The forest is filled with dead hunters, bandits,
orcs and a variety of other creatures. While they are not
dangerous by themselves, when a group forms together they
can be quite formidable.
    If the party stumbles onto a group of spore carriers, there
is a 50% chance that a Spore Monster, see Appendix B, is
traveling with them.
Spore Trap
See Brain Spores in Appendix B and Commoner on page
348 of the Monster Manual.
Farms
A group of 4 farmers, each infected with a Brain Spore, are
waving enthusiastically at the party from a wagon on its side.
They would really appreciate some help as the wagon axle
has broken and they need someone strong to help them
replace the axle and flip the wagon rightside up. While the
party is distracted, they will move up behind each character
and attempt to kill them with improvised clubs. If the farmer
body is destroyed, the Brain Spores will leave the body
through the mouth in 3 rounds and attempt to either flee or
attack the party if they are looking weak.

8
Story Encounters
Written into this adventure are several pre-placed Story
Encounters to help bring the party closer to the final battle
with Lief and the spore menace. Each encounter will provide
more information on locating the spore menace.
    When the party enters a hex for a Story Encounter, do not
roll for a random encounter. If you decide to move the Final
Encounter 4 hex, you may need to adjust how certain Story
Encounters work or their outcomes.
Story Encounter 1 - Drag Marks
Location: Upon first entering a Forest Hex, see Map 2 in
Appendix A
As the party enters a Forest Hex for the first time, read aloud
or summarize the following information:
An eerie hush greets you as you walk into the forest and find a
scene of destruction. The ground has been torn up and
trampled, with bushes and tree limbs broken and snapped off.
On the ground are what appear to be drag marks leading
deeper into the forest, and dark stains of blood soak into the
dirt.
A group of hunters had been wandering into the forest to
hunt the local wildlife when they were set upon by Spore
Carriers. If the players decide to investigate the area, they can
find broken arrows littering the ground and a bloodied
dagger that one of the hunters used to defend themselves.
    Exploring the tracks, a character can determine that they
head deeper into the forest, but they can only follow the
tracks for a short while before they fade away into the forest.
If one of the characters, who can be helped by the other party
members, attempts a Wisdom (Survival) check, they can
make out the tracks as they go deeper into the forest,
depending on the result of their Check they can follow the
tracks for longer.
    No matter where the party first enters the forest, the tracks
will take them on a straight track to the final encounter.
 
Survival Check
Result Outcome
5+ Discern that the tracks head North-West
10+ Can follow the tracks for 1 Hex
15+ Can follow the tracks for 2 Hexes
20+ Can follow the tracks for 3 Hexes
25+ Can follow the tracks for 5 Hexes
Story Encounter 2 - Owlbear Den
Location: The Owlbear Den, see Map 2 in Appendix A
Through the trees, you can make out what looks like a cave in
the distance. As you approach, you can see a dead owlbear
laying in the middle of a clearing with mushrooms starting
sprout from its corpse.
Standing at the mouth of the cave is a large man with thick
brown hair, a long beard streaked with white, and extremely
hairy arms fighting three humanoids covered in pulsing
mushrooms. Wielding a huge axe, the man swings in wide arcs
trying to keep the creatures at bay. At the edge of the darkness
within the cave, you can make out three smaller sized
creatures on four legs, their beady black eyes widened with
fear and watching the man intently.
The party has come across the lair of an owlbear and her
young cubs, unfortunately the mother was killed by the spore
carriers and the man is trying to keep them from killing her
cubs. See Owlbear Cub in Appendix B for their stat block.
    If the party doesn't help in this fight, the spore carriers will
eventually kill the man and owlbear cubs, and then set their
sights on the party.
    If the party rushes to the man's aid in defeating the spore
carriers, he will thank them in his deep voice and the cubs
will slowly come out of the cave.
    He will thank the party and explain that he was traveling to
Chadbridge when he came across those horrible creatures as
they killed the owlbear mother. Not wanting the same fate for
her cubs, he decided to protect them at all costs. Gaspard is a
actually a werebear, see Werebear on page 208 of the
Monster Manual, but keeps to his humanoid form. This
forest is his home and he acts as the protector of it, and tries
very hard to not draw attention to himself from Chadbridge
or the other nearby settlements.
Gaspard's Role
Gaspard is the protector of this forest and is doing everything
in his power to keep the forest as alive as possible. With the
party arriving, he will quickly offer his services to assist the
party in ridding the spores from the forest. Gaspard is
focused on destroying the spore menace as soon as possible
and is at a loss as to what to do with the owlbear cubs who
are trying to nuzzle their mother. He is worried that if the
party leaves them behind, their mother will rise up as a spore
beast and kill her own young, he will look to the players for
assistance. If the party is unable to come up with a solution,
he can offer up his cabin that is two hexes away to the North
where the cubs can stay.
If the party wishes to, they can attempt a DC 13 Wisdom
(Animal Handling) check for each cub to befriend it, if they
offer food, they make the check with advantage. The cubs are
quick to fall in love with anyone that shows them motherly
affection and, depending on the player's actions, may not even
need a check. If the party keeps one or more cubs, they will
grow quickly over the next couple of months and, while
extremely sweet, are still wild animals and the players may
have their hands full with one, let alone three cubs.
9
 Story Encounter 3 - Spore Carriers
Location: Any hex surrounding Story Encounter 4 hex, see
Map 2 in Appendix A
As the party travels through one of these hexes, they might
be able to sneak up on a group of Spore Carriers heading to
assault the town. If they are moving quietly, call for a Stealth
check to see if they are spotted against the passive
Perception of the Spore Carriers. On a fail or if they are not
sneaking, the Spore Carriers notice them. Read aloud or
summarize the following information, adjusting as needed
depending on the situation of the party:
Stumbling through the forest are three misshapen humanoids
with grotesque fungi growing over them. They appear to be
walking with a definite purpose and heading in the general
direction of Chadbridge. Through the thick foilage they are
clearing a path as behind them is a giant creature made of
fungi and plant matter. A heavy stench of rotting plant and
matter hangs in the air, and the ground is starting to become
water, squelching under your boots.
The Spore Carriers are heading towards Chadbridge and are
helping to clear a path for the massive growth of fungi behind
them that was a Hill Giant before it was taken over by the
spores. The Spores are planning to have the Spore Giant, see
stats in Appendix B, destroy part of the walls protecting
Chadbridge and the rest of the Spore Carriers will follow
behind in an assault against the town.
    If the party chooses to ignore the creatures, they can try to
move quietly around them and allow them to head off
towards Chadbridge. Once there, they will destroy a sizable
portion of the walls and while the Spore Giant is destroying
buildings, the Spore Carriers will go after the citizens of
Chadbridge.
    Once the spores are dealt with, either by destroying them
or allowing them to pass, the party can follow the trail they
cleared out to the Story Encounter Hex 4, see Map 2 in
Appendix A. No check required.
10
Story Encounter 4 - The Showdown
Location: Story Encounter 4 hex, see Map 2 in Appendix A
As the party approaches the Story Encounter 4 Hex, they can
see spores are growing deeper and more of the vegetation is
rotting away thanks to mushrooms, toadstools and other
fungi. Through this final encounter, several parts will be
difficult terrain the party, if they wish for full unrestricted
movement, they will be forced to stick to predetermined
paths. The Spore creatures are under no such restrictions,
and can freely move across any area they so choose. This will
cause the party to make important decisions in the fight, and
give a strategic advantage to the Spores. Read aloud or
summarize the following description.
As the party follows the path created by the Spores, a small
clearing can be seen covered in postulating toadstools and the
area is beginning to look more like a swamp than a forest as
trees begin rotting away. In the center of the clearing is a
massive, yellow and green mass that looks to be growing a
huge tree. All around is a bubbling swamp, out of place in this
verdant forest. A terrible smell of swamp gas hangs heavy in
the air and all sign of life in this forest is gone.
As the party gets closer to the clearing, they can see that
the growth on the central huge tree in the swamp is throbbing
and a voice can be heard in their heads, "Children of man,
please come closer. There is much we should discuss."
This swamp is slowly spreading throughout the forest as the
spores continue to change the environment to better match
their normal home. The 'brain' of the spores is the massive,
yellow/green postulating mass on the tree and is all that
remains of Lief, the druid, his face barely apparent on the
mass. The Spores will not immediately attack the players as
they wish to lead the players into a trap. If the players get
closer to the swamp, they can see there is a path of higher
ground that they can follow that avoids the muddy swamp
and keeps them out of difficult terrain.
    As the players approach, the Spore Mind will continue to
talk to them through its telepathy, asking how it can set up a
truce with the town of Chadbridge and how it can grow in
peace with the city. It will avoid answering direct questions,
and if forced to answer about killing others, it will claim that
that happened before it truly gained sentience and it is
regrets the demise of the others.
    While it is talking to the players, hopefully getting them
closer to it, Spore Carriers will begin crawling their way
through the swamp to set up an ambush.
Key Locations
See Map 2 in Appendix A for more information.
Hamlet of Weston
Hex: Weston
Nestled amongst the cornfields, lies the small village of
Weston. The hamlet is made up of a windmill, simple wooden
homes, and a large barn that sits on the North-Western edge
of the cornfields. The windmill moves slowly in the breeze and
as you enter into the center of town, you see that there is a
large common hall in the center of the square and simple
homes around it. The barn is massive and by far is the best
looking building here.
The farmers are all gathered by the common hall, loading
wagons with their belongings. A few small children sit in the
back of the wagons, playing amongst themselves, while the
men and women finish putting the final items in the last
wagon. As you approach, the children wave happily and a
couple of the men approach with somber faces.
Weston is a simple farming village where the farmers all
reside so they do not have to make the trek back and forth
from Chadbridge every day. The buildings here are largely
made of wood, though the barn and windmill are both made
of stone bases with wooden roofs, both of those buildings
look to be well maintained.
   The inhabitants of Weston have just finished packing and
are headed off to the safety of Chadbridge. With sightings of
the spore carriers in the cornfields, it was decided that it was
time to leave and seek refuge behind the city walls. The men
that approach will inform the party that they are just about to
depart and make them a proposal. If the party will escort
them back to Chadbridge, they will gladly pay them 10 gold
each and a case of their best corn mash. They will apologize
for not being able to offer more, but harvest was just
beginning when the spore carriers appeared.
   If the party accepts the farmers proposal, the farmers will
tell them that they are ready to depart immediately. They will
inform the party that Bathran, the village elder, is the only
member of the hamlet that is remaining behind. The DM may
roll on the farms random encounter chart, adjusting as
needed. It will take approximately 1.5 hours each way to
travel from Weston to Chadbridge.
   If the party turns down the farmers offer, they will be
disappointed, but understand that the party has a job to do.
The farmers will let them know that Bathran can be found in
the Meeting Hall behind them, and depart.
See The Meeting Hall for more information on Bathran.
The Windmill
The windmill stands at the entrance to the hamlet. It is a
tower mill made of stone with a wooden cap and four large
sails that are turning slowly. There is a small path that leads
to the door of the windmill, it is open just a crack. The
windmill is empty except for bags of grain stacked along the
walls.
The Homes
Each house is a small single story building made of wood
with a thatched straw roof. All of the doors are unlocked. The
homes consist of two to three rooms, simple furniture and a
small stone hearth for cooking. There is nothing of value
inside any of the homes, just spare clothes, cooking pots and
straw mats.
The Meeting Hall
The structure in the center of town is the meeting hall for the
hamlet. A wooden single-story building has several windows
on each side and a large wooden door in the front which is
closed but unlocked. The inside consists of one long table
with many chairs at it. Small tables line the wall, a few of
which are stacked with plates, silverware, and baskets.
Lanterns hang from the ceiling, none of which are currently
lit.
   Inside the hall can be found Bathran, the eldest of the
villagers of Weston. He is seated at the table, hunched over a
bunch of papers and writing something down on the paper in
front of him. When the party enters, Bathran will greet the
characters and gesture them to sit. He will ask them if they
have any knowledge of maths, as he is trying to calculate the
mash yields based on the amount of corn they are projecting
to harvest. He does not seem to be making any progress on
figuring this out.
   Bathran remained behind as he thinks it is his duty as
village elder to watch over the hamlet and do what he can to
protect it, and no one can change his mind. Spore carriers
were sighted in the cornfields and the village decided that
they should leave Weston to seek refuge behind the walls of
Chadbridge. Two of the farmers, Elmer and Samuel did not
come back out of the fields the previous day, but other than
that everyone was accounted for.
Stone Barn
The Barn is the newest structure in Weston. It is a massive
structure and was built to replace the old wooden barn found
out in the fields. There are three massive doors across the
front of the barn, each large enough for a wagon to enter and
exit easily. The center door is wide open and if the party
ventures in, they will see that both doors on either side are
blocked by a large empty wagon. There is some farm
equipment that looks in good condition and in the back of the
farm are a dozen or so bushels of corn, otherwise the barn is
empty.
11

The Farmlands
Hex: Any Farm Hex
As you look out to the west, you see fields of corn and wheat
that stretches as far as the eye can see. The corn sways back
and forth in the breeze, making a gentle humming sound that
is barely audible. As the sun shines down upon the fields in
front of you, you can see that the corn is almost ready to be
harvested.
The farmlands are the first locale the party will have to
venture through on the way to the final encounter with Lief.
   To the west of Chadbridge is the hamlet of Weston and the
farmlands that border the forest the party will be heading to.
These large swaths of land are covered in almost fully grown
corn. Harvest is just a few short weeks away, so the corn
stands 8 ft. tall in most places, obscuring the players from
seeing too far ahead of them once they enter the fields.
   The cornfield is a series of smaller fields with paths
between them. The farmers can give the party general
directions on how to get to the forest, but there is not a direct
path. If the party wishes to travel through the corn itself, they
will make a fair amount of noise as the corn will crack and
the stalks could possibly break as they walk through it. The
party will have disadvantage on all stealth checks while
walking through the Farmlands.
 
The Forest
Hex: Any Tree Hex
The following text assumes that the party is traveling through
the farmlands towards the forest. Adjust text as needed.
Cutting through the cornfields, the fields split and the dark
forest appears before you. Tall trees with a dense canopy block
all light from entering, creating dark shadows and twisting
forms hiding behind old tree turnks. Standing in front of the
forest, the sounds of wildlife are quiet all around and the
uneasy silence continues on.
As the party makes their way into the forest, they will see
more and more mushrooms. The forest will not have much in
the way of wildlife, as most of the wildlife has fled or is
attempting to flee. There are a couple small paths when the
party first enters the forest, but as they travel deeper into the
trees, there will be no discernible trails for the party to follow.
There are various dangers throughout the forest and with
no paths, the party will make quite a bit of noise. The DM
may use their discretion to increase the probability of a
random encounter if the party does not take proper
precautions while traveling through the forest. The closer the
party gets to the final encounter, the more difficult the terrain
will become.
See Story Encounter 4 for more details.
The Warehouse
Hex: Chadbridge
Having ended the previous adventure at the Silk Mercantile
Warehouse where Talya Enrel and her minions were holed
up, the party will have a couple of options on how to proceed.
They can head off to the forest immediately or take a long
rest, after which the party can start their travels. Depending
on how the final encounter of Lief’s Revenge went for the
party, a long rest may be well advised. Timon will let the party
stay at the warehouse for the night if they wish, or they can
head back into town where they still have rooms at Mother’s
Tavern.
The Warehouse is located on the Chadbridge hex, on the
Western side of it near the road to Weston and to the forest.
The party has recovered a map, see Map 2 in Appendix A for
the DM Map, that shows that Talya Enrel and the spores
were planning something insidious. Timon Beller, upon
learning of this information, will ask that the party goes and
deals with the spore menace to the North West in the forest.
For more information on the warehouse, see the previous
adventure - Lief's Revenge - available on the DMs Guild.

The area past the farmlands is a dense forest that is

somewhat overgrown. There are some old paths that the
party can make out, but it seems as if nature has started to
take back this once well-traveled area. The focus has been on
building up Chadbridge over the past few years and little
thought has been given to the forest, outside of clearing
around the edges to make more farmland. There have been
some conflicts with some animals from the forest along the
edges, but they have been easily dispatched by the city guard.
Hunters and trappers make their living in the woods,
bringing their bounties into Chadbridge for sale or trade.
There have been fewer and fewer of them coming into the
city of late. Many thought the forest had been over hunted
and they moved on, but the party knows there is a more
nefarious reason behind it.

12
Appendix A: Maps

Map 1
The Countryside of Chadbridge
 
The Countryside of Chadbridge extends out in forests to Owlbear Den
the North, and farmland surrounding it to the East, West and The owlbear den is located 6 hexes to the North of
South. The forests of the North are filled with game of all Chadbridge.
sorts, from deers to rabbits to even owlbears. Hunters flock
to it as only the poor hunters ever leave empty handed. Weston
The farms on either side of Chadbridge are fertile and the Weston is located 6 hexes to the West of Chadbridge.
farmers diligent. They grow their crops without fail every
year and many give praise to Chauntea, goddess of Lief's Swamp
agriculture. Lief's Swamp is located just to the south of the foothills, 10
hexes to the North-West of Chadbridge.
Manor
The manor of the Earl of Chadbridge, Oliver Lloyd, is located 1 Hex = 1 Mile
1 hex to the North of Chadbridge.

13
 Map 2
DM's Map - Map Found in the Warehouse

This is the DM's version of the player's map as it signifies Story Encounter 3
where the Story Encounter 4 hex and the Story Encounter This encounter happens only once in one of the marked
3 hexes are located. The Player's Map is located with the Hexes. It is a precursor before the final fight and is to drain
other maps bundled with this adventure. the resources of the party before their encounter with Lief. If
Each hex is 1 mile and orientated to the North and is they decide to rest up before heading into the final fight with
clearly marked with what it is using the key to the right. Per Lief, they should encounter more creatures just before
the DM's discretion, the final showdown with Lief can take arriving to fight Lief so they are challenged in the final fight.
place anywhere on the map that the DM wishes or thinks Story Encounter 4
would be better for their group, our location is merely a
suggestion. This is the final showdown between Lief and the party, and is
a swamp that is slowly stretching out to claim more forest.
Story Encounter 1
The first story encounter happens the first time the group Map Key
travels into the forest. If the party immediately enters a forest, Chadbridge Owlbear Den
you may choose to hold off on that encounter until they get
deeper into the forest. Weston River Hex
Farmland Hex Road Hex
Story Encounter 2
Because the Owlbear Den is out of the way, you may decide Farmland Hex Story Encounter 3
to move it to a more prevalent location. Forest Hex Story Encounter 4

14
 Map 3
DM's Map - Barn Layout

This is the barn layout of the Farmers in the Barn 2h.

encounter. The players may stumble upon this scene as a This horse stall is like 1h but has three bandits' sleep rolls.
random encounter while out in the Farms, or be directed to
this old barn by the inhabitants of Weston, fearful that their 3h.
friends have been killed. This horse stall is like 1h but has an empty box and rubble
Each square is 5 feet and is orientated to the North, and is has been piled high.
covered in bits of rubble and old hay that is moldy and unfit
for horses to graze on. The bandits who have claimed the 4h.
barn are forming their plan, trying to figure out where they This is where the bandits have agreed to hide their ill-gotten
might go next. goods and no one is allowed to sleep in here in case they try
All windows are boarded up except for the one leading into to steal their treasure.
1r and 1a which is on the second floor. 1a.
1r. On the second floor is the bandit look out, though they are
The window to this room is opened up enough for a medium typically dozing or asleep while sitting on top of a crate they
or smaller creature to squeeze through and enter the barn pulled up here.
unnoticed. It is largely barren with only old hay littering the
floor. Map Key
Bedrolls Farmers
2r.
This room has an old, empty box, a boarded up window, and Bandit Captains Rubble
two farmers who are currently bound. They will probably die Barn Doors Secret Stash
if the bandits are left to their own devices.
Boarded Windows Stairs Down
1h. Empty Crates Stairs Up
This is a horse stall, now two bandits treat it as a room. The
window is boarded up and rubble has been swept into a
corner with two bed rolls laid out.

15
 Map 4
DM's Map - Lief's Final Fight

The final fight with the Spore Mind and the party is across a Mud Traps
wide swamp area. The surrounding forest is slowly being Hidden throughout the swamp are the mud traps. When a
transformed into a swamp, and the area directly next to the creature walks under it, the once firm ground transform into
Spore Mind is a thick and bubbly swamp. Lief is barely horrifying mud that sucks and grabs at them. The mud traps
recognizable as he has transformed into a Spore Mind, a are the same as the Spore Mind's lair action to create 3-foot-
massive blob of pestilence that has grown over one of the deep mud, and requires a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw to
largest trees in the forest. avoid it, or a DC 13 Strength check to break free out of it if
Hidden in the swamp waters are Spore Blights and Spore they fall in. Creatures are restrained while they are stuck in
Carriers that can't be detected by normal means so long as the mud.
they stay deep in the muck. For all creatures except the A creature can spot a mud trap if they are within 30 feet of
creatures of the spores, like the Spore Carriers, Spore one and have a passive Perception of 15 or higher. Creatures
Blights, Spore Monsters, and others, the swamp water does proficient in the Survival skill have advantage on overcoming
not impose difficult terrain and they can move freely. For the these traps.
party, any area on the map that is water and muck requires 2
feet of movement for every foot moved. Map Key
The Spore Mind will attempt to talk to the party and lure Difficult Terrain Spore Blight
them into a trap.
Firm Ground Spore Carrier
Hidden Creatures Mud Trap Spore Mind
Hidden in the muck are Spore Blights and Spore Carriers,
and they are placed in positions near the Spore Mind. This is Tree
only a suggested location, and the DM is free to move them
around the map, increase or decrease their numbers for a 1 Square = 10 Feet, Orientated to the
challenge or change them to other spore creatures. North

16
Appendix B: Monsters & NPCs
Animated Mushroom
Animated Mushrooms are plants incarnated by the Spore Owlbear Cub
Menace. They are used as booby traps and are incredibly Tiny monstrosity, unaligned
sensitive, exploding at the barest contact. They can resemble
a large variety of mushrooms and as such come in all shapes,
sizes and can be earthy tones to vibrant colors. They lack a Armor Class 11
face and instead must rely on their ability to sense the world Hit Points 6 (2d4+1)
through vibrations in the air and ground. Due to their lack of Speed 40 ft.
intelligence, many times they will explode if they sense any
creature nearby like a squirrel, even if they were created to STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
kill humanoids.
10 (+0) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 3 (-4) 10 (+0) 7 (-2)

Skills Perception +1
Animated Mushrooms Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages None
Small plant, Neutral Evil
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)

Armor Class 10 Keen Sight and Smell. The owlbear cub has advantage
Hit Points 3 (1d6) on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight or
Speed 10 ft. smell.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Actions

8 (-1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 5 (-3) 11 (+0) 5 (-3) Multiattack. The owlbear cub makes two attacks: one
with its beak and one with its claws
Damage Immunities Poison
Condition Immunities Poisoned Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5ft.,
Senses blindsense 60ft. (blind beyond this point), one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing
passive Perception 10 Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
Languages - one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) slashing damage
Challenge 0 (10 XP)

Spore Blast. When the animated mushroom takes

damage, it explodes in a burst of spores. Each
creature within 5 feet of it must make a DC 10
Constitution saving throw, taking 3 (1d6) poison
damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on
a successful save. This destroys the animated
mushroom.
False Appearance. While the animated mushroom
remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a
normal, albeit large mushroom.
Actions
Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 1 (1d4-1) bludgeoning damage plus
2 (1d4) poison damage.
Death Blast. The animated mushroom triggers its
Spore Blast ability.

17
 The Spores
The spores were once regular mushrooms that were afflicted
by the powerful magics of a Druid. Unfortunately, they twisted
the gift and became cruel, with one focus: to spread across
the lands, starting with the Druid who granted them that gift.
Brain Spores
Brain Spores are spores made sentient by being ingested and
attacking the brain stem. These hyper intelligent spores have
twisted and corrupted the brain into a living creature that can
survive without a body, though it would rather not. When the
host body dies, they will pull themselves out of the host's
head by ripping through the mouth of the creature in 3
rounds. It will then pull itself along the ground, looking for a
new host to kill and crawl inside of their head.
These creatures look like yellowed brains covered in
strange tendrils that allow them to walk and track down their
prey. They are the brains of the host body and have consumed
the previous brain of the host, and thus know everything and
behaves exactly like the host, though they have plans of
spreading the spores far and wide.
Spore Blight
These mindless mushrooms roam through the forest looking
for creatures of any size to kill and drag back to the Spore
Mind so that it can feed on their carcass. They are violent,
cruel and lack any sense of self preservation. The only bond
they hold is to serve the spores.
Spore Blight
Small plant, Neutral Evil
Armor Class 11
Hit Points 9 (2d6+2)
Speed 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
12 (+1) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 4 (-3) 8 (-1) 3 (-4)
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened
Senses blindsight 60ft. (blind beyond this radius),
passive Perception 9
Languages understands Druidic but can't speak
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Actions
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5ft.,
one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) bludgeoning damage
18
Brain Spores
Tiny Plant, Neutral Evil
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 21 (6d4 + 6)
Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
6 (-2) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 16 (+3)
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and
slashing from nonmagical weapons
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities poisoned, blinded
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius),
passive Perception 12
Languages Understands All Languages Its Host
Spoke In Life But Can't Speak Outside Of A Host
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Actions
Multiattack. The brain spore makes two attack with
its tendrils
Tendrils. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) slashing damage
Enter Body. If a creature is unconscious or
incapacitated, the Brain Spore will enter through its
mouth and tear its way into the brain cavity of the
skull. If the Brain Spore isn't stopped, this kills the
creature. The Brain Spore will then be able to take
control of it's new host and will consume the brain,
gaining any abilities or knowledge its new host body
had in life.
The Brain Spore can’t be targeted by any attack,
spell, or other effect, and it retains its alignment,
Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. It otherwise
uses the possessed target’s statistics, gaining
access to the target’s knowledge, class features, and
proficiencies.
The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit
points, the Brain Spore leaves the body, or the Brain
Spore is forced out by an effect like Resurrection on
the host body. When the possession ends, the Brain
Spore is forced out of the host through the mouth
and is expelled within 5 feet of the body.
If the host body is killed while the Brain Spore is
inside it, it takes three rounds before it can emerge
to find a new host.

Spore Carrier
Medium undead, Neutral Evil
Armor Class 10
Hit Points 45 (6d8 + 18)
Speed 20 ft
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
17 (+3) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 3 (-4) 6 (-2) 5 (-3)
Damage Immunities Poison
Condition Immunities Poisoned
Senses Darkvision 60 feet., passive Perception 8
Languages Understands All Languages It Spoke In
Life But Can't Speak
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Spore Blast. When the Spore Carrier dies, it explodes
in a burst of spores. Each creature within 5 feet of it
must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw,
taking 7 (2d6) poison damage on a failed save, or
half as much damage on a successful save.
Infected. If a creature is subjected to the Spore Blast
and they fail their save, they are infected by the
spores of the Spore Carrier. They take one level of
exhaustion per failed saving throw, and the
exhaustion cannot be removed unless treated by
Lesser Restoration or another ability that removes
Diseases. Any creature that dies from this effect
rises as a Spore Carrier within 1d4 hours.
Actions
Multiattack. The Spore Carrier makes one slam attack
and one bite attack.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 feet.
Hit: 7 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 feet.,
one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage and
the target must make a DC 13 Constitution saving
throw or be poisoned until the end of their next
turn. Any creature that dies from this attack comes
back as a Spore Carrier in 1d4 hours.
Spore Spray (Recharge 6). The Spore Carrier expels
spores in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area
must make a DC l3 Constitution saving throw,
taking 7 (2d6) poison damage on a failed save and
they are poisoned. If they succeed, they take half as
much damage and are not poisoned. Creatures are
Poisoned for 1 minute and they can repeat the save
at the end of their turn, ending it on a success.
Spore Carriers
Spore Carriers are infected undead creatures that aim to
spread their plague wide and far, leeching deep into
uninfected territory in packs. They are unintelligent and act
aggressively towards any living creature, willingly sacrificing
themselves to spread more spores.
Spore Giant
Huge undead, Neutral Evil
Armor Class 13 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 128 (12d12 + 50)
Speed 30 ft
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
21 (+5) 6 (-2) 20 (+5) 3 (-4) 6 (-2) 5 (-3)
Damage Immunities Poison
Condition Immunities Poisoned
Senses passive Perception 8
Languages Understands All Languages It Spoke In
Life But Can't Speak
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Spore Blast. When the Spore Giant dies, it explodes
in a burst of spores. Each creature within 15 feet of
it must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw,
taking 21 (6d6) poison damage on a failed save, or
half as much damage on a successful save.
Infected. If a creature is subjected to the Spore Blast
and they fail their save, they are infected by the
spores of the Spore Giant. They take one level of
exhaustion per failed saving throw, and the
exhaustion cannot be removed unless treated by
Lesser Restoration or another ability that removes
Diseases. Any creature that dies from this effect
rises as a Spore Carrier within 1d4 hours.
Actions
Multiattack. The Spore Giant makes two slam
attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 feet.
Hit: 15 (3d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
Spore Spray (Recharge 6). The Spore Giant expels
spores in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area
must make a DC l6 Constitution saving throw,
taking 21 (6d6) poison damage on a failed save and
they are poisoned. If they succeed, they take half as
much damage and are not poisoned. Creatures are
Poisoned for 1 minute and they can repeat the save
at the end of their turn, ending it on a success.
19
 Regional Effects
Spore Mind The region containing a Spore Mind's lair is warped by the
Spore Minds are the most unlikely apex predators in the food necrotic nature of the spores, which creates one or more of
chain. They consume all organic material and are incredibly the following effects:
hard to root out and stop from overtaking everything with Within 3 miles of the Spore Mind, the land becomes a
spores. A Spore Mind will stop at nothing from gorging on as swamp, with fetid water and rotting plants and animals.
much plant and animal life as it can. The effected area increases in size while the Spore Mind
Insatiable and Cruel. A Spore Mind's appetite is is allowed to grow in power.
insatiable, and any fungi in it's domain directly feeds it by Infected animals and Spore Carriers roam the land, killing
rotting anything in the swamp. As the fungi continues to any living creature they can find and polluting the swamp
grow, so does the power of the Spore Mind. Nothing can stop with its corpse, all to grow more fungi and spores.
this single-minded focus of the Spore Mind except for All water and vegetation within the Spore Mind's swamp
absolute destruction of it. is rotted and fetid. If a creature drinks the water or eats
Singular Focus. While the other spore-controlled any organic material from this location, they must succeed
creatures behave automonously, there is only one true mind on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become
of the spores, the Spore Mind. If it is ever destroyed, the poisoned until they take a long rest. If a Purify Food &
spores lose their apex-drive for killing and return to the Drink spell is cast, the food is safe to eat but still tastes
simpler life of being a plant. Without a Spore Mind to control horrible.
them, the spores lack sentience and any spore-controlled
creature will eventually collapse in on itself as the spores lose If the Spore Mind dies, the infected animals and Spore
their drive. Carriers will wander aimlessly and have no sense of purpose.
Their bodies eventually break down into nothing and they are
A Spore Mind's Lair of little threat to any creature. The area that was turned into a
Spore Minds make their lairs in any area with a lot of organic swamp can slowly recover, but it takes 1d10 months as the
material for it to grow off of. They commonly take over effect fades away.
forests, swamps or even sewers... for obvious reasons. Once
the Spore Mind has found a suitable location to live, it begins
spreading its influence and spores to the inhabitants of its
new domain. It infects creatures of all size and they are
compelled to find more organic material, like living creatures,
and bring it to the swamp for the Spore Mind to live off of.
Due to the deterioration of all organic materials, the area
around the Spore Mind begins taking on the quailities of a
rotting swamp. Floating carcasses pollute fetid pools of water
and mighty trees rot away as fungi claim them.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Brain Spore
takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the
Brain Spore can't use the same effect two rounds in a row.
The swamp exhales and a massive gas bubble of poison
erupts at a point within 120 feet of the Spore Mind. All
creatures within a 20 foot radius must make a DC 13
Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. A
creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of
its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
1 Spore Blight takes form and rises out of the swamp up
to 60 feet away from the Spore Mind.
The Spore Mind chooses a 10-foot-square area on the
ground that it can see within 120 feet of it. The ground in
that area turns into 3-foot-deep mud. Each creature on the
ground in that area must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity
saving throw or sink into the mud and become restrained.
A creature can take an action to attempt a DC 13 Strength
check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach
and ending the restrained condition on a success. Moving
across the mud is considered difficult terrain.

20
 Spore Mind Distress Spores. When the Spore Mind takes damage, all
infected creatures within the lair can sense its pain.
Gargantuan Plant, Neutral Evil
Actions
Armor Class 15 (Natural Armor) Multiattack. The brain spore uses two of its abilities, but
Hit Points 125 (10d20+20) can choose the same one twice.
Speed -
Animating Spores (3/Day). The Spore Mind targets one
corpse that is huge or smaller within 60 feet of it and
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA releases spores at the corpse. In 1d4 rounds, the
22 (+6) 1 (-5) 14 (+2) 18 (+4) 11 (+0) 14 (+2) corpse rises with its full health and as a servant of the
spore. The corpse has the normal statistics it had in life
and a Brain Spore controls it.
Saving Throws Strength +9, Wisdom +3
Skills Deception +5, Nature +7, Perception +3 Summon Spore Blights. The Spore Mind creates 1d4
Damage Vulnerabilities Fire spore blights anywhere within 200 feet of it.
Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing Maddening Spores. The Spore Mind releases spores in a
Damage Immunities Poison 10 foot radius within 60 feet of it. All creatures in the
Condition Immunities Blinded, Defeaned, Exhaustion, area must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or
Poisoned, Prone they must roll on a Short-Term Madness table (pg. 259,
Senses Tremorsense 360ft. (blind beyond this point), Dungeon Master's Guide). They are under the effects of
passive Perception 13 this madness for 1d10 minutes, and can repeat the
Languages Telepathy 600 ft., Druidic saving throw at the end of their turn, ending their
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) madness on a success.
Brains. The Spore Mind is the sentience of all spores. It Necrotic Spores. The Spore Mind releases spores in a
guides them and gives them orders. All infected 10 foot radius within 120 feet of it. All creatures in the
creatures must follow the Spore Mind's commands. It area must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving
can sense the presence of any infected creature while it throw or take 10 (3d6) necrotic damage.
is in it's lair and can issue them orders. Once an Undead Spores. The Spore Mind targets one corpse that
infected creature leaves it's lair, it can no longer detect is huge or smaller within 60 feet of it and releases
them or give them future orders until they return back spores at the corpse. In 24 hours, the corpse rises as a
to the lair. servant of the Spore Mind. The corpse stays animated
until destroyed or the Spore Mind is destroyed.

Spore Mind and the Spores

The Spore Mind is the culmination of the spores growing
in sentience, and it has little care for the life of others.
Because fungi grow off of death and rot, it sees that as
the natural way of life. It either forgets, or doesn't
care, that life for other creatures can have meaning,
only focusing on itself. When the spores grow in
enough might, they create a mind to lead them so
that they can rot the world and feed off of it.
Because the Spore Mind can not move, it relies
on it's spores to infect the creatures around it
and to feed it more plant and animal matter by
throwing the corpses in the swamps of the
Spores and their master.
Spore Monsters
Spore Monsters are the culmination of huge
colonies of mushrooms, and functions as the
'brains' of the Spore Carriers. Its sole priority is
to grow itself, and its size directly correlates to
the size of its domain. It will do everything in
its power to grow in size and strength.
It answers only to the Spore Mind.

21
Spore Monster Infected. If a creature is subjected to the Greater Spore
Blast and they fail their save, they are infected by the
Large plant, Neutral Evil
spores of the Spore Carrier. They take one level of
exhaustion per failed saving throw, and the exhaustion
Armor Class 15 (Natural Armor) cannot be removed unless treated by Lesser
Hit Points 136 (16d10+48) Restoration or another ability that removes Diseases.
Speed 20 ft, swim 20 ft Any creature that dies from this effect rises as a Spore
Carrier within 1d4 hours.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Hidden. When the Spore Monster is motionless, it is
imperceptible as a living creature.
18 (+4) 8 (-1) 16 (+3) 5 (-3) 10 (+0) 5 (-3)

Skills Stealth +2
Damage Resistances Cold, Fire
Damage Immunities Poison
Condition Immunities Blinded, Deafened, Exhaustion,
Poisoned
Senses Blindsight 60 feet (Blind Beyond This Radius),
passive Perception 10
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Poison Absorption. Whenever the Spore Monster is
subjected to poison damage, it takes no damage and
regains a number of hit points equal to the poison
damage dealt.
Greater Spore Blast. When the Spore Monster dies, it
explodes in a burst of spores. Each creature within 15
ft of it must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw,
taking 9 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half
as much damage on a successful save.
Actions
Multiattack. The Spore Monster makes two slam attacks.
If both attacks hit the same Medium or smaller target,
the target is grappled (escape DC 15), and the Spore
Monster uses its Engulf ability.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 feet, one
target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Engulf. The Spore Monster engulfs a Medium or smaller
creature grappled by it. The engulfed target is blinded,
restrained, and unable to breathe. It must succeed on a
DC 14 Constitution saving throw at the start of each of
the monster's turns or take 13 (2d8 + 4) poison
damage. If the monster moves, the engulfed target
moves with it. The monster can engulf only one
creature at a time. If a creature dies while engulfed by
the Spore Monster, they come back as a Spore Carrier in
1d4 hours.

Spore Ogre Infected. If a creature is subjected to the Spore Blast

and they fail their save, they are infected by the spores
Large undead, Neutral Evil
of the Spore Ogre. They take one level of exhaustion
per failed saving throw, and the exhaustion cannot be
Armor Class 9 (Hide Armor) removed unless treated by Lesser Restoration or
Hit Points 67 (7d10 + 28) another ability that removes Diseases. Any creature that
Speed 30 ft dies from this effect rises as a Spore Carrier within 1d4
hours.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Actions
22 (+6) 6 (-2) 18 (+4) 3 (-4) 6 (-2) 5 (-3)
Multiattack. The Spore Ogre makes two slam attacks.
Damage Immunities Poison Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 feet. Hit:
Condition Immunities Poisoned 13 (2d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
Senses Darkvision 60 feet., passive Perception 8
Languages Understands All Languages It Spoke In Life Spore Spray (Recharge 6). The Spore Ogre expels spores
But Can't Speak in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make
Challenge 3 (700 XP) a DC l4 Constitution saving throw, taking 14 (4d6)
poison damage on a failed save and they are poisoned.
If they succeed, they take half as much damage and are
Spore Blast. When the Spore Ogre dies, it explodes in a not poisoned. Creatures are Poisoned for 1 minute and
burst of spores. Each creature within 10 feet of it must they can repeat the save at the end of their turn, ending
make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 14 it on a success.
(4d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much
damage on a successful save.