PsycheporeA mass of shell-like fungus grows so thick it obscures the mass of
plant matter beneath.Psychepore CR 7Source Bestiary 5 pg. 198
XP 3,200
N Medium plant
Init +3; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft., low-light
vision; Perception +12DefenseAC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 17 (+3 Dex, +7 natural)
hp 85 (10d8+40)
Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +6
Defensive Abilities psychotic musk; DR 5/slashing; Immune plant traits; Resist fire 10OffenseSpeed 20 ft.
Melee 3 slams +13 (1d8+5 plus poison)
Ranged 3 razor conks +10
(1d8+5 plus poison)
Special Attacks poison,
razor conk, visionsStatisticsStr 20, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 9
Base Atk +7; CMB +12; CMD 25
Feats Iron Will, Skill Focus (Stealth), Skill Focus (Perception), Toughness, Weapon Focus (slam)
Skills Perception +12, Stealth +14
Languages Common (can’t speak)EcologyEnvironment warm forests or jungles
Organization solitary, pair, or colony (5–12)
Treasure noneSpecial AbilitiesPoison (Ex) Slam or razor conk—injury, or spores—
inhaled; save Fort DC 18; frequency 1/round for
6 rounds; effect 1d3 Wisdom plus visions; cure 2
consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based
Psychotic Musk (Ex) A creature that deals damage to a psychepore
with a slashing or piercing melee weapon releases a cloud of
spores, exposing the attacker to the psychepore’s poison.
Razor Conk (Ex) A psychepore can launch three fragments of
its razor-sharp fungal covering as a standard action. Treat
these as ranged attacks with a range increment of 30 feet.
Visions (Ex) A creature affected by the psychepore’s poison has
its mind clouded with visions of alien intent. Any round the
target fails its saving throw against the psychepore’s poison,
it must succeed at a second DC 18 Will save or become
confused for 1 round. This is a mind-affecting poison effect.
The save DC is Constitution-based.DescriptionA psychepore is a symbiosis of two different plant
creatures—a lurching bit of undergrowth distantly
related to the shambling mound and an intelligent
cluster of hard fungal growths that possess a malevolent
hive mind. On their own, the shambling undergrowth
is an unintelligent creature, barely aware enough to
move itself to new sources of sunlight and water, while
the fungal conks, for their part, are intelligent but
immobile. The two pose a serious threat only once the
psychic fungus infests the shambling undergrowth, and
the creatures transform into the horrifying psychepore.
A psychepore procreates through microorganisms in
its poison, spreading into victims fungal spores that
try to bond with that host’s physiology to create a
new psychepore. Generally, the only creatures
with which these spores can coexist are
the shambles that form the base of a
psychepore, but these spores also have
strange effects on creatures that aren’t
their typical hosts. Such
creatures suffer from
delusional visions as
their minds try to
assimilate or reject the
images presented by the
alien will of the strange
symbionts, and their bodies
desperately attempt to force
the foreign spores out. Some
cultures harvest psychepores
to distill their poison into
a powerful drug, using it in
religious rituals that search for
inner knowledge or in dark alleys
as a temporary escape from cruel,
short lives—or transforming it into
a truth serum used during psychological
torture and other types of interrogation.
Most psychepores attack only in vain
attempts to procreate, never seeming frustrated by their
usually futile efforts, but more intelligent specimens
pursue less direct but more fruitful approaches, often
serving those who aid in gathering the undergrowth
they need to replicate. There are rumors of even more
highly developed and intelligent versions of these
creatures that learn the secrets of telepathy and how to
adjust their poison to replicate possession magic. These
superintelligent psychepores become more aware of
cultural structures and take great joy in manipulating
other forms of life to achieve their goals.
A psychepore is a hulking thing with a dense
composition. It stands 6 feet tall or slightly taller and
weighs about 300 pounds.
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