Mushroom Leshys (9 RP)

Much like their cousins, the vine leshys, mushroom leshys (sometimes called shroomies for short) are created through a druidic ritual, usually performed underground. They possess an equal amount of wonder about the greater world beyond their birthplace, and although they prefer the more subterranean locales, shroomies are not afraid to venture into the open air in search of a story to bring home.

Physical Description: A mushroom leshy’s body is composed of small, appendage-like stalks growing from a larger stipe which supports the shroomy’s cap. A shroomy’s cap can be of almost any color and size, which in some cases can denote social status or physical ability. Some families of mushroom leshy can even remove and interchange their caps.

Society: Mushroom leshys create kingdoms in which they can thrive as a society of workers under a monarch (usually a matriarchy). Every shroomy contributes to the needs of the people, and in return every member of a mushroom kingdom is provided for their entire lives. As a mushroom leshy ages, her responsibilities can change, from worker to diplomat to sage. Shroomy royalty is responsible for making decisions not suitable to the masses, such as when to go to war, when to produce or hunt food, and the creation and execution of laws governing the people. Entire kingdoms can come and go in the span of between 20-30 years, depending on prosperity.

Relations: Shroomies of all ages can be called upon to act as emissaries for their kingdom, so all mushroom leshys must learn the customs of the races who live around them. Those who take their education further may learn obscure facts about those races, or even learn about distant or ancient races with whom they may rarely actually interact.

Alignment and Religion: Every kingdom keeps its own laws and moral views which can come off as good or evil depending on the races with whom they deal. An individual shroomy may be exiled from her kingdom for holding outsider viewpoints or speaking out against their monarch. Formal worship may or may not play a role in a given kingdom’s society, but those who do practice religion usually adopt the faiths of the races around them.

Adventurers: An adult mushroom leshy may adventure to better her kingdom’s standing, receiving aid in the form of useable gold or items from her people while sending back materials, food, and other useful things discovered in her travels. Older shroomies tend to seek knowledge over material wealth, sending back their findings to the sages of their home. This makes mushroom leshys good bards, heirs apparent, necromancers, rogues, and wizards.

Random Starting Ages
Adulthood Intuitive1 Self-Taught2 Trained3
2 years +1d3 years
(3 – 5 years)
+1d4 years
(3 – 6 years)
+2d4 years
(4 – 10 years)

1 This category includes barbarians, oracles, rogues, and sorcerers.
2 This category includes bards, cavaliers, fighters, gunslingers, paladins, rangers, summoners, trainers, and witches.
3 This category includes alchemists, clerics, druids, inquisitors, magi, monks, and wizards.

Random Height and Weight
Gender Base Height Height Modifier Base Weight Weight Modifier
Male 2 ft. 8 in. +2d4 in. 30 lbs. +(2d4×1 lbs.)
Female 2 ft. 6 in. +2d4 in. 25 lbs. +(2d4×1 lbs.)

Standard Racial Traits

Mushroom leshys usually have the following racial traits.

  • Ability Score Modifiers: Mushroom leshys are tough and smart, but their shorter lifespans prevent them from having great insight without keeping archives. They gain +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom.
  • Type: Mushroom leshys are plants with the leshy subtype but lack the immunities to mind-affecting effects, paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep, and stunning that the plant type usually grants, and they lack the immunity to electricity and sonic that the leshy subtype usually grants.
  • Small: Mushroom leshys are Small creatures gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their CMB and CMD, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
  • Base Speed: Mushroom leshys have a base speed of 30 feet.
  • Languages: Mushroom leshys begin play speaking Common and Undercommon. Mushroom leshys with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aquan, Auran, Aklo, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Sylvan, or Terran.

Defense Racial Traits

  • Porous: A mushroom leshy affected by a spell or ability with the air or water descriptors ignores the effect and instead doubles in height and weight (becoming Medium) for a number of rounds equal to the caster level of the spell or the total hit dice of the creature using the ability. The shroomy loses its immunity to these effects when enlarged in this way. If submerged in nonmagical water, a mushroom leshy grows to Medium size for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum 1) and loses its immunities as noted above.

Feats and Skills Racial Traits

  • Dungeon Delver: Mushroom leshys receive a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (dungeoneering) checks and treat that skill as a class skill.
  • Undergrowth: Mushroom leshys receive a +2 racial bonus on Stealth checks made underground.

Offense Racial Traits

  • Spore: Mushroom leshys able to create auras or cast spells with an area burst can increase the radius of those effects by up to 10 feet as a free action, to a maximum of twice the area. This applies after all other increases (such as Widen Spell).

Senses Racial Traits

  • Darkvision: Shroomies can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
  • Low-Light Vision: Mushroom leshys can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.

Weakness Racial Traits

  • Light Blindness: As deep underground dwellers naturally, mushroom leshys suffer from light blindness. Abrupt exposure to any bright light blinds shroomies for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.
  • Vulnerable to Sunlight: Mushroom leshys take 1 point of Constitution damage each hour they are exposed to sunlight.

Alternate Racial Traits

A mushroom leshy can select the following racial traits in place of those it normally gains. In addition, a shroomy can choose the agile and swamp leshy alternate racial traits from the vine leshy. It loses its Constitution bonus or dungeon delver and undergrowth, respectively.

  • Agile: Some mushroom leshys are quicker but less tough than a typical shroomy. Replace the leshy’s +2 racial bonus to Constitution with a +2 racial bonus to Dexterity. This alters the mushroom leshy’s ability scores.
  • Mushroom Royalty: Shroomies born to the royal family aren’t as adventurous. They gain a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (nobility) and always treat Knowledge (nobility) as a class skill. This replaces dungeon delver.
  • Plant Resistances: Mushroom leshys sometimes retain minor resistances of their non-sentient progenitors. They gain resist electricity 5 and sonic 5. This replaces spore.
  • Poisonous: Mushroom leshys sometimes carry natural poison in their bodies. As a swift action, the leshy can imbue its stem with this irritating substance. The next time the leshy hits a creature with an unarmed strike, or is struck by an unarmed strike or natural weapon, the creature is affected by the following poison. Leshy Toxin: Skin or unarmed strike—contact or injury; save Fort DC 10 + half the mushroom leshy’s Hit Dice + the leshy’s Constitution modifier; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect sickened for 1 round; cure 1 save. A creature that ingests the poison takes a -5 penalty to the save. The leshy can use this ability a number of times per day equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum 1). A mushroom leshy is immune to its own poison, but not to those of other shroomies. This replaces porous.
  • Swamp Leshy: Mushroom leshys sometimes spawn in swamps, rather than underground. These leshys gain a +2 racial bonus on Swim checks and a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks in swamps. This replaces dungeon delver and undergrowth.
  • Truffle: Truffles are mushroom leshys born under the thick canopy of forests. They lose darkvision, dungeon delver, and undergrowth, but suffer neither vulnerability to sunlight nor light blindness.

Favored Class Options

The following options are available to all mushroom leshy characters who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.

  • Any Class: Add +2 temporary hit points when enlarged by porous. This effect can occur no more than once in a 24-hour period.
  • Alchemist: Add +1/4 to the alchemist’s natural armor bonus when using the character’s mutagen.
  • Bard: Add +1/2 to the bard’s bardic knowledge bonus.
  • Druid: Add +1/3 to the druid’s energy resistance to electricity or sonic damage (maximum +10).
  • Dúlra: Add 1 spell from the plant domain (or a plant subdomain) spell list to the dúlra’s spell list. The spell must be at least 1 spell level below the highest level the dúlra can cast.
  • Gunslinger: Add +1/2 to the gunslinger’s touch AC against firearm attacks (maximum +5).
  • Heir Apparent: Gain the stipend for the next level instead of this one. This has no effect at 20th level and doesn’t change the heir’s total stipend.
  • Inquisitor: Add a +1/2 bonus on Knowledge, Perception, and Sense Motive checks made against plants.
  • Kineticist: Add 1/3 point of damage to wood-element blasts that deal damage. The type is the same as the blast’s.
  • Midnight Legate: Add a +1/2 bonus on Knowledge, Perception, and Sense Motive checks made against plants.
  • Nature Warden: Add +1/2 to damage rolls the warden makes with weapon attacks against an opponent he is flanking or an opponent that is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC.
  • Necromancer: Add 1 spell from the repose domain spell list to the necromancer’s spell list. The spell must be at least 1 spell level below the highest level the necromancer can cast.
  • Ranger: Add +1/4 dodge bonus to AC against the shroomy’s favored enemies.
  • Witch: Add 1 spell from the plant domain (or a plant subdomain) spell list to the witch’s familiar. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the witch can cast. If the witch ever replaces this familiar, the new familiar knows these bonus spells.

Racial Archetypes

The following racial archetypes are available to mushroom leshys:

Racial Feats

The following feats are available to a mushroom leshy character who meets the prerequisites.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

The Book of Many Things, © 2018,Samurai Sheepdog; author Kevin Glusing.

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