Monster: Gas Spore

Monster: Gas Spore

The gas spores are a very specialized form of a fungus that looks exactly like a beholder, but is full of explosive gas with toxic spores that can be harvested (if the gas spore is neutralized without triggering its explosion). No idea why it is listed as an illithid-related monster when it is clearly related to the beholders. In any case, I'll take a break from these monsters.

Gas Spore [Lords of Madness, p. 148]

-183 points

Attribute Modifiers: ST+4 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%; Size Modifier, -30%) [12]; DX-4 [-80]; IQ-8 [-160]; HT-3 [-30].

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM+3; Will+6 [30]; Per+8 [40]; Basic Move -3 [-15].

Advantages: 360° Vision (Easy to Hit, -20%) [20]; Doesn’t Breathe (Oxygen Absorption, -25%) [15]; Enhanced Tracking 2 [10]; Flight (Lighter than Air, -10%) [36]; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30]; Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction 2; Limited, Crushing, -40%) [30]; Injury Tolerance (Homogenous, No Blood, No Head, No Neck) [57]; Night Vision 5 [5]; Reduced Consumption 4 (Cast-Iron Stomach, -50%) [4].

                Death Throes [3]: Burning Attack 4d (Area Effect, 8 yards, +150%; Backlash, Instant Death, -300%; Emanation, -20%; Environmental, Sound-transmitting mediums, -10%; Link, +10%; No Incendiary Effect, -10%; Side Effect, Deafness, +70%; Single Use, x1/5) [1] + Toxic Attack 1d (Accessibility, Not on beholders, beholderkin, or beholder-grafted creatures, -5%; Area Effect, 8 yards, +150%; Backlash, Instant Death, -300%; Contact Agent, +150%; Cyclic, 5 10-second cycles, Resistible, +125%; Emanation, -20%; Link, +10%; Resistible, HT-1, -25%; Single Use, x1/5) [2].

Disadvantages: Fragile (Enhanced Unnatural) [-100]; No Manipulators [-50]; Wild Animal (with Mute) [-40].

Features: Carrier (Must die of death throes); Looks like a beholder; No Legs (Aerial).

Creature Type: Fungus.

Knowing Your Own Strength [-155] Replace ST+4 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%; Size Modifier, -30%) [12] with ST+4 [40]

Typical Stats

ST:	14	HP:	14	Speed:	3
DX:	6	Will:	8	Move:	6 air
IQ:	2	Per:	10
HT:	8	FP:	11	SM:	+3
Dodge:	6	Parry:	N/A	DR:	-

Slam (6): The gas spore typically attacks by slamming (p. B371) the opponents.

Death Throes: A gas spore reduced to 0 or fewer HP immediately explodes in a powerful burst of spores and foul-smelling gas. The spores are dispersed in this explosion and cannot be harvested thereafter. This blast affects all creatures within 8 yards, dealing them 4d non-incendiary burning damage from the sonic blast. If any damage penetrates the target’s DR, it must make a HT roll, at -1 per 2 points of penetrating damage, or suffer gain Deafness (p. B129) for (20-HT) minutes (minimum 1 minute). Any creatures without the Sealed advantage also get infected with spores. They must make an immediate HT-1 roll or suffer 1d toxic damage. Every 10 seconds for 5 more cycles they must make another HT-1 roll to resist or take the same amount of damage. A creature that has died from this spore infection is transformed into 1d/2 gas spores in a day. Beholders, beholderkin, and creatures with beholder grafts are immune to gas spore infestation, and gas spores know intrinsically to ignore such creatures.

                Traits: 360° Vision (Easy to Hit); Doesn’t Breathe (Oxygen Absorption); Enhanced Tracking 2; Flight (Lighter than Ai); Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Injury Tolerance (Homogenous, No Blood, No Head, No Neck); Looks like a beholder; Night Vision 5; No Legs (Aerial); Reduced Consumption 4 (Cast-Iron Stomach); Wild Animal (with Mute).

Creature Type: Fungus.

  

Harvested Gas Spores

A typical gas spore yields 1d4 doses of usable gas spore powder  with an Alchemy-2 or Poisons-2 skill roll; failure by 5 or a critical failure or more results in the gas spore’s explosion and the destruction of its supply of spores (and possible infestation of the harvester). The flask with harvested gas spores can be thrown (range is STx3.5). Hitting a hard surface, it breaks, creating a cloud of spores in a 8-yard radius. Any creature with no Sealed advantage must make an immediate HT-1 roll or suffer 1d toxic damage. Every 10 seconds for 5 more cycles it must make another HT-1 roll to resist or take the same amount of damage. A creature that has died from this spore infection is transformed into 1d/2 gas spores in a day. Beholders, beholderkin, and creatures with beholder grafts are immune to gas spore infestation.

Form: Grenade.

Cost: $630 (singular).

Statistics: Carrier (Gas Spore) [0] + Toxic Attack 1d (Accessibility, Not on beholders, beholderkin, or beholder-grafted creatures, -5%; Area Effect, 8 yards, +150%; Contact Agent, +150%; Cyclic, 5 10-second cycles, Resistible, +125%; Grenade, +25%; Resistible, HT-1, -25%) [21].