Spore Maiden
From Monsterbook
This creature emerges from the forest growth, gliding forward with a light, quick stride. She looks very much like an elf woman, but her skin is the color of mossy wood and her hair has the appearance of damp moss braided with flowers.
SPORE MAIDEN (CR 8)
- Always NE Medium fey
- Init +8; Senses low-light, grovesense; Listen +11, Spot +11
- Languages: druidic, sylvan
- AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 16
- (+4 Dex, +3 natural, +3 barkskin)
- hp 38 (7 HD); DR 10/cold iron
- Immune: sleep and poison
- Resist cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10 (20 w/ resist energy)
- Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +9
- Speed 30 ft., forest step ability
- Melee unarmed +1 (1d3-2 subdual)
- Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
- Base Atk +3; Grp +1
- Special Actions poison breath
- Spells Prepared cast as 7th-level druid, save DC = 14 + spell level
- 0--cure minor wounds, detect magic, guidance, light, resistance x2
- 1--cure light wounds x2, entangle, hide from animals, obscuring mist
- 2--barkskin, flaming sphere, resist energy, summon swarm
- 3--call lightning, cure moderate wounds, greater magic fang
- 4--flame strike, rusting grasp
- Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7)
- 3/day summon sporelings
- Abilities Str 7, Dex 19, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 18, Cha 15
- SQ fey traits
- Feats alertness, improved initiative, stealthy
- Skills bluff 10(+12), concentration 10(+12), escape artist 10(+14), hide 5(+11), knowledge (nature) 10(+11), listen 5(+11), move silently 5(+11), spot 5(+11), survival 10(+14).
- Advancement 8-14 HD (Medium)
Grovesense (Ex): A spore maiden knows the exact location of any creature or object within her grove, including those that are invisible and flying (but not ethereal).
Fetid Grove Dependence (Ex): Similar to a dryad, a spore maiden is bound to a single fetid grove. The size of the grove is from a 10-foot diameter to as large as 50-feet across. Spore maidens that travel more than 300 yards from their grove begin taking one point of Constitution drain per hour until they die. Upon returning to their grove the Constitution drain is immediately dispelled.
Summon Sporelings (Sp): Up to three times per day the spore maiden can summon 2d6 sporelings, 1d4+1 warrior sporelings, or one feral sporeling. This ability is equivalent to a 4th-level spell and has a range of 40 feet.
Poison Breath (Ex): Once per day a spore maiden can breathe a cloud of hallucinogenic spores in a 15-foot cone. All breathing creatures in the area must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 15) or take 1d6 Wisdom damage (initial) and become insane as the spell (secondary). The save DC is constitution-based.
Forest Step (Su): The movement of a spore maiden is not hampered by any sort of forest terrain, including magical effects such as entangle and plant growth.
A spore maiden is a fey bound to a particular fetid grove of decayed plants. She cultivates semi-intelligent, living plant creatures in her grove that she can summon to her when needed. Spore maidens are evil and extremely aggressive at keeping civilization far from their groves.
Strategies and Tactics
The spore maiden is weak at--and abhors--physical combat. She ideally will maintain her distance from her attackers, using spells to impede movement and vision as much as possible. If possible, she will have pre-cast barkskin and resist energy (fire) (those are figured into her statistics above).
Long Range: use entangle first, then summon 2d6 sporelings, followed by 1d4+1 warrior sporelings, then lastly a feral sporeling. Cast greater magic fang on the feral sporeling. Cast hide from animals if there are any opposing druids or rangers with animal companions.
Close Range: If the battle is in her grove, cast obscuring mist, relying on her grovesense to target her spells. Cast flame strike on any opponents that are clustered together. Cast flaming sphere against any fighters, summon swarm against any spell-casters, then call lightning every round.
Melee: She would probably have fled by now unless she is defending her grove. First use poison breath against any opponent in range. Cast rusting grasp against any foe with a cold iron weapon or heavy metal armor. After that she will fight with her bare fists as best she can.
Adventure Hooks
A spore maiden has killed a group of elf scouts escorting a prince and his infant daughter. The spore maiden decided to keep the baby herself and brought it to her grove. Elf nobles seek adventurers to rescue the infant princess.
A necromancer and a very old and powerful spore maiden have forged an alliance. For his part of the bargain, he shows her how to create a lich phylactery. Now whenever she is slain, she is recreated in her fetid grove where her phylactery rests, instead of a new spore maiden being created.
A fetid grove has formed near a dryad's oak tree. The dryad and spore maiden have agreed not to war against each other and have remained solitary. That is until both fey fall in love with the same adventuring PC.
Ecology and Society
A spore maiden is born as a full-grown adult out of the mire of a fetid grove. Each grove only creates a single spore maiden. If the spore maiden is slain, and the grove is not destroyed, then it will create another spore maiden in 2d4 days. This spore maiden is identical to a standard spore maiden, but is a completely different individual, with different memories and personality. Spore maidens cannot reproduce, but some seek male companions for personal enjoyment. They spend the majority of their time planting and tending their crop of sporelings (see Sporelings). Some spore maidens do have a nurturing instinct and see the sporelings as children, while some see them as useful, expendable pawns.
A spore maiden's body feels like warm, human flesh but it is actually formed of vegetation that smells vaguely rotten. Spore maidens never form communities. If two fetid groves somehow appear within 300 yards of each other, they will immediately fight to the death along with their sporeling armies. An average spore maiden is 5 feet tall and weighs 90 pounds.
Spore Maiden Lore
Knowledge (Nature):
DC 15: This creature is obviously a being of nature. This result reveals all fey traits.
DC 17: She is an evil being that protects her forest home mercilessly.
DC 22: She creates armies of living plants that obey her commands.
DC 27: Although weak in combat she has considerable druidic spell-casting abilities, and her breath can cause insanity.
DC 32: She is bound to a particular grove that sustains her life force.
