Small plant, neutral
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 9 (2d6 + 2)
Speed 30 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +2
Proficiency Bonus +2 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 (-2) | 14 (+2) | 13 (+1) | 6 (-2) | 11 (+0) | 7 (-2) |
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4
Damage Resistances lightning, piercing
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Vegepygmy
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Plant Camouflage. The vegepygmy has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks it makes in any terrain with ample obscuring plant life.
Regeneration. The vegepygmy regains 3 hit points at the start of its turn. If it takes cold, fire, or necrotic damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of the vegepygmy’s next turn. The vegepygmy dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate.
ACTIONS
- Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage.
- Sling. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
Vegepygmies are small, bipedal plant creatures that resemble humanoid fungi. They have skin that varies in color depending on their environment, such as brown, green, gray, or black. They have white, lidless eyes that can see in the dark, and a topknot of leaf-like tendrils that flows in the air. They have thorn-like claws on their hands and feet, and heavy wrinkles on their faces. They lack noses and mouths, and communicate through a form of telepathy that only works with other vegepygmies. They also have a simple language of their own, called Vegepygmy, that consists of clicks, whistles, and gestures. They can also communicate by tapping on their chests and on trees or stones.
COMBAT
Vegepygmies are hunters and scavengers that use primitive weapons such as clubs and spears. They are skilled at stealth and camouflage in areas with abundant plant life, and can regenerate most wounds quickly. However, they are vulnerable to cold, fire, and necrotic damage, which can halt their healing ability. They also have some resistance to lightning and piercing attacks.
Some vegepygmies grow spore clusters on their bodies as they age, becoming chiefs among their kind. These chiefs can expel their spores in a burst, infecting nearby creatures with russet mold, a deadly fungus that can kill them and spawn more vegepygmies from their corpses. Russet mold is a reddish-brown fungus that grows on dead or dying creatures. It is highly toxic to non-plants, causing fever, weakness, and death within hours of exposure. A creature killed by russet mold becomes a host for one or more vegepygmies that emerge from its body a day later. The only way to destroy russet mold is by exposing it to sunlight or fire.
Vegepygmies also have animal companions called thornies, which are quadrupedal plant creatures covered in sharp barbs. Thornies are less intelligent than vegepygmies, but stronger and more ferocious. They can injure creatures that try to grapple them with their thorns, and also regenerate quickly.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
Vegepygmies live in dark forests or underground caverns where sunlight is scarce. They form tribal communities that coexist with other plant and fungus creatures, such as myconids, shambling mounds, or treants. They are generally neutral in alignment, but can be hostile to intruders or predators that threaten their territory or food sources. They are also curious about other cultures and technologies, and may try to imitate or acquire them.
Vegepygmies worship Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungi, as their creator and patron. They believe that she grants them life and power through the russet mold spores that they spread. They may also venerate other nature deities or spirits, such as Silvanus or Chauntea. Vegepygmies have no magic of their own, but may use magic items or spells that they find or steal from other creatures.
Vegepygmies are very territorial and defend their lairs fiercely. Their lairs are usually found in warm underground areas, though some tribes have lairs in the underbrush of deep, dark forests and jungles. Tribes often use shriekers to guard their lairs, and vegepygmies native to the lair can pass by those shriekers unnoticed. Vegepygmies co-exist well with plant and fungus life, and have been known to associate with myconids, which view them as rustic cousins.
ECOLOGY
Vegepygmies are part of the natural cycle of decay and renewal in the world. They feed on organic matter, such as plants, animals, or corpses, and convert it into fertile soil for new growth. They also spread russet mold spores wherever they go, creating more vegepygmies from the remains of their victims. Vegepygmies have a lifespan of about 10 years, but can live longer if they become chiefs or thornies. They reproduce by spreading russet mold spores or by budding new vegepygmies from their bodies. They have no concept of gender or family, and treat all vegepygmies as kin. They have few natural predators, but may be hunted by creatures that are immune to russet mold or seek to destroy it, such as druids, fey, or fire-based beings. Vegepygmies may also come into conflict with other races that compete for resources or territory with them, such as humans, dwarves, or goblins.