Mildew Carrier

Huge plant, unaligned

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 136 (16d12 + 32)
Speed 10 ft., fly 20 ft. (hover)

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
19 (+4)	10 (+0)	15 (+2)	3 (-4)	20 (+5)	7 (-2)

Saving Throws Str +8, Con +6
Damage Resistances psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 15
Languages –
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +4

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Alien Nature. The mildew carrier takes 10 poison damage when it comes in contact with liquid water. While submerged in water, it takes 20 poison damage at the start of its turn. This effect ignores the mildew carrier’s poison damage immunity.
• Attracting Pulse. The mildew carrier emits a psionic pulse in a 1-mile radius. Each creature in this area must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or use as much of its movement as possible on its turns to move in the direction of the mildew carrier. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on the success. On a successful save, a creature is immune to the mildew carrier’s Attracting Pulse for 24 hours.
• Destroy Metal. Any nonmagical weapon made of metal that hits the mildew carrier corrodes. After dealing damage, the weapon takes a permanent and cumulative ?1 penalty to damage rolls. If its penalty drops to ?5, the weapon is destroyed. Nonmagical ammunition made of metal that hits the mildew carrier is destroyed after dealing damage.
• Deteriorate Blood. A creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of the mildew carrier takes 10 necrotic damage. Constructs and Undead are immune to this effect.
• Fungal Sack. The mildew carrier’s sack is destroyed if it takes 34 damage from a single source. The sack regrows when the carrier regains all its hit points.

ACTIONS

• Appendage. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 31 (6d8 + 4) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14) if it is Large or smaller. The grappled creature is also restrained. The mildew carrier has eight appendages, each of which can grapple one target.
• Tear Apart. The carrier makes one appendage attack against a creature it is grappling. If the attack hits, that creature takes the Appendage damage plus 27 (6d8) slashing damage, and the grapple ends.
• Capture. The mildew carrier attempts to place one creature it is grappling into its fungal sack. The creature must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be captured in the sack. The captured creature can’t breathe, is restrained, and takes 21 (6d6) acid damage at the start of each of its turns. When the mildew carrier moves, the captured creature moves with it. If a captured creature’s hit points are reduced to 0, it instantly dies and rises as a mildew zombie within 1d4 + 1 days in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the mildew carrier. A creature affected by Attracting Pulse that is within 5 feet of the mildew carrier doesn’t have to be grappled by the mildew carrier and automatically fails the saving throw. A captured creature can try to escape by taking an action to make a DC 16 Strength check. If the sack is destroyed, a captured creature is released and lands prone in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the mildew carrier, and the mildew carrier can’t use the Capture action until the sack regrows (when the mildew carrier regains all its hit points). The mildew carrier can have two Large or four Medium creatures captured at the same time.

BONUS ACTIONS

• Propulsion. The mildew carrier pushes itself off the ground or a wall. The mildew carrier then moves up to its flying speed.

TACTICS

Unless a creature happens to come into proximity of a mildew carrier, it relies only on its Attracting Pulse to attract its prey. When prey nears, it descends from high above to the ground and opens its fungal sack, leaving itself open to melee attacks.

Created by acids and the fungal infection of mildew carrier victims, mildew zombies share many of the same traits as their progenitor. Their bodies – a horrific mixture of melted flesh and fungal growths – produce the same toxin that damages metals and blood. However, they lack any psionic abilities.

Mindless, a mildew zombie seeks others of its kind to form colonies. These groups of fungal Undead march across the land in search of living matter to consume.

Once a colony feeds on a substantial number of creatures, it has enough energy to begin its transformation. The mildew zombies of the colony merge and fuse their bodies together in an unsightly process. After a day filled with a cacophony of unearthly screams, a new mildew carrier emerges from the remains.

ABOUT

Coming from noxious abyssal wastes, a mildew carrier is a fungal creature drawn to contaminated environments.

Toxins, radiation, and the corrupting influence of the Outer Planes all attract its attention. It thrives in areas where the natural order is in disarray.

Ominous Bloaters. A mildew carrier resembles an abhorrent balloon, always effortlessly and unconsciously floating in the air. Its bulbous sack is filled with acid, surrounded by several appendages that hang from its fungal body, giving the appearance of an exposed, huge brain with advanced tumorous growths. Despite being a fungus, the carrier can produce electromagnetic signals just like a living creature.

Luring Easy Prey. Rather than going after prey itself, a mildew carrier’s basic neural web emits strong psionic pulses that attract creatures. Ideally, the mildew carrier does not have to work hard to catch its prey as the victim willingly enters its horrifying fungal sack. If necessary, however, the mildew carrier has the tools it needs to hunt.

Noxious Nature. The tips of the mildew carrier’s appendages are sharp spikes capable of piercing some armor.

A mildew carrier can use them to propel itself and charge its target. The fungal growth covering the creature’s body is a potent toxin that deteriorates metals. It can also rupture the blood vessels of living beings if they get too close.

Horrific Transformation. The Humanoids captured in a mildew carrier’s fungal sack are slowly infected by its fungus. As their skins melt away, the fungus takes over their nervous and immunological systems, turning them into mildew zombies.

Variant: Alternate Size Mildew Zombies

Although the mildew zombie game statistics shown are for a medium creature, Humanoids of any size can become a mildew zombie.

To adjust the statistics for another size, simply adjust the hit points as follows:

• Small. 17 (3d6 + 6)
• Large. 22 (3d10 + 6) Use the colony of mildew zombies statistics for a swarm of any size.