FREQUENCY: Very rare
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Dungeon Level VI])

NO. APPEARING: 1 patch
ARMOR CLASS: 9
MOVE: 0"
HIT DICE: --
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 0
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 0
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Freezing
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Non-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: S to L
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: *****

    ***** Monster not rateable.

Brown mold grows anywhere beneath the surface of the ground. It is light
tan to golden brown in color. It cannot stand high concentrations of
ultraviolet light, but it feeds on radiant energy of most other sorts.

Freezing: Where a
patch of brown mold grows, the temperature will be below average. If a
creature walks within 5' of the patch, the mold will begin absorbing its
body heat -- even from a basically cold blooded creature. Each melee
round that a creature is within 5' of brown mold, the mold will drain heat
equal to 1-8 hit points frost damage for every 10 degrees of body heat over
55 degrees the creature has.

Worse still, this mold grows instantaneously
from heat, so if a torch, flaming oil, or a fire ball is near the patch, it will be
able to grow 2, 4, or 8 times its area from the heat fed to it. This growth will
be so rapid that on the next melee round it will have spread and be
draining any further heat in its new area of growth.

Brown mold is not fed by light spells or faerie fire. It is affected only by
magical cold, and no other magical or non-magical attacks. Ice storms or
walls of ice cause it to go dormant for 5-30 turns. A cold wand or white
dragon breath will kill it. The growth does not harm creatures which use
cold (white dragons, ice toads, or winter wolves.)