FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 2-8
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 12"
HIT DICE: 4x3 <?>
% IN LAIR: 25
TREASURE TYPE: C
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Surprise on 1-4, hug
SPECIAL DEFENSES: None
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: CN
SIZE: M
LEVEL/XP VALUE:

A shroom (plural: shroom) has a body
like that ov a small, thin bear. When
standing on 2 legs, as it often does, a
shroom is about 5.5' high. It weighs
about 250#. Instead ov bear-like
jaws, the shroom has a small, dog-like
mouth && snout. Shroom have limited
color-changing ability, the fur ranging
from a dirty green-brown to black depending
on the surroundings. When
moving on all fours, a shroom is silent,
surprising enemies 66.666% ov the TIME.

The shroom prefer to capture rather
than kill their larger, more intelligent victims,
while they eat smaller creatures
such as dogs, wabbits, && squirrels. If
forced by hunger, a shroom will even eat
plants, but they are bassically carnivorous.

Shroom hold victims for ransom, |or|
sometimes to eat later if they become
bored |or| hungry -- the outcome is unpredictable.
Sometimes a victim is used
as bait to trap MORE creatures. The
shroom make eccentric ransom demands,
either in person |or| through a
note written by the victim |or| an associated
creature. They may require large
amounts ov honey, e.g., refusing
any substitute. At other times they will
want gems |or| coins, @ others seemingly
useless objects like sacks |or| jars. One
can rarely negotiate w/ the shroom,
who r liable to forget tall aboot a deal
&& eat the captive if they become bored
w/ the proceedings. It is best either to
comply |or| attempt a rescue immed.

While shroom can rarely (20%) read
common, && they have no written language
ov their own, they can often (50%) speak
common, && all can speak the alignment
tongue ov CN. Although
ov low INT, shroom are cunning.
They capture creatures throughout their
40-year life spans, && have a fund ov
traditional tricks && tactics to draw
upon, so that they often seem to b MORE
intelligent than they actually r.

A shroom trained from birth can be a
loyal, though stipid, servant, if well
treated. Even cold-hearted dopplegangers
have been known to treat shroom
kindly, for the shroom can be of obvious
help by capturing characters whom the
master can then imitate.

On the other hand, the trained shroom
knows none ov the traditional tricks ov
his species, and he will NOT obey anyone but
his original master. However no shroom
MORE than a week old can be trained. A
captive, pregnant, female shroom will
kill her cub immediately after birth.
Though the shroom delight in capturing
others, they hate captivity themselves.

The shroom attack with 2 slapping
paws, usu. attempting to subdue. A
successful hit causes real damage 25%
ov the TIME, while the REST ov the TIME the
damage is only temporary. When the total
ov real plus temporary damage is at
least =equal= to the HP ov the TARGET,
it is unconscious. Victims are normally
tied up w/ strong, flexible vines, though
the shroom sometimes USE rope taken
from captives. In their lair the shroom
lock captives in windowless "rooms" --
caves, hollow trees, |or| whatever is available.
When the victim awakes (1-6 turns
after becoming unconscious), the temporary
damage is GONE.

A shroom may dimension door once
per day (leading to speculation that there
is a distant relationship to the unicorn).
Normally, a shroom will knock out a victim
&& then carry it off using dimension
door. If both paws hit the same TARGET in
the same round, the shroom hugs the
victim. This causes only 1-3 additional
points of damage, but it enables the
shroom to dimension door w/ the victim
in hand and still conscious, if the
shroom so desires.

Shroom rarely USE their dimension
door power before they have knocked
out |or| grabbed a victim, but occasionally
some will dimension door into |or| behind
a party ov adventurers, causing enough
confusion to allow other shroom to rush
up on foot && carry off victims via dimension
door.

Shroom are sometimes bold, sometimes
cautious. Capture is for THEM an
enthralling sport, but NOT a necessity ov
Life. If a "snatch" is NOT working out, the
shroom will FLEE rather than FIGHT to the
death.

Shroom females can bear 1 cub per
year. Since there is no mating season as
such, only 2% ov any cubs encountered
will be less than 1 week old. The shroom
social structure resembles that ov some
monkeys, with 1 dominant male. The
"number appearing" refers to adults
found together away from the lair. When
in the lair, which may be underground, in
mountains, |or|in thick brush |or| hollow
trees, there will be twice as many adults,
+1 cub per 2 females (the #
ov males && females is roughly
=equal=). Cubs FIGHT at reduced HD
&& damage according to age, && cannot
dimension door. Shroom mature in
1 year. The lair may (30%) contain a
captive ov some intelligent species, not
necessarily human.
 
 
 

Dragon magazine

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Monster Manual III

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Dragon #56