Omphalotus
by Cab DavidsonArmour Class: 5
Hit Dice: 1**
Move: 120’(40’)
Attacks: 1 weapon or special
Damage: By weapon or blindness
Number Appearing: 1d10 (40d10)
Save As: Fighter 1
Morale: 8 (12)
Treasure Type: Zero (M)
Intelligence: 10
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 16
Omphalotus are tall, slender myconids who seem to be almost entirely constructed of mushroom gills. When not in motion they can be mistaken for 6’ tall yellow mushrooms with gills running down to their base. When they start to stir it becomes apparent that they body is divided into long arms and legs, with 7 ridiculously small eyes all around their upper bodies. They are typically genial, friendly and on the whole entirely disinterested in the conflicts of other races, and they try to maintain good relations with different species of myconoids and other humanoids wherever they encounter them. They usually inhabit caves closer to the Hollow World than the Outer World, but they do encounter both Shadow Elves and Schattenalfen. The former view them as curiosities and trade freely with them, but the latter view them as dangerous adversaries, and with good reason.
Omphalotus myconids are masters of the production and use of light. While they can learn the vocal languages of others, and while communication from their master myconoid is in the form of chemical signals, their own communication is made up of light signals. They can make their gills light up in a bewildering array of both colours and brightnesses, and this forms both their own language and their primary means of defence. By illuminating caverns with dim ultra-violet light, they can see perfectly well while other creatures struggle to make anything out at all. And by releasing bright flashes in visible and IR light they can confuse and blind opponents.
When fighting, Omphalotus will initially try to blind opponents. Anyone fighting Omphalotus must make a saving throw vs. wands each round for the first 3. Any failed save will render the target blind for 3d6 rounds, as the bright, rhythmic flashes of light they produce dazzle them. For the remainder of the fight any group of Omphalotus of more than 4 will coordinate their light attacks to produce a confusion attack – each round from the 4th any creature within 30’ of the Omphalotus myconids must make saving throw vs. spells or suffer a confusion effect, until fewer than 4 Omphalotus remain active.
Ompalotus and Pilobolus occasionally have overlapping territories, and they can learn to coordinate the explosive attacks of Pilobolus with the light output of Omphalotus to target foes at a great (up to 120’) distance, with devastating effect.
Omphalotus myconids have a morale of 8, unless defending their parent myconoid tettitory, when they will unquestioningly fight to the death.
(the science bit - several species of Ombahlotus mushroom are bioluminescent. One, called the jack-o-lantern, is sometimes bright enough to read by. Obviously if you're creating fantasy myconids for Mystara at least one of them has to be able to glow...)