There’s a beautiful yet terrifying concept when using a fungus as the main enemy in a game - The Last of Us is a good example. Creatures that take over the dead and use their bodies as puppets, but they’re not like zombies since the fungus itself is very much living. It’s the perfect juxtaposition of a living creature inside a dead body, which is quite scary when properly used.
Dungeons & Dragonshas had Fungi as a part of it for a while now, from the famous Circle of Spores druid to fungi monsters. The 2025 Monster Manual even gave us a few new options for monsters, which is our focus here.
Despite there being a family of monsters in the 2025 book called Fungi, we’re going to talk about all fungus-related creatures from D&D, not just the ones with the title of Fungi.
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2025 Monster Manual
Though we’re not evaluating them based on raw power but instead overall design, there’s just not much to say about a creature that has a whooping zero as its challenge rating. Its attack is weak; it’ll die with one strike (unless your player manages to make two hit points of damage or less), and it even dies if it stays in the sun too long.
They have a creative ability, however, allowing them to give telepathy to nearby creatures for an hour. That would set them apart if it weren’t for the fact that other Myconids can do the same, though. Still, they can bea good companion.
We’re not done with the weak ones yet; this time, we have a monster that can’t even attack. You could even say this creature has less going for it, but it has a bit more health, immunity to a few conditions, and an ability that is actually exclusive this time.
As a reaction, it makes a shriek that can be heard from 300ft (91m) away, and it’ll continue the noise for a minute or until it dies. Basically, you use this one to alert other fungi of the party’s presence.
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If you want to have a whole campaign that revolves around fungi or something that starts in the Underdark or similar, the Violet Fungus makes for an interesting minion. Its AC is a joke (it’s just five), and its attack bonus and damage are low, but it has an okay health bar for a first-level minion, and it can attack twice per turn.
There’s also the issue that it can barely move, so this creature is more effective when just blending in with the scenario and surprise-attacking players while they’re traversing it.
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Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
If you need something tanky, this one is for you. A perfect blend of life and decay, this elephant-looking fungus is very resistant and has a trait similar to Undead Fortitude from zombies - the one that allows them to stay alive with one hit point after a killing blow.
While they only attack once per turn, it has two damage types and can knock people prone, so it hurts quite a bit. They can also swim, which is just a fun extra.
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With a better AC, health bar, and some good immunities, the spore servant is a more decent challenge for a level-one party and can even work as the party’sfirst boss battle.Its attack even has two damage types already.
Still, as you may expect from a low-level monster, it can’t do much aside from attacking once on its turn. You’ll just be trading basic attacks with the party until someone dies, and that’s about it.
Other books offer variations of the spore servant using specific hosts, such as the Drow (CR: 1/8) and Duergar (CR: 1/2) Spore Servants from Out of the Abyss, among others. These variants don’t have anything that makes them stand out compared to the 2025 Servant, but if you need something weaker, it’s worth checking out. We recommend just nerfing the 2025 one, though, if that’s the case.
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The basic Myconid also works well as a low-level minion. They don’t hit as hard as the servants, and they’re also weaker in the sun, but they also have the telepathic ability as the sprouts do, and more importantly, they can stun people.
By stunning your victim, your attacks (as well as the ones from other monsters) will have an advantage, so tossing a few adults along with the servants, for instance, can make for a terrifying squad.
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We said that a squad of Myconid Adults and servants is powerful, didn’t we? Well, the Sovereign can use nearby corpses to make servants. While that takes hours, that also means they’ll constantly have those around them, and you can even turn fallen PCs into future enemies with ease.
If you want the fight to be more dynamic (and harder), nothing stops you from homebrewing this ability and allowing the Sovereign to make servants in a matter of seconds.
Aside from that, their punches hit harder, and they can attack and stun in the same turn, as well as have telepathy. Essentially, they have all the Myconids tricks up their sleeves.
The Gas Spore Fungus is an interesting concept. It’s weak, it can die in one or two attacks, its attack bonus doesn’t even exist, and the damage from its attacks is laughable. But they have a deadly trait that only activates when they die.
If killed, it’ll spread spores around it, forcing people in the area into a Saving Throw. Whoever fails takes damage and gets the poisoned condition that will last for hours. If not treated until the time is up, the victim will actually just die, and a few Gas Spore Fungi will be born from their corpse.
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The Necrohulk is more of your average monster, with two devastating attacks per turn and the option to throw spore bombs that hurt, poison, and prevent people from recovering health. And it can pull people to it, turning them into part of its body.
When you do that, the target is restrained, and if they die while attached to the monster, it recovers health. The perfect monsterto add some horrorto your campaign.
