1.1 Geology Lab

• In-between Encounter: PCs roll, 1 in 6 chance, then d20 + Depth. If no encounter indication of the encounter rolled would be shared [Depth Crawl and Combined Tables ].
• Location: Geology Lab
• Detail: Custom area, used as part of a quest chain to get to the Library.
• Event d12 (careless): -
• Event d20 (careful): -

A long table with various unusual stones and dirt samples heaped on it sits along the southern wall of this room, while to the north a line of metal desks with glowing panels and buttons are placed next to a large humming device. The heart of this device seems to be some sort of purple plant sitting on a rock. It looks like the plant was contained in a glass cylinder, which now lies shattered all around it. Dust covers much of this room, save for a strangely hollow looking carcass of a rat.

The room is the lair of a recently freed from stasis cerebric fungus. Though the fungus is quite intelligent, its knowledge and experiences are limited to what it knows of its immediate surroundings and some proto-memories inherited from its spores. Capable of communicating telepathically, the creature is as starved for nourishment as it is for conversation, and when it sees the PCs, it immediately contacts them, asking questions like, “Where am I?” and “Who are you?” and “What is this place?” In many ways, the fungus is like a newborn child—it doesn’t even have its own name. Play it up as an inquisitive child, ravenous for information. The creature feeds on "red water" - blood. And it has no qualms about asking for more.
Unfortunately, the fungus is as starved for food as it is for knowledge, and if someone doesn’t keep it distracted with conversation, it eventually moans and gibbers before unleashing its star-shriek, at which point it lunges forward to attack its one-time conversation partners. Likewise, the fungus immediately attacks if it is attacked. It does not pursue the PCs beyond this room, nor does it agree to accompany anyone out of the room — after all, it hasn’t yet built the courage to even accept the idea that there’s a world beyond this lab, much less to set out to and explore.
For the cerebric fungus use a Grell with the following changes:

• Its type is Plant.
• It has 90 hit points.
• It can speak English and has telepathy out to 30 feet.
• Trait - Red Water. Any creature grappled by the cerebric fungus takes 2d4 + 2 necrotic damage at the start of its turn. This otherwise acts as the Feed Me! reaction.
• Reaction - Feed Me! As a reaction, the cerebric fungus may feed on a target that is paralysed. It automatically does 2d4 + 2 necrotic damage to the paralysed target and heals for that much. This feeding can also provide the fungus with temporary hit points. It grows proportionally when this happens.
• Action - Star Shriek (1/Day). A cerebric fungus can unleash a shrill scream of madness. All creatures (except other cerebric fungi) within 30 feet must make a DC 15 Wisdom save or be nauseated for 1d4 rounds.
• Description - A swollen, brainlike bulb encrusted with fungal shelves squats atop several ropy legs. A wide-mouth bisects the bulb’s crown.

Treasure: A small metal box under the easternmost table contains three gravity nullifer's (injection). Each can cast levitate 1 time each. In a draw is a nanite canister (used for implants).

Nauseated. Creatures with the nauseated condition experience stomach distress. Nauseated creatures are unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is to move up to its speed per turn.

cerebric fungus.png