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Fungal-Thrall Shieldbearer

When the dwarven vault of the Iron-Gaze clan fell to an unknown rot, the myconids didn't just conquer the space; they recycled its history. These shieldbearers are the 'Echoes of the Guard,' preserved by fungus to perform the same duty they held in life.

Monsters
Medium plant · CR 4 · Uncommon

Fungal-Thrall Shieldbearer

The reanimated remains of a dwarven vault guard, now controlled by a parasitic fungal hive-mind.
AC20
HP76/76
CR4
Init
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
ConditionsNone

Combat

AC 20 · HP 76 · CR 4

Fungal-Thrall Shieldbearer

Medium plant (dwarf), unaligned
Armor Class20 (Plate, Shield)
Hit Points76 (9d8 + 36)
Speed
25 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Saving ThrowsCONSTR
SkillsAthleticsPerception
Damage Resistances
Poison,
Piercing
Immunities
Charmed,
Frightened,
Exhaustion
Weaknesses
Fire
Senses
Darkvision 60 ft.,
Passive Perception 13
Languages
Understands Dwarvish and Common but cannot speak
Challenge4
Proficiency Bonus+2
Fungal Anchor. The thrall has advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws made against effects that would knock it prone or move it against its will.
Shield Wall. While the thrall is within 5 feet of another creature with a shield, both creatures have advantage on Dexterity saving throws.
Sunlight Sickness. While in sunlight, the thrall has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

Actions

Multiattack. The thrall makes two warhammer attacks or one warhammer attack and one Shield Bash.
Fungal Warhammer. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 () bludgeoning damage plus 3 () poison damage.
Shield Bash. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 () bludgeoning damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Pacifying Spores (Recharge 5-6). The thrall ejects spores in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns.

Reactions

Blinding Spore Burst. When the thrall is hit by a melee attack, its tower shield releases a cloud of blinding spores. The attacker must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of its next turn.
Interpose. When a creature within 5 feet is hit by an attack, the thrall can swap places with that creature and become the target of the attack instead.
Role
Tank / Protector
Built for
5

Gear

  • Rusted Plate Armor (Heavy Armor, 20 gp (as scrap metal))Full plate covered in fungal colonies.
  • Fungal Tower Shield (Shield, 15 gp)A stone shield with internal spore bladders.
  • Fungal Warhammer (Weapon, 10 gp)A heavy stone hammer dripping with toxic mold.

Feats

Sentinel

Augmentations

Mycelial Nervous System (provides Immunity to Charmed/Frightened)

Notes for the game master

Dwarven Reslience is replaced by Fungal Anchor.
Calculated for a defensive line encounter.

Tactics

  1. Opening

    The Shieldbearers form a solid line in a choke point, locking shields and humming in unison.

  2. Mid-fight

    They use Shield Bash to knock intruders prone while using their reaction to blind anyone who manages to hit them.

  3. End of the fight

    If the Memory-Warden is threatened, they abandon the line to swarm the threat, ignoring their own HP.

  4. Retreat

    The Shieldbearers never retreat. They fight until their bodies are reduced to mulch.

How it fights

Coordinate Shield Walls to maximize defense.
Focus Shield Bashes on the most mobile party members to pin them down.
Use Interpose to protect the Memory-Warden or injured allies.

Who it attacks first

Targets within 5 feet of the Memory-Warden
Aggressive melee fighters
Characters dealing fire damage

Works well with

Memory-Warden (Myconid Sovereign) who provides buffs via Rapport Spores.
Gas Spores that can be pushed into the party by the Shieldbearers.
Fungal Creepers that can strike from behind the tower shields.

How to beat it

Fireball or other large AoE fire spells to exploit vulnerability.
Teleportation to bypass the shield line.
Spells that force movement like Gust of Wind or Thunderwave.

Ways to avoid a fight

Characters with high Nature or Medicine might identify a way to soothe the spores using specific minerals.
A dwarf using an old Iron-Gaze command phrase might momentarily stun the thralls' muscle memory.

Ecology

A squat figure clad in rusted, pitted dwarven plate armor. Thick, colorful shelf mushrooms grow out of the visor and armor joints. The creature holds a massive stone tower shield that seems fused to its arm by pulsating white mycelium. A low, rhythmic humming sound vibrates from the fungi-choked cavity where its throat used to be.

Behavior

Dull and robotic until a threat enters the vicinity. They coordinate in silence, moving as a single wall of steel and spores to shield their leaders.

How it lives

The thrall is created when myconid spores penetrate the corpse of a dwarf. The fungus reinforces the skeletal structure and uses the nervous system as a lattice, prioritizing the preservation of the dwarf's defensive training.

Lair

The Myconid-infested Deep Vaults of Khaz-Durin

Habitat
Underground Vaults, Abandoned Dwarven Citadels, Myconid Colonies

Signs that it is near

Thick orange dust coating the floor
A constant low-frequency vibration felt in the teeth
Smell of damp earth and metallic rust
Dwarven runes obscured by mushroom growth

Tags

Myconid,
Fungal,
Thrall,
Guardian,
Dwarf

Lore

When the dwarven vault of the Iron-Gaze clan fell to an unknown rot, the myconids didn't just conquer the space; they recycled its history. These shieldbearers are the 'Echoes of the Guard,' preserved by fungus to perform the same duty they held in life.

What drives it

Total devotion to the protection of the 'Memory-Warden' and the sanctified fungal nursery.

After the fight

Once defeated, the mushrooms quickly digest the remains, leaving behind only a pile of rust and a heavy silence.

Variants

Glowing-Mold Thrall: Emits 20ft light and deals radiant/poison mix.
Iron-Fused Thrall: Higher AC (22) but speed reduced to 15 ft.

Hooks

Plot hooks

The descendants of the Iron-Gaze clan want to reclaim the bodies of their ancestors for a proper burial.
The local alchemist needs the 'Blind-Sight' spores for a new recipe.
The vault's security system is still active, but it now recognizes the fungus as the 'Owner' and is attacking anyone else.

How to use it

The 'Steel Wall' blocking the entrance to the vault's inner sanctum.
A pair of guardians flanking a myconid Sovereign.
Reanimated remains found in a hallway where characters need to move quickly.

Treasure

Dormant Spore Pods (valuable to druids)
Small Gemstones hidden within the rusted plate armor (worth 100 gp total)
The Vault Master's Key (held inside a fungal cavity of one thrall)

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