How many adventurers over the centuries have come into contact with a mimic – one of Dungeons & Dragons weirdest and most iconic monsters – without completely losing their shit? I’m guessing all of them. So, why would the mimic inhabiting Gnomengarde have such an extreme effect on King Korboz?

But wait, there’s another gnome on the other side of Gnomengarde’s waterfall named Facktoré, who is also wigging out. Facktoré, it would seem, is going postal. At least that’s my observation, since she’s shooting up her workplace with her auto loading crossbow platform after working a little too hard.

Two gnomes. Two breakdowns. Two different causes. Concurrently. Wat?

Let’s inject a dose of sanity into the madness vexing Gnomengarde. What else could send some gnomes on a bad trip?

Shroomsss maaannn…

Or more specifically, spores of Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungi!

The Gnomengardians rely on mushrooms as a staple to illuminate their caves, lubricate their machinery, make their bread, and ferment their wine. But, what if some evil infected that industry? What if, apropos of nothing, a Bridesmaid of Zuggtmoy or a Chamberlain of Zuggtmoy sprouted up among the misty mushroom islands outside Gnomengarde, waded across the shallow pool of water, and found its way into the nearby caves to infect its inhabitants with their Infestation Spore special ability to drive them mad?

Under the influence of the spores, perhaps King Korboz thought the privy he was sitting upon transformed into a monstrosity that, to hear him tell it, sounds as if it was a mimic. But to anyone not under the effect of the spores, it was in fact just a privy.

By this description, let the characters think they’re on the hunt for a mimic (because you know they’ll puzzle it out), when in fact, there is a monster that causes indefinite madness on the loose in Gnomengarde, causing gnomes to hallucinate. Or several of them (a Bridesmaid of Zuggtmoy is only 1/8 CR, but has the same Infestation Spore special ability. So throw a few bridesmaids in there, if you like).

Of course, for a low-level adventure, the Infestation Spore special ability for the Bridesmaid/Chamberlain of Zuggtmoy is a little too deadly. To steer clear, I’d recommend juvenile versions of the monster. Reduce the effect of the juvenile monster’s Infestation Spore special ability to short-term madness for the first failed saving throw, long-term madness for the second failed save, and indefinite madness for the third. The spores are potent from the juvenile versions of these monstrosities, but not deadly (unless you have access to a auto loading crossbow platform).

If the characters are able to defeat the mushroom monstrosities lurking about the cave, the adventure can shift to how the party can cure King Korboz and any afflicted subjects of their madness. I have some thoughts on that. We’ll cover them in tomorrow’s update. Thanks for reading!

If you’d like to support my work, please consider downloading my latest title on the Dungeon Master’s Guild, Along The Triboar Trail: Cragmaw Country. All of my titles on Dungeon Master’s Guild are free/PWYW. Thanks for reading!