Medium–Size Plant

Hit Dice: 9d8+18 (58 hp)

Initiative: +0

Speed: 30 ft

AC: 16 (+6 natural)

Attacks: 2 claws +8 melee

Damage: Claw 1d6+2

Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/5 ft

Special Attacks: Spore cloud, disease

Special Qualities: Plant, damage reduction 20/+1, weapon immunity, electricity immunity

Saves: Fort +8, Ref +3, Will +3

Climate/Terrain: Any temperate or warm land

Organization: Pack (2–4)
Challenge Rating: 5

Treasure: Standard

Alignment: Always chaotic neutral

Advancement: 10–27 HD (Medium–size)

The dusanu, or rot fiend, is a horrifying and intelligent humanoid that appears as a yellowing, mold-encrusted human (or humanoid) skeleton, often wearing tattered clothing. Its strange eyes flicker with a haunting blue light, and the foul air near a dusanu is tainted with the spores of its terrible dry rot. The dusanu is actually a fungal colony inhabiting a human or humanoid skeleton. Its “hive mind" grants the creature its intelligence and will. Mold inhabits every crevice of the host skeleton save the eye sockets, from which it emits the strange waste fumes that cause the dusanu's eyes to flicker with an eerie blue light.

Rot fiends appear to communicate through the release of spores and can sense one of their own up to 10 miles away.

   Periodically, a dusanu must renew its mold colony by launching spores onto a carcass, rotting tree limb, or other dead object. The spores rapidly grow into mold that consumes the decaying material before launching new revitalized spores that feed on the previous mold colony to build a new one. The mold on the dead material dies after it has used up its food supply. In this way, a rot fiend can consume an entire body or tree trunk the size of itself in less than three hours.

Combat

In battle, dusanu are intelligent and very cunning. The monsters always attack with their moldy claws.

   Spore Cloud (Ex): When attacking, a rot fiend pack attempts to form a spore-radiating circle around the opponent. As a rot fiend attacks, its spores radiate outward in a 5-foot radius around its body. Any creature that contacts the cloud takes 1d8 points of damage and must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 16) or become infected with rot fiend fungus.

   Disease (Ex): Rot fiend fungus—spore cloud, Fortitude save (DC 16), incubation period 1d3 days; 1d8 temporary Constitution (see below and see Disease, page 74 in the DMG).

   Weapon Immunity (Ex): A dusanu takes half damage from piercing weapons.

   Electricity Immunity (Ex): Dusanu take no damage from electricity.

   Plant: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. Not subject to critical hits. Dusanu have darkvision with a range of 60 feet.

ROT FIEND FUNGUS

A rot fiend reproduces by infecting humans and other humanoids with its poisonous spores. Those infected do not show any outward signs of infection for the duration of the incubation, save for an achy rash. The various cure spells have no effect on the victim.

   At the end of the incubation period, yellowish mold erupts from the victim’s skin. Each day the victim must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 16) or become overgrown with mold, suffering 1d8 points of temporary Constitution damage. The spores can be destroyed with a remove disease.

   If a victim dies from rot fiend fungus, his body will lie dormant for 1d4 days before animating and creating a new dusanu. The character loses all former abilities and memories.