Zuggtmoy, The Demon Queen of Fungi

large fiend (Demon), chaotic evil

Armor Class: 22 (Natural Armor)

Hit Points: 500 ()

Speed: 40 ft

		Mod	Save
STR	24	+7	+14
DEX	16	+3	+10
CON	24	+7	+14

		Mod	Save
INT	20	+5	+12
WIS	18	+4	+11
CHA	24	+7	+14

Skills: Arcana +12, Deception +14, Insight +11, Perception +11

Damage Resistances: Cold, Fire, Lightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Immunities: Poison, Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned

Senses: Truesight 120 ft., Passive Perception 21

Languages: All, Telepathy 120 ft.

CR: 26 (90,000 XP); PB +8

Traits

Legendary Resistance (3/Day): If Zuggtmoy fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead.

Magic Resistance: Zuggtmoy has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Magic Weapons: Zuggtmoy's weapon attacks are magical.

Regeneration: Zuggtmoy regains 20 hit points at the start of her turn if she has at least 1 hit point.

Innate Spellcasting: Zuggtmoy's spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 23, +15 to hit with spell attacks). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: , ,
3/day each: , , , ,
1/day each: , ,

Actions

Multiattack: Zuggtmoy makes three pseudopod attacks.

Pseudopod: Melee Attack Roll: +15, reach 10ft. Hit: 20 () bludgeoning damage plus 14 () poison damage.

Infestation Spores (3/Day): Zuggtmoy releases spores that burst out in a cloud that fills a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on her, and it lingers for 1 minute. Any flesh-and-blood creature in the cloud when it appears, or that enters it later, must make a DC 23 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is infected with a disease called the spores of Zuggtmoy and also gains a random form of madness that lasts until the creature is cured of the disease or dies. While infected, the creature must repeat the saving throw at the end of every 24 hours, ending the infection on a success. On a failure, the infected creature's body is slowly taken over by fungal growth, and after three such failed saves, the creature dies and is reanimated as a spore servant.

Mind Control Spores (Recharge 5-6): Zuggtmoy releases spores that burst out in a cloud that fills a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on her, and it lingers until the start of her next turn. Humanoids and beasts in the cloud when it appears, or that enter it later, must make a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is charmed by her for 24 hours. While charmed, the creature is under her control.

Reactions

Protective Thrall: When Zuggtmoy is hit by an attack, she can use her Reaction to redirect the harm via her parasitic fungal link to one creature charmed by her within 10 feet. That creature takes the attack's damage and any other effects instead of Zuggtmoy.

Legendary Actions

Zuggtmoy can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Zuggtmoy regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.

Attack: Zuggtmoy makes one pseudopod attack.

Exert Will: One creature charmed by Zuggtmoy that she can see must use its reaction to move up to its speed as she directs or to make a weapon attack against a target that she designates.

Immolating Gaze (Costs 2 Actions): Zuggtmoy targets one creature she can see within 60 feet of her. The target must succeed on a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw or take 36 () psychic damage and be stunned until the end of its next turn.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Zuggtmoy can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; she can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:

Summon Fungi: Zuggtmoy causes four gas spores or violet fungi to appear in unoccupied spaces that she chooses within the lair. They vanish after 1 hour.

Fungal Growth: Zuggtmoy causes fungal growth to erupt from the ground in a 20-foot radius centered on a point she can see within 120 feet of her. The area becomes difficult terrain, and any creature that starts its turn in the area must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn.

Spore Burst: Zuggtmoy releases a burst of spores in a 30-foot radius centered on herself. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn.

Regional Effects

Zuggtmoy's lair is located in Shedaklah, a layer of the Abyss she shares with Juiblex. Her domain is a massive palace made of two dozen interconnected giant mushrooms, each one towering and grotesque. The mushrooms are connected by bridges of fungal growth, and the entire structure is lined with countless chambers and tunnels. The air is thick with spores, and the walls are covered in bioluminescent fungi that cast an eerie glow.
The palace is a labyrinthine network of rooms filled with fungal growths, spore clouds, and the remains of those who have fallen victim to Zuggtmoy's influence. The floors are slick with mold and decay, and the air is filled with the sickly sweet smell of rot. The deeper one goes into the palace, the more oppressive the atmosphere becomes, with the very air seeming to pulse with malevolent life.
The region surrounding Zuggtmoy's lair is warped by her corrupting influence, creating a nightmarish landscape that reflects her power.

Fungal Overgrowth: Within 6 miles of the lair, molds and fungi grow on every surface, even where they would normally find no purchase. Trees and plants are twisted and deformed, covered in a thick layer of fungal growth.

Spore Clouds: Spores drift on the air within 6 miles of the lair, making the area lightly obscured. These spores can cause hallucinations and madness in those who breathe them in for too long.

Fungal Infestation: If a humanoid spends at least 1 hour within 1 mile of the lair, they must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned. While poisoned in this way, the creature takes 14 () poison damage at the start of each of its turns. The poisoned condition lasts until the creature leaves the area and successfully saves against the effect.

Notes

An utterly inhuman being, Zuggtmoy often molds herself into a roughly humanoid form. One of her most common appearances is a skeletally-thin figure draped and veiled in mycelium and lichen. Her body is a grotesque amalgamation of fungal growths, with mushrooms, molds, and other fungi sprouting from her flesh. Her eyes glow with a sickly green light, and her movements are both graceful and unsettling, as if she is constantly on the verge of falling apart and reforming.
Alien in both body and mind, she desires to infect living creatures with her spores, turning them into her mindless slaves before they are reduced to rotting and decomposing hosts for her fungi. Deception, treachery, and subversiveness are her tools, often using her charm and cunning to manipulate others to her advantage. Despite her simple objective of spreading her fungal influence, she is not to be underestimated. Patience and subtlety define her actions, taking pleasure in the slow transformation of enemies into allies and the gradual decay of her foes from the inside out.
Her ultimate ambition is to become the master of all life, creating a single, great organism melded from all living things. She seeks to dominate and control, using her spores to infect and transform creatures into extensions of her will. Her influence extends most prominently with fungi, commanding their servitude and assistance. Desperate to avoid any setbacks in her quest for power, she will go to great lengths to achieve her objectives, including begging for mercy and offering to serve more powerful foes, only to later betray them when the opportunity arises.
A soulless parody of mortal existence, she engages in the many facets of life with a cold and calculating demeanor. Glee is found in the slow rot and decay of her enemies, finding joy in their suffering and transformation. Her patience and subtlety set her apart from her more brutish peers, making her a dangerous and insidious foe. Always looking for ways to expand her influence and power, she uses her cunning and deceit to achieve her goals.
Her presence is a blight on the natural world, spreading like a cancer and corrupting everything it touches. Those who encounter her must be wary of her charm and cunning, for she is a master of manipulation and deceit, always seeking to turn any situation to her advantage.

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