Ring of Fluidity

Ring of Fluidity

Once placed on the finger this ring can only be removed after death (unless Remove Curse is used).  It transforms the internal structure of its wearer under the skin, replacing muscle, bone, and organs with an opaque green goo.  Food is placed in the usual orifice and dissolved internally (nutrition requirements stay the same); nothing is defecated.  The ring wearer can squeeze through finger-width cracks and finger-diameter holes.  The ring wearer no longer ages.

White Water Wyrm and Wyrmlings

[creatures and text by Lee Reynoldson from Fungus Forest, art by moi]

White Water Wyrm A thirty-foot long beast with huge bulging eyes that are perfectly adapted to the darkness of its cave and its waters. It has rubbery white flesh, proto-gills and lungs, diminutive fins and semi-functional limbs. It secretes an oily substance that paralyses those that come into contact with its skin (Saving Throw at -1 penalty to avoid paralysis for 3d6 turns) or are exposed to the water around it (Saving Throw each round at +1 bonus to avoid paralysis for 2d6 rounds). It is also asexual and without another of its species gives birth to batches of White Wyrmlings.  It feeds on its own young, forcing the Wyrmlings to flee the lake and inhabit the underground river system. It is a dangerous predator in the water, but it can, and does, waddle onto land from time to time. White Wyrmlings Offspring of the White Water Wyrm. These vile looking things resemble aquatic tapeworms with teeth. They thrash about a single victim in a swarm. Anyone who succumbs to the paralyzing poison that seeps from the Wyrmlings' skin or from their bites will be eaten. If they are successful in paralyzing a victim, they will devour him in just four combat rounds. If left to feed they will not attack anyone else. If the party tries to rescue their paralyzed comrade the swarm will retaliate. If a swarm is reduced to four or less HP it will swim away.

White Water Wyrm AC: 3 [16] HD: 5 (24 HP) Move: 4; 16 Swim Attacks: 1 Bite (2d6) Save: 16 Special: Immune to poison; Secretes poison (on contact: -1 to Save, paralyzed 3d6 turns; in water: +1 to Save, paralyzed 2d6 rounds) XP: 600

White Wyrmling Swarm AC: 9 [10] HD: 2 (9 HP) Move: 12 Swim Attacks: 1 Swarm Frenzy (Poison) Save: 18 Special: Poison (Save or paralyzed for 2d6 rounds); Devour paralyzed victim in 4 rounds; Immune to poison XP: 50

The Fungus Forest is an old-school adventure location suitable for low level play, available at DriveThruRPG as a pay-what-you-want .PDF (please download it for free if you can't afford to contribute anything, we want this in the hands of gamers!).  

Fungus Forest (C)2016 by Lee Reynoldson and Carl Nash

Tusked Demon Mask of the Phoenix Society

This mask was fashioned from the flayed face of a minor demon lord named Anshagali whose soul was bound into the artifact during its making.  The mask has been owned by the Phoenix Society for generations, and is associated with dance regalia of that society including a magnificent cape of purple and green iridescent feathers trimmed with red fox fur (Cape of Speed x2 Movement, +1 Attack) and a woven porcupine-quill chest piece beaded with a radiating geometric sunburst pattern (Chest Piece of Defense AC 2 [17]).

The mask is only worn by the mentally and physically strongest warriors during the private dance ceremonies of the society, particularly at the ceremonies marking initiation into a deeper level of the society, but its existence is well known throughout the tribe because of the tell-tale glowing red eyes of the society members who have worn it.  These warriors are known as the Ashes of the Phoenix and must swear a lifetime vow of celibacy and ascetic living before donning the mask.  Anshagali longs to be freed from the control of the Phoenix Society and constantly whispers in the minds of those unfortunate souls bound to him through chains of ancestral history to steal him from the Phoenix Society House away into the jungle.

Tusked Demon Mask by Emma Nash, Photoshop flames by Carl Nash

Anyone who dons the mask even once gains permanent darkvision to 180' as well as eyes that always glow red in the dark with the strength of a candle (Remove Curse will reverse both conditions).  When the sun is down Anshagali can communicate telepathically with everyone who has ever worn the mask and any of their descendants born after the mask was worn  (nothing short of divine intervention can prevent this).  A strict diet of fish and bland starchy vegetables (no fruits, nothing spicy, no red meat) reduces the volume of Anshagali's whispers to a low murmuring that can be easily ignored.

While wearing the mask, Anshagali grants +2 to STR and DEX, immunity to fire/heat (although cold and water do double damage), and a natural bite and tusk attack for 1d8+2 damage +ongoing 2 HP damage until magical cure or Remove Curse.  All damage dealt by the bite attack (including ongoing) accumulates as charges for the mask on a 1 HP = 1 Charge basis (charges reset with each new wearer).  Charges can be spent as follows:
1 Charge: +1d6 fire damage to any attack (maximum +3d6 to a single attack)
1 Charge: +1 to hit on any attack roll (maximum +3 to a single attack)
5 Charges: 30' cone of fire, 15' wide at apex, bursts from the mask's mouth (5d6, Save for 1/2)
10 Charges: Bursts of fire from the eyes, 100' range, 5d6 (no save)
10 Charges (must be night time): Anshagali Possession - become the fiery incarnation of the imprisoned demon soul for 2d6 rounds.  The body of the mask-wearer completely disappears and is replaced with a hovering ball of fire that crackles around the mask.  The mask wearer gains 50 temporary HP but takes 1d6 damage per round of the possession that is removed from the permanent HP pool.  Instant death results if this damage reduces HP to 0, and the physical body never reappears in this case (completely consumed by the mask).  If the temporary HP are exhausted by attacks or a cumulative total of 25 HP cold or water damage are received, the possession is ended instantly.

While possessed by Anshagali the following attacks can be made (choose one per turn):  Fire Lash x2 attacks, 25' range, 3d6 fire damage and pull/slide the victim up to 10', Save to avoid being knocked prone; Flame Burst 15' radius blast centered on mask, 5d6 (Save for 1/2) and pushed back 10', and knocked prone if Save failed; Fire Sword 5d12 melee
At Will Spell-Like Abilities: Teleport (180' distance max, line of sight to destination required, no chance of failure); Knock/Open Lock; Major Illusion (concentration required to maintain); Silence 15' Radius; Telepathy (180' range);
Once per Possession: Death Gaze, Save or Die, 180' range

A Save is required at the end of the possession, failure allowing Anshagali to posses the individual once a day at any range for 2d6 rounds, during which time Anshagali is in complete control.  A new save is permitted at the end of each day that Anshagli does take active possession, at a cumulative -1 penalty after each subsequent failed save.

Anshagali has INT 17 WIS 9 CHA 20

Anshagali was never the cautious calculated sort as a demon lord and has only grown more impatient and reckless as an artifact mask.

The Most Interesting Treasure Trove In The World

[Fungus Forest text by Lee Reynoldson]

Dark Fey are evil fairies. Like fairies, they are small (six inches) magical creatures with wings. They have small horns, protruding fangs, claws, scaly grey skin, and bat-like wings.

The Dark Fey and their foul creations the Wassermen are evil through and through. Their only
interest is in slaying anyone they come across... especially their neighbors the Draklings. They
cannot be reasoned with and the only communication a party will have with them is being taunted
and threatened.  The Wassermen spend most of their time in the large underground lake and the rest patrolling the underground river system.

High above the ground, carved twenty feet up the wall above the south shore, there are hundreds of tiny cave
mouths. These are the homes of the Dark Fey.

If things go bad they retreat into their tunnels, which are 7-10 inches high and 5 inches wide. The tunnel complex stretches far into the walls, making the Dark Fey relatively safe once they retreat into them.

Clever adventurers may shrink themselves, using magic or the Grow-Shrink Shrooms, to infiltrate the Dark Fey cave system.

The Dark Fey raise tarantula-sized wolf spiders in their cave system. They will attempt to lure intruders deep into the complex to their temple, the large chamber shaped like a spider. The Dark Fey will flee out the far exit of the temple while dozens of wolf spiders attack from their nests in the “arms” of the spider cave.  The Dark Fey keep no treasure in their complex.


Straight from the water near the middle of the north shore of the lake there is a ten-foot cliff leading up into a cave. The Wassermen have covered the surface of the rock in slimy moss to make it treacherously slippery and very difficult to scale. For years the Dark Fey have been hoarding treasure in this cave that they or their Wassermen have salvaged from the Shroomenkin’s dump, stolen from other creatures within the forest, taken from adventurers and pilfered from the surrounding countryside. They spread rumors of their hoard as bait to lure new victims to slay.

Get the Fungus Forest yourself as a pay-what-you-want .PDF with full color illustrations and interior layout at DriveThruRPG.com and find out what other strange delights lurk within!

Fungus Forest Reviews

The first few reviews for the Fungus Forest pay-what-you-want adventure location are starting to roll in.

Needles at "Swords & Stitchery" gave a very detailed and enthusiastic review.  I loved all the ideas presented in the review about how to integrate the Fungus Forest into different genres - great stuff!  You should read the whole review but the last paragraph has a nice summation:

"So why all of the serious fungal talk about the Fungus Forest adventure? Well because it happens to include a full OSR monster tool kit for creating your own fungus monsters and encounters;"Ready Reference Appendices: Formatted in black and white with printable margins to enable home printing for easy in-game reference; Appendix I - Random Fungus Generator; Appendix II - Magic Mushrooms of the Fungus Forest; Appendix III - Fungus Forest Bestiary (30+ unique entries); Appendix IV - Printable Fungus Forest Map." This makes inserting the Forest and its monsters into your old school campaigns a snap! Do I think you should grab this adventure? Yes! Today,now, and start using one of the most underappreciated types of horrors for your game today. A hearty five out of five. "

A second (much shorter) review was posted on DriveThruRPG by user "Zero C":

"I am vey impressed! I picked this up for a look, even though I haven't played OSR rules since the 1990's. I discovered this 71 page adventure site is well-written, well-formatted, and nicely illustrated."

But don't take Zero C and Needle's words on it - download the Fungus Forest and see for yourself!  "Pay what you want" means you are welcome to download for free if you can't contribute anything.  I guarantee it is a great value for the money :)  Full color cartography, art and layout including "The Ring of the Restless Dead" from cave C13 (pen & ink drawing by yours truly colored in Photoshop):