Gloomcap
maul-and-scythe bruiser of the fungal warband
Gloomcap — The Encounter
maul-and-scythe bruiser of the fungal warband · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Gloomcap
The Gloomcap is the warband's bruiser, the cap the colony sends when a line needs breaking. Its stone maul knocks prey to the ground; its reaping scythe finishes whatever lies there, and it hits hardest against the fallen. Where the Mycelion holds, the Gloomcap advances, a slow grinding pressure that turns a held line into a broken one. When struck deep its great cap floods the air with a lingering poison that clings to whoever stands too close. Grove-lore names it the harvest-cap, for the rhythm of its work: knock down, reap, step over, repeat. It is muscle, not a mind, and depends on the warband to keep nimble foes off its blind, slow flanks.
Run Gloomcap in Sixty Seconds
- Maul first then knock a target prone before reaping.
- Reap the fallen then Heavy Hitter adds damage against the prone.
- When bloodied then Spore Bloom poisons everyone within ten feet.
- Stay in formation then let the line keep nimble foes off your flanks.
Gloomcap
Medium plant, neutral
CR 3 · 700 XP · GUIDELINEHeavy Hitter. When the Gloomcap scores a critical hit or hits a creature that is prone, it deals an extra 4 (1d8) damage.
Spore Bloom. The first time the Gloomcap is bloodied, spores erupt from its great cap. Each creature within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution save or be poisoned for 1 minute, repeating the save at the end of each of its turns.
Actions
Multiattack. The Gloomcap makes one Stone Maul attack and one Scythe attack.
Stone Maul. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+3) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength save or be knocked prone.
Scythe. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10+3) slashing damage.
A broad, scale-plated brute under a heavy spotted cap, a stone maul in one fist and a long scythe in the other, smashing foes flat and reaping them where they fall.
Guideline numbers — formula-tuned and read from the miniature's design, not yet table-proven. Tell us how it ran in the comments.
How It Fights — by Tier
Same creature, scaled threat. The traits never change; only the numbers move.
Lead with Stone Maul to knock a target prone, then reap with the Scythe for the Heavy Hitter bonus. Hold position with the Mycelions; when bloodied, let Spore Bloom blanket the cluster in poison.
Advance behind the screen as the warband's hammer. Knock prone, then carve; pair with Mosskels who exploit the downed. Stay in the formation so flankers can't reach your slow flanks.
Fight as the breaching bruiser of a full warband. Flatten the front rank, reap the prone, and let Spore Bloom punish the press. It is muscle for the pack, never a solo boss.
Put Gloomcap on the table
Download the presupported STL and run the fight tonight — the model, and the encounter that comes with it.
Get the STL on MyMiniFactory →Clay Cyanide Companion Rules v1
How a bound creature acts
- A companion acts on its owner's initiative, immediately after the owner.
- It uses the Companion block above — roughly ×0.6 HP and damage, no recharge abilities, and at most one reaction trait.
- It moves freely; it takes its Action only while its owner is conscious.
- At 0 HP a companion is broken, not dead — restored on a long rest unless your table rules otherwise.
Original Clay Cyanide material © Clay Cyanide LLC — explicitly not the non-SRD official sidekick rules.
Questions, Asked at the Table
What CR is Gloomcap?
Gloomcap is CR 3 (700 XP) at native Tier 1, a touch above the rank-and-file. Use AC 16 / ~133 HP for Tier 2 or AC 18 / ~203 HP for Tier 3; traits stay identical and only the numbers scale.
How does Gloomcap fight alongside the rest of the Shroomkin?
It is the bruiser. The Gloomcap advances with the Mycelion wall, knocks foes prone with its maul, and reaps them with its scythe while flankers finish the downed. It breaks lines for the warband.
Is Gloomcap a solo threat?
No. It is strong but slow with no legendary actions, and nimble foes punish its flanks. Run it as the warband's hammer, supported by lighter caps.
Tell Us How It Ran
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD 5.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Clay Cyanide Miniatures is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. This content is compatible with the fifth edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. Companion rules, lore, names, and original mechanics © Clay Cyanide LLC.
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