Mushroom Theron
Mushroom Theron — The Encounter
Hooded spore-warden of the toadstool ring · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Mushroom Theron
Among the fungal folk of the deep wood, the Theron is the appointed guardian of a single toadstool ring, sworn to it from the day its cap first breaks the loam. It does not speak, for its tongue is mycelium and its voice is the slow pulse of spores upon the night air; yet it understands the speech of trespassers well enough to judge them. By day it sleeps half-buried in the ring it tends, indistinguishable from the lesser mushrooms around it. By night it patrols on quiet feet, maul slung across its back, releasing clouds of luminous spore to dizzy and choke any who would trample its charge. Druids and hedge-witches court the Therons with offerings of rich compost and rotting wood, for a tended ring will yield rare medicinal caps. Those who instead take by force find the whole circle rising against them, every toadstool a soldier and the Theron its captain.
Run Mushroom Theron in Sixty Seconds
- Hold its turn near clusters Spore Cloud (DC 12 Con) blankets a 10-ft radius and slaps disadvantage on attacks; let the party bunch, then pop it.
- Open with the maul on a soft target the Toadstool Maul carries its own poison save, so lead on the healer or caster, not the tank.
- Veil of Spores taxes melee remind players that every hit on the Theron risks 1d8 poison back, encouraging them to range it down.
- When bloodied, fall back to the ring retreat over fungal terrain it ignores and bait pursuers into the next spore burst.
- Three ways to run it lone harasser in a bog, a pack guarding a toadstool circle, or an elite add anchoring a bigger fungal lair.
Mushroom Theron
Small plant, neutral
CR 2 · 450 XP · GUIDELINESpore Cloud (Recharge 5-6). Signature. When the Theron takes damage, or as a bonus action, it bursts a gout of luminous spores. Each creature within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn; a poisoned creature has disadvantage on attack rolls.
Fungal Footing. The Theron ignores difficult terrain made of mud, fungus, or undergrowth, and has advantage on saving throws against being knocked prone or grappled.
Actions
Multiattack. The Theron makes one Toadstool Maul attack and one Spore Dagger attack.
Toadstool Maul. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6+1) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn.
Spore Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+2) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) poison damage.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Veil of Spores. Reaction: When a creature the Theron can see hits it with an attack, the Theron releases a stinging puff; the attacker must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 4 (1d8) poison damage.
A knee-high warden swaddled in a dusk-pink robe, its face hidden behind a scarf and the great spotted toadstool cap that grows from its very skull. In one fist a slender spore-dagger, in the other a mushroom-headed maul that puffs glowing motes with every swing.
Mushroom Theron, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINESpore Ward (signature). Once per short rest, as a reaction when an ally within 10 feet is hit, the Theron exhales protective spores granting that ally resistance to the triggering damage.
Actions
Toadstool Maul. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6+1) bludgeoning damage.
Reactions
Veil of Spores. When the Theron is hit by an attack, the attacker must make a DC 12 Constitution save or take 4 (1d8) poison damage.
Bound by a druid's pact, the little warden plods at heel, puffing healing motes over wounded friends and choking foes who press too close.
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.
Open by closing to a clustered group and triggering Spore Cloud so the front rank fights at disadvantage. Maul the spellcaster or healer first, and let Veil of Spores punish whoever swings back. Pair two or three Therons around their toadstool ring to keep the poisoned condition stacked on the party.
Run it as an elite add beside a larger fungal threat, leading the spore burst on turn one to soften clustered PCs. Focus the maul on anyone lacking poison resistance and keep it adjacent so Veil of Spores bleeds melee attackers. Do not field it alone; it shines anchoring a lair full of lesser mushroom-folk.
Use it as the spore-captain at the heart of a fungal lair, never as a standalone boss. Burst Spore Cloud the instant the party bunches, then maul-lock the squishiest target while Veil of Spores taxes every retaliation. Pair it with a bigger centerpiece monster so the action economy stays in your favor.
Put Mushroom Theron 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 Mushroom Theron?
Its home build is CR 2 (450 XP): AC 14, 45 HP, +4 to hit, save DC 12. Tier-up tables scale it to roughly CR 6 and CR 11 for higher-level tables without changing how it plays.
Can Mushroom Theron be a companion or ally?
Yes. The 'Theron, Bound' sidebar gives a druid-pact version (AC 14, 27 HP) that shields allies with Spore Ward and still puffs poison at anyone who strikes it.
Is the Theron a solo boss?
No. It is an add-on built for packs and lairs; it lacks legendary actions, so a four-PC party will out-act it. Pair it with a larger centerpiece monster.
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.
Technical Specifications
32mm, 75mm
STL, Pre-supported STL
Standard or ABS-like resin, 0.05mm layer height
Yes — ready to print, optimized supports included
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