Operative (o),  Collective (c)
Number: 1 - 4
Perception: 18, 25
Stealth/ RU: +2
AC: 12-15, 18
MD: 20, 30
Health: 13, 15
Speed: 12, 0
Level: 9, 9
Hit Dice:  (10) 45, (20) 100
THAC: -2 early stages; +0 mid-growth; +4 operative; +6 Collective

Attacks Operative: 1
Weapon by victim: -2/ +0/ +4
Spore infection: special see text
Bone Claw (Full operative only): 1d8+4 + special
mental mutations by victim

Attacks Collective: 4
Fungus Pseudopod: 1d6 + special see text

Defenses Operative:
1/2 dmg.  piercing & stabbing (Full operative only)
regen. 1d6 per round (Full operative only)

Defenses Collective:
regen. 2d8 per round

INT: Very
Morale: 10
Size: M, L
XP: 1000, 6000
Frequency: Common (near collective), Rare
Organization: Telepathic Connection
Activity Cycle: Nocturnal
Diet: Carnivore
Tech Level: III

Loot Type B,C, and I (collective)

Climate/Terrain: Underground/ Ruins

Mental Mutations: Beguiling (10), Telepathy 
Physical Mutations: Infravision, Body Change (fungus)

Description: The growth spores may infect open wounds in animals and insects (plants are immune) or be inhaled or ingested. The growth is hard to describe and can only be noticed in it more advanced stages.  The first signs of an infection is a slight feeling of a presence always around.  Shortly after that a reddish fuzz begins to collect on the victims skin.  The victim retains all motor skills at this point but will begin to hear the collective's thoughts but will not understand them, and only hear a buzz in their ears.  The fuzz grows thicker as the growth continues.  One may be able to poke a finger deep into the body as the flesh is replaced with the fungus.  The victim may begin to feel sluggish and occasionally lose body control to the collective.  The collective has only partial control and the victim may try and fight it (-2 to +0 on all actions).  Seen by outsiders it looks as if they as they are handled by a untrained puppet master.  The victim may still be able to talk at this point and have been known to scream as they commit acts they don't want to. 

In the final stage the body is completely devoured by the growth and only the skeleton and partial nervous system (eyes, brain, spine, some nerves) remain holding the fungus together. The "operative", as they are called at this stage, may combine with the "collective" to add to its mass.  Attempt at telepathy will reveal a being (human or mutant) trapped inside of their body in each frame.  The brain is kept alive and the being knows they are alive, much to their dismay.  They have no control over the body and must ride in their fungus covered skeleton and just watch. The operative will expose the first bone of each finger to use a claw and a way to infect with the growth spores.

The collective is a mass of the growth that has combined into one large mound of skeleton frames and fungus.  Operative skeletons and brains sit back to back inside of the mound and can crawl out taking fungus to cover them. The more operatives the larger the collectives size is. A quite hum can be heard for several yards away from the collective, the sounds of its conversation with the operatives and the collective as a whole.  Each operative that is assimilated has 45% chance of adding its mental mutation to the collective.  When attacked the collective will extend up to four pseudopods made of fungus up to 4 feet out from its mass in an attempt to enter the body of its attacked through the mouth or nose by smacking them.

Habitat: The growth prefers to live in dark, dank underground places, like the ruins of the ancients or deep caves.

Combat: Each operative knows where the rest are at all times.  If one is threatened the rest will come to help.  Often it will try and use beguiling through one of the less advanced victims in an attempt to lure victims closer.  The growth is highly susceptible to fire and will suffer triple damage to such attacks.  Early operatives will be burned alive and scream in pain, but later stages will die silently and collapse in heap of bones.  Full operatives will also receive half damage from all piercing and stabbing weapons and regenerate a a rate of 1d6 each round.