Legendary Armillaria Dryad

Riddled with white rot, the armillaria dryad is a pitiful creature driven to madness by insidious contagion. Her once-verdant physique is riddled with dense clumps of sallow white mushrooms. The fungus drips a viscous ooze and becomes an adhesive mess when struck. Hints of the dryad’s veins can be seen within the base of the mushrooms wherever they rupture from her bark-like skin. Her hair, somewhere between mangy strands and withered vines, frames feverish features. The infected dryad’s eye sockets are more like swollen knots than anything else, forever weeping spore-clogged pus.

Embraced. Unlink many of her kin, this dryad does not lament her fungal infestation. Through careful cultivation of her tree, she’s grown a mane of armillaria mushrooms so they might spill from her scalp in a foul but glorious imitation of hair. Honeyhair is quite vain about this feature and will go to great lengths to punish anyone who dares harm her ‘luscious locks.’ Her connection with fungus goes deeper than that. She can focus on the growths throughout a forest, bending them to her will and using them as weapons. Honeyhair even controls base spores, making her a vile villain to deal with indeed.

Honeyhair

Medium fey, Chaotic Evil

9 Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

45 (7d8 + 14)

Speed 30 ft

Str 12 Dex 12 Con 15 Int 10 Wis 9 Cha 20

Damage Immunities poison

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9

Languages Elvish, Sylvan

Challenge3 (700 XP)

Infested Stride.5

Once on its turn, the dryad can use 10 ft. of movement to step magically into one living, an infested tree within its reach and emerge from a second living, infested tree within 60 ft. of the first tree, appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 ft. of the second tree. Both trees must be large or bigger. An infested tree is one stricken by a fungal infection or by a swarm of direflies

Magic Resistance.

The fey has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Speak With Beasts and Plants.

The armillaria dryad can communicate with beasts and plants as if they shared a language.

Sticky.

Whenever the armillaria dryad is hit with a melee weapon attack the attacking creature must succeed on a DC 12 Strength save or be disarmed as the weapon sticks to the fey’s body. A creature that can reach the armillaria dryad can use its action to try and wrench an item free, succeeding on a DC 12 Strength check. This effect persists even after the armillaria dryad’s death. Whenever the armillaria dryad is hit with an unarmed attack the attacking creature must succeed on a DC 12 Strength save or become grappled, DC 12 Strength save to escape. While grappled by the fey, the creature has disadvantage on attack rolls until freed. Another creature may attempt to pull the grappled creature free as its action, succeeding on a DC 12 Strength check.

Actions

Multiattack.

Honeyhair makes one Claw and one Hyphae Lash attack.

Claws.

Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (2d4 + 1)slashing damage. In addition, if the target is a creature it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution save or be poisoned until the end of its next turn.

Hyphae Lash.

Melee Magic Attack: +7 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) piercing damage. In addition, if the target is a creature it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution save or be Incapacitated until the end of its next turn.

Fungal Bloom (Recharge 6).

The armillaria dryad ejects spores into the air, coating all objects in a 20ft radius. Any creature in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be outlined in the sickly, yellow light for the next minute. For the duration, objects and affected creatures shed dim light in a 10-foot radius.

At the start of each of its turns, an affected creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution save or be poisoned until the end of its turn. If the affected creature uses an action and a waterskin's worth of liquid or suffers any Fire damage, this effect immediately ends.

Reactions

Honeyhair can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The dryadregains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Claw (1 point).

Honeyhair Makes a Claw Attack.

Stride (1 point).

Honeyhair Moves and may use Infested Stride.

Spore (2 points).

A creature affected by Fungal Bloom that Honeyhair can see within 60ft must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution Saving Throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage. If the creature fails this save, the Fungal Bloom effect on them ends.