New Fungal Horror (Creature Suggestion)

[Berzerker Jay]

Okay, imagine a gigantic mushroom that grows back if cut down -- (maybe some particular method is required to permanently destroy it, or maybe it gets weaker each time until it finally dies) -- and after a set counter it releases a cloud of spores. Overnight small fungal larvae emerge from the ground around the mushroom and wander off in search of prey!

These larvae should be fairly weak, comparable to dogs, but attacking in swarms. When they feast on prey they start another counter and go wandering aimlessly. When the counter expires they sit down and spray out a cloud of spores that falls on the ground -- larva has disappeared -- and another gigantic mushroom grows in its place. The cycle repeats anew, and a fungal scourge slowly spreads out across the land.... Essentially each mushroom acts as a nest spawning the larvae who set out, feast, and then wander off to become new nests.

On the story-side, I see pest-control becoming a valuable endeavour. Factions should offer a bounty on the giant mushrooms, and jobs protecting against larval raids might be offered by towns and farms. Alternatively, the fungi could be controlled and directed to the outskirts of a town as an aid in laying siege.

[The first samurai]

okay make kenshi to last of us

[Berzerker Jay]

I don't think that's so productive a comment. Maybe if you describe how you perceive this making Kenshi into the Last of Us, then something can actually be done with your input.

I personally think that perception is based on some pretty steep assumptions. Why would we cover the entire map with one creature, for example? Obviously this would be subject to the same elements of play that other creatures are in the game, and it might only spawn in one biome. So spreading out of that biome would be little easier than for the Fogmen to spread out of Fog Islands.

Have you grown tired of getting attacked by Fogmen in Blister Hill?

I appreciate input, but can we keep it productive?

[Hatsune_Neko]

problem is.
exponential growth. this is more of a end of the world type monster.

[Chinsei]

problem is.
exponential growth. this is more of a end of the world type monster.

Perhaps there could be various 'treasure' type hunts.

Where you might be warned against unleashing some unspeakable horror type thing. that might have them spawn. when you ignore them.

maybe not a giant spore monster but perhaps some form of self replicating skeleton. perhaps it could be similar to a zombie plague , when they kill a living thing they could use 'nano' machines to infect an reanimate them.

[Hatsune_Neko]

i have 7 Days to Die for my zombie plagues. and someone long ago did a zombie mod for this game already.

Personally i prefer kenshi, the sword fighting crafting game, not the Robot Zombie plague while fighting off the Last of US spore plague.

[Chinsei]

i have 7 Days to Die for my zombie plagues. and someone long ago did a zombie mod for this game already.

Personally i prefer kenshi, the sword fighting crafting game, not the Robot Zombie plague while fighting off the Last of US spore plague.

Sigh. people are to literal minded.

It doesn't have to be actual zombies. and it doesn't have to stop being about sword combat, or martialarts. just because there are hidden dangers that could potentially endanger the world. that have to be fought off.

the world of Kenshi did face an apocalypse type event supposedly so some traces of what caused it could still be around . and theres no reason it has to be nukes or something.

perhaps the Skeletons were slaves gained sentience, over whelmed the populace. perhaps there are some laying dormant somewhere and replicating themselves with 'flesh' and other materials wouldn't be impossible.

and could add to the risks of exploring. they don't have to be invincible or numerous enough to wipe out the world pop.

[Berzerker Jay]

Maybe there could be some sort of behavioural switch once a certain local population is achieved. Like, if there are such and such a number of nests around, then the colony goes aggro and all its larvae start hunting. This could make sense from an evolutionary point of view, as if they become too numerous they'll run out of food sources, and so any genetic stock that's missing this "trait" would die out for lack of resources, while the populations that sense quorum and eventually transition from establishing new nests to banding together and hunting would succeed.

[Berzerker Jay]

Another mechanism that could limit their exponential growth would be a distance limit for new nests. Maybe they would need to be built within a certain range to the original, and the story behind that could be that they are interconnected and the mother-colony is needed to grow the new colonies.

[Sol Lignum]

Another mechanism that could limit their exponential growth

That would only make plague centralized, if left untreated, it'll grow hell outta map pretty soon. Although it would be quite possible to make a bee-line through those fungi and eventually wipe the mothernest. Meh, doesn't sounds good to me anyway. Haven't played any last of us cuz pc masterrace, so i've no general idea how is this a rip-off, just in general, all of this sounds controversial and i imagine player finding themselves in a situation when fungi took over a considerable area and killed all hemp traders or something... I'm teared. On the one hand: eh! dynamic world events with consequences, cool. and on the other hand: meh, fungi?

[Berzerker Jay]

Isn't that the same when a nest is found on a road? Or when we roam through Fogmen territory?