Zuggtmoy – Temple of Elemental Evil Lore

This page contains lore information about monsters taken from TSR’s original AD&D adventure, the Temple of Elemental Evil.

ZUGGTMOY (Demoness Lady of Fungi)

FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1 (unique)
ARMOR CLASS: 0 (body) or -2 (head)
MOVE: 15″ (6″ on walls or ceilings) or 12 ” in human form
HIT DICE: 49 (222 hp)
% IN LAIR: 40%
TREASURE TYPE: H, S, T
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 + 2 or 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-8 each (x4) or 2-12/2-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES: + 2 or better weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 85%
INTELLIGENCE: Genius
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Evil
SIZE: L (M in human form)
PSIONIC ABILITY: 222
Attack/Defense Modes: All/All

Zuggtmoy, Demoness Lady of Fungi, dread and fell ruler of the 222nd ghastly plane of the Abyss, aspired to establish her rule over a portion of the world. With the aid of luz, she formed the Temple of Elemental Evil and for a time wrought death, destruction, and great suffering. Then the forces of Good fought a campaign against her, and she was surprised and bound during the intaking of the Temple. The opposing clerics and magicusers confined her somewhere beneath the ground, reputedly with the aid of one or more deities.

Though Zuggtmoy has a relatively light armor class for a major demon, she has a great number of hit points. Further, she regenerates 1 hit point per round, or double that if standing upon or in loose soil.

In her natural form, Zuggtmoy is able to move rapidly despite her bulk, and can walk on walls or even inverted (such as on ceilings), though such modes reduce the maximum rate. She can use her 4 pseudopods to strike opponents, each inflicting 2-8 points of damage. Up to two hits can be made on a single opponent; if both hit, an additional 5-8 points of crushing damage also applies (a total damage of 9-24 points for the two blows). Zuggtmoy may choose to trample, instead of striking with blows. Trampling, effective only against prone or small (under 4′ ) creatures, consists of two attacks against one opponent, each inflicting 2-12 points of damage; if both hit, the victim is also stunned for 1-4 rounds.

In her human form, appearing as an old and feeble crone, Zuggtmoy can only attack with some weapon or spell-like power (at 22nd level of magic use).

Zuggtmoy has the following spell-like powers, each usable at will:

anti-plant shell
astral spell
charm plants
continual darkness
detect good
detect magic
entangle
fear 15′ radius
improved invisibility
hold plant
levitate
locate plants
plant door
plant growth
pass plant
pollute food & drink
programmed illusion
read languages
read magic
silence 15′ radius
snare
speak with plants
telekinese (10,000 gp weight)
tongues
transport via plants
trip

She can become ethereal twice per day, and can use each of the following once per day: limited wish, gate, summon fungi. Her gate (70% successful) may be attempted up to once per round, but will succeed only once daily; it summons (01-50) 1-4 Type I demons, (51-75) 1-3 Type II demons, (76-90) 1-2 Type III demons, ‘or (91-00) 1 babau demon. (The first three are described in the AD&D� MONSTER MANUAL, pages 16- 18. See MONSTER MANUAL II, page 36, for the babau.)

When Zuggtmoy uses her summon fungi ability, refer to that table and roll 1d6 to find the monsters responding. The monsters arrive within 1 round, oozing forth from her bloated body. All fungi are described below, in addition to the standard listings. Whenever Zuggtmoy is in her lair, she is accompanied by all of the creatures on the summoning table (in the maximum numbers given), as well as poisonous toadstools, molds (brown, russet, and yellow), and a host of other dangerous and disgusting growths.

As she is currently bound in a portion of the dungeons of her own creation, the XP award for Zuggtmoy’s conquerors is much less than normal: 28,770. (See area 353 for details on her limits, and for revised XP values if she is partially freed.)

Description: Zuggtmoy’s natural form is bulbous. She resembles a puffball mushroom with a toadstool growing on top. Four elephantine legs with suckered bottoms support the spherical body. The globular torso is flattened at the bottom and bulges at its equator, so that the legs reach to a bit over 3-foot height, the body another 30 inches higher, but with a horizontal diameter of nearly five feet. The mushroom-stem neck is two feet long, capped by a head which appears to have squashed humanoid features. The eyes are round, black, and blank-looking.

Zuggtmoy can extrude a pair of three-foot long pseudopodial arms from either hemisphere of her body, at will. These growths can extend opposing digits if desired.

The body coloration is variable, as Zuggtmoy is able to change it to suit her surroundings, though she is typically of a pale grayish-white or brownish-white color, the head slightly darker. Color can be moss green, dull brown, red-orange, mottled purple, etc., ranging the whole spectrum of colors possible to fungi growths. Body texture and odor are likewise obviously fungoid. In all, Zuggtmoy is revolting to behold and disgusting to smell; blotchy patches of mold, smut, and blight cover her body. Her strength is great (19), and her gross weight is quite high, despite her fungoid natureover 2,000 pounds.