I’m a fan of myconids and trying my hand at designing player ancestries. I have seen forum posts saying people would like a myconid and I’ve done my best to try and make something balanced. This is power focused to keep the flavor of using spores as your primary thing as a myconid rather than adding tools, weapons, and armor proficiencies and the like so I hope it works out. Plus, fungi are very versatile, thus all the ‘build it your way,’ in attributes.

I am VERY open to feedback. I hope other fans enjoy this at their table if it turns out balanced enough for you and yours. Enjoy!

Myconid

Ability Score Increase: Choose one ability score to increase by 2, and another ability score to increase by 1. Alternatively, you can increase three different ability scores of your choice by 1.

Size: Myconids can range in height from 4 to 6 feet and weigh between 60 – 177 pounds and are Medium sized.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern colors in darkness, only shades of gray.

Languages: Myconids are a non-verbal race. You can communicate telepathically with other myconids within 120 feet of you. While any creatures are affected by your Rapport Spores ability, you can understand all languages spoken by these creatures.

Rapport Spores: A 20-foot radius of spores extends from you. These spores can go around corners and affect only creatures with an Intelligence of 2 or higher that aren't undead, constructs, or elementals. Affected creatures can communicate telepathically with one another while they are within 30 feet of each other. The effect lasts for 1 hour.

Pacifying Spores: As an action, you can eject spores at a creature you can see within 5 feet of you. The target must succeed on a DC (8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus) Constitution saving throw or be stunned for 1 minute (10 rounds). At the end of each of its turns, the target can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. You can use this ability once, and you must complete a short rest to regain the use of this ability.

Animating Spores: At 1st level, as an action, you can release spores at the corpse of a medium-sized or smaller beast or humanoid creature within 5 feet of you. The spores infuse the corpse, animating it as a Spore Servant within ten minutes. The Spore Servant becomes undead and falls under your control. The Spore Servant is initially limited in its abilities, being able to speak and understand any languages it had in life but having limited mobility. If the creature's brain is mostly intact, you can ask the Spore Servant up to 5 questions, which it must answer honestly to the best of its ability. The spore servant remains animated for up to 24 hours, until you dismiss it, or until it is destroyed. Once the animation ends, the creature cannot be animated in this way again.

     At 5th level: Your ability to animate Spore Servants improves. The Spore Servant gains increased mobility and becomes more capable under your control. It uses the Spore Servant stat block provided below.

     At 11th level: Your mastery over animating Spore Servants expands. You can now animate creatures up to large size, allowing you to animate a wider range of beings. The animated creature retains its original stat block, languages, and abilities.

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Spore Servant

Medium Humanoid or Beast, Undead

Armor Class: 10

Hit Points: 27 (5d8 + 5)

Speed: 30 ft.

STR 12 (+1) DEX 10 (+0) CON 12 (+1) INT 6 (-2) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 6 (-2)

Skills: Perception +2

Damage Immunities: Poison

Condition Immunities: Poisoned

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12

Languages: Understands all languages it knew in life and can speak only to answer 5 questions asked of it by the myconid truthfully to the best of its ability.

Actions

-Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage.

-Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage.

Spore Servant

Small Humanoid or Beast, Undead

Armor Class: 12

Hit Points: 14 (4d6)

Speed: 25 ft.

STR 10 (+0) DEX 12 (+1) CON 10 (+0) INT 6 (-2) WIS 8 (-1) CHA 6 (-2)

Skills: Perception +1

Damage Immunities: Poison

Condition Immunities: Poisoned

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11

Languages: Understands all languages it knew in life and can speak only to answer 5 questions asked of it by the myconid truthfully to the best of its ability.

Actions

-Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) bludgeoning damage.

-Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage.

Spore Servant

Tiny Humanoid or Beast, Undead

Armor Class: 10

Hit Points: 7 (3d4)

Speed: 20 ft.

STR 6 (-2) DEX 12 (+1) CON 10 (+0) INT 6 (-2) WIS 8 (-1) CHA 6 (-2)

Skills: Perception +1

Damage Immunities: Poison

Condition Immunities: Poisoned

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11

Languages: Understands all languages it knew in life and can speak only to answer 5 questions asked of it by the myconid truthfully to the best of its ability.

Actions

-Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.

-Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage.

Just realized I didn't write in the myconid can only have one Spore Servant at a time. Oops! That's intended.... I'll edit it at some point, I am feeling lazy after the work. 

Spore Servant is way too strong at 11+. Animate any humanoid or beast up to large size and keep their stat block? There needs to be a CR limit and it shouldn't be higher than 1/4. That would make it equivalent to a 3rd level spell, which is about as good as racial features get.

Rapport spores also render a whole bunch of other character abilities and spells obsolete. Give your whole party telepathy for an hour as many times per day as you want is also a lot. If it were one-way telepathy where they could understand you but you could only understand languages you know (and not speak them), that could be interesting and wouldn't be too strong.

Thank you so much for your feedback!

I have been considering what you have said and I have been debating how I'd tweak Myconid communication but I want to come back to it. Initially my thoughts are communication being too easy to do or not isn’t exactly overpowered or otherwise or perhaps even quantifiable in this way. Myconids are non verbal so understanding a particular language doesn’t ‘feel’ right to me as a default either but I’ll come back to it as mentioned.

As to the spore servants, I thought it best to try and simplify the ability to bring it in line with something more balanced. What do you think of tweaks below?

Animating Spores: As a 1st-level myconid, you possess the ability to infuse life into deceased creatures using your animating spores. By releasing these spores at the corpse of a small or medium-sized beast or humanoid within 5 feet of you, you can bring forth a Spore Servant under your control. Within ten minutes, the infused corpse awakens as an undead being, lacking the ability to speak but understanding languages it knew in life. The Spore Servant maintains a telepathic link with you, allowing communication between the two of you.

The Spore Servant is limited in its mobility, possessing only minimal movement and unable to perform actions. However, you can pose up to 5 questions to the Spore Servant, which it must truthfully answer to the best of its ability. It is important to note that you can only have one active Spore Servant at a time. You have the ability to dismiss a Spore Servant at will, and it will remain animated for a duration of up to 24 hours or until it is destroyed. Once the animation ends, the creature cannot be revived through this method again. To utilize this ability once more, you must complete a long rest.

At 5th Level: As you grow in power and mastery over the animating spores, your ability to create Spore Servants expands. You can now animate creatures of large size or smaller. Furthermore, the Spore Servants gain the capability to perform actions under your control. Refer to the provided Spore Servant stat blocks based on the size of the animated creature for their specific abilities and statistics.

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Small Spore Servant
Small undead, neutral

Armor Class: 11 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 13 (3d6 + 3)
Speed: 30 ft.

STR 8 (-1) | DEX 14 (+2) | CON 12 (+1) | INT 6 (-2) | WIS 10 (+0) | CHA 6 (-2)

Skills: Perception +2
Damage Immunities: Poison
Condition Immunities: Poisoned

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages: Understands all languages it knew in life and can communicate telepathically with the controlling myconid.

Traits:

• Fungal Regeneration: The Small Spore Servant regains 3 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point and is within 10 feet of a source of fungal spores, such as the controlling myconid or an area with abundant fungus.

Actions:

• Claw: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage.

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Medium Spore Servant
Medium undead, neutral

Armor Class: 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 18 (4d8)
Speed: 30 ft.

STR 12 (+1) | DEX 10 (+0) | CON 11 (+0) | INT 6 (-2) | WIS 10 (+0) | CHA 6 (-2)

Skills: Perception +2
Damage Immunities: Poison
Condition Immunities: Poisoned

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages: Understands all languages it knew in life and can communicate telepathically with the controlling myconid.

Traits:

• Fungal Regeneration: The Medium Spore Servant regains 4 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point and is within 10 feet of a source of fungal spores, such as the controlling myconid or an area with abundant fungus.

Actions:

• Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage.

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Large Spore Servant
Large undead, neutral

Armor Class: 11 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 24 (4d10 + 4)
Speed: 30 ft.

STR 14 (+2) | DEX 10 (+0) | CON 13 (+1) | INT 6 (-2) | WIS 10 (+0) | CHA 6 (-2)

Skills: Perception +2
Damage Immunities: Poison
Condition Immunities: Poisoned

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages: Understands all languages it knew in life and can communicate telepathically with the controlling myconid.

Traits:

• Fungal Regeneration: The Large Spore Servant regains 5 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point and is within 10 feet of asource of fungal spores, such as the controlling myconid or an area with abundant fungus.

Actions:

• Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage.