Aura of Reanimation. A humanoid corpse that spends more than 1 minute within 120 feet of That Which Rots rises as a zombie under the control of That Which Rots. A zombie that dies in this aura rises again with all its hit points after one minute. Any undead under the control of That Which Rots that starts its turn in the aura regains 10 hit points.
False Appearance. While That Which Rots remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an ordinary giant mushroom.
Innate Spellcasting. That Which Rots's innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). That Which Rots can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
At will: detect poison and disease, gentle repose, spasm (new) (as 3rd-level)
2/day each: animate dead, contagion, plague vector (new)
Magic Resistance. That Which Rots has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. That Which Rots's weapon attacks are magical.
Regeneration. That Which Rots regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point and isn't in sunlight. If That Which Rots takes radiant damage or fire damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of its next turn.
Stench. Any creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of That Which Rots must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of the creature's next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the stench of That Which Rots for 1 hour.
Multiattack. That Which Rots uses its Deathly Spores, then makes two fist attacks.
Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.
Deathly Spores. That Which Rots ejects spores at one creature it can see within 15 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be stunned for 1 minute. The target repeats the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, taking 10 (3d6) necrotic damage on a failure and ending the condition on itself on a success. Creatures that are immune to poison or disease are immune to this effect. A humanoid slain by this damage rises 1 minute later as a zombie under the control of That Which Rots, unless the humanoid is restored to life or its body is destroyed.
Description
Reigning over the natural aspects of decomposition, rot, disease, and fungal growth, the primal spirit known by mortals only as That Which Rots is a gargantuan treant-like mushroom with several arms and legs.
Those who wish to be champion for this primal spirit must make their case in the rancid pits that comprise its Spirit World domain. That Which Rots is bound by a set of ancient pacts made with the other primal spirits that limit natural rot to the dead, preventing living creatures from decomposing. Yet it is always seeking new ways to expand its domain within the limits of those pacts. One such method to spread rot and decay to the living is via new diseases and afflictions. An archdruid serving That Which Rots is likely to be tasked as such.
Fell Primal Spirits. Some primal spirits are known as fell spirits among the mortals of the Material Plane. These spirits are not dangerous to nature itself, but the environments and creatures they have power over are dangerous to the survival of mortalkind and civilization, even those civilizations that attempt to exist in harmony with nature. They might still be worshipped, but prayers given to them usually ask for mercy, not protection.
Primal Spirit Avatars
The wilderness in all its many forms — tundra, forest, desert, and other biomes — is not without awareness or agency. The land itself gives birth to mighty spirits, fey and elementals that are so ancient that they are largely forgotten except by the oldest in the multiverse. These primal spirits are all connected to a form of land, taking the shape of a plant or animal from their domains.
Though they are composed of powerful magic, these mighty spirits struggle to physically leave their ancient realms in some of the oldest parts of the Feywild: the savage wilds called the Spirit World. If their domains on the Material Plane are threatened, they project a weak reflection of their true nature, an avatar, to defend the land. These avatars take little effort for a primal spirit to control, and the spirit is not harmed if the avatar is slain.
Incarnations of Ancient Titans. The primal spirits are ancient beings that traversed the Feywild and the Material Plane when the world was young and the land was still forming. The spirits are each representations of the lands themselves. The majority of these spirits keep their ancient, true names a secret, though some are known by nicknames they have adopted for the benefit of mortals, such as Coyote or Greatmother Oak. Those nicknames have been used so often that they are now applied to any coyote or any oak tree, instead of merely the primal spirit, and the original names of these animals and plants have been lost.
Druids Serve as Champions. Primal spirits often require the aid of druids and archdruids to help defend their lands against despoilers. Druids can be trusted to act more swiftly and in more places than a spirit could possibly manage from their realm in the Feywild. Arch-druids can wield powerful enough magic to summon an avatar of the spirit without effort from the spirit itself, but primal spirits trust very few with this privilege. They entreat carefully with archdruids and only select their favorite among them as a champion who can conjure their avatar to aid both their goals.
Hatred for Despoilers. The spirits of nature despise those that would despoil nature in any of its forms. Not all forms of consumption earn the spirits' ire: the spirits themselves are often predator or prey, and understand that survival often means destruction. They despise the reckless and sometimes gleeful destruction of nature that has nothing to do with survival and too much to do with mortal flaws such as greed, pride, or ambition. This is what the spirits consider to be "despoiling."
Primal Nature. A primal spirit avatar doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.
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