Monster Monday - Vegepygmy

As Gary Con draws closer, I continue to look at Gary's monsters and their impact in the RPG world. Today, we talk about the vegepygmy. They first appeared in Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. To put it mildly, vegepygmies are a strange Gygaxian concoction.

They are one of few monsters with multiple HD listings (from 1-6 in Monster Manual II.) They are intelligent(ish), and form "regional bands, living by scavenging and hunting" (MMII p 124.) Vegepygmies are "born" through a russet mold killing a "character." (We will dive into that in a moment.) They generally have pigmentation similar to their environment, and can be found underground or in deep forests.

Let's talk about the reproduction cycle of the vegepygmy. They can replicate through "russet mold or propagating buds from their bodies." This seems odd, even for a Gygaxian ecology. Typically molds and oozes make more of themselves by "eating" people. And what happens when a russet mold eats a non-character? Say a rust monster wanders up to that yummy looking "rust" and gets spored. Does that make a vegepygmy? (See below for the answer.)

Vegepygmies, for all of their strangeness, are a great megadungeon faction. With two types of reproduction, and a built in trap (russet mold,) they can hold territory well. I would personally make them adversarial to the myconids of your dungeon. (And that just happened in Mord Mar.)

The great dragon, Tibalis, has taken a liking to the vegepygmy tribe near his volcanic lair. He allows them to stay, in exchange for any metal items they scavenge from their prey. The vegepygmies in return have been taught magical spells: comprehend languages, push, and spider climb. Each group of five has one such spellcaster present.

A russet mold infected a rust monster, which spawned a new type of vegepygmy. This one looks the same as the others in its band, but it hungers for the metal that people wear. Its attacks act like a rust monster, rusting metal. The sub-chief of the band recognizes this unique trait, and keeps this rustypygmy nearby in case of attacks from orcs or other humanoids.

A splinter group of vegepygmies has been chased away from its band, due to their blue coloration. These vegepygmies have developed a form of telepathy, and are searching for warriors to destroy their former band-mates.

Thump-pound-thump lost his way in a large cavern. It desperately wants to get home, and is searching for a way to communicate that to a group of dwarves when the group stumbles across the scene.

Vegepygmies are a great addition to a gonzo game. They can be made to work in other places, but lose some of their luster moving to conform with the other creatures in the world around them.

Artwork used under license from Headless Hydra. Artist: Bruno Balixa