Encounter help.

[Korsahrath]

I am working on a couple of fungus encounters that take place in a "grape farm." The grapes have been contaminated with a bluish fungus that is forming some grueling creatures. One creature I am facing problems with is the "Phantom Fungus," featured in the "Monster Manual I." I think I can create a scare out of it with its ability to us “Greater Invisibility” at will, but my party will only be within the levels of 1-2. How will the pc's overcome this fearsome menace of challenge rating 3?

[Joël of the FoS]

Have the players go there with a NPC they like, and get the invisible fungus monster to snatch this NPC and attack him/her (a her is better in this scenario ).

The heroes will fear this friendly NPC's death and will react accordingly.

They'll feel like heroes and this encounter will be remembered.

Joël

[Korsahrath]

Have the players go there with a NPC they like, and get the invisible fungus monster to snatch this NPC and attack him/her (a her is better in this scenario ).

The heroes will fear this friendly NPC's death and will react accordingly.

They'll feel like heroes and this encounter will be remembered.

Joël

This is a great answer. But I need more answers xD Does the monster flee with the woman? And by their reaction, do you mean they will find a way to spot him out? The main problem is that they won't be able to see this creature. What can they do to see him? Is it by the monster holding the woman? I am just confused.

[HuManBing]

It's been a while since I've seen this but don't fungus creatures usually have some fear of fire?

You could script it so the creature fights a bit, then suddenly feels threatened by the fire, and then retreats cautiously.

This will keep the tension up because the creature could come back later, encouraging the PCs to keep their visit short if they can.

[alhoon]

A party of 3-4 1-2 lvl chars can kick the heck out of a CR 3 creature. Especially if the creature wastes a round to eat an NPC. So, instead of it throwing a surprise attack on the PCs, have it attack the NPC by surprise and then waste a round to kill her. If the PCs manage to kill it within one round (not impossible), then they have saved the NPC!

[Korsahrath]

A party of 3-4 1-2 lvl chars can kick the heck out of a CR 3 creature. Especially if the creature wastes a round to eat an NPC. So, instead of it throwing a surprise attack on the PCs, have it attack the NPC by surprise and then waste a round to kill her. If the PCs manage to kill it within one round (not impossible), then they have saved the NPC!

Only way they are able to see it is by the "eating" process?

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Better yet, have two phantom fungi, one of which they kill to save the NPC. The other one gets away -- not too hard for an invisible critter -- but leaves tracks behind as it flees. Let the players brainstorm ways to handle an invisible opponent before they set out to follow its trail. That kind of problem-solving challenge can be more fun and memorable than a simple melee.

Love the idea of contaminated grapes that sprout fungus monsters, BTW!

[Korsahrath]

Haha thanks

[HuManBing]

You can have a lot of fun with invisible melee enemies. Invisible missile enemies are just frustrating, unless the PCs can triangulate where the fire is coming from.

But invisible melee enemies are lots of fun. They can climb walls and leap down from ceilings, or sneak around obstacles quietly, or pop up from beneath the floorboads. If things go poorly, they can run at top speed to get away, while PCs can only infer where they are by sound - and even then they can throw or rattle items or otherwise make distracting noises to keep the PCs off the track.

Grappling enemies could use the PCs as a shield against the uncoordinated attacks of his allies. Those who've mastered tool use can get up to PC and slip their weapons out of sheaths, or tip over arrow quivers, etc., before making an attack.

One of my most memorable "boss fights" involved this. Click the spoiler text to read about it.

VIEW CONTENT:

Concept: Enemy turns invisible, brachiates through overhead curtains and hangings. It attacks by dropping invisibly (but audibly) near player, melee attacking, and then jumping back up. It does not turn visible when it attacks! Player must use level elements to find out where the enemy is and defeat it.

Enemy: Could be anything. In my RPG campaign it was a female vampire who could turn herself invisible at will, but not her clothes or equipment. For this reason, she wore only a light cloak to the fight, and her first action was to throw off the cloak and turn invisible. Because she can't carry any weapons without being seen, she just uses her claws in a melee attack - she likes to lift up her enemies and throttle them slightly off the ground. Enemy moves by jumping up to the ceiling, crawling or swinging across the hangings to where the players are, then dropping down and throttling or clawing at them.

Setting: Stormy weather outside. Inside, we're in a dark cathedral altar room with stained glass windows, candles in multiple holders, and tapestries and light hangings off the walls, ceiling, and in between the pillars. The players cannot see the enemy, so they must rely on local "clues" to show her location. These include:

a) hangings and tapestries will "swing" or "ruffle" noticeably when she's climbing on them, even if she's invisible.
b) candles will "dance" slightly as she passes them, because she makes a slight breeze.
c) a player will clearly stagger and may even lift off the ground, as she gets close and starts choking or clawing them.

These all happen without the players doing anything. They can see quite clearly for themselves how she affects the environment around her. However, there are two things they can do to make things difficult for themselves, and one thing they can do to help themselves out a lot.

Candles: if the players knock over any candles, they will blow out. This makes it impossible to track the enemy using them. This makes it harder to find her.
Stained glass windows: If the players shoot out any windows, the outside storm will blow in. This will knock out several candles (as above) and will additionally cause ALL hangings and tapestries to "swing" or "ruffle" regardless of whether the enemy is on them. This makes it harder to find her.
Curtains and hangings: If the players wait until the curtain or hanging is swinging, and then they specifically try to cut it off at the top, then the enemy gets trapped under the falling curtain. Even though she's invisible, she still creates a very obvious human shaped outline when covered by curtains. This is probably the most effective way they can kill her - the curtains not only show them where she is, but they will also slow her down a lot and reduce her ability to fight.

An additional element of this fight is blood. The enemy does bleed, so even if she's technically invisible, she'll still leave a sporadic trail of blood spots where she moves. These can show her rough position (although if she's climbing in the ceiling and wall hangings, they'll appear on the ground beneath her).

It's up to you whether your enemy becomes visible when hit, injured, after they make an attack, or after they've been killed. Played correctly, this can make for dramatic gaming. In my female vampire encounter above, my players won the fight, but only after stabbing, slicing, and bashing repeatedly at a naked unarmed woman tangled up in a load of wall hangings. This did not help their morale very much, as it shook up their own self-perceptions as the good guys.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

One good way of dealing with invisible foes is to bring something powdery yet sticky, like a bag of soot, or maybe flour. When attacked, just throw the stuff at your invisible opponent, and they'll be outlined. A magical alternative would be the Faerie Fire spell, but that rather requires you're being able to see the enemy. Also, I seem to recall it being outside the range of second-level characters...

[alhoon]

One good way of dealing with invisible foes is to bring something powdery yet sticky, like a bag of soot, or maybe flour. When attacked, just throw the stuff at your invisible opponent, and they'll be outlined. A magical alternative would be the Faerie Fire spell, but that rather requires you're being able to see the enemy. Also, I seem to recall it being outside the range of second-level characters...

I did exactly that IMC once. Flour. Sure, not as good as glitterdust, because invisibility affects anything that touches you (to a reasonable degree) but good to decrease miss chance from 50% to 20%.
Also don't forget footsteps on mud or snow, or an NPC victim's blood.

I don't recall that particular creature, but invisibility or not, the PCs could think of a way to spot which square this one is occupying one way or another so they would only have to deal with the 50% miss chance.
Just make sure the place is muddy... or bloody.

PS. Fungi aren't smart. What's the intelligence of that critter?

[Sareau]

If the players are having trouble, let it start raining-that always helps fight the invisible.

[Korsahrath]

I did exactly that IMC once. Flour. Sure, not as good as glitterdust, because invisibility affects anything that touches you (to a reasonable degree) but good to decrease miss chance from 50% to 20%.

What is different effect would glitterdust have from flour? Wouldn't they both outline the foe? Please give more detail.