Writher Swarm

Source: Starfinder #4: The Ruined Clouds

CR: 9 XP: 6,400

N Fine plant (swarm)

Init.: +4 Senses: low-light vision Perception: +17

Defense

HP: 145

EAC: 22 KAC: 24

Fort: +14 Ref: +12 Will: +9

Offense

Speed: 10 ft., climb 10 ft.

Melee: swarm attack (2d10+9 P plus distraction [DC 16] and writher infestation)

Offensive Abilities: None

Statistics

Str: +0 Dex: +4 Con: +6 Wis: +3 Int: — Cha: +0

Skills: Athletics +17 (+25 to climb), Survival +17

Ecology

Environment: any temperate or warm lands

Organization: solitary

Special Abilities

<h3 class="framing">Writher Infestation</h3> <p><b>Type</b> disease (injury); <b>Save</b> Fortitude DC 16 <b>Track</b> physical; <b>Frequency</b> 1/day <b>Effect</b> If the victim dies from this disease, a new writher swarm immediately bursts forth from the corpse and attacks nearby creatures. <b>Cure</b> 2 consecutive saves</p> <p><br/><br/><br/></p>

Description

A writher swarm consists of thousands of pale white fungal filaments that wave slowly back and forth, as if swaying in a light breeze. This mobile mold creeps its way through even the narrowest of crevices to infest a building and slowly digests all the organic matter within, whether discarded food, flesh, or wood. A writher swarm leaves behind only ceramic, concrete, metal, plastic, and stone, making them less of a threat in large urban centers where structures are largely composed of such materials, but potentially devastating to less advanced settlements.

A single spore of a writher swarm can lie dormant for as long as several centuries, whether as a passenger on a meteor or in a cavern deep below the ground. Under the right conditions, that spore can attach to a modicum of organic material, such as a stale piece of bread or the rotting corpse of a tiny animal, after which it quickly begins growing and multiplying. If it is not eradicated, a writher swarm becomes fully mobile in a matter of weeks and can start to seek out new sources of nourishment. Even if a writher swarm presence is discovered before this point and thoroughly scoured, it’s likely that several spores will survive undetected, possibly hitching rides to new environs.

Though a writher swarm’s tiny filaments can pierce hide and flesh, the true danger comes from the infectious particles it can implant in the wounds of its prey. These infestations grow at a rapid rate just under the victim’s skin, draining the creature’s vitality, forcing it into a coma, and eventually killing it. Unless the unfortunate victim is treated before it dies, it becomes host to a new writher swarm, which tears its way out through the creature’s skin after it dies.