Environment underground
Organization solitary
Treasure none

This mobile plant creature is a mystery to students of zoology. Most theorize an invisible plant without the capability to gain nutrition from sunlight was forced to evolve into a mobile, carnivorous animal. Others suggest the phantom fungus was the creation of some wizard who desired an invisible, resilient guardian.

Its origins a mystery, phantom fungi prowl the subterranean caverns of the world, constantly on the hunt for food. Vermin, rats and others small animals compose the basis of a phantom fungus’s diet. They are aggressive, relentless creatures not above attacking and consuming humanoids and other large animals.

Its most common tactic is to wait until a creature passes. Solitary individuals are attacked outright. When attacking a group of creatures, the phantom fungus attempts to strike in an open area so it can maneuver and use its invisibility to fool opponents who might come to the aid of a compatriot. The phantom fungus has no control over its invisibility.

Despite the name, a phantom fungus is a corporeal creature. It walks about on four stumpy legs. The body is egg-shaped and sports a nodular growth on top that serves as a sense organ. Short, sensory tentacles jut from these bulbs. Just below this area is a large, toothy maw the fungus uses to eat and attack. A phantom fungus is usually greenish-gray in color. It stands about 4 feet tall and weighs 300 pounds. They reproduce through asexual budding.

A few creatures, particularly other intelligent underground plants such as myconids, maintain phantom fungi as guards and sentries.