Vug
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Climate/Terrain | Subterranean |
| Frequency | Rare |
| Organization | Tribe |
| Activity Cycle | Night |
| Diet | Omnivorous |
| Intelligence | Special |
| Treasure | Q, (X) |
| Alignment | Lawful Neutral |
| No. Appearing | 4-80 |
| Armor Class | 9 |
| Movement | 6" |
| Hit Dice | 1-1 |
| THAC0 | 20 |
| No. of Attacks | 1 |
| Damage/Attack | 1-4 (by weapon) |
| Special Attacks | Nil |
| Special Defenses | mental link |
| Magic Resistance | Nil |
| Size | S (4' tall) |
| Morale | Average (8-10) |
| XP Value | 15; Shaman 35 |
Description
Physically, the Vug is less than impressive. They have stooped shoulders, a protruding belly and short, knobby limbs. Their heads resemble a large, slightly curved bean, bending back over their scrawny, goitered neck. Although they wear little in the way of garb, other than a breach cloth, their tough, mud-colored flesh provides a measure of protection against wounds.
Combat
The Vug are almost always to be found underground and they have adapted to the darkness. In bright lighting they fight with a -1 to their attack rolls. However, they have infravision out to 60' and can see any source of strong light or heat out to 5-10 times that distance. Their weapons and armor is primitive, consisting of slings, flint-tipped axes, small spears, and knives. They sometimes wear animal hide wraps, giving them an Armor Class rating of 8. They have never learned to make or employ shields.
Due to their unusual mental nature, when several Vugs from the same tribe are within 100' of each other they are able to link mentally and increase their collective intelligence. On their own, they are very dull-witted creatures and barely able to employ the weapons they carry. As more Vug gather together they grow craftier and are able to employ improved tactics. In the presence of their entire tribe the Vug can become very devious foes. Their mental link allows them to coordinate attacks even when out of sight of each other and their enemies.
Each tribe with 30 or more members will have one Shaman for every 20 members. These Shamans are able to cast some spells when their intelligence is sufficiently high. Use the following chart to determine the collective intelligence and shaman magic abilities of a Vug when located within 100' of their fellows.
| Number of Vugs | Intelligence | Shaman Spells |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2-4 | — |
| 2-3 | 5-6 | — |
| 4-7 | 7-8 | — |
| 8-15 | 9 | cure light wounds |
| 16-31 | 10 | entangle, faerie fire |
| 32+ | 11 | chant, obscurement |
Habitat/Society
These diminutive creatures are almost always found gathered in small tribes within an underground Mushroom Forest. The Vug live in hunter gatherer tribes of about 20-100 members, and the only reason they achieved that degree of sophistication is due to their ability to join mentally with their fellows. This ability makes them collectively smarter than the sum of their parts, and in turn makes them more formidable in battle than you would otherwise expect.
Typically the Vug lives in the shelter of a ring of mushrooms about a forest clearing. They know how to create fire and they can manufacture crude stone or bone tools and weapons. Their religion is primitive, usually involving some simple burial rites and the ritual killing and eating of their foes. The Vugs are mute, and they lack any form of written language. However, their ability to mind link allows them to communicate collectively.
Ecology
The Vug tribes live off roots, tubers, mushrooms, seeds, insects, and small game. They will eat just about anything.