Vegepygmy alternatives? | EN World Tabletop RPG News & Reviews

So, I had created a nice little modification to a module that entailed adding a russet mold to an area, and then a little past it, some vegepygmies that the russet mold had created. I loved the vegepygmies for 2 reasons: they are low-CR so I can have quite a few of them against 6 2nd-level PCs, and as plants, they are immune to lots of effects such as sleep and paralysis. This is soooo useful because it means they are just fine to hang out with most molds -- they will suffer no ill effects, and may form a symbiotic relationship.

In fact, I had pulled in the Creeping Moss from En World Critters. It blankets a lair, and so I thought the PCs might enter the room, have the moss' sleeping spores be released, and then the vegepygmies, unaffected, would pounce.

Problem: it turns out that russet mold is really deadly for a 2nd level character. Anyone who is not putting points into Constitution will likely die from merely average rolls for the russet mold spores. And 2nd level characters have almost no way to offset the ability damage (basically, a paladin with a caduceus bracelet seems to be the only way for such low-level characters, and even then it only will "undo" a point or two of damage).

SO. The russet mold & vegepygmies are symbiotic, or at least causal. Thus, if I have to get rid of the russet mold for being too overpowered, I have to get rid of my wonderful vegepygmies too. :(

Can anyone suggest some other creature that has the plant type, has at least almost-humanoid intelligence, and is around a 1/4 to 1 CR, or so?

I would like to salvage at least a little of my work by keeping the Creeping Moss. So now I need plant-type monsters to run & play in it.

I own every 3.5 edition monster book ever made, even those by 3rd parties. I'm monster obsessed. So feel free to use Tome of Horrors, En World Critters, Creature Collections, Blackdirge's Dungeon Denizens, etc.

Thank you so much for any ideas!

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