The Vuuko (or spore dog)

[mrbirdlick]

A quadrupedal shroomer, the Vuuko is best known for its prominent gills which frame its head like a collar of gossamer-thin silk. The Vuuko is a generally passive creature; though it will not seek out conflict, it is severely territorial.
The Vuuko's most distinctive feature, its gill collar, is also its chief means of defense. If threatened, the Vuuko (alone or in a group) will circle and weave around its aggressors, whipping its head frantically in order to disperse spores from its diaphanous collar of gills. The spores are toxic to most creatures and, for most, inhaling these spores will cause temporary paralysis and poisoning. The Vuuko may resort to biting its paralyzed prey, though its bite is far less effective than the rapid-acting poison inflicted by its spores.
While the Vuuko's spores serve as a powerful form of defense, their purpose is ultimately reproductive. As a species, the Vuuko's propagation requires its spores to seed dead flesh or decaying vegetal material (from which offspring emerge after a matter of weeks).

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3382753685

[hannahandjosephgames]

This is awesome! I am digging this concept so much of shroomer territorial 'guard dogs', good catch keeping the one eye! Long weird nose is excellent. The territorial aspect could be really neat, we could keep them non-hostile until you get too close to a mushroom patch they are protecting or nearby allies, as opposed to most monster enemies that are immediately hostile on sight, which would add some interesting gameplay variety for shroomers.

[mrbirdlick]

thank you for the kind words! yeah! i really like your idea of them guarding a mushroom patch or some specifically shroom-related thing.
I should have added that I imagine their bodies being made of the same stuff as a mushroom stalk, so they'd be colorless and bendy and quite soft (not very hardy, hence spores being their main form of attack). the gill collars can vary in color, but i was primarily imagining a pale red or pale lavender.