Myconid Name Generator

Myconids are the mushroom folk of the Underdark, best known from Dungeons & Dragons, where they communicate through spore clouds called rapport rather than speech. Because they rarely talk aloud, myconid names are things other creatures give them or rough translations of an impression: a texture, a colour of cap, a temperature, a mood. That is why so many good myconid names read like descriptions (Palegill, Softstem, Sootveil) or soft, damp-sounding syllables (Ubb, Plip, Fenno) rather than heroic titles.

The canon offers a few anchors. Neverlight Grove in Out of the Abyss is ruled by Sovereign Basidia and Sovereign Phylo, and other published myconids include Rasp, Loam, Umbel, Brelm and the tragic Yestabrod. Real mycology is the other rich source: genus names like Amanita, Mycena, Russula and Morchella already sound like fantasy names, and common names such as Inkcap, Witchbutter, Foxfire and Ghostpipe make evocative descriptive names for individual sprouts.

A good myconid name is short, quiet and slightly wet-sounding. Avoid harsh consonant clusters and anything that sounds like a warrior. Add "Sovereign" for the colony's leader, attach a location or circle name for elders, and give a newly budded myconid a tiny sprout-like name it can grow out of over the campaign.