Ooze/Slime/Jelly
|
| Olive
|
|
|
| Olive Slime
| Slime Creature
| Mustard Jelly
| Jelly, Stun-
|
Climate/Terrain:
| Any subterranean
| Any damp
| Any subterranean
| Any subterranean
|
Frequency:
| Very rare
| Rare
| Rare
| Rare
|
Organization:
| Colony
| Colony
| Solitary
| Solitary
|
Activity Cycle:
| Any
| Any
| Night
| Night
|
Diet:
| Scavenger
| Carnivore
| Scavenger
| Scavenger
|
Intelligence:
| Non- (0)
| Animal (1)
| Average (8-10)
| Animal (1)
|
Treasure:
| Nil
| Nil
| See below
| See below
|
Alignment:
| Neutral
| Neutral
| Neutral
| Neutral
|
No. Appearing:
| 1-4
| 1-20
| 1
| 1
|
Armor Class:
| 9
| 9
| 4
| 8
|
Movement:
| 0
| 6
| 9
| 4
|
Hit Dice:
| 2+2
| See below
| 7+14
| 17
|
THAC0:
| 19
| 17, 15, or 13
| 13
| 17
|
No. of Attacks:
| 0
| 1
| 1 or 2
| 1
|
Damage/Attack:
| Nil
| See below
| 5-20
| 2-8
|
Special Attacks:
| See below
| Olive slime
| See below
| Paralyzation
|
Special Defenses:
| See below
| See below
| +1 or better to hit
| Nil
|
Magic Resistance:
| See below
| See below
| 10%
| Nil
|
Size:
| S (4' radius)
| Special
| L (9'-12' diam.)
| L (10' on a side)
|
Morale:
| Average (10)
| Average (9)
| Elite (13-14)
| Average (9)
|
XP Value:
| 420
| 420, 975, or
| 4,000
| 420
|
|
| 2,500
| (½ if half slain)
|
|
There are many different varieties of ooze, slime, and jelly. More are being
discovered all the time, as warped wizards seek to create life or fashion
efficient dungeon scavengers. The unifying feature of these creatures is a dissolving
touch that consumes flesh as well as weapons and armor.
Olive Slime
Olive slime is a strain of monstrous plant life, closely related to green
slime, that grows while clinging to ceilings. More dangerous than green slime,
olive slime favors moist, subterranean regions. It feeds on whatever animal,
vegetable, or metallic substances happen to cross its path. The vibrations of a
creature beneath it are sufficient to cause it to release its tendrils and drop.
Olive slime ignores armor for purposes of determining hit probability. It also
negates Dexterity bonuses unless its target is aware of the presence of the slime
and takes steps to avoid the stuff. Contact with olive slime causes a numbing
poison to ooze from the creature. The slime then spreads itself over the body of
its victim, sending out parasitic tendrils to feed upon the body fluids of the
host. For humans and demihumans, the point of attachment is usually along the
spinal area. The feeding process soon begins to affect the brain of the host as
it changes the host's body. An unobservant victim must roll a saving throw vs.
poison, failure indicating that the victim has not noticed that the olive
slime has dropped upon him. Any group of characters in the vicinity will have a 50%
chance of noticing the slime's attachment with a casual glance. This
percentage may be adjusted only by magical items. A thorough search by wary individuals
reveals the olive slime without difficulty.
Within 2d4 hours, the host's main concern becomes how to feed, protect, and
sustain the growth of the olive slime. Naturally, this includes keeping the
slime's presence a secret from any companions. If an affected character's companions
become suspicious, or if they demonstrate any desire to destroy olive slime,
the affected character will escape at the first opportunity. The host's food
intake must double or the character wastes away (10% of the character's hit points
per day, rounding up, and no natural healing can take place while a character
is wasting away. After 1d6+6 days, the host suddenly and painfully
metamorphoses into a vegetable creature. The olive slime gradually replaces skin and muscle
tissue, and it forms a symbiotic brain link. The new creature has no interest
in its former form or fellows. It exists as a new species more akin to plants
than any other life form. Feeding then becomes photosynthetic, paralytic, or,
most likely, both. When slain, an olive slime creature dissolves into a new patch
of olive slime.
Olive slime is harmed only by acid, freezing cold, fire, or by a
cure disease spell. Spells that affect plants will work on olive slime, although
entangle will have no practical effect. Green slime and olive slime are complete
opposites -- when they encounter each other, the attack of one neutralizes the other.
If an affected character has been transformed into an olive slime creature,
there is very little short of a
limited wish that can return him to normal.
Olive Slime Creature
Olive slime creatures, popularly known as "slime zombies," are the end result
of the metamorphosis upon the host. The newly formed vegetable creature is
linked symbiotically with the olive slime patch that created it. The symbiotic bond
is a secure link within 200 miles, but not from one plane of existence to
another. The olive slime can call its zombies to defend it from attack, and they
will immediately and mindlessly obey.
Regardless of their former existence, and despite their general form, slime
creatures are only differentiated by size:
Size
| HD
| Damage/Attack
|
Tiny
| 1+2
| 1-3
|
Small
| 3+2
| 1-4
|
Man-sized
| 5+2
| 2-8
|
Larger
| 8+2
| 3-12
|
Huge
| 12+2
| 4-16
|
Gargantuan
| 16
| 4-24
|
Slime creatures have a telepathic bond, effective at a range of 200 yards, and
gather together for mutual assistance while feeding or for defense. Their
former identities can be discovered only upon close examination.
Habitat varies from well-populated subterranean places to damp forests,
swamps, and fens. Slime creatures are equally at home on land or in warm, shallow
water. Slime zombies seek out animal hosts for their slime; they attack man-sized
creatures on sight. When they attack, olive slime zombies have a 10% chance,
per successful hit, to infect an opponent with slime. If they succeed in doing
so, they either change targets or flee combat before killing their target -- they
certainly do not want to kill the new host.
Olive slime zombies are harmed by acid, freezing cold, fire and
magic missile spells. Spells that affect plants will also affect them, although the effects
of
entangle are minimal at best. No other attacks, by weapons, lightning, or spells that
affect the mind will kill a slime creature. An olive slime zombie, however, can
suffer only as much physical damage as it has hit points, before its skeleton
collapses and it becomes nothing more than a puddle of olive slime. When green
slime is applied to an olive slime zombie, it neutralizes the olive slime,
delivering 2d4 points of damage per round until the body is reduced to a
(non-animate) skeleton.
The vegetable intelligence of slime zombies is no greater than that of common
animals, but does enable them to learn from experience. This innate
intelligence extends to the use of simple traps, and they will lie in wait at the bottom
of hidden shafts.
Mustard Jelly
Mustard jelly originated when a young wizard attempted to
polymorph herself into an ocher jelly. Her spell failed, and she became a mustard
jelly. The stuff has multiplied rapidly in the years since her accident, and it is
now a serious threat in many areas.
The monstrous amoeboid mustard jelly is far more dangerous than the ocher
jelly. Mustard jelly is translucent, and very hard to see until it attacks. The
only clue to its presence is a faint odor, similar to blooming mustard plants.
Once it does attack, it may be seen as yellowish brown in color.
Normally, mustard jelly attacks by forming an acidic pseudopod of its own
substance and thrusting. The jelly monster secretes a vapor over a 10-foot radius.
Those near the jelly must roll a saving throw vs. poison each round. Those who
fail the saving throw become lethargic and move at half-normal speed, due to
the effects of the vapor. The toxic effects last for two rounds and they are
cumulative.
This large creature can divide itself at will into two smaller, faster halves
(movement rate 18). Each is capable of attacking, but has only half the hit
points the creature had before dividing. A mustard jelly can, for example, flow
into a room, divide itself into independent halves to attack, and then reform
into a torus in order to surround a pillar its prey has climbed. Unlike the ocher
jelly, mustard jelly cannot move through tiny spaces, nor can it move along
ceilings, although it will eat through wooden doors. It cannot climb walls either,
and so most of its bulk must remain on the floor, stretching up only 4 or 5
feet.
Although intelligent, mustard jelly is not known to value treasure of any
sort, except as a lure for greedy adventurers. Of course, it is possible that some
treasure might remain after a victim has been devoured.
Mustard jelly is impervious to normal weapons (and can eat wooden ones) and
electrical attacks. A
magic missile spell will only cause it to grow; mustard jelly gains hit points equal in
number to the damage rolled. Cold causes only half damage, and other attacks have
normal effects.
Stunjelly
This relative of the gelatinous cube was designed by some forgotten mage to
resemble a section of ordinary stone wall. They are usually about 10 feet square
by 2 ½ to 5 feet thick, and somewhat translucent. If a bright light is shone on
one side of the stunjelly, it will be seen on the other. Illumination equal to
a
continuous light spell will reveal whatever treasure a stunjelly might be carrying.
Stunjellies make no noise when they move, but they do produce a faint odor of vinegar.
The stunjelly has many features in common with the gelatinous cube. Like the
cube, the stunjelly paralyzes creatures who venture too close! Adventurers
walking near a stunjelly may be attacked by an anaesthetic pseudopod; those struck
must roll a saving throw vs. paralyzation. Those who succeed suffer no ill
effects. Those who fail are paralyzed for 5d4 rounds, during which time the
stunjelly tries to surround the victim and digest him. Like the gelatinous cube, it is
immune to electrical attacks, mind-influencing spells, paralyzation, and
polymorph spells. Unlike the gelatinous cube, stunjelly is affected normally by cold
attacks.
Stunjellies reproduce by fission, as one extremely thick jelly splits into two
smaller ones. This process is accompanied by a horrible, rending sound,
audible throughout the vicinity.
A stunjelly might mindlessly carry undigested metals around with it for days.
These would include treasure types J, K, L, M, N, and Q, as well as potions,
daggers, or similar objects.
Stunjellies are tolerated in many dungeons as traps for unwary intruders, or
as janitorial monsters sweeping the passages of digestible litter. For this
duty, they are preferred over other breeds of slime and ooze, since they cannot
slither through doors into areas where they would be unwelcome.