Skeletal Slime V2.0
I've encountered many a'different slimey creatures in my career, and though they've all tried to eat me in a hundreds a'ways, I can never say I've truly met any of them. But one came close. It hid its face from the light of my torch and pleaded for its mother, and when I lowered my flame, I got one look at the skull inside the ooze and ran from the cave.
-Oro Deepore, Spelunker
'Sapient Slime' might sound like an oxymoron, but first-hand reports insist that it's true. A translucent humanoid made of semisolid ooze mounted on a stalk of thick goo instead of two legs, with a visible skull inside its head and sometimes a dozen vertebrae and other bones floating inside it. It can think, speak, sympathize and empathize and experience a variety of emotions, as well as wear armor, wield weapons, and even master spellcraft.
Unwilling Symbiosis
Under strange circumstances, when an ooze completely consumes a sapient humanoid, something happens in the digestion process. Though their body dissolves, their fleshless skull and something else, remains intact inside the ooze and transforms the creature into something more.
Over the course of the next few years, the ooze undergoes something of a gestation period in which whatever consciousness or sapience that remains inside the skull permeates into the ooze and causes it to evolve. Physically at first, the ooze coagulating and solidifying and becoming more dense as it lifts the skull onto something resembling a neck, grows two arms and fingers, and finally stacks itself onto a long stalk of slime that supports its form. The body almost always matches it's skull and resembles the proportions of the being it absorbed. Almost nothing psychological remains from the host of this amalgamation except a sense of self awareness, a yearning for knowledge and sense of self preservation.
A Newborn Abomination
A slime's first few years in the world are full of harsh lessons and cruel realities. When it finally musters the confidence and curiosity to leave whatever environment it was incubated in, it has no idea that its kin are considered mindless devourers to the civilized world. Its first encounters will be met with fear or hostility. If it finds a town, it will likely be destroyed by militia, or captured and subjected to experiments by alchemists or wizards, or find itself paraded as a sideshow act in a circus.
If a slime finds someone benevolent enough to mentor it, or a safe haven where it has the potential to learn and grow and become something greater than the sum of it's parts. Even an abomination can make a difference in the world.
Slime Names
Most slimes pick their names based on the ooze moving or releasing built up air from inside their body - which they cling to as an anchor of their sapience and repeat inside their minds as they develop, as though to repeatedly remind themselves that they're alive, lest they slip back into the mindless gluttony that is an ooze's consciousness.
Slime Names: Helk, Poloph, Slehth, Gopi, Mulphup, Thelbem, Forl, Slith, Blipa, Squilk, Thep, Gorgerl, Lep.
Slime Quirks
| d8 | quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | You still carry the name of the missing humanoid. This can cause some uncomfortable questions. |
| 2 | The smell of certain foods fill you with nostalgia. |
| 3 | You have a tick or fidget that you can't stop. |
| 4 | Even if you've never been introduced to the concept of religion, you are extremely pious. |
| 5 | You claim a kinship with the race of your skull. |
| 6 | You are convinced that you have certain talents that you can't back up. |
| 7 | Despite your lack of hair or skin, you're prone to preening and grooming yourself. |
| 8 | You identify as the gender of your consumed humanoid. |
Slime Traits
Your character has the following racial traits.
Age. Skeletal Oozes live as long as it takes to break down their skull, which averages at about 30 years. Once broken down it becomes a slime of the respective subrace.
Alignment. Slimes can be of any alignment.
Size. Your size depends on the race of your skull. Pick small or medium.
Speed. Regardless of your size, your base speed is 25 feet.
Eyeless. Though your eyes have dissolved, you still attain the ability to see out from your sockets, and can still be blinded via magic.
Ooze Physiology. Your diet is mostly salt, water and organic material you absorb into yourself, you also don't require sleep, but go into a trance like state for 4 hours a day. Additionally You may morph your shape within a certain degree, and may fit tendrils of slime through tiny spaces without squeezing.
Corrosive Core. All slimes are acidic to some degree, as part of a short rest, you can choose to completely disintegrate any nonmagical object that weighs less than 50lb and can fit entirely inside your torso.
Squishy. You are composed of mostly ooze, weapons and armor with the heavy stat cannot be wielded, though you can use light or medium armor. You also gain resistance to Acid Damage, and your unarmored AC is equal to 11 + Dexterity Modifier
Languages. The half remembered memories in your skull allow you to speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choosing. Slimes speak with a bubbling, sloughing dialect that can be hard to understand.
Subraces
Green
Ability Score Increase. Increase your Wisdom score by 2 and Constitution score by 1.
Soothing Touch. Your soothing touch can help mend wounds. You have a pool of healing power, as an action you can heal a total number of hitpoints equal to your total level x 2, once you empty your pool you cannot use it again until you take a long rest.
Bottle Filling. You can use your natural ooze to make a viscous green healing solution, though you need a container to put it in. You also need to expend an amount from your healing pool to fabricate such potions. You can make an amount of potions equal to the amount of your proficiency bonus every day. It takes you a minute to fill each bottle.
Bottle filling
| Pool Expended | Amount healed |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1d4 + 1 |
| 10 | 2d4 + 2 |
| 20 | 4d4 + 4 |
| 30 | 5d4 + 10 |
Pseudopod. You have a natural Pseudopod weapon that deals 1d6 acid damage.
Ochre
Ability Score Increase. Increase your Dexterity score by 2 and Constitution score by 1.
Spiderclimbing. Because of your sticky nature, your movement speed increases by 5ft and you gain a climbing speed that is equal to half your movement speed rounded down and are able to climb on difficult surfaces such as upside down on ceilings without needed to make an ability check.
Sticky Form. You have a natural pseudopod weapon that replaces your unarmed strikes, it deals 1d6 acid damage and has the reach attribute. Additionally non magical movement impairing effects on you are halved.
Adhesive Strike. When you hit an enemy with your natural weapon you may choose to make them roll a Dexterity save that is equal to 8 + Constitution Modifier + Proficiency Bonus, on a failure they gain an adhesion stack which reduces their movement speed by 5 ft until the end of your next turn, if you hit them again they must repeat the save and on a failure the duration refreshes and they gain another adhesion stack up to a maximum of 3 stacks, but upon succeeding on a single save they lose all stacks.
Disarming Strike. As an action you may attempt to disarm an opponent within 10ft of you by reaching out adhesive tendrils, either taking their shield or their weapon into your possession. This feature does no damage, and the target must make a Dexterity save equal to 8 + 5 x Adhesion stack.
Gray
Ability Score Increase. Increase your Intelligence score by 2 and Constitution score by 1.
Mind over Matter. Gray oozes aren't made for direct confrontation and as such you can only use weapons and armor with the light attribute.
False Appearence. As a bonus action you may choose to appear opaque, remain motionless. While doing this you are indistinguishable from a wet statue, rock or other stone object. Specify if you are to take on a specific form when using this feature. Once you use this feature you may not use it again until you take a long or short rest.
Unarmed Strike. You have a pseudopod natural weapon that replaces your unarmed strikes, it deals 1d4 acid damage.
Psychic Crush. Unlike other oozes, you have been gifted with psionics, you can choose to target a creature within 60ft of you and force them to make an intelligence saving throw, the DC being equal to 8 + your intelligence modifier + proficiency bonus. On a failed save they take 1d6 psychic damage, and half as much on a successful save. You gain additional damage die at level 5 doing (2d6), and again at level 11 (3d6), and lastly at level 17 (4d6). This is used similarly to a cantrip taking 1 action to use.
Mage hand You gain access to the mage hand cantrip due to your innate psionic powers.
Black
Ability Score Increase. Increase your Strength score by 1 and Your Constitution score by 2.
Corrosive Form As black slimes are more corrosive than their counter-parts, you corrode non-magic equipment far too quickly for it to be of use disallowing you from wearing armor or using weapons unless they are magical, but because of your acidic nature your body itself can take some blows, your AC is equal to 13 + Dexterity Modifier.
Eroding Strike. You have a natural pseudopod weapon that replaces your unarmed strikes, it deal 1d6 + Strength Modifier acid damage. Also if you grapple an enemy, they take acidic damage equal to 1d4, repeating for each of their turns that they fail to escape your grapple.
Succesive Strike. Each successive attack after the first strike on a target deals 1 point of additional acidic damage stacking up to 4 times, on a miss you lose your successive strike bonus against the target.
Acid Breath. . You can breath out deadly acid in a 15ft cone. The target must make a dexterity saving throw, the DC for this saving throw equals 8 + Constitution Modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d6 damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. After you use your breath weapon, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Racial Feats
When leveling up, if you choose not to take an ability score improvement, you may instead pick from a list of these racial feats or feats from other sources.
Force Field.
Prerequisite: Gray Skeletal Ooze, Intelligence score of 13 or higher
- You have unlocked new a psionic ability, and may attempt to use it to make a brief shield to block an attack, briefly buffing your AC by adding your proficiency bonus as a reaction to attempt to block the damage, if the attack still beats your heightened AC it still hits you, but you may attempt to use this feature again. Additionally if an ally within 30 ft of you is about to be hit by an attack of opportunity, you may attempt to place a force field around them using the same properties of this feat. upon a successful block, you may not use this feature again until you perform a long rest.
Acid Breath.
Prerequisite: Skeletal Ooze
- You've learned how to spray thick viscous acid at your enemies similar to the Black Skeletal Ooze. As an action you can breath out deadly acid in a 15ft cone. The target must make a dexterity saving throw, the DC for this saving throw equals 8 + Constitution Modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d6 damage on a failed save, and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. After you use your breath weapon, you can’t use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Ooze Gourmet.
Prerequisite: Green or Ochre Skeletal Ooze, Constitution score of 10 or higher
- You've found a way to turn pieces of yourself into, not very tasty, but edible food. During a long rest you can create an amount of rations equal to your Constitution modifier + 1, they quench your thirst and can fill your belly, though it feels like it moves sometimes. If these slime rations are not eaten in 24 hours they will turn to slop and lose all nutritional value, though they will quench your thirst.
- You gain +1 to your Constitution Score, to a maximum of 20.
Splashback.
Prerequisite: Skeletal Ooze Strength score of 13 or higher
You've figured out how to splashing those who would hit you.
- Upon getting hit by a melee weapon attack, you may use your reaction to make an attack roll to splash 1d6 + total level acid damage at the attacker, the target of this retaliatory attack must pass a dexterity saving throw equal to 8 + Dexterity modifier + proficiency Bonus, on a failed save they take full damage and on a successful one they manage to avoid being hit by your splashback.
Feign Death.
Prerequisite: Skeletal Ooze
You've learned how to manipulate your body and composition to make it appear as if you are dead.
- You schlop onto the floor prone and your bones spread out within your ooze and remain motionless unless disturbed. When using this feature you are considered to be under a similar effect to the feign death spell. While taking this action you are unable to move or talk, unless speaking telepathically. Once you use this feature you may not use it again until you have taken a long rest.
Acidic Embalming.
Prerequisite: Skeletal Ooze, Wisdom score of 13 or higher
- Whether by research or fluke you've figured out a way to turn creatures, into gooey companions in the same slime covered skeletal predicament as you are. When you find a creature you may as an action attempt to turn it into a companion by covering it in your ooze. Its flesh melts and all is left is a skeleton, covered in the ooze of your type. It follows you and is friendly to you. You may only have one creature embalmed at a time, you force it to make a saving throw against your wisdom modifier + 8 + proficiency bonus. On a failed save you generate a skeletal slime companion, on a successful save it takes 2d4 damage and becomes hostile to you if it survives. Use the corresponding creatures stats and the ability score increases from your subrace. You are limited to turning small and tiny creatures so long as they are not humanoid. You may only attempt to do this once a day.
Corrosive Absorption.
Prerequisite: Black Ooze, Constitution score of 13 or higher
You've learned how to melt down arrows and similar ranged fire before it can do significant damage
- You gain resistance to non-magical ranged attacks that deal piercing damage
- Your Constitution increase by 1 to a maximum of 20.
Telepathy.
Prerequisite: Gray Ooze Intelligence score of 13 or higher
Your psionics continue to develop, enabling you to use telepathy.
- Your mind has attained the ability to communicate with telepathy. You can speak telepathically with any creature you can see within 30ft of you in this manner. You don't need to share a language for a creature to understand your messages, but it must be able to understand at least one language or be telepathic itself.
- Increase your Intelligence Score by 1 up to a maximum of 20
Brew was made by /u/cipath and /u/larrylobsterguy Editing and balancing help from /u/kittyabbygirl heavily modified from GoblinGrills' Slime race
