Skeletal Slime
I've encountered a hundred different gelatinous creatures in my career, and though they've all tried to eat me in a hundred different 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 in the common tongue, and when I lowered my flame, it lowered its hands, I got one look at the dwarf skull inside the translucent ooze and ran from the cave.
-Oro Deepore, Spelunker
'Sapient Slime' might sound like an oxymoron, but countless first-hand reports insist that it's true. A translucent humanoid made of semisolid ooze mounted on a single stalk of thick goo instead of two legs, with a visible skull inside its head and sometimes a dozen veribrae and other bones floating inside its body. 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 exceptional circumstances, when a pudding, jelly, or ooze completely consumes a sapient humanoid, something unprecidented happens in the digestion process. Though the victim is killed and their body dissolved, their fleshless skull - and something spiritual - remains intact inside the ooze and transforms the mindless creature into something more.
Over the course of the next few years, the ooze gradually 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 eight fingers and two thumbs, and finally stacks itself onto a long stalk of slime that supports its form. The slime's body almost always matches it's skull and resembles the proportions of the humanoid it absorbed. Almost nothing psychological remains from the victim of this amalgamation except a sense of self-awareness, a yearning for learning, and a very human urge to preserve itself.
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 ruin or tunnel that it was incubated in, it has no idea that its kin are considered monsters and mindless devourers to the civilized world. Its first encounter with a hunter in the woods or merchant on the road will be met with fear or hostility. If it finds a town, it will likely be immidiately destroyed by the militia, or captured and subjected to testing by the local alchemist or wizard, or find itself in a travelling circus and paraded as a sideshow act.
If none of these things happen and a slime finds someone benevolent enough to mentor it, or a library where it can hide during the day and read during the night, or even finds a group of slimes that have created a haven for their kin, it has the potential to learn and grow and become something greater than the sum of it's parts, just an old skull and a mound of shapeless ooze. Even a morbid abomination can make a difference in the world, whether for good or for ill.
Slime Names
Most slimes pick their names based on their first words - usually just an onomatopoeia of 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 animalistic oblivion that is an ooze's consciousness.
Slimes make no distinction between male and female when they're born, and have no evidence of what the gender of the skull in which they're inhabiting was before it was consumed, but some slimes are later assigned one or the other by other humanoids, or pick a gender themselves.
Slime Names: Helk, Poloph, Slehth, Gopi, Mulphup, Thelbem, Forl, Slith, Blipa, Squilk, Thep, Gorgerl, Lep.
Slime Personality
Though a slime learns quickly and soaks up experiences like a sponge and develops an identity at a breakneck pace, there is a chance that it might retain random quirks from the humanoid that used to inhabit its skull. You can use the Slime Quirks table to determine what traits remain.
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 keep as the gender of your consumed humanoid. |
Slime Traits
Your slime character has the following racial traits.
Age. Skeletal Oozes live as long as it takes to finally break down the skull inside, which averages at about 30 years. Once the skull is broken down it becomes a slime of the respective subrace.
Alignment. Slimes are born neutral, but can become jaded from the animosity other races show them. Alternatively, this prejudice can motivate them to protect others.
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.
Ooze Physiology. Your diet is mostly salt, water and any 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. As 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. As you are mostly made of ooze, weapons and armour with the heavy stat cannot be wielded, though you can use light or medium armor as they are lighter. You also gain resistance to Acid Damage.
Languages. The 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 |
Unarmed Attack. Your unarmed attacks deal 1d6 blunt damage, at level 5 you gain an additional damage die doing (2d6) blunt damage, and again at level 11 (3d6), and again at level 17 (4d6).
Ochre
Ability Score Increase. Increase your Dexterity score by 1 and Constitution score by 2.
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. Your unarmed attacks deal 1d6 acid damage and have the reach attribute. at level 5 you gain an additional damage die doing (2d6) acid damage, and again at level 11 (3d6), and again at level 17 (4d6). Additionally non magical movement impairing effects on you are halved.
Adhesive Strike. When you hit an enemy with your unarmed attack they roll a Dexterity save that is equal to 8 + Consitution Modifier + Proficency 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 resfreshes and they gain another adhesion stack up to a maximum of 3 stacks, but upon succeding 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 10 + 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 Your unarmed attacks deal 1d4 acid damage. at level 5 you gain an additional damage die doing (2d4) acid damage.
Psychic Crush. Unlike other oozes, you have been gifted with psionics, as an action 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 succesful save. You gain additional damage die at level 5 doing (2d6), and again at level 11 (3d6), and lastly at level 17 (4d6)
Telepathy. Your mind has attained the ability to communicate with telepathy. You can speak telepathically with any creature you can see within 40ft 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
Mage hand You gain acces to the mage hand cantrip at level 3 as your psionic abilities develop.
Black
Ability Score Increase. Increase your Strength score by 1 and Your Constitution score by 1.
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, but because of your acidic nature your body itself can take some blows, your AC is equal to 13 + Constitution Modifier.
Eroding Strike. Your unarmed attacks deal 1d6 + Constitution Modifier acid damage. at level 5 you gain an additional damage die doing (2d6) acid damage, and again at level 11 (3d6), and again at level 17 (4d6), and if you grapple an enemy, they take acidic damage equal to 1d6 + Constitution modifier, repeating for each of their turns that they fail to escape your grapple.
Succesive Strike Each successive attack after the first deals 1 point of additional acidic damage stacking up to 4 times. The damage increases to 2 at 6th level, 3 at 11th level, and 4 at 16th level. Upon a miss all bonus damage stacks are removed.
Splashback. 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.
Acid Breath 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.
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 to 13 + Dexterity Modifier 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. upon a successful block, you may not use this feature again until you perform a long rest.
Acid Splash.
Prerequisite: Skeletal Ooze, Intelligence score of 13 or higher
- You have learned how to toss bubbles of acid at your enemies, you gain the ability to use the Acid Splash Cantrip and are able to cast it as a bonus action.
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, 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.
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 then 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
- You've figured out a way to turn creatures, into gooey companions in the same slime covered skeletal predicament as you are, whether by accident or by research or fluke, when you find a creature you may 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. You may only have one slime companion at a time, and may only attempt to do this once a day. You force it to make a saving throw against your wisdom modifier + 8. 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 beasts, undead, aberrations, dragons, and fey, so long as they are not humanoid.
BRAIN BLAST.
Prerequisite: Gray Ooze
You know how to get into the minds of others, examining their body movements, and sensing their brainwaves.
- You gain proficiency in Insight and if you are already proficient in said skill, you double your proficiency.
- Increase your wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
Corrosive Absorption.
Prerequisite: Black Ooze
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
- Your constitution score increases by 1, 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
