Ooze Cohorts
A young man lies pinned beneath a pile of recently deposited rocks. The kobold mines are known to be unreliable as a means of travel, but it is only now that the warnings seem all too relevant. The man cries out, but no one answers.
After a few more loud but futile shouts, the man notices liquid pooling next to him. Is the mine flooding? Not at all, the man realizes, as the puddle stands up on two wobbly, misshapen legs. The creature stares at him a while. With no other choice, the man pleads with this being to spare his life.
Despite everything he has heard about oozes and slimes, the creature does not devour him. Instead, the man feels something warm inside his head. Is the creature communicating with him? Is this being intelligent?
The rocks are pushed away by the creature's body, leaving the man a little damp, but unharmed. From that day forward, the man traveled with a bucket hanging from his backpack, his little slime friend resting inside of it.
What is a Cohort?
In short, a creature cohort is a monster, perhaps from the Monster Manual that has been converted into its own race and associated class. You create a cohort much like making a character, following the same rules in the Player's Handbook. One difference, though, is that cohorts typically don't pick a character background unless the monster in question had a prior profession.
Cohorts are designed to be flexible, so that DMs can do some of the following:
- DMs can use a cohort in place of the normal "Sidekick" rules from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, allowing an iconic monster to act as a friendly NPC or even as a party member
- A cohort can be used as a monster that levels with the party (as a recurring enemy or rival, for instance)
- Cohorts can act as more powerful familiars, or as substitutes for animal companions (or similar class abilities)
Note: despite being mentioned above, you do not need to own Tasha's Cauldron of Everything to use cohorts.
Know that the race and class associated with a specific cohort (like the Ooze Cohort Race and Class) are designed to be taken together. The reason is to ensure the race and class are both balanced as a "package" and also to ensure both fit the base creature thematically as much as possible. Keep in mind that as of the time of this writing, creature cohorts are not designed for multiclassing nor balanced for such.
Cohorts allow for party members that are normally all but impossible to conceive, like the example given below: The Ooze.
Ooze Racial Features
When oozes are formed, they begin as little more than an amorphous mass of acidic slime. However, their keen senses and naturally quiet movement allow them to seek (or hunt) their food surprisingly well.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1.
Age. The biology of oozes is little understood. It is said that one can be born with latent psychic ability, or it can awaken after months or years (if the awakening should happen at all). Since these creatures are often spawned fully formed, there is no minimum age for an ooze. It is believed that oozes can live for many years, as they are not known to die from anything other than combat or a lack of food.
Alignment. Oozes tend to have simple thoughts at first-- being concerned with their next meal and little else. If an intelligent ooze spends time around other sentient beings, though, it may take inspiration from the hopes and dreams of those around it.
Isolated oozes are often neutral, having little knowledge (if any) of society or its values. Oozes that learn from others can fall anywhere on the spectrum from good to evil.
art by Logan Preshaw
cover art by Johannes Voss
Size. You begin as a Small-sized creature, being somewhere around three feet in diameter to start. Over time, your mass will continue to grow as you consume organic material.
Speed. You have a 'walking' speed of 20 feet, and a climb speed of 20 feet.
Blindsight. Lacking visual organs, you cannot 'see' in the traditional way. However, you have a keen sense of hearing and can detect even slight vibrations through your fluidic body. You are able to perceive your surroundings within 60 feet without relying on sight. On the one hand, you can perceive normally through darkness, fog and the like without issue. On the other hand, you are blind beyond this radius.
Amorphous. As an ooze, you can always move through a space as if you were a Small-sized creature. This is true even as you grow to larger sizes.
Naturally Quiet. You gain proficiency in the Stealth skill.
Slimy Nature. You count as an ooze for the purposes of spells and effects.
Pseudopod. You are able to strike at your enemies, swiping outward with a tentacle-like mass of yourself. You have a pseudopod attack that counts as a natural melee weapon. Your pseudopod deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage, and adds your Strength bonus to attack and damage rolls. You are automatically proficient in your pseudopod attack.
Keep in mind that, at birth, your acid is not strong enough to damage enemies from such brief contact. This will become less of an issue as you mature.
Natural Armor. Your form has a tendency to slip past weapons completely, and injuring you can be difficult for most. When you are unarmored, you have a natural armor class of 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier.
Liquid Reservoir. Lacking a solid anatomy, oozes are immune to the prone condition. Further, you cannot equip weapons or armor of any kind. However, by submerging magical items in your body, you still gain the benefit of those items as though you were wearing them. You have the same number of magical item slots as a humanoid, but in your case the items float inside your fluidic body until you choose to pull them out again. Others cannot remove these items from you as long as you are conscious.
If you prefer, you can instead "wear" items on the outside of your body should you take on a humanoid shape, but any armor worn simply gets knocked out of the way whenever it is hit, since you do not have a solid form to keep it in place. You do not gain the armor class of any armor "worn" in this way.
Acidic. You have resistance to acid damage.
Prodigy. You are unable to speak, but can telepathically share your surface emotions with others within 30 feet (like happiness, fear, or sadness) and can use your pseudopod to point or non-verbally emote what is on your mind. As you develop your psychic abilities further, your language capabilities will grow as well.
Languages. You can understand Common. Per the Prodigy ability (above) you cannot speak initially (nor can you read)... but you can understand the words of others.
New Class: The Ooze
Class Features
As an ooze, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d10 per ooze level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) plus your Constitution modifier per ooze level after 1st.
Proficiencies
- Armor: none
- Weapons: none
- Tools: none
- Saving Throws: see bonus proficiencies, below
- Skills: see bonus proficiencies, below
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- an explorer's pack
- a bucket and 50 gold
The Ooze
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Bonus Proficiencies |
| 2nd | +2 | Smother |
| 3rd | +2 | Empathy, Living Terrain |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | Adhesive Form, Living Arsenal |
| 6th | +3 | Extra Attack, Telepathy |
| 7th | +3 | Size Increase (Medium), Envelop |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | Seep |
| 10th | +4 | Split |
| 11th | +4 | Acidic Embrace |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | Size Increase (Large) |
| 14th | +5 | Living Battlefield |
| 15th | +5 | Enhanced Intuition |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | Corrosive Form |
| 18th | +6 | Fluid Form Mastery |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | Chosen of Juiblex |
Bonus Proficiencies
The ooze gains proficiency in one saving throw of your choice: Strength, Constitution, or Wisdom.
In addition, the cohort gains proficiency in two skills of your choice from the following list: Acrobatics, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Survival.
(The above list assumes the cohort has the Ooze race--if not, then add Stealth to the list of options.)
Smother
Starting at 2nd level, you learn to latch onto enemies by taking advantage of your sticky nature. Immediately after you hit a creature with a pseudopod attack on your turn, you can try to grapple the target as a bonus action.
At the beginning of your turn, you deal 1d8 acid damage to a target you are currently grappling.
Living Terrain
At 3rd level, you learn to shift your coloration and texture to blend in with your environment. While you remain motionless, you have advantage on Stealth checks.
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art by Der-Reiko
Empathy
Your psychic abilities continue to develop as you grow. Once you reach 3rd level, you can sense the surface emotions of creatures near you. You can cast the detect thoughts spell without material or verbal components, and without using a spell slot. You can only detect the surface thoughts of creatures when casting the spell using this ability.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Adhesive Form
Starting at 5th level, you have such control over your form that you can stick much more effectively to surfaces. You are able to move along vertical surfaces and ceilings exactly as if you were under the effect of the spider climb spell. You can also engage in a short rest while clinging to a wall or ceiling.
Living Arsenal
Once you reach 5th level, you learn to draw upon the magical strength of weapons and armor within your body. During a short or long rest, you can bring out the magical power of up to one weapon and one piece of armor (or a shield) that are contained within you. As long as the bonded items are kept entirely within your body, you gain the following benefits:
- Your pseudopod attacks are considered magical as long as you are bonded with a magical weapon.
- You add the bonded weapon's magical attack and damage bonuses to your pseudopod attack and damage rolls.
- You add the bonded armor's (or shield's) magical armor bonus to your armor class. Note that you only add the magical bonus, and you do not gain any other bonuses to armor class in this way. You are still considered unarmored.
Extra Attack (Pseudopod)
At 6th level, you may attack with a pseudopod twice, rather than once, when using the Attack action.
Telepathy
As you mature, your ability to communicate with others becomes more advanced. Starting at 6th level, you are able to telepathically speak to any creature within 60 feet. You don't need to share a language to understand each other, but the creature must be able to understand at least one language.
Size Increase (Medium)
At 7th level, your mass has grown such that you are now a Medium-sized creature. Your pseudopod attacks now deal 1d8 bludgeoning damage plus your Strength modifier. At the beginning of each of your turns, you now deal 2d8 acid damage to creatures you are grappling.
In addition, while you are grappling an enemy, that creature has disadvantage on all melee and ranged weapon attacks against targets other than you.
Envelop
Starting at 7th level, you are able to cover a large area with a literal part of yourself, damaging and engulfing enemies for a short time. As an action during your turn, you can fling a glob of your body mass up to 60 feet to an area that you can see. Each creature in a 20-foot square within that range must make a Dexterity saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier. Creatures become restrained on a failed save, and suffer no penalty on a success. Restrained creatures may make a new save at the end of each of their turns, ending the condition on a success.
The area remains covered in acidic ooze for 1 minute, and counts as difficult terrain for that duration. Creatures in the affected area take 2d8 acid damage at the start of each of your turns.
You are immune to the damage and effects of your own Envelop ability, and may move normally in an affected area.
You may use this ability once per point of proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses upon completion of a long rest.
Seep
At 9th level, you are able to control your body's density more so than ever. This allows you to absorb shock more effectively, as well as extend your ability to sense vibrations in the environment. You have resistance to falling damage.
In addition, your blindsight extends out to 120 feet. When using your Envelop ability, you may now target an area within 120 feet that you can see.
Split
As an action during your turn, you may split off a part of yourself to attack independently of your main body. Your current hit points are split evenly, rounded down, between you and your secondary form (which appears in an adjacent unoccupied square of your choice). Your secondary form is one size smaller than your original form.
In combat, your secondary form shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. Its statistics are identical to yours (including armor class, saves and movement speeds). It can move and use its reactions on its own, but the only action it can take on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. The action can be a single pseudopod attack (using your total attack and damage die, and bonuses as if you were attacking yourself) or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the secondary form can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.
When your secondary form hits a target with its pseudopod attack, it may use the Smother ability without the need of a bonus action. Your secondary form deals 2d8 acid damage to a creature it is grappling at the beginning of each of its turns.
If your secondary form is adjacent to you, you may merge with it as an action, immediately regaining its current hit points (up to your normal maximum). If your secondary form is reduced to 0 hit points, is separate from you for more than 1 hour, or is moved more than 300 feet away from you, the secondary form melts away.
You may use this ability once, and regain any expended use upon completion of a long rest. If you are dealt slashing or lightning damage, you immediately regain one use of this ability if you have no uses remaining. You can only have one secondary form at a time.
Acidic Embrace
Starting at 11th level, your pseudopod attacks deal an extra 1d8 acid damage on a hit.
Your Smother ability now deals 4d8 acid damage instead of 2d8.
Size Increase (Large)
Once you reach 13th level, your mass increases further. You are now Large-sized. Your speed is no longer halved while grappling an enemy.
You also gain resistance to slashing damage.
Living Battlefield
You learn to exert finer control over your body, sparing your allies from your acidic wrath. At 14th level, your Envelop ability now affects a 40-foot square. When you use Envelop, you may choose any number of creatures in the affected area that you can see. Those creatures become immune to the effects of your Envelop ability until the next time you use it. Your slime also pulls away from the chosen creatures as they move, so the area does not count as difficult terrain for them.
In addition, whenever you fall at least 20 feet, you may consume your reaction to use your Envelop ability centered on the square(s) you land on.
Enhanced Intuition
Starting at 15th level, your ability to detect subtle movements is exceptionally well honed. Even resting no longer leaves you truly vulnerable. While engaging in a short or long rest, you are alerted to (and if you choose, automatically awakened by) any hostile creature in contact with a surface that comes within range of your blindsight. If the creature is using Stealth, you may make a Perception check (opposing their Stealth roll) to see if you can determine where they are-- failure means you detect a disturbance within range but cannot pinpoint the creature's location.
Corrosive Form
The acid that makes up most of your body has, until now, been fairly consistent in its intensity. At 17th level, you learn to concentrate your acid so much so that you can degrade your opponents' equipment as you strike them.
When you hit an enemy with a pseudopod attack (either from yourself or your secondary form) twice in the same round, that creature suffers a -1 reduction to their armor class if they are wearing armor. The penalty stacks up to a maximum of -5 total (or until their armor bonus is reduced to 0, whichever happens first). The penalty remains until the armor is repaired by a creature proficient with smith's tools. The repair process takes 8 hours.
Fluid Form Mastery
Starting at 18th level, you may use your reaction whenever you or your secondary form are hit with a melee or ranged weapon attack to halve the damage of that attack. You may use this ability only if you are at half of your maximum hit points or fewer.
Chosen of Juiblex
At 20th level, you reach the pinnacle of your psychic abilities, coordinating with your separate parts to attack as one entity. When using an Attack action during your turn, you can create a pseudopod anywhere within the affected area of your Envelop ability, and may attack with that pseudopod instead of your own (using the same modifiers), replacing one of your attacks for the turn. You can then use your Smother ability on a creature hit in this way. A creature grappled in this way takes damage each turn as if you were grappling them yourself.
Using this ability, you may grapple two creatures at once-- one creature through the Envelop pseudopod as well as one creature grappled by your main body. If your secondary form grapples a creature as well, then you can have a third creature grappled at any one time.
In addition, whenever you are hit with an attack, ability or spell that deals damage, you can use a reaction to merge with your secondary form if it is within 30 feet of you, immediately regaining its total hit points (up to your normal maximum) before any damage is dealt. If you use this ability when you and your secondary form are hit at the same time (such as from a fireball spell), your secondary form ceases to exist before any damage could be dealt to it.
art by Jehan Choo
Copyright Wizards of the Coast
Ooze Cohorts- Miscellany
Challenge Rating for Oozes
The following challenge ratings are based on the Monster Statistics by Challenge Rating table on page 274 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. Note that the below numbers were calculated without accounting for equipped magic items.
As a point of reference: The average level 20 player character may have a CR around 12-14 depending on the character's build and magic items, and can become higher still when using an optimized build and powerful items.
| Cohort Level | Recommended CR |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1/8 |
| 2 | 1/4 |
| 3 | 1/2 |
| 4 | 1 |
| 5 | 2 |
| 6 | 3 |
| 7 | 3 |
| 8 | 3 |
| 9 | 4 |
| 10 | 5 |
| 11 | 6 |
| 12 | 6 |
| 13 | 7 |
| 14 | 7 |
| 15 | 7 |
| 16 | 8 |
| 17 | 9 |
| 18 | 10 |
| 19 | 11 |
| 20 | 12 |
Roleplaying as an Ooze
It is believed that most intelligent oozes and slimes gained their sentience in one of two ways: either they have been granted a mote of the demon lord Juiblex's power (the lord of oozes, slimes and vermin), or the ooze had been exposed to psychic creatures and/or energies for a prolonged period.
Keep in mind that intelligent members of the ooze family are extremely rare at best. Often, a 'gifted' ooze lives as the only sentient creature in its lair, one prodigy amongst an otherwise mindless race. That said, the first time an ooze discovers other sentient creatures can be a shocking experience.
When roleplaying as an Ooze, consider how your character gained their intelligence. Just as important, has your ooze sensed other intelligent beings before? An ooze would find other sentient creatures to be a rarity. As a result, an ooze would either be alarmed by the presence of another intelligence... or be fascinated by it. Evil oozes (or just hungry Neutral ones) may find intelligent creatures to be a worthy kind of prey. Good oozes (or simply curious ones) may follow sentient beings around, and become enlightened by the dreams, ambitions, and goals these creatures live to fulfill.
Humanoid Oozes?
Unless your campaign takes place in a particularly unusual setting, note that virtually all non-intelligent oozes do not change their forms. They simply lack the desire, intellect, and creativity to even consider such a thing.
However, an intelligent ooze can do something that others of their kind cannot; they can dream. An ooze granted intelligence can learn to take greater control over their liquid-like form, and in doing so they can shape themselves in ways most other oozes would never manage. Of the most common oozes, the only 'shaped' ones are the infamous gelatinous cubes (found in the Monster Manual). For an intelligent ooze, it would be possible to take on a geometric or exotic shape... including that of other creatures (like their humanoid and/or monstrous allies). Another angle might be an ooze that takes the shape of its most worthy prey, believing the absorption of its enemy's matter to be an almost spiritual experience.
On the other hand, an especially creative ooze might think of entirely new forms for itself, like a small half-elf child with a giant backpack on its back, or a gnome riding an oversized toad (allowing for a large-sized ooze with a small-sized humanoid 'section' that speaks for it). The possibilities are limited only by your imagination (and perhaps your DM's approval).
art by LadyofHats
Ooze Cohorts as PCs
Cohorts are largely based on their counterparts in the Monster Manual, so know that such creatures generally have fewer combat options than the average Player Character. Cohorts are designed to be sidekicks, stronger familiars, or substitute animal companions (at least by default) and so they are likely to be a little slower to develop than player characters.
However, this does not mean that cohorts are unsuitable for use as PCs. If you intend to use the ooze cohort as a full-fledged party member, the following changes are recommended:
- Allow the ooze player character to choose a background normally (though the relevant options may be limited)
- At fourth level, the ooze player character may gain two superiority dice and learn two maneuvers exactly as if they were a Fighter with the Battle Master subclass. The ooze's superiority dice are d6s, and are recovered upon completion of a short or long rest.
- At 8th, 12th and 16th level, the ooze character gains one more superiority die and learns one more maneuver.
- At 8th and 16th level, the ooze's superiority dice increase by one die size (to d8s at 8th level, and d10s at 16th level)
Inspiration
Creature Cohorts were created by me, u/Mister_Thr33 (MisterThr33 on GMBinder). Cohorts were largely inspired by two sources:
- The "Sidekicks" section of Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
- The Third Edition supplement Savage Species
If not for the above sources (and the support of my family and friends), creature cohorts would likely not exist!
Credits
'Creature Cohorts' is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Cover art by Johannes Voss
(www.artstation.com/algenpfleger)
Page 2 art by Logan Preshaw
(www.artstation.com/logibear)
Page 4 art by Der-Reiko
(www.deviantart.com/der-reiko/gallery)
Page 6 art by Jehan Choo
Copyright Wizards of the Coast
(www.artstation.com/styloren)
Page 7 art by LadyofHats
(commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:LadyofHats) Watercolor stains by Jared Ondricek (https://watercolors.giantsoup.com/xgte/xgtebottom-left/index.html)