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I'm Pip, I write D&D monsters with unique abilities, each of which comes with a strategy guide to make every action count!
This guide to oozes is a great example of my work, so if you end up liking it, check out my other works by clicking here:
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General Ooze Tactics
Oozes, as gross / deadly / adorable as they are, are not super smart. But a scorpion doesn't have to be smart to know how to sting, and so too should your oozes know how to make use of their anatomy.
How to use Amorphous
Almost all oozes have Amorphous (it's a staple of being oozy), yet it almost never comes into play mid-combat. This is criminal as it's a +5 to your armor class and dex saves! How, you ask? Cover rules.
Cover: A target with three-quarters cover has a +5 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target has three-quarters cover if about three-quarters of it is covered by an obstacle. The obstacle might be a portcullis, an arrow slit, or a thick tree trunk.
Now normally, a creature that's meleeing through such a small space would likely trigger the Squeezing rules, which means disadvantage on attacks-- however, amorphous specifies that you do not squeeze, so it costs no additional movement and does not cause disadvantage. Additionally, it may not even be possible for the party to attack back through a 1 inch gap-- How ya gonna shove a greataxe through that?
Ambushes
Many oozes are slow (20ft speed average). This means that if your party sees an ooze 40ft away, it'll take the ooze 2 whole rounds of using the Dash action to even get into range.
Luckily, most oozes have ways to ambush their prey. False appearance (as the Grey Ooze) & Transparent (as the gelatinous cube) should be enough to catch any party off guard. These two automatically work-- no roll. The party may notice the ooze once it begins to attack though. To determine that, have your ooze roll Stealth against their passive perceptions. Party members that fail are Surprised. If you're surprised, you can't move or take an action on your first turn of the combat, and you can't take a reaction until that turn ends. A member of a group can be surprised even if the other members aren't.
This means the ooze will basically get a WHOLE round to itself if it can surprise them all!
Oozes
Ooze Familiars
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Ooze Variants
The Spitter Ooze Strategy
With Spider Climb and a ranged attack that dissolves armor, Spitter ooze strategy is simple. Cling to the ceiling, shoot down globs of acid, wait for them to die or run, and then go eat the bits they left behind. The immunity to Piercing is particularly brutal, as that shuts down their archers. They'll have to rely on spells that aren't acid damage, or find a way to get the melee attackers in arms reach!
Spitter Slime
Medium ooze, unaligned
- Armor Class 7
- Hit Points 85 (10d10 + 30)
- Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 4 (-3) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 4 (-3) 6 (-2) 1 (-5)
- Damage Immunities acid, piercing
- Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone
- Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 8
- Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Amorphous. The pudding can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Spider Climb. The pudding can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Actions
Acid Spit. Target creature within 30ft must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity save, or take 24 (6d8) acid damage.
In addition, non magical armor worn by the target is partly dissolved and takes a permanent and cumulative −1 penalty to the AC it offers. The armor is destroyed if the penalty reduces its AC to 10.
Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 18 (4d8) acid damage.
Sprayer Slime Strategy
Sprayer slimes are trapdoor hunters, able to burrow beneath the dirt and wait for prey to come within their sticky-spray range. They use their Tremorsense to silently follow their prey underneath the dirt. Burrow + Amorphous means that they could do so while only disturbing an inch of dirt-- hardly noticeable. Even then, they'll only reach out their pseudopod from directly beneath their opponent, making their armor class effectively 12 (+5 from cover).
Open up with Sticky Spray to stop them from fleeing, then Pseudopod!
Sprayer Slime
Medium ooze, unaligned
- Armor Class 7
- Hit Points 85 (10d10 + 30)
- Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 4 (-3) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 4 (-3) 6 (-2) 1 (-5)
- Damage Immunities acid, piercing
- Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone
- Senses Tremorsense 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 8
- Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Amorphous. The pudding can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Actions
Sticky Spray. (Recharge 5–6). 15ft cone, DC 13 Dex Save. Creatures that fail are restrained by sticky ooze that hardens into a web. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 12 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage).
Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 18 (4d8) acid damage.
Jumping Jelly
Medium ooze, unaligned
- Armor Class 6
- Hit Points 84 (8d10 + 40)
- Speed 10 ft
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 3 (-4) 16 (+3) 20 (+5) 1 (-5) 6 (-2) 1 (-5)
- Skills. Stealth +5
- Damage Immunities Acid
- Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone
- Senses darkvision 120 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 8
- Challenge 2 (450 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Actions
Jelly Tongue. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (3d6) acid damage, and the creature is considered grappled (escape DC 13) & restrained as the Jelly partially engulfs them. A creature grappled in this way takes 12 (3d6) acid damage at the start of each of the Jelly's turns. When the Jelly moves, the grappled creature moves with it.
Jelly Jump Splash! The Jumping Jelly leaps to a point that it can see within 30ft of it, provoking no attacks of opportunity when it does so. Creatures within 5ft of the Jelly when it lands must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity Save. On failure, they take 3d6 Acid Damage. On a success, they take half.
Jumper Jelly Strategy
Wait from a high perch, and plop down with a fury! Since the Jump has a 30ft distance, you can easily surprise the party with it by coming swiftly from shadows. Perhaps have a DC 15 Perception check to see it (based on the Jumping Jelly's +5 to stealth). If you do manage to surprise them, that means the Jumper will be able to do a small AoE, and grab someone before they can react. That means the party will have one opportunity to free their friend before you can jump AWAY with them!
Once you've jumped away with that person, simply keep running, jumping, and digesting.
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The Booze Strategy
The Booze's semi-liquid body contains strong alcohols, allowing it to remain fluid in even extreme cold. It hides as a pool of ice, waiting for warm bodies to get near it so that it can drain them of their heat, which it consumes for energy. Slide in, freeze the ground, attack, and slide away (preferably using Amorphous to get cover).
Booze
Medium ooze, unaligned
- Armor Class 8
- Hit Points 34 (4d8 + 16)
- Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 6 (-2) 18 (+4) 1 (-5) 6 (-2) 2 (-4)
- Skills Stealth +2
- Damage Resistances acid, cold
- Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone
- Senses Blindsight 100 ft. (blind beyond this radius, works as thermal vision), passive Perception 8
- Challenge 2 (450 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Amorphous. The ooze can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing, including through tiles occupied by enemies.
Freeze Metal. Any non magical weapon made of metal that hits the Booze grows cold. After dealing damage, the weapon becomes supernaturally cold. Any creature in physical contact with the weapon takes 2d8 cold damage. The creature must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or drop the object if it can. If it doesn't drop the object, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks until the start of your next turn.
Frost Trail. Any tile the Booze enters on a turn freezes for 1 minute, becoming difficult terrain for non-Booze creatures. While frozen in this way, creatures entering this area for the first time on a turn or starting their turn in it must make a DC 12 Dexterity Save or be knocked Prone.
Flatten & Slide. The Ooze provokes no attacks of opportunity as it moves.
False Appearance. While the ooze remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a pool of ice.
Actions
Ice Spike. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage plus 9 (2d6 + 2) cold damage.
The Hive-Slime Strategy
These slimes are the opposite of the trope of oozes & slimes splitting-- instead, they start separated to attack prey as a pack, and combine as they take damage. Try to group them into 2 large Hive slimes, as that will keep Pack Tactics alive longer.
Hive Slime
small ooze, unaligned
- Armor Class 7
- Hit Points 65 (10d6 + 30)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 5 (-3) 16 (+3) 6 (-2) 8 (-1) 1 (-5)
- Damage Immunities acid
- Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone
- Senses darkvision 120 ft, passive Perception 8
- Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Amorphous. The slime can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Pack Tactics The slime has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the slimes's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Hive Healing. At the start of its turn, a size medium hive-slime regains 5 hit points. If it is size large, it regains 10hp. If it is Huge, it regains 15 HP.
Slimey Swole. If this Slime becomes size Medium, its pseudopod gains +d6 bludgeoning damage. If this Slime is size Large, it gains +2d6 Bludgeoning damage instead. If this slime is huge, it instead gains +2d6 damage, and gains a multiattack allowing it to attack twice with its Pseudopod.
Actions
Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 18 (4d8) acid damage. In addition, non magical armor worn by the target is partly dissolved and takes a permanent and cumulative −1 penalty to the AC it offers. The armor is destroyed if the penalty reduces its AC to 10.
Reactions
Combine. When this slime is subjected to damage and has at least 1 hp remaining, it may choose to combine with another slime within 5ft of it. The slime taking this reaction disappears. The slime it combines with gains an amount of current and Max HP equal to the amount of HP the other slime had remaining, becomes a size category larger.
The Fuelze
The Fuelze is made from an oily substance that continually burns, offering it some level of protection as well as a way to cook its food (it orders adventurers well-done). Once the Fuelze burns a creature to death, it uses intense temperatures to melt down the corpse into oils, which it can add to its own mass.
The Fuelze Strategy
It can freely move about without worrying about attacks of opportunity. This, combined with Amorphous and Flatten & Slide, means that this Fuelze can actually move under several enemies in a turn, knocking several prone and burning each.
That being said, it still has only a 25ft speed. This means that you'll need to get close to the party first, or they can simply out-run you. False appearance will let you appear as an ever-burning puddle, but that trick will work once before the party is suspicious of all fires ever.
Alternatively, you can use walls, corridors, and general Amorphous tactics to hide the Fuelze until they're close, then Greasy Goo them all to knock a few prone, slide in and pseudopod someone.
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Fuelze
Large ooze, unaligned
- Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 68 (8d10 + 24)
- Speed 25 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 6 (-2) 17 (+3) 2 (-4) 12 (+1) 10 (+0)
- Skills Perception +4, Stealth +4
- Damage Resistances acid, fire
- Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, prone, restrained
- Senses blindsight 120 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 14
- Languages Ignan
- Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Amorphous. The Fuelze can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing, as well as through an enemy creature's space.
Flame Trail. Objects not being worn or carried are set aflame by the Fuelze's touch. When the Fuelze moves, it leaves a burning trail in its wake that stays lit until the start of its next turn. Creatures that start their turn in this fire or enter this fire for the first time on a turn must make a DC 14 Dex Save, taking 22 (4d10) fire damage and being knocked prone, or half on a successful save and not being knocked prone.
Flatten & Slide. The Ooze provokes no attacks of opportunity as it moves.
False Appearance When the Fuelze is motionless, it can appear as an open flame, such as a campfire or a burning puddle of oil.
Actions
Multiattack. The Fuelze makes two Pseudopod attacks. The Fuelze can replace one Pseudopod attack with its Greasy Goo, if available.
Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 14 (4d6) fire damage.
Greasy Goo (Recharge 6). The Fuelze expels a thin spray of its oily mass in a 30-foot cone. When a creature begins its turn in that area, they must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 22 (4d10) fire damage and is knocked prone. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn't knocked prone. This thin oil burns away by the end of the Fuelze's turn.
Grime
Huge ooze, unaligned
- Armor Class 13 (Objects carried with it)
- Hit Points 152 (16d12 + 48)
- Speed 15 ft., climb 15 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 6 (-2) 16 (+3) 1 (-5) 6 (-2) 2 (-4)
- Skills Athletics +7
- Damage Resistances poison, necrotic
- Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone
- Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 8
- Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
False Appearance. While the Grime remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a pile of rusted weapons, armor, and loot.
Sticky Goo. The Grime adheres to anything that touches it. A Huge or smaller creature adhered to the Grime is also grappled by it (escape DC 15, with disadvantage).
If a creature hits the Grime with a melee weapon, they may make an Athletics check (DC 15) to unstick the weapon as part of that attack, on a failure the creature is disarmed and the weapon pulled from their grasp, and plunges deep into the Grime.
Actions
Multiattack. As an action, it can make two attacks with its pseudopods.
Sticky Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (6d6) poison damage. The target becomes grappled per Sticky Goo.
Reactions
Rusted Armor. As a reaction, the Grime can shift the objects it carries with it towards a creature making an attack against it that it can see, using the objects as a shield. Until the end of this turn, the Grime has +2 to it's Armor Class.
Grime Lore
Grimes are gross, sticky oozes that hide amongst hordes of rusted loot that have stuck to them. Unlike most, these oozes are not acidic & do not break these items down; instead they can carry these objects both as camoflauge & as a means of protecting themselves, creating a strange shell of various metal or wooden objects.
Grime Strategy
The strategy for Grimes is straightforward-- relying mostly on passive abilities. Wait for an adventurer to get close, use false appearance to ambush them, stick 1 or two people to you with your pseudopod (preferring squishier things to eat), and then laugh as the party quickly realizes that their melee attackers quickly disarm themselves against such a sticky foe.
When deciding when to use Rusted Armor, know that it's better to use it against someone who makes more attack rolls (from Extra attack or a spell), at the beginning of their turn. For example, if someone makes 3 attacks on their turn, using it to block the first attack means it may block the second 2 as well, but using it on the 3rd attack means it will only block 1.
As well, sometimes its better to be hit! Let that monk punch you-- it won't do much damage, and then they'll be grappled, so you can hit them back with advantage!
Note from Pip: This whole "sticky" feature is a great way to make someone feel dumb for taking the Mobile feat.
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Blood Pudding Lore
Necromancers have many names for these-- the Sangsquish, the Vampire Slime, the Coagulation. These are often made by reckless wizards learning necromancy, but lack access to corpses. The method is simple-- few drops of blood, an incantation. In moments, you have a tiny Blood Ooze. The problem is that, unlike undead creatures, blood oozes are not immediately bound to their master's will. Instead, they immediately seek out fresh, warm blood to consume, growing in size and strength until they can kill in a single feeding.
Blood Pudding Strategy
WARNING: The blood ooze is an absolute killer.
Command blood has no explicit range, but since it requires seeing the target you can only hit creatures within the 120ft Tremorsense. That's a large range, but we don't care about that (remember, we're slow and melee). The beautiful part is that Tremorsense allows us to see through objects by detecting heartbeats on the other side of them-- that's right, so long as the Blood Pudding and the creature are touching the same surface (such as the floor, or arguably even the same building) it can detect exactly where they are within that range.
Target a party member who's off alone, and Command Blood from behind a wall. This will paralyze them (if you fail, there's no reason to think that the party would notice, so try again, eventually succeeding). The neat thing about the Paralyzed condition is that all attacks have advantage now, and hits from 5ft away automatically crit.
Ooze out from behind the wall (making the wall appear to "bleed" as it comes through). Check to see if any of the party is surprised (DC 14) by this. Then shoot out a bloody proboscis into the held person. Since it auto-crits, that's 4d4+3 damage, and then you can use Consumption for another 6d6. That's brutal! If the party were surprised, you'll also be able to do this a second time onto the (possibly still paralyzed) person, causing another 4d4+6d6+3 damage (and likely downing them).
Worse yet, 12d6 of that will reduce your player's MAX hp-- so it may straight up kill them, without death saves. If that happens, the Blood Pudding is satisfied for d12 hours, and hides to digest before hunting again.
Blood Pudding
Medium ooze, unaligned
- Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 93 (11d8 + 44)
- Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 10 (0) 18 (+4) 2 (-4) 12 (+1) 10 (+0)
- Skills Perception +4, Stealth +3
- Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, prone, restrained
- Senses Tremorsense 120 ft. (can detect heartbeats in this range, blind beyond it), passive Perception 14
- Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Amorphous. The ooze can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Dissolvable The ooze takes 20 acid damage when it ends its turn in running water.
Spider Climb. The ooze can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Actions
Multiattack. The ooze makes two attacks, only one of which can be a Consumption attack.
Consumption. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., a creature that is restrained by its proboscis. 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the ooze regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Proboscis. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) piercing damage. The creature is considered restrained (Escape DC 13).
Command Blood (Recharge 6) The Blood Pudding can assume control the blood of a living creature, causing it to hold fast. Target creature that the Blood Pudding sees must make a DC 15 Constitution save or be Paralyzed. This effect requires concentration, as a spell does. Creatures Paralyzed in this way may make an additional save at the end of each of their turns to end the effect early.
Ooze Familiars
Flubber
Tiny ooze, chaotic neutral
- Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 14 (4d4 + 4)
- Speed 25 ft, 25ft (Climb)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 8 (-1) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 6 (-2) 11 (+0) 10 (+0)
- Saving Throws Int +4, Cha +2
- Condition Immunities deafened, exhaustion, prone, poisoned
- Damage Immunities acid, bludgeoning, poison
- Senses Darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 12
- Languages Understands common, but only speaks in bubbles & chirps.
- Challenge 1/8 Proficiency Bonus +2
Amorphous. The Flubber can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Part Sticky The Flubber can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Part Bouncy. When the Flubber would take bludgeoning damage, including damage from falling, it instead takes no damage and instead is pushed away from the source of damage. It flies a number of feet equal to the damage negated.
Dissolvable The Living Potion takes 1d4 damage the first time it touches water on a round.
Actions
Chemical Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) acid damage.
Flubber Familiars
Flubbers are popular with many artificers who specialize in potion-making due to their innate immunity to both acid and poison. After all, it's nice to have someone who can jump into your cauldron to pick your ladle up!
Similarly, some Wizards like to keep them for their bounciness-- unsure if you want to featherfall down a dark chasm? Toss your flubber down first!
Warlocks are less likely to choose the Flubber, as it is not as strong as the Imp who can sting with a strong poison and go invisible, but the warlocks that do often know that the Amorphous ability of the Flubber makes it a brilliant scout that can go where even an invisible imp cannot.
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How to create a Living Potion
Should a wizard or artificer-- especially an Alchemist artificer-- choose to use a potion as a consumed material component of their Find Familiar spell, they create a Living Potion of that type. Stronger potions, such as a Greater Potion of Healing, may require higher level spell slots to do, but expending a spell slot of the same level later on will allow you to resummon that Living Potion until you summon a different familiar.
Living Potion Variants
Any potion can be animated into a "living potion"-- a special kind of Flubber-like ooze that takes on the properties of the potion that it's made from.
For example, a Living Potion of Water Breathing might have a swim speed, removes the Dissolvable trait, and allow 1 creature to breath water while it's in their mouth. A potion of poison could create an ooze with a poison attack, dealing as much damage as the potion would normally do, but the Living version would need time to recharge itself before using it again (Recharge 6 perhaps).
Have fun with this idea, and work with your DM. If you are the DM, think about making the next potion they come across wave at them from inside the bottle!
Living Potion of Healing
Tiny ooze, chaotic neutral
- Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 14 (4d4 + 4)
- Speed 20 ft
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 8 (-1) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 6 (-2) 11 (+0) 10 (+0)
- Saving Throws Int +4, Cha +2
- Condition Immunities deafened, exhaustion, prone, poisoned
- Damage Immunities acid, bludgeoning, poison
- Senses Blindsight 60ft, passive Perception 12
- Languages Understands common, but only speaks in bubbles & chirps.
- Challenge 1/8 Proficiency Bonus +2
Amorphous. The Living Potion can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Innate Healing Properties. During a short rest, the Living Potion of Healing can slowly help heal another creature by sacrificing a part of itself. The living potion may roll any number of its hit dice to heal a target creature. If it rolls more than one dice, it can target a new creature for each dice rolled.
Dissolvable The Living Potion takes 1d4 damage the first time it touches water on a round.
Actions
DRINK ME. The Living Potion of Healing jumps into the mouth of a willing or unconscious creature, and is drank. That creature heals for 2d4 + 2 health, and the Living Potion dies.