Monster Monday - Embalming Ooze and Pickled Zombie Template

Earlier this week I released a one-shot nautical horror adventure called Horrors of the Floating Garden.  Some of the monsters therein are pickled zombies, the reanimated corpses of preserved biological specimens.  I neglected to include the template I created for pickled zombies, so I'm presenting it here along with a sample pickled dire rat and an entirely new monster that creates pickled zombies out of the corpses of those it slays.

The curators at the British Natural History Museum insisted that this was not the star spawn of Cthulhu

The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is (C)2014 Jonah Bomgaars.

Pickled Zombie

Creatures preserved in brine or formaldehyde or otherwise embalmed in liquid sometimes rise again as undead abominations.  Depending on the nature of their preservation, they may be shriveled, pale, and/or hairless compared to the original creature. 

   Pickled zombies are created by following the Zombie template expect as noted here.

   Challenge Rating: 1 higher than a normal zombie of the base creature would be.

   Armor Class: The pickled zombie gains an additional +2 bonus to its natural armor because its hide has been stiffened by the preservation process. 

   Speed: Reduce all the base creature’s speeds by 10 ft. (minimum 5 ft.) due to stiffening of the joints caused by the preservation process. 

   Special Attacks: A pickled zombie gains the following special attacks.

   Death Throes (Ex): When a pickled zombie is destroyed, it dissolves into a disgusting lump of flesh and goo.  Any creatures adjacent to the pickled zombie when it is destroyed must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the pickled zombie’s HD + the pickled zombie’s Charisma modifier) or become nauseated for 1 round.

   Irritant (Ex): The preservatives which infuse the pickled zombie are irritating to living creatures.  A creature that is damaged by a pickled zombie’s attacks, that deals damage to the pickled zombie with a natural weapon or unarmed attack, or that otherwise come into contact with the pickled zombie or the liquid it was preserved in must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the pickled zombie’s HD + the pickled zombie’s Charisma modifier) or break out in an itching rash which imposes a -2 penalty to Dexterity and Charisma for 24 hours (multiple rashes do not stack).  Remove disease or any magical healing removes the rash instantly.  This is a disease effect.  The save DC is Charisma based.

   Special Qualities: A pickled zombie does not gain the staggered special quality.  A pickled zombie gains the Preserved Poison special quality.

   Preserved Poison (Ex): If the base creature had any natural attack that dealt poison, one dose of that poison is preserved in the pickled zombie and is expended when that natural attack successfully hits.  

   Abilities: A pickled zombie has a Charisma score of 12.

Pickled Zombie Dire Rat           CR 1

XP 400

NE Small undead

Init +2; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0

DEFENSE

AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +1 size, +3 natural)

hp 15 (2d8+6)

Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +3

DR 5/Slashing; Immune undead traits

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., climb 10 ft., swim 10 ft.

Melee bite +3 (1d4+1), slam +3 (1d4+1)

Special Attacks death throes, irritant

STATISTICS

Str 12, Dex 15, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 12

Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 13

Feats Toughness^B

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Death Throes (Ex)

When a pickled zombie is destroyed, it dissolves into a disgusting lump of flesh and goo.  Any creatures adjacent to the pickled zombie when it is destroyed must make a DC 12 Fortitude save or become nauseated for 1 round.

Irritant (Ex)

The preservatives which infuse the pickled zombie are irritating to living creatures.  A creature that is damaged by a pickled zombie’s attacks, that deals damage to the pickled zombie with a natural weapon or unarmed attack, or that otherwise come into contact with the pickled zombie or the liquid it was preserved in must make a DC 12 Fortitude save or break out in an itching rash which imposes a -2 penalty to Dexterity and Charisma for 24 hours (multiple rashes do not stack).  Remove disease or any magical healing removes the rash instantly.  This is a disease effect.  The save DC is Charisma based.

ECOLOGY

Environment any

Organization any

Treasure none

This wrinkled, hairless rat has been preserved by a combination of foul reagents, giving it an eerie quality in undeath. 

Embalming Ooze                CR 3

XP 800

N Medium ooze

Init +0; Senses blindsight 60 ft.; Perception -2

DEFENSE

AC 14, touch 10, flat-footed 14 (+4 natural)

hp 30 (4d8+12)

Fort +4, Ref +4, Will -1

Immune disease, ooze traits

Defensive Abilities fumes

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.

Melee slam +6 (1d6+3 plus embalming fluid)

Special Attacks engulf (DC 15, embalming fluid)

STATISTICS

Str 16, Dex 10, Con 17, Int -, Wis 6, Cha 3

Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 16

SQ create pickled zombies

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Embalming Fluid (Ex)

The preservative substance of the embalming ooze is deadly to living creatures but preserves dead tissue remarkably well.  A creature that is damaged by an embalming ooze’s attacks, that is engulfed by an embalming ooze, that deals damage to the embalming ooze with a natural weapon or unarmed attack, or that otherwise come into contact with the embalming ooze must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or take 1 point each of Dexterity and Constitution damage.  The save DC is Constitution based.

Fumes (Ex)

The substance of the embalming ooze reacts with oxygen and creates a nauseous gas.  All creatures within 5 ft. of the embalming ooze must make a Fortitude save or be affected by the poisonous fumes.

   Fumes - inhaled; save Fort DC 00, frequency 1/round for 6 rounds, effect nauseated, cure 2 saves.  The save DC is Constitution based.

Create Pickled Zombies (Ex)

Any creatures killed while engulfed by the embalming ooze rise again in 2d4 rounds as pickled zombies (see the pickled zombie template).  Pickled zombies created in this manner are not under the control of the embalming ooze, but they do not see the ooze as an enemy. 

ECOLOGY

Environment any

Organization solitary (plus 1d4 pickled zombies of size Small or smaller), group (2-12 plus 1d4 pickled zombies per embalming ooze)

Treasure incidental

This amorphous blob of yellow-green slime reeks of nauseous fumes.  Unlike many slimes, the embalming ooze is not acidic - its substance actually preserves organic tissue.  The strange qualities of the ooze are such that creatures engulfed by it are preserved even in death, much as if by an oil of gentle repose.  Many cultures throughout history have experimented on embalming oozes for their unique properties, seeking to perfect techniques of preserving the dead.  It is sometimes theorized that embalming oozes were created by wizards of one such long-dead civilization.  Naturalists sometimes use small embalming oozes trapped in glass containers to preserve biological specimens. 

   Embalming oozes are usually found with a small cohort of unusually well-preserved zombies of their previous victims.  These are usually assorted small local animals, but can sometimes include other monsters and humanoids.  There are even rumors of monstrously large embalming oozes protected by pickled giants.  

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Pickled zombies might show up, as they did in Horrors of the Floating Garden, where a naturalist's study has fallen into neglect, or as the result of a biological experiment gone horribly wrong, or as the entourage of former meals that the embalming ooze cultivates.  The pickled zombie template could also be used for a civilization that enjoys embalming their dead (as a 'Mummy Lite', if you will), or for a creature that drowned in a pickle barrel, or even for a mellified man.

I should note that, although I had been intending to create a pickled zombie template for a while now, I recently got Bestiary 4 and was excited by the inclusion of the pickled punk, so I cannibalized parts of that to create my template.

I created the embalming ooze both because I think oozes are great monsters (probably because I played too much Exile III: Ruined World as a kid) and as a means of allowing the inclusion of more pickled zombies in a game.  Imagine the terror of an adventurer accidentally breaking a large glass tube in some mad wizard's lair and finding himself attacked not only by the misshapen humanoid figure floating within, but by the preservative liquid itself!

I've presented the stats for a pickled zombie dire rat above, but check out the Horrors of the Floating Garden adventure on my Patreon page to see a couple more examples of pickled zombies (note: since posting the adventure, I have changed the pickled zombie template to give them 12 Charisma instead of 10.  I guess that's errata).

-your mixed pickle d20 despot