"This is what we signed up for when we agreed to take on the Slime Cult. Which, by the way: nice name guys. Real creative." Shantara nocked another arrow to her shortbow and let fly. It arced through the air and sunk deep into an opaque blob of quivering purple goo, which squealed and melted into an inanimate puddle. "My real objection is that the things are so gosh-darned slow that we finish them off before I get a chance to use my rad new holy sword." The halfling paladin patted the scabbard at her hip.
"Closing to melee would be illogical," Fanath said, cool and calm as ever. "As long as we keep moving faster than the enemy, it is most efficient to engage them at range."
"What bothers me is how these globs of goo were able to overwhelm the defenders of Castle Dejamine," said Galnar. The eerie bare walls and empty stone halls of that dead fortress crept back into his mind, and he suppressed a shudder.
As if in answer, a massive blob of bubbling green pustules slithered into view. Before either Shantara or Farnath could draw their bows, the seething slime shot out three globs of acid, striking each of the three heroes squarely in the chest.
Shantara looked up at Farnath for approval, but he had already drawn his twin axes. "I believe now would be an appropriate time to engage the enemy in melee."
Shantara smiled and drew her glowing sword. Together, the two rushed at the slime, slashing and hewing at its bubbling exterior with magically tempered steel. In between firing magic missiles, Galnar watched as the green beast extended its sickening pseudopods at the gleaming paladin and sucked her into its body. Farnath redoubled his attacks, muscles rippling with new strength as righteous rage overtook his usual levelheadedness. The ooze tensed and then launched a huge glob of goo up in a long arc. Shantara floated helplessly within the flying orb, eyes wide, as it came plummeting down toward Galnar. The wizard barely had time to erect a shimmering barrier of force around himself before the whole area was bathed in sizzling acid.
Shantara's face was pressed flat against the top of Galnar's barrier, arms and legs splayed out very much like a starfish Galnar had once seen on the inside of a glass tank. He dismissed the barrier with a wave and caught the petite paladin as she fell. "You know, It's times like these that I really appreciate you meatshields," he said with a smirk. "How did you enjoy your first experience flying?"
Shantara responded by vomiting on his robes.
"Whoa, okay, appreciation over. You're getting to be as bad as that slime."
The halfling wiped her mouth with a corner of her cape and set off toward the ooze again. "Call me meatshield one more time and see if you get any more healing," she called back over her shoulder.
"Hey, you're a paladin, you have to heal me! ...right?"
Today's Monster Monday is the bombardier ooze, a slime that can take on foes in melee or at range. With its ability to fire small orbs of acid at up to three targets per round or launch a massive glob of acid that explodes in a burst, this is not an ooze that clever adventuring parties can simply take out from a safe distance.
The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2016 Jonah Bomgaars.
Bombardier Ooze CR
8
XP 4,800
N Large ooze
Init +0; Senses blindsight 120 ft.; Perception -5
DEFENSE
AC 9, touch 9, flat-footed 9 (-1 size)
hp 150 (12d8+96)
Fort +12, Ref +4, Will -1
Immune acid, ooze traits
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee 2 slams +10 (1d6+2 plus 3d6 acid)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Ranged 3 acid blobs +8 touch (3d6 acid)
20ft.
Special Attacks bombard (once every 1d4
rounds, DC 18 Reflex, 8d6 acid damage, 10-ft.-radius spread), engulf (DC 10, 3d6
acid)
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 10, Con 27, Int --, Wis 1, Cha 1
Base Atk +9; CMB +12; CMD 22
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Acid (Ex)
The body of
a bombardier ooze is acidic. Any
creature coming into contact with it takes 3d6 points of acid damage. The bombardier ooze’s acid does not harm
metal or stone.
Acid Blobs (Ex)
As a ranged touch
attack, a bombardier ooze can fire blobs of acid out of its body. It can fire one blob as a standard action or
up to three as a full-attack action.
This does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The range increment for this attack is 20
ft., and the blobs can fire up to five range increments away.
Bombard (Ex)
In addition
to the small blobs it fires, a bombardier ooze can launch a large sphere of concentrated
acid with tremendous force, firing it in a direct path or an arcing shot to
bypass cover. The acid sphere is 3 feet
in diameter and explodes in a 10-ft.-radius spread, dealing 8d6 points of acid
damage to all within. Those who make a
DC 18 Reflex save take half damage. This
attack has range increment of 20 ft. The
bombardier ooze can bombard once every 1d4 rounds as a standard action. The save DC is Strength-based.
With a successful CMB check, a bombardier
ooze can launch a Small-sized or smaller engulfed creature inside its acid
sphere. When the sphere impacts, the
creature within takes the full acid damage (no save) plus 1d6 falling damage
for every 20 ft. they flew.
ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, surge
(3-9)
Treasure incidental
A bombardier
ooze is a quivering mass of viscous green goo.
Acidic pustules constantly erupt across its surface. The ooze can fire these pustules at distant
enemies. By concentrating several of
these globs of acid together, the bombardier ooze can launch a sphere of acid
with explosive force. Because the ooze’s
acid does not harm metal or stone, a surge of bombardier oozes can clear a
fortification of defenders while leaving the strategically useful ramparts
intact. This has led some to theorize
that the ooze was created by a sorcerous warlord as a siege weapon.
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I'm having a lot of fun writing these little vignettes to introduce each Monster Monday. I think I might make it a regular thing. If you like them too, make sure to let me know by commenting below or on the d20 Despot facebook page. I guess you can also let me know if you don't like them.
My goal is to make things a little more interesting for my readers, especially those who don't find stat blocks exciting or my patrons who have already seen these monsters months in advance. I want these vignettes to show how each monster might fit into a campaign world or story and to hint at what sort of role it can play in an adventure. You can probably tell that I'm trying to mix up the setting, characters, and tone in each one. The bombardier ooze vignette has a pretty generic fantasy vibe with a light-hearted party dynamic, while last week's glacioth vignette was more serious and set in a sort of Ice Age/Bronze Age fusion world. I'm not sure if I want to keep switching things up like that or move to a more consistent, single world with a regular cast of characters. I guess we'll see how things develop.
-your globular d20 despot
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