Special Conversion Thread: Finishing off the oozes

[freyar]

When you're ready...

 

[Cleon]

When you're ready...

Here we go...

Pudding, Subterranean, Stone
Climate/Terrain: Subterranean
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Any
Intelligence: Low (5)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral evil
No. Appearing: 1 (1–3)
Armor Class: 4
Movement: 3
Hit Dice: 5
THAC0: 15
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 3d6
Special Attacks: Moves on ceilings
Special Defenses: See below
Magic Resistance: 30%
Size: L-H (8’ diam.)
Morale: Steady (11)
XP Value: 1,400

Subterranean puddings are viscous, slimy creatures that resemble massive lumps more than living things. A subterranean pudding is, in fact, a colony of hundreds of living organisms in a single pudding. They have no visible eyes, ears, or mouths; the colony creature’s sensory organs are located on its underside. Subterranean puddings range from gray to deep blue in color and are usually 8 feet in diameter; larger masses indicate multiple puddings, though no more than four puddings are found in any one mass. They always search for food, moving along floors, ceilings, and walls to find prey.

Sages believe all subterranean puddings are magically altered black puddings. Indeed, the two monsters share some standard characteristics. Subterranean puddings take no damage from edged weapons; blunt weapons cause one-quarter normal damage, regardless of any magical bonuses. Such puddings are immune to acid, cold, and poison attacks. Unlike other puddings, they do not divide when attacked. Rather, they divide into two half-sized sections, each with full hit points, when any of the following spells are cast at them: fireball, lightning bolt, flamestrike, flaming sphere, wall of fire, chain lightning, and incendiary cloud.

Stone Pudding
Though malleable, this pudding appears rather solid and very sluggish. It is a thick lump that oozes slowly along any surface, preferring to hide on ceilings (from whence it can drop onto its food). It ranges in color from light gray to dark gray — the darker the color, the more recently it has fed. A stone pudding’s secretions are poisonous, and each attack causes 3d6 points of damage. When a pudding kills a victim, it rests upon the dead creature until its body absorbs the flesh. This takes 1–10 rounds. Stone puddings cannot eat metal, wood, leather, and other such objects, which are left behind after they consume their victims.

These puddings, their remains, and their surface secretions can be prepared as poisons and used as ingredients in oil of acid resistance.

This is the Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Two (1995) version.

 

[Cleon]

Okay, the Stone Pudding has half the Hit Dice of the other two subterranean puddings, so I'm thinking we should make it Large size rather than Huge.

The poisonous "secretions" only seem to cause hit point damage, so I'm thinking that suggests we could just use an ordinary slam + acid rather than giving them an actual Poison special attack.

I'd be willing to consider a low-damage poison though, if you like.

 

[freyar]

The rest of the discussion makes it sound like the poison should really be acid. We could split the 3d6 into slam and acid. I don't have a strong preference.

Base the stats on an ochre jelly?

 

[Cleon]

The rest of the discussion makes it sound like the poison should really be acid. We could split the 3d6 into slam and acid. I don't have a strong preference.

Yes, that's what I was thinking. Some kind of digestive acid that only harms flesh.

Base the stats on an ochre jelly?

I was thinking more of downsizing the Black Pudding, since all the Subterranean Puds are supposed to be related to that monster.

Anyhow, I'll begin a Working Draft with a modified Gray Pudding.

EDIT: Although, come to think of it, a downsized Black Pudding would have Str 9, Con 18, which seems quite woeful. I'll use the Ochre Jelly's Str 15, Con 22 for the time being.

 

[Cleon]

Stone Pudding Working Draft

Stone Pudding
Large Ooze
Hit Dice: 5d10+25 (52 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), climb 10 ft.
Armor Class: 16 (-1 size, -5 Dex, +12 natural), touch 4, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+8
Attack: Slam +4 melee (1d6+1 plus 2d6 acid)
Full Attack: Slam +4 melee (1d6+1 plus 2d6 acid)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Acid, constrict 1d6+1 plus 2d6 acid, improved grab
Special Qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., immunity to slashing and piercing damage, immunity to acid, cold, electricity and fire damage, ooze traits, spell resistance 14, split
Saves: Fort +6, Ref -4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 1, Con 20, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 1
Skills: Climb +9, Hide -6*, Move Silently +1, Listen +7
Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (B)
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary or mass (2-4)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 6-9 HD (Large); 10-15 HD (Huge); 16-30 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —

A sluggishly moving lump of flesh, its thick slimy skin is the color of wet, grey stone.

Stone puddings are a variety of subterranean pudding, a family of underground oozes related to the black pudding. All subterranean puddings are intelligent, unlike most oozes, but they only use their intelligence to pursue food and reproduction. They have no interest in more abstract goals.

A typical stone pudding measures 8 feet across and 1 feet thick. It weighs about 3,000 pounds.

COMBAT

Stone puddings climb the walls and ceilings of cramped underground passages, hiding until prey passes beneath. Then they fall on their victims, taking and dealing falling damage, and constrict the most vulnerable of their opponents.

Acid (Ex): A stone pudding secretes a digestive acid that only dissolves flesh. Any melee hit or constrict attack deals acid damage.

Blindsight (Ex): A stone pudding's entire body is a primitive sensory organ that can ascertain prey by scent and vibration within 60 feet.

Constrict (Ex): A stone pudding deals automatic slam and acid damage with a successful grapple check.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a stone pudding must hit with its slam attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.

Split (Ex): Fire and electricity attacks deal no damage to a stone pudding. Instead the creature splits into two identical puddings, each with half of the original's current hit points (round down). A pudding with 10 hit points or less cannot be further split and dies if reduced to 0 it points.

Skills: A stone pudding has a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Move Silently checks. Stone puddings have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.

*A stone pudding has a +12 circumstance bonus to Hide checks in natural underground terrain such as caves.

 

[freyar]

The original damage was 3d6, so let's do 2d6 bludgeoning plus 1d6 acid.

Let's go in between on the abilities. Str 13, Con 20. You know, with the Str bonus, I guess we could drop to 2d4 bludgeoning on the slams.

 

[Cleon]

Let's go in between on the abilities. Str 13, Con 20. You know, with the Str bonus, I guess we could drop to 2d4 bludgeoning on the slams.

I'm OK changing the Str and Con to those scores.

The original damage was 3d6, so let's do 2d6 bludgeoning plus 1d6 acid.

So 2d4+1 plus 1d6 acid? That's too wimpy for me. It average less than the original's 3d6, and we have to allow for 3E's hit point inflation.

Also, the original description says the 3-18 damage is from its poisonous secretions, suggesting it might do 3d6 acid damage.

Let's see, the original Stone Pudding did very slightly less damage than a Dense Pudding - 3d6 vs 2d10.

Our Dense Pudding conversion does 2d6+4 plus 1d6 acid.

So, how about 1d6+1 plus 2d6 acid for the Stone Pudding?

 

[freyar]

I'd prefer 2d6+1 bludgeoning plus 1d6 acid.

Let's give it NA as opposed to DR (or maybe a little of each), to distinguish it from the gray pudding a little. It is a "stone" pudding, so it makes some sense to have NA. Would you go for +12 NA?

 

[Cleon]

I'd prefer 2d6+1 bludgeoning plus 1d6 acid.

Let's give it NA as opposed to DR (or maybe a little of each), to distinguish it from the gray pudding a little. It is a "stone" pudding, so it makes some sense to have NA. Would you go for +12 NA?

I think the acid damage should be more than that, to honour the "poisonous secretions" of the original.

+12 Natural Armour's fine by me, since it gives it an Armor Class equivalent to the original's AC 4.