What is a Kobold Ooze Talker?

[gaptooth]

I'm running a 4th Edition adventure module that includes a monster called the "Kobold Ooze Talker". I've seen all kinds of Kobolds before, but this one is new to me, and I don't know how to narrate it's at-will ranged attack or its area-effect encounter power.

I figure there must be GMs and players out there who have played this encounter, and I'd love to find out how the Ooze Talker's "Ooze Orb" and "Ooze Whisper" abilities were described. If you're playing in an adventure that sounds like Beep on the Korderlands and you haven't yet reached the second chapter, just ignore this thread.

I'm new to 4th Edition, and to EN World. I appreciate any guidance or suggestions you might offer!

Kind regards!

 

[NewJeffCT]

I'm running a 4th Edition adventure module that includes a monster called the "Kobold Ooze Talker". I've seen all kinds of Kobolds before, but this one is new to me, and I don't know how to narrate it's at-will ranged attack or its area-effect encounter power.

I figure there must be GMs and players out there who have played this encounter, and I'd love to find out how the Ooze Talker's "Ooze Orb" and "Ooze Whisper" abilities were described. If you're playing in an adventure that sounds like Beep on the Korderlands and you haven't yet reached the second chapter, just ignore this thread.

I'm new to 4th Edition, and to EN World. I appreciate any guidance or suggestions you might offer!

Kind regards!

Welcome to enworld! Hope you stick around.

Not sure what an ooze talker is as it is not in the monster builder, but I am guessing it sounds like some sort of shaman or other controller type. I would just go with the description of the various powers and wing it... "the kobold quickly pulls out a circular object that looks to be covered in a viscous red mud and launches it toward (party controller), where it explodes in a hail of foul smelling pus."

 

[gaptooth]

Thanks for the welcome!

Not sure what an ooze talker is as it is not in the monster builder, but I am guessing it sounds like some sort of shaman or other controller type.

It's listed as a "Artillery"-type monster, if that helps.

I would just go with the description of the various powers and wing it... "the kobold quickly pulls out a circular object that looks to be covered in a viscous red mud and launches it toward (party controller), where it explodes in a hail of foul smelling pus."

Thanks, that's a great start! My trouble was that there's no description of its abilities apart from the +X vs Y; Hit: Z acid damage + Effect W. I couldn't tell if the attacks were supposed to represent the Kobold blowing bubbles, throwing vials of ooze, some kind of breath weapon, or something else. Your winged description sounds like as decent place to start as any.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Artillery basically means it will attempt to strike at the party from range - hopefully from behind some sort of protection (behind cover, behind kobold melee types, in an elevated position, etc)

 

[webrunner]

it sounds to me like it's a kobold that somehow learned how to tame Ooze creatures (the name "ooze whisper" and "ooze talker" suggest this)

My guess is that all the ooze is supposed to monster ooze ooze.

What do the attacks actually do? What does Ooze Whisper do?

 

[the Jester]

What adventure is this creature in? It sounds awesome.

I would prolly flavor it as the kobold hurling globes of contained slime and the like- in fact, there was a pc imc some years back who did just that! He became obsessed with studying green slime.

 

[gaptooth]

it sounds to me like it's a kobold that somehow learned how to tame Ooze creatures

That was my impression too.

My guess is that all the ooze is supposed to monster ooze ooze.

I'm not sure what this means, but it's probably on target:

[sblock]There are three "Squelching Oozes" in the encounter too. The "Ooze Talker" has three attacks: "Caustic Dagger" is her melee basic, which is pretty self-explanatory, and "Ooze Orb (acid)" is her ranged basic. There's no description of what "Ooze Orb" does, it just says "Attack: Ranged 15 (one creature); +7 vs Fortitude; Hit: 2d6+4 damage".

The "Ooze Whisper" encounter power is likewise unexplained. It just says "Attack: Area burst 1 within 10 (enemies in the burst); +7 vs. Reflex. Hit: Ongoing 5 acid damage (save ends). Effect: One ally in the burst can make a basic attack as a free action."[/sblock]

I prefer a fiction-rich game, where the game terms mean something in the fiction. But it's not clear what the author had in mind for this monster, apart from it's role in tactical combat, and I'd like to have something more before running it tonight. Thanks again for your help folks!

 

[gaptooth]

What adventure is this creature in? It sounds awesome.

I tried to obfuscate that in my first post: it's Keep on the Borderlands: Season of Serpents. I saw it advertised at the local game shop as a walk-in gaming event, and both times when we came, the DM didn't show. The second time, there were other players waiting too, so I wound up running the first session sight-unseen. They elected me to come back, and I've been running the campaign ever since.

 

[Klaus]

What adventure is this creature in? It sounds awesome.

I would prolly flavor it as the kobold hurling globes of contained slime and the like- in fact, there was a pc imc some years back who did just that! He became obsessed with studying green slime.

Keep on the Borderlands Week 5, it seems.

Gaptooth: you can fill in the details as desired. Me, I'd describe this kobold as varrying ooze spawn in sealed jars and siccing them on its enemies. For ooze orb, it's precisely that: the kobold throws a glob of ooze at the PCs. Ooze Whisper is a "burst", kinda like a fireball, so I'd say the kobold throws a larger quantity of ooze at the PCs, but whispers instructions to the ooze, so it contorts to lash at enemies only. And in addition, one of the kobold's ally takes advantage of the distraction to make a basic attack.

 

[OnlineDM]

I don't know where this encounter is set, but I could see it potentially being set in a room that has nasty muck on the floor. If that's the case, the burst attack could be flavored as the kobold magically calling out to a patch of ooze in the room and having it bubble up and try to sizzle all over the legs of the creatures standing in it. Personally, that sounds like a lot of fun to me, even more than the kobold whispering to a ball of gunk in his hand and throwing it at the PCs.