So I'd like to build a monster that resembles the Sand Man from Spider Man in the sense that it can morph it's body and receive benefits depending on it's form. They'd be triggered as a reaction to an attack and they'd last til the start of its next turn. I was thinking like a gelatinous cube with a human soul transforming it into this gelatinous warrior. Here are some transformations I'm considering:
-When a ranged attack roll is rolled against this creature (spell or weapon) the monster may reactivity morph the lower half of its body into a harden cover wall, providing 3/4 cover
- When a melee attack roll is rolled against this creature (spell or weapon) the monster can instinctively move it's vital organs away from the strike. Taking half damage from piercing, bludgeoning, or slashing made from melee attacks
-When the creature is forced to make a dex saving throw, it can make it's body shrinks and condense its body, allowing it to have advantage on this saving throw.
So these transformation would be triggered by the first attack made against it and it would last til it's next turn. It's base Ac would be 13 and I'm still pondering what kind of attacks it would make. Ideally I'd like 1 or 2 of these to be challenging to my lvl 6 campaign party. Thanks for reading!
Are you planning on having it be a boss monster of sorts, or is it meant to be a normal monster? If it's meant to be a boss style monster, I would definitely recommend bumping its AC, as a level 6 party will be hitting almost every round against 13 AC, even by a few points would help it.
As for attacks, you could give it a normal Slam attack, doing something like 3d8+STR Mod damage, and having a +8 or +9 to hit. If you want to add some variety, you can also give it a grapple attack that sucks someone inside of it, similar to what a Mimic can do, except make them slowly asphyxiate and maybe deal some acid damage at the beginning of its turn to whoever is grappled.
Additionally, if it is meant to be a boss, some legendary resistances and actions would make it deadly enough to be a solo creature, if you didn't want to use minions.
It's meant to be a difficult encounter but not a boss monster. And that makes sense, my players have been tearing through what i thought would be difficult encounters because the monster's AC isn't high. I think 15 is solid, bumping up to 20 if a ranged attack is made against it. I like 3d8 + str, and if grappled they could take 4d6 at the start of their turn. I think i'll slap in the Corrode Metal ability that the gray ooze has.
Corrode Metal: Any nonmagical weapon made of metal that hits the ooze corrodes. After dealing damage, the weapon takes a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty to damage rolls. If its penalty drops to -5, the weapon is destroyed. Nonmagical ammunition made of metal that hits the ooze is destroyed after dealing damage.
Attacks: (Per attack action, creature can take either 2 smashing fist attacks or 1 smashing fist and 1 engulf attack)
Smashing Fist: +8, 2d8+5 Bludgeoning and 2d6 Acid
Engulf: DC 16 Dex (Acrobatics), If fail creature is now restrained and occupies the same space as the Ooze Warrior. The creature moves with the Ooze Warrior. When restrained the creature takes 3d6 acid damage and 6d6 at the beginning of the Ooze's turn. If the restrained creature is wearing nonmagical armor, it takes a -1 to AC as the armor slowly corrodes away. At -5 the armor completely disintegrates . On a successful save, creature avoids the engulf entirely. A restrained creature can attempt a DC 16 Str (athletics) or Dex (acro) check to break free. If a creature dies while restrained, it's body is completely digested and the Ooze may grapple a new creature. This creature can only have one creature restrained by Engulf at a time.
A creature restrained by engulf takes half damage whenever the Ooze Warrior takes Slashing or Piercing damage.
Reactions: (All transformations last til the beginning of the Ooze's next turn, and only one transformation can be made per turn. Usually the Ooze will transform based on the first thing to try to attack it)
When a ranged attack is made against the Ooze, it morph the lower half of his body to act as a barrier, providing 3/4 cover against the attack.
When a melee attack is made against the Ooze, it manipulates it state of matter causing him to act more like a liquid than a solid. Non Magical Piercing, Bludgeoning, and slashing damage are halved.
When the Ooze is forced to make a Dex Saving throw, it condenses it's body allowing him to be harder to hit and move more quickly. He has advantage of Dex savign throws and his Dex modifier is +1.
Actually it sounds a little bit like Kirby to me. I would make sure to expose them to smaller oozes that only have one of the transformations that way there exposed to the idea that when you hit these things they change forms. I would have the oozes be different colors for different transformations their capable of. When they met the boss he's a mixture of all the colors and becomes a solid color when it transforms.
My thing is I would rather it not be a reaction of transform and have it need to use a bonus action. Of course then you would need to pick the transformation strategically. I would also like to have it use concentration like a spell that way your players could have a chance to make it lose it's transformation. In a way it's bad game design to penalize the players for doing, what they're supposed to do, attack it. It's not like they only have other options usually. Unless you don't want them to attack it,. That said game designers do things like that all the time so you just need to make sure to communicate effectively how this mechanic works.
Another Idea the giant ooze gains the properties of the last smaller ooze it eats, so it, as a bonus action, calls a smaller ooze to it to gain that transformation till the next turn. That way it does three interesting things 1) the players can prevent the ooze from joining with that giant ooze thereby stopping the transformation. 2) The players have other targets to worry about besides the big bad. The oozes can act as distractions . 3) You give the smaller oozes the ability to sacrifice themsleves by jumping in front of attacks at the main ooze (kinda like the end of the the movie Battle for LA where drones were sacrificing themselves to keep your missles from hiting there control ship). Actually that way you can keep transforming as a reaction and not concentration but it might not have all it's transformations depending on what smaller oozes it had eaten this round.
Just my opinon
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So I'd like to build a monster that resembles the Sand Man from Spider Man in the sense that it can morph it's body and receive benefits depending on it's form. They'd be triggered as a reaction to an attack and they'd last til the start of its next turn. I was thinking like a gelatinous cube with a human soul transforming it into this gelatinous warrior. Here are some transformations I'm considering:
-When a ranged attack roll is rolled against this creature (spell or weapon) the monster may reactivity morph the lower half of its body into a harden cover wall, providing 3/4 cover
- When a melee attack roll is rolled against this creature (spell or weapon) the monster can instinctively move it's vital organs away from the strike. Taking half damage from piercing, bludgeoning, or slashing made from melee attacks
-When the creature is forced to make a dex saving throw, it can make it's body shrinks and condense its body, allowing it to have advantage on this saving throw.
So these transformation would be triggered by the first attack made against it and it would last til it's next turn. It's base Ac would be 13 and I'm still pondering what kind of attacks it would make. Ideally I'd like 1 or 2 of these to be challenging to my lvl 6 campaign party. Thanks for reading!
Are you planning on having it be a boss monster of sorts, or is it meant to be a normal monster? If it's meant to be a boss style monster, I would definitely recommend bumping its AC, as a level 6 party will be hitting almost every round against 13 AC, even by a few points would help it.
As for attacks, you could give it a normal Slam attack, doing something like 3d8+STR Mod damage, and having a +8 or +9 to hit. If you want to add some variety, you can also give it a grapple attack that sucks someone inside of it, similar to what a Mimic can do, except make them slowly asphyxiate and maybe deal some acid damage at the beginning of its turn to whoever is grappled.
Additionally, if it is meant to be a boss, some legendary resistances and actions would make it deadly enough to be a solo creature, if you didn't want to use minions.
It's meant to be a difficult encounter but not a boss monster. And that makes sense, my players have been tearing through what i thought would be difficult encounters because the monster's AC isn't high. I think 15 is solid, bumping up to 20 if a ranged attack is made against it. I like 3d8 + str, and if grappled they could take 4d6 at the start of their turn. I think i'll slap in the Corrode Metal ability that the gray ooze has.
So here's what I decided on:
Ooze Warrior (CR:6/7)
HP: 110 AC:15 Speed:30 (20 when someone in engulfed) Str/Con: +5, Dex/Wis: -3, Int: -1, Cha: -5.
Resistances: Cold, Acid, Fire
Conditions Immunities: Blinded, Deafened, charmed, frightened, prone, exhausted
Proficient Saving Throws: Con & Str
Abilities:
Corrode Metal: Any nonmagical weapon made of metal that hits the ooze corrodes. After dealing damage, the weapon takes a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty to damage rolls. If its penalty drops to -5, the weapon is destroyed. Nonmagical ammunition made of metal that hits the ooze is destroyed after dealing damage.
Attacks: (Per attack action, creature can take either 2 smashing fist attacks or 1 smashing fist and 1 engulf attack)
Smashing Fist: +8, 2d8+5 Bludgeoning and 2d6 Acid
Engulf: DC 16 Dex (Acrobatics), If fail creature is now restrained and occupies the same space as the Ooze Warrior. The creature moves with the Ooze Warrior. When restrained the creature takes 3d6 acid damage and 6d6 at the beginning of the Ooze's turn. If the restrained creature is wearing nonmagical armor, it takes a -1 to AC as the armor slowly corrodes away. At -5 the armor completely disintegrates . On a successful save, creature avoids the engulf entirely. A restrained creature can attempt a DC 16 Str (athletics) or Dex (acro) check to break free. If a creature dies while restrained, it's body is completely digested and the Ooze may grapple a new creature. This creature can only have one creature restrained by Engulf at a time.
A creature restrained by engulf takes half damage whenever the Ooze Warrior takes Slashing or Piercing damage.
Reactions: (All transformations last til the beginning of the Ooze's next turn, and only one transformation can be made per turn. Usually the Ooze will transform based on the first thing to try to attack it)
When a ranged attack is made against the Ooze, it morph the lower half of his body to act as a barrier, providing 3/4 cover against the attack.
When a melee attack is made against the Ooze, it manipulates it state of matter causing him to act more like a liquid than a solid. Non Magical Piercing, Bludgeoning, and slashing damage are halved.
When the Ooze is forced to make a Dex Saving throw, it condenses it's body allowing him to be harder to hit and move more quickly. He has advantage of Dex savign throws and his Dex modifier is +1.
I'd love some feedback, thanks!
Actually it sounds a little bit like Kirby to me. I would make sure to expose them to smaller oozes that only have one of the transformations that way there exposed to the idea that when you hit these things they change forms. I would have the oozes be different colors for different transformations their capable of. When they met the boss he's a mixture of all the colors and becomes a solid color when it transforms.
My thing is I would rather it not be a reaction of transform and have it need to use a bonus action. Of course then you would need to pick the transformation strategically. I would also like to have it use concentration like a spell that way your players could have a chance to make it lose it's transformation. In a way it's bad game design to penalize the players for doing, what they're supposed to do, attack it. It's not like they only have other options usually. Unless you don't want them to attack it,. That said game designers do things like that all the time so you just need to make sure to communicate effectively how this mechanic works.
Another Idea the giant ooze gains the properties of the last smaller ooze it eats, so it, as a bonus action, calls a smaller ooze to it to gain that transformation till the next turn. That way it does three interesting things 1) the players can prevent the ooze from joining with that giant ooze thereby stopping the transformation. 2) The players have other targets to worry about besides the big bad. The oozes can act as distractions . 3) You give the smaller oozes the ability to sacrifice themsleves by jumping in front of attacks at the main ooze (kinda like the end of the the movie Battle for LA where drones were sacrificing themselves to keep your missles from hiting there control ship). Actually that way you can keep transforming as a reaction and not concentration but it might not have all it's transformations depending on what smaller oozes it had eaten this round.
Just my opinon