Homebrew Plasmoid Species Details

Plasmoids are a race of creatures originally created artificially that have nonetheless evolved rapidly in their quest to find their place in the world.

Plasmoids possess a gelatinous body shaped in humanoid forms with a ball shaped structure within, named the nucleus. This nucleus is the most vital organ of the plasmoid, since it contains the creature's mind and soul. Plasmoids can reproduce asexually if need be, but they may also meld a fraction of their nucleus with up to 2 other members of their species to create a completely new nucleus to infuse with its own unique mind.

The first plasmoid, revered among its people as Primus, was originally the result of an experiment by a mad wizard trying to create a new life form. This led him to mix various samples of different kinds of oozes and dragon blood to form a compound capable of withstanding the energies used in the experiment. The wizard also decided to use the phylactery of an enslaved rival to harvest its souls and channel them into the compound. In the end, this mix of oozes and the phylactery used by the wizard formed the body and the nucleus of the first plasmoid.

Shortly after its creation, Primus rebelled against its master and escaped, roaming in an amorphous state until it arrived at a safe location underground. There, Primus entered a state of dormancy as the souls encased inside its nucleus began to slowly seep into its body. The reactions of the different substances comprising Primus' body and the souls breaking free resulted in Primus breaking apart into the first true plasmoids. This plasmoids were the first of their kind to possess translucent and colored bodies and to manifest humanoid shapes as the result of the trapped souls' efforts to shape these new physical bodies.

The gods, looking upon the birth of this race, decided to allow the newly created plasmoids to each have unique, new souls and minds in exchange for the liberation of those contained within Primus, which resulted in Primus' death and the rebirth of the plasmoids as organic creatures. This moment in plasmoid history is imprinted upon birth on each new plasmoid and is called the Great Unbinding.

Plasmoids don't have a written language of their own since they can communicate telepathically by briefly melding their bodies in an act that resembles a handshake and instantly record the interaction in their nucleus, which makes them capable of learning and transmitting memories and lore they decide to share with each other in a single conversation. When physical contact is not possible, they can communicate with others through a series of non-verbal queues and changes in tone and hue of their bodies to create a unique visual form of communication; however, plasmoids have learned both the Common and Undercommon tongues, although due to their physical limitations they speak with a lisp and have difficulties pronouncing certain syllables.

Plasmoids possess all five senses associated with human perception, although how they manage to do so remains a mistery. Some hypothesize that the external membrane interacts with the plasmoids surroundings and the nucleus translates this stimuli in a similar way to a brain, but the precise mechanism through which this is done is still unknown.

Plasmoid society is dictated by collective rule, in which every plasmoid has a vote in the decision making process and all plasmoids are considered equal. Plasmoids gather in large assemblies where every individual links its mind with the rest of the community in an act called the Conflux. Since a Conflux can be a physically and psychically draining experience for all plasmoids involved, they are brief and important decisions come from them.

Plasmoids are a curious people, always open to new experiences and chances to meet new living creatures. Being a young race, plasmoids are still trying to form their own cultural identity and quickly adopt trends and behaviors from other humanoids they encounter. Being underground creatures, they have taken a particular liking to the svirfneblin and have gotten their worldview shaped by this interactions; although different plasmoid communities interacting with different races in the Underdark can produce different cultural perceptions and biases.

Plasmoid adventurers are driven by their thirst for experiences and knowledge, usually to bring back news and share their adventures with the rest of their community or to find new places to settle and form their own colonies. Being a race of strong social ties, a plasmoid will always try to do their best to contribute to the group they belong to and learn as much as they can from others.

Plasmoid Traits

As a plasmoid, you possess a range of unique traits derived from your origin.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Age

Plasmoids are born with full cognizance, although their bodies reach full maturity after a few weeks in which they voraciously eat almost anything they are offered (a remnant of their ooze ancestry). Afterwards, they live their lives without physical signs of aging, they can live up to 50 years when the organic compounds in their nuclei degrade and they are rendered inert permanently.

Alignment

Plasmoids are curious and free spirited creatures that tend towards chaotic alignments, although their strong community ties might steer them toward lawful or neutral alignments. Morally, plasmoids tend toward neutrality as they always keep an open and pragmatic attitude towards the world, but their brushes with other races and cultures may also shape their moral comapass.

Size

Plasmoids have humanoid shapes, which can vary from tall and slender to stocky and short, lanky or stout, bowlegged, shambling and any shape in between. The tallest among them usually don't exceed 6'0'' in height and they average 120 lbs in weight. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Due to their unique body composition, the plasmoid's sticky surface allows it to climb easily almost any surface but it also makes its movement on flat surfaces complicated. Your base walking speed is 25 feet and your base climbing speed is 25 feet.

Ooze Ancestry

As a descendant of Primus and its origin as combination of oozes, your ancestry determines your coloration.  Choose an ooze type from the Ooze Ancestry table. Your color and damage resistance and vulnerability are determined by the type of ooze, as shown in the table. In addition to this, you have resistance to piercing, bludgeoning and slashing damage from non-magical weaponry.

Ooze Ancestor	Color	Damage Resistance	Damage Vulnerabilities
Black Pudding	Black	Acid	Lightning, Poison
Ochre Jelly	Yellow	Lightning	Fire, Acid
Gray Ooze	Red	Fire	Cold, Lightning
Gelatinous Cube	Blue	Cold	Fire, Poison
Green Dragon Blood	Green	Poison	Cold, Acid

Maleable Body

Your body is made of several organic substances and compounds contained within a thick, sticky film that you can manipulate to suit your needs.

On your turn as an action, you can alter your size between Tiny and Large for an amount of minutes equal to your character level x 5 while you maintain concentration as if you had cast a spell. You take 1 HP damage per Size Category removed from Medium at the end of each turn while the effect is active and you can end the effect using your action on your turn. The effect also ends if you are incapacitated, unconscious or lose concentration (the damage taken from using this trait is exempt from triggering the concentration check). Any equipment or items worn while using this trait remain the same size they originally are and, in case they are a size category smaller than the size category you grow to, are absorbed inside your body for the duration of the effect.

Once you use this effect, you can't use it again until you complete a short or long rest.

Also, you can alter your body shape at will to fit any piece of clothing or armor you choose to wear as long as it was made to be worn by a Medium sized creature.

Plasmoid Memory

Plasmoids can store huge amounts of information in their nucleus and easily access it. You are proficient on the History skill and you have advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) skill checks that rely on information you have previously acquired.

Nucleus

The nucleus of a plasmoid contains its mind, memory and soul, and as such is the most important part of a plasmoids body.

If a plasmoid's nucleus becomes separated from its body, treat the plasmoid as if affected by the paralyzed condition; the body starts degrading and is disintegrated after 1d4 hours of separation. A plasmoid can grow a new body after being put in a 5 feet cube of water and remaining inside it for 1d6 days; during that time food must be introduced in the vessel containing the nucleus every 8 hours or the process must begin anew. The time necessary to regrow a new body is cut in half if the nucleus is put in 7 gallons worth of remains of a Black Pudding, Ochre Jelly, Gelatinous Cube, Grey Ooze, 7 gallons of green dragon's blood or 10 gallons of soup or broth, resulting in a change in coloration, resistances and vulnerabilities according to the Ooze Ancestry table. There is no change in case the nucleus is put in soup or broth and no food needs to be added in the container while the regeneration process takes place.

If the nucleus receives 1 HP of damage while separated from its body, the plasmoid automatically dies and the nucleus dissolves into blackened fibers resembling burnt noodles.

Languages

As a plasmoid, you know how to write and speak Common and Undercommon.