Homebrew Gelatin Species Details
The flock of guards stampeded through the market after the thief. They watched as he rounded a corner down a side alley and were exuberant to realize he was from out of town, or he'd have known he'd just entered a dead end. The guards nearly tripped over each other as they surrounded the dead end, leering closer in anticipation of apprehending the thief. They would find no such catharsis however. In the alley lay the thief's things in a puddle of some bright pink viscous fluid. The comeuppance of any so foolish to steal from a magic shop without knowing quite how the trinkets they stole work thought the guards. They began to pick straws for who might do the deed of retrieving the stolen goods from the apparent gore in the alley when an explosion on the other side of the market drew them away. When they returned, the alley was empty save for a sticky residue.
Barkley made out very well, as usual. The relative obscurity of Gelatin was a boon when one needed to make a get away. Though, he couldn't have done it without my distraction.
- A Travelling Rouge, on the topic of his Gelatin Accomplice
A result of meticulous arcane experimentation on slimes and molds, the Gelatin are exceedingly rare. Even a Gelatin will rarely meet more than a handful of their fellows, making them less than a homogenous group. That in itself is what unifies the Gelatin however, their unwavering individuality and fluidity. If one is so lucky to meet a Gelatin, one is undoubtful to find them living their magically given life as they see fit.
Arcane Conception
For many Gelatin, though not all, they are born fully fledged beings. The first Gelatin were gifted form and sentience through magic, with some having to grow into each like any other humanoid, and others being sprung into full being spontaneously. Much like their own predecessors, Gelatin typically reproduce asexually, growing in size as they age and splitting off pieces of themselves that grow to become their offspring. These offspring often follow the same growth as their parent, either being fully sprung to life, or having to grow. In some cases even, a Gelatin is capable of spreading their own consciousness among these offspring, perfect copies of themselves. If a Gelatin goes too long without splitting, they often will settle into a more sedentary lifestyle.
They share many of their predecessors traits. Their body is composed of the same translucent ooze that they use to absorb and digest food as their ancestors, but shaped through magic for a humanoid structure. What that exact structure is changes largely at the whim of the Gelatin themselves however, the same largely applies to color, as Gelatin can come in nearly any color or level of opaqueness as one can imagine. Emotions, of which Gelatin feel deeply, often inform how a Gelatin presents themselves. Their fluid form is constrained in only one aspect however, the face, not only the one part that a Gelatin would have difficult meaningfully altering, but also the only one to have visible organs in the form of their eyes.
The Search for Meaning
Gelatin are bound together by very little. As isolated individuals they lack any shared culture, or ideals. What one will find in many Gelatin however is a wanderlust, something that goes beyond desire to a need for a meaningful and exciting life. Gelatin find themselves isolated beings in the world, and it pushes them to strive for and recognize their own individuality and fulfillment. Not only this, but the Gelatin are incredibly emotionally sensitive, feeling very deeply in many ways, not least of which boredom. As seemingly almost entirely unique beings in the world they feel pushed to lives that reflect their own rarity, be it positions of high office, excellence, or as many pursue, adventure in search of wonders of the world like them.
Gelatin Names
The Gelatin lack any names unique to them, however they'll often take on names that they like from the world around them. A gelatin can, and does change names, and might have a name common to any other race.
Gelatin Traits
Your slime heritage manifests in a variety of traits shared by other Gelatin.Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Intelligence Score increases by 1
Age
Gelatin, when not born fully form, take roughly 1 year to physically mature, and roughly 18 to mentally mature, in the meantime they often take the form of a child. Past this point Gelatin do not physically age, and do not have a life span, however they may continue to increase in size as they age, eventually being able to split off to create offspring if they so choose.
Alignment
Due to the frequent individuality of Gelatin, they rarely feel beholden to the laws of society, giving many of them a predisposition towards chaotic alignments. However their individuality in the same way can lead them towards any alignment.
Size
Gelatin can range anywhere from 4 to 8 feet depending on their preference, and typically weigh anywhere from 100 to 300 pounds. Your size is medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Slimy Heritage
You have resistance to Acid Damage and have blind sight up to 15 feet.
Gelatinous Form
Once per long rest, you may give up your typical shape and structure to take on the form of a gelatinous mass for up to 10 minutes. When in this gelatinous form, several rules apply:
- Any items in your inventory will be absorbed into your mass, however you may not wear or use these items while in this form.
- You gain resistance to all physical, nonmagical attacks.
- Your Speed is lowered to 15 ft.
- You may pass through gaps as small as one inch, however any items too small to fit in this gap will be left behind.
- You may form a puddle with a radius of up to 5 feet, which acts as difficult terrain.
- You are capable of acting as an adhesive in this form.
- You may attack with a Pseudopod once per turn, making a melee attack with proficiency, dealing 1d8 acid damage on hit, increasing to 2d8 at 11th level, and 3d8 at 16th.
Language
You can read, write, and speak Common and One other Language of your choice. You are also capable of limited communication with Slimes and Oozes.
Expanded Racial Traits
You are capable of so very many things, and there are so many ways your heritage could manifest in powerful ways. Here are a few options to keep in mind that are unlockable with an ability score improvement.
Viscous Form
You gain +1 to Strength or Constitution. You are now able to use the Engulf action when in Gelatinous form, allowing you to enter the space of a large or small creature's space, forcing them to make a DC 8 + Your Constitution Modifier + Your proficiency modifier dexterity save. On a successful save, the creature is able to choose between being pushed five feet back or to one side. On a failed save, the creature is engulfed and immediately takes 3d6 acid damage. The creature is only able to take an action to attempt to escape through a strength check with the same DC as your engulf. While engulfed, the creature cannot breathe, and takes 6d6 acid damage at the beginning of each turn.
Ooze Ancestry
You learn to become more in tune with your Ooze Ancestry, allowing you to invoke the traits of one ancestor:
- Oblex: You unlock secrets of the mind held by your ancestors. You gain proficiency in deception. You also learn the spell Detect Thoughts, which you can cast twice per day, and if someone fails the saving throw against a probe, you are able to feed on the thoughts, gaining 2d6 temporary hit points.
- Black Pudding: You learn to harness the corrosive aura of your ancestors. Once per long rest you can activate a corrosive aura for 1 minute, causing enemies within 5 feet of you to take 1d4 acid damage at the start of your turn. Melee attacks against you cause nonmagical weapons to take a permanent -1 penalty to damage, and ammunition dissolves in you. You can also grapple an enemy while this corrosive aura is active, a successful grapple will cause nonmagical armor to lose 1 AC with each turn grappled permanently, and the creature grappled takes 2d4 acid damage on top of damage from your aura.
- Gelatinous Cube: You learn the secrets of the might cube. You learn how to store things within yourself without destroying it, giving you 1.5x your current carrying weight. You also can become more translucent, allowing you to gain advantage on stealth checks while standing still.
Arcane Origin
You become more able to channel the magic used in the creation of you or your line of Gelatin. Choose one of the following origins and take its boons.
- Elemental: Your line was created with the use of elemental magics and energies from the elemental plane. Choose one of the following damage types: Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Thunder. You are now immune to this type of damage. You may add up to two cantrips which deal the type of damage you have selected to your spell list. Your Pseudopod damage while in Gelatinous Form also changes to this type, and you may wish to change your color to reflect your specific elemental ancestry.
- Transmutation Magic: You are the result of incessant experimentation by a wizard. You gain proficiency in Arcana. You gain advantage on saving throws against transmutation spells cast on you, and learn the spell Alter Self, which you may cast once per day.
- Wild Magic: You are not the result of any one force, the chaotic nature of magic simply produced you after a slime came into contact with powerful magic. You learn 2 cantrips and 1 first level spell from any class spell list you wish, using the appropriate stat for that class when using the spell. Whenever you cast these spells, you must roll on the wild magic table.
- Infernal Magic: Much your ancestors the slime itself, you are the result of the demon Juiblex's machinations in the material plane. Your infernal ancestry may earn you horns or other traits typically associated with tieflings, and your gelatinous form more resembles your forefather Juibilex, a slimy mass of green slime covered in protruding eyes, in its hideousness. Up to three enemies who see you enter your gelatinous form to be forced to make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be turned. Turned creatures can only use their movement to get away from you. Additionally you also learn the bane 1st level spell which you can cast once per day using intelligence to determine your spell save DC.
Fine Maturity
As you age you begin to increase in size. You are now 1.5x your original height and weight. Your age as a gelatin means you are beginning to get to the size where you can now bud to split off small Gelatin. These Gelatin can range anywhere from the size of small children to the size of a finger, and are capable of doing basic tasks which would not obviously endanger them. It is between you and your DM whether these would be children, or copies/extensions of yourself in another body. You may wish to work with your DM to create your children if that is what you decide. Either way when returned your spawn are able to reform with your own body mass. If the spawn are your children they are able to communicate with you telepathically while absorbed, or if they are extensions of you, you simply reabsorb the knowledge collected by this other you. You may only have one spawn detached from you at a time.
Gummy Slime
You find yourself sticking to things much more. At will you are able to make your skin an adhesive, this gives you advantage on checks or saves related to holding onto things, such as grapple checks or saves against falling off a cliff. This also gives you 20 Climbing speed.
Sweet Bod
You find that your body has begun to take on a sweet smell. Once per long rest you are able to remove a handful of excess ooze off yourself to give another person. Your slime has taken on a healing property, allowing the one who eats it to regain health equal to 2d4+2 at 1st level, 4d4+4 at 6th level, 8d4+8 at 11th level, and 10d4+20 at 16th level, or the equivalent of an appropriately levelled healing potion.
Comments