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Well, I decided to make a player race inspired by Dragon Quest's iconic Slimes. Currently I only have the base stats and backstory, but I plan to give them the full ARG treatment with Alternate Abilities, Feats, Race-Exclusive Spells and Magic Items, and Class-Variants.
I want to do some stuff with their backstory and giving them aspects of other oozes (As well as those Dragon Quest Slimes), but if you want to suggest how I should do those previously mentioned Feats, Abillites and such, give me your suggestions below, as well as how I could improve on/fix any problems with the fluff and crunch for the basic race.
But for now, here's the backstory and main stat block for The Squishies:
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Created by Agrellus Kisk in an attempt to expand on experiments chronicled in the notes of the great Archmage Nex as a power grab, the creation and use of the Squishies spread through Nex like wildfire due to a political kerfuffle that lead to their formula of creation being released, though their use has not caught on in most of the other countries (But Cheliax and Andoran both ahve their eyes on this new race, for very different reasons)
They look like small droplets of slime in varying colors, a semiamorphous membrane covering an acidic interior, with two big, adorable eyes and a small slit that serves as a mouth. They eat by dissolving food in their interiors and they drink water by submerging themselves in it. They are able to alter their internal chemistry by ingesting all sorts of alchemical substances and even bits of other oozes, though the latter is a long, meditative process that isn't as simple as "insert ooze bit here".
They are jovial, friendly, and eager to please hardy little fellows eagerly able to serve as assistants to the many mages of Nex. They have no legal rights, and for every master/creator who is good to them there is another who uses them as a guinea pig in their cruel experiments or who takes out their own frustrations on them. This is also why the Ghoran are eyeing them anxiously, considering whether or not they should try and convince them to join their fight for freedom.
Squishies
+2 Con, +2 Cha, -2 Wis (0 RP)- Squishies are hardy and cutely lovable, but also very naiive
This Race has a speed of 30 feet, as they are surprizingly fast little buggers when they get going
Oozekin (9RP) (Resist 5 Acid (1), Immune to Stunning; Paralysis and Poison; with a +2 to all saves against sleep effects and polymorph effects (4), Can squeeze into any space Tiny or larger in diameter with ease (3), Immune to directed-strikes (1), Has pseudopods that can be used approximately as well as humanoid hands (0))-
The Squiashies were created to both combine the versatility of a humanoid with the formlessness of an ooze. Thus they are immune to stunning, paralysis and poison with a +2 to all saves against sleep and polymorph effects, can squeeze through or into any space or container tiny or larger in diameter with ease and are immune to all attacks directed at specific parts of the body such as sneak attacks. But they also can extend pseudopods that function as well as human hands from their squishy bodies, so there is that.
Acid Body (3)- As said before, the Squishies are filled with a highly corrpsive acid, though it is safely contained in their semi-amorphous membrane. But they can release it out of various apetures in said membrane When making an unarmed attack to turn the damage from said attack into acid damage, and when grappling an opponent said opponent takes 1d6 acid damange per turn until the grapple is broken. They can also coat a weapon with their acid as a full-round action, and can damage objects equal to a thrown flask of acid by licking said objects for three consecutive rounds.
Naturally Cute (2)- They are naturally cute and know how to use said cuteness to their advantage, giving them a +2 to Bluff and Diplomacy checks
Wizardbred (1)- To make them more useful as mage's assistants they were created with the ability to use Detect Magic at-will.
AP (15)
What does immune to directed strikes mean?
I'm pretty sure it means precision based damage, such as the mentioned sneak attack, as well as crits etc.
I don't think bein cute warrants a +2 Cha bonus. Charisma is a mental stat, it has to do with the force of personality of the character and their ability to interact with others. Something can be ridiculously cute but still have a charisma total of 2 beacause it's shy, passive and introverted.
Making it into a bonus on bluff and diplomacy makes a little more sense, but only to influence others, and even then, it would depend on the creature they're trying to influence. I don't think an aboleth will think twice about destroying them just because a human would find them cute. It's a subjective thing.
The problem is all the same as with the 3.5 genasi, they made something that is and should be normally taken care of by a DC modifier depending on the creature you're interactingwith into a part of the creature's stats. which simply isn't right.
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I'm pretty sure it means precision based damage, such as the mentioned sneak attack, as well as crits etc.
I don't think bein cute warrants a +2 Cha bonus. Charisma is a mental stat, it has to do with the force of personality of the character and their ability to interact with others. Something can be ridiculously cute but still have a charisma total of 2 beacause it's shy, passive and introverted.
This is true, but it's also supposed to be due to their general friendliness and almost infectious cheerfulness. Which I really wish I could edit my first post to mention, but there you go.
A bit powerful compared to the core races.
-Immune to Sneak Attack damage outright. This is a lot more significant than being immune to paralysis or sleep effects, I think.
-Acid Body is particularly strong. It is essentially the Suli ability, except that it has no limit on uses per day and occurs automatically when grappling.
Also, "hardy" is the word I would use to explain their high constitution. That implies being, well... hard. More like they're soft bodies more easily absorb blows.
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A bit powerful compared to the core races.
-Immune to Sneak Attack damage outright. This is a lot more significant than being immune to paralysis or sleep effects, I think.
-Acid Body is particularly strong. It is essentially the Suli ability, except that it has no limit on uses per day and occurs automatically when grappling.Also, "hardy" is the word I would use to explain their high constitution. That implies being, well... hard. More like they're soft bodies more easily absorb blows.
Ah. On the first one, would said feature merely halving the damage on Sneak-Attack and its relatives be too powerful? I was trying to mimic the features from the Ooze type, since there wasn't an equivalent in the ARG, and I may have gone too far with that one.
And on the Acid Body feature, given an unarmed strike usually deals only 1d4 damage and and it doesn't have the choice of all 4 like the Suli, I don't think it's that uber-powerful. But I agree on the ongoing 1d6 Grapple-thing. Would restricting it to once a day make it balanced?
Sorry, I misread the ability. I thought it was ADDING acid damage to the attacks, not changing the damage type. That's fine as is, then.
You can also compensate for the immunities by adding weaknesses to other things.
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Would adding a +10 weakness to ice damage be good enough? Or do you think that making Precision-based effects merely do half damage would work better?
And by "fine as-is" do you mean with the grapple-acid effect as an at-will or as once per day?
Also, when I post an updated version of the Slimies stats, I also plan to introduce some feats, mostly centered around allowing the Slimies to mimic the effects of other oozes (Like a Black pudding's climb, a grey ooze's transparency, a gelatinous cube's paralysis, a slithering tracker's CON drain, a globster's stink, the Deathtrap ooze's trap mimickign ability the list goes on), and ones mimicking various alchemical items and Dragon quest slimes (From which the Slimies are obviously inspired). Which ones would you suggest I do, what level requirement should I put on the more powerful ones, and which ones should I avoid?
What size are they?
Also, do you have an arcane sounding name for this race? Squishy sounds like either the slang or racial slur for the race. Still sounds cute though.
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What size are they?
Also, do you have an arcane sounding name for this race? Squishy sounds like either the slang or racial slur for the race. Still sounds cute though.
Oh crap, I forgot to add that! They're Small size.
And in terms of name... perhaps Magels (A combo of Mage and Gel) or Goomens (A terrible pun)?
Plus, I'm thinking about, for the variants as Kain suggested, maybe a Mettalic variant that replaces Wizardbred and Naturally Cute with extra AC, a Heal-one that has heal abilities replacing Acid Body, a Bubble slime replacing the Acid body ability with a poison touch.
King Slime seems like it'd be better represented by a feat, and Slime Knights seem like they'd be better represented by a magic item, a tiny construct that rides on top of a slime and hits opponents with attacks of opportunity.
Do you think those are good ideas?
What size are they?
Also, do you have an arcane sounding name for this race? Squishy sounds like either the slang or racial slur for the race. Still sounds cute though.
Oh crap, I forgot to add that! They're Small size.
And in terms of name... perhaps Magels (A combo of Mage and Gel) or Goomens (A terrible pun)?
Plus, I'm thinking about, for the variants as Kain suggested, maybe a Mettalic variant that replaces Wizardbred and Naturally Cute with extra AC, a Heal-one that has heal abilities replacing Acid Body, a Bubble slime replacing the Acid body ability with a poison touch.
King Slime seems like it'd be better represented by a feat, and Slime Knights seem like they'd be better represented by a magic item, a tiny construct that rides on top of a slime and hits opponents with attacks of opportunity.
Do you think those are good ideas?
huh slime knight actually popped in my head as a cavalier archetype that grants a construct that rides you instead of a mount.
lol in Russia the mount rides you :)
King Slime should be a teamwork feat -- you need eight of them with it to combine into one. :D
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King Slime should be a teamwork feat -- you need eight of them with it to combine into one. :D
Well, I'm not that familiar with DQ, though I assume that you're referring to something from DQ Monsters. Is there anything from Dragon Quest that I should keep in mind when designing options for this race?
And what do you think of the fluff/My attempts to tie the Magels (Which I think would work the best as their actual name) into Nex and Golarion lore?
You are not mentioning alignment, so I assume they are animal neutral, like Wyverns. An Abolith might have one or 2 as stupid minions. It's a blob that follows simple commands. If one developes the mimic ability it could could change into objects to pass on information. Eyeball + nose + zombie head = I smell undead.
If critting on one splits it into 2(like an ocre jelly) you could effectively Mary Jane them. Some players might just try to kill them. I think cold just freezes them for the encounter. How does alcohol effect them? They might just get drunk very easily.
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You are not mentioning alignment, so I assume they are animal neutral, like Wyverns. An Abolith might have one or 2 as stupid minions. It's a blob that follows simple commands. If one developes the mimic ability it could could change into objects to pass on information. Eyeball + nose + zombie head = I smell undead.
If critting on one splits it into 2(like an ocre jelly) you could effectively Mary Jane them. Some players might just try to kill them. I think cold just freezes them for the encounter. How does alcohol effect them? They might just get drunk very easily.
Actually, they'd be mostly Any Lawful given their sort of "slave" status, and they are an actual sentient race, so the average Int for them would be about 10, same as a human.
King Slime should be a teamwork feat -- you need eight of them with it to combine into one. :DWell, I'm not that familiar with DQ, though I assume that you're referring to something from DQ Monsters. Is there anything from Dragon Quest that I should keep in mind when designing options for this race?
And what do you think of the fluff/My attempts to tie the Magels (Which I think would work the best as their actual name) into Nex and Golarion lore?
It's not (originally) from Monsters, it's something that happens during regular encounters in some games: a few ordinary-looking slimes will summon more slimes, and when there's eight of them they all merge into a King Slime!
Can't think of much else from DQ that seems easily adaptable to Golarion, though what you have so far looks good :)
Still, it would be great fun if an evil wizard lanches a cone of cold, then the fighter bashes his evil head in with the frozen sidekick. :)
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And with that I came up with the weakness for the Magels. Now, here are my changes to the basic Magel stat block as well as alternate racial features:
Changes- The Acid Body grapple-damage feature can be used only once per day, their size is Small, their immunity to directed strikes in Oozekin is worth 3 Points (Bringing it ta total of 11 RP) and the penalty "Freezable" is added
Freezable (-2)- If the Magel takes over 6+ Their Character Level cold damage, they are instantly frozen solid, unable to take any actions during their turn, and must make a DC 15 Reflex save on their turn to be able to struggle out of their frozen state (Which deals 1d10 temporary damage, which is instantly healed after the battle) and end the effect. They can be used in their frozen state as a one handed medium throwing weapon dealing 1d10 bludgeoning damage with a range of 30 ft., compatible with all feats and class features dealing with thrown weapons.
Alternate Racial Features:
Metal Gel- Some Magels are given a steely yet flexible skin to turn them into hardier guardians for their creators, and get a +2 to AC. This replaces Naturally Cute and Wizardbred.
Burbling Body- Some of the less ethical wizards of Nex have created their own type of Magel for use in assassination. Their bodies are filled with a roiling, bubbling poison with the following properties:
Babbleslime: Injury, Save= Fort DC 10+ 1/2 the user's HD + The user's Con modifier; Frequency= 1/round for 4 rounds;effect= 1d2 Con dmg; Cure= 1 save
They can apply their poison to their weapon a number of times per day equal to their Con modifier, and once per day may force an opponent to make a save against said poison when grappling. Also, when they use an unarmed attack, they have a 25% chance of forcing the opponent to make a save against their poison. This trait replaces Acid Body.
Healie- Some magels are filled with a healing gel instead of acid to compensate for their wizard creators less-than-hardy constitutions. Three times for day, the Magel may heal an ally (Not including itself) for 1d10+ 1/4 their Character Level HP. This trait replaces Acid Body
So, what do you think of these balance-wise?
I love the Healie. Now a wizard can survive their first srrow wound.
as a lover of the dragon quest monsters branch of the series (i own every game going back to gameboy), i gotta give great props to this.
And I see you can have both Metal Gel and Burbling Body, for the complete Liquid Metal Slime package,. :)
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as a lover of the dragon quest monsters branch of the series (i own every game going back to gameboy), i gotta give great props to this.
Confession Time: I have never actually played a Dragon Quest game. I just know a bit about the slimes, and their prominent place in the series, and thought it'd be cool to make a race based on them. So, I must ask, are there any prominent types of slime, Slime player characters, slime abilities, slime roles in the various plots, ect. that I need to know about to give 'em the full Pathfinder conversion-ish treatment? Keep in mind, I'd also like to add aspects of some of the Pathfinder Oozes as well.
as a lover of the dragon quest monsters branch of the series (i own every game going back to gameboy), i gotta give great props to this.Confession Time: I have never actually played a Dragon Quest game. I just know a bit about the slimes, and their prominent place in the series, and thought it'd be cool to make a race based on them. So, I must ask, are there any prominent types of slime, Slime player characters, slime abilities, slime roles in the various plots, ect. that I need to know about to give 'em the full Pathfinder conversion-ish treatment? Keep in mind, I'd also like to add aspects of some of the Pathfinder Oozes as well.
well i know their is rockslimes, the jellyfish-like healslimes, drakeslimes with wings and tales, gemslimes (gems with a face), fangslimes with fur and claws, liquid slimes, metal slimes, slimestacks, darkslimes that are purple with devil horns and batwings, and angelslimes with a halo and angel wings. that's all can remember off the top of my head, though many of those combine to form a combination type. Oh and the typical monster entry states that they lack any particular strengths, and are number one in weakness.
oh and to be thematic they probably should have a con penalty.
A frickin messas a lover of the dragon quest monsters branch of the series (i own every game going back to gameboy), i gotta give great props to this.Confession Time: I have never actually played a Dragon Quest game. I just know a bit about the slimes, and their prominent place in the series, and thought it'd be cool to make a race based on them. So, I must ask, are there any prominent types of slime, Slime player characters, slime abilities, slime roles in the various plots, ect. that I need to know about to give 'em the full Pathfinder conversion-ish treatment? Keep in mind, I'd also like to add aspects of some of the Pathfinder Oozes as well.
(winces) I really wish I could edit that now, it looks pretty bad.
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Well, they're late in coming, but here are some Magel-only feats based on Pathfinder's oozes.
BrainSlime- Thanks to channeling their powers of concentration into their very form, this Magel may now gum up the brains of others with a special technique.
Effects: As a free action, they may create a 10 ft. aura around themselves forcing all creatures (including allies) to make a 14+1/2 CL save or be dazed for 1d4 rounds. They may do this one round per CL per day, and the rounds do not need to be used consecutively.
Prerequisite: Must be Level 7 or Higher, must have the Oozekin property
TrapSlime- You have mastered the malleability of your form to be able to momentarily change yourself into a painful deathtrap, though you are limited by the fact that you are not as flexible as the Trapper Ooze you're mimicking.
Effects: You may change your body into any mechanical trap up to a CR equal to your level once per day. Regardless of this trap, it can only do any of the damage types you can do with your natural attacks (IE, acid and blugeoning normally). You may mimic a magical trap, but only if you currently have the required spells prepared as a normal caster, and the spell is expended as normal once the trap is triggered.
Special: You may take this feat three times, each time allowing you to do it an additional time per day.
Prerequisite: Must have the Oozekin property.
Plasmoid- You have found a way to add to your essence a spark of the strange energy known as plasma, and can use it to deadly effect.
Effects: You can fire a ray as a ranged touch attack doing [1/2 your level]d6 damage. Half of the damage is fire damage, the other half is electric. In addition, you can choose to make any natural attack you do that does acid or blugeoning damage also do electric or fire damage.
Special: You may take this feat three times, each time allowing you to do the ray attack an additional 2 times per day.
Prerequisite: Must be Level 10 or higher, must have the Oozekin property.
Sticky- You have found a way to use your slimy nature to cling to walls like the dreaded black pudding
Effects: You now gain a climb speed equal to 1/2 your speed. For every turn after the third that you climb, however, you must make a DC 24 Fort save to avoid falling off and taking equivalent falling damage.
Prerequisite: Must be Level 10 or higher, must have the Oozekin property.
Paralysis- You have found a way to add a numbing agent to your internal gel like many other oozes.
Effects: Three times per day, when making an unarmed attack, in addition to the normal damage, you can also make an opponent roll a DC 10 + [1/2 your level] Fort save or be paralyzed for 1d6 rounds, and be staggered for 1 round thereafter.
Special: You may take this feat a 2 more times to add +2 to the save DC each time.
Prerequisite: Must be Level 7 or higher, must have the Oozekin property
Slime Burst: In mimicry of the Magma Ooze, you have found a way to direct your internal juices in the face of those who injure you as a defensive mechanism.
Effects: Once per day when injured, you can shoot a spray of your own slime at the attacker in a 15-foot cone. This takes a 10+ 1/2 your HD Reflex save to avoid and does [1/2 your level]d4 damage {Minimum 1d4].
Special: You may take this feat three times, the second and third times allowing you to do it an additional 2 times per day.
Prerequisite: Must have the Oozekin property.
Stink Bomb: You have grown a small culture of the vegetation contained in the Garden Ooze, and can build up quite a nasty concentration of the gasses that make it stink so.
Effects: Once per day, you can explode in a 10-foot radius cloud of stinking vapors. All within the cloud must make a Fort save at 8+[Your Level] or be sickened for 1d3 rounds.
Special: You may take this feat three times, the second and third times allowing you to do it an additional 1 times per day.
Prerequisite: Must have the Oozekin property.
Now, what'd be some good ones to reflect their Dragon Quest Slime basis? And how do these work balance-wise?
Slime knight cavalier, nuff said
...But the slime knight is a small demon riding a slime.
Or construct, which could replace the mount.
The Slime guy seems cool. I'm dotting this.