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The other day, I suddenly thought it might be cool to put together an ooze PC race. Unfortunately, turns out most of what I'd need to do it would be really hard to do in the established Race Builder.
Sooo... I decided to climb this mountainous molehill, and try to make up appropriate stuff where it didn't exist yet. Here's what I've got so far, using appropriate Pathfinder rules:
Amorph (amorphs, amorphic)
Amorphs are the result of symbiosis between two distinct lifeforms so completely integrated that they have effectively become the same being. A brain and simple nervous system float within a mass of jelly-like slime that serves the combined functions of an immune system, digestive system, and circulatory system for it. Scholarly opinion is divided as to whether amorphs are of natural origin, or are the result of magical experimentation, a problem exacerbated by the lack of history or record-keeping on the part of the amorphs themselves.
Unlike many intelligent oozes, amorphs do not naturally tend towards evil, and most are capable of living relatively normal lives. They can be found living in small communities in many large cities, or in small wandering caravan-communities in more sparsely-settled parts of the world, including the Underdark. Such communities are generally quite hospitable towards strangers, within reason. Amorphs are asexual creatures and reproduce via budding, with young amorphs raised in the community.
The typical amorph has a personality that can best be described as cheerful, generous, curious, and dim. Those found in the Underdark are generally more suspicious than their surface counterparts. Most have difficulty remembering unimportant information, and while they are largely welcoming of strangers, it is generally regarded as a sensible precaution to remind an amorph of what substances, for instance, might be toxic to other humanoids.
Amorphic adventures are generally drawn into their profession either by an insatiable sense of curiosity and wonder or by some great need or quest.
With some basic roleplaying background that out of the way, here's the rules stuff already in the game:
Base Speed: 20 ft. (-1 RP)
Ability Scores: Mixed Weakness (-2 RP) -2 Dex, -4 Int, +2 Con, +2 Cha
Traits:
Defense:
Healthy (2 RP)
Skill:
Curiosity (4 RP)
Senses:
All-Around Vision (4 RP)
Blindsight (30 ft.) (4 RP)
With that in mind, here's the custom stuff.
First, a new "Type":
Half-ooze (12 RP): A large portion of this creature's body is composed of an ooze, either naturally or as the result of some sort of magical experiment. It gains the following traits:
* All-Around Vision: Half-oozes gain a +4 racial bonus to their Perception skill checks and cannot be flanked.
* Blind: Half-oozes have no sense of sight and cannot process visual information. Without either blindsight or blindsense, they cannot use their Perception skill visually. They are immune to gaze attacks, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight.
* Blindsense (30 ft.): Half-oozes can sense other creatures using senses other than vision, as per the blindsense special ability.
* Healthy: Half-oozes gain a racial +4 bonus on fortitude saves vs. disease and poison, including magical diseases.
* Unusual Anatomy: While half-oozes, unlike full oozes, possess vital organs that can be injured, they can shift these organs around within their bodies, making injuring them more difficult. Half-oozes have a 50% chance of taking no extra damage from critical hits or sources of precision damage, such as sneak attacks.
* Slippery: Half-oozes are not always completely solid. They gain a +4 racial bonus on all Escape Artist checks to slip free of bonds and squeeze into tight spaces, and can squeeze through spaces as though they were one size category smaller than their actual size.
* Amorphous Body: Half-oozes are unstable, and must actively work to solidify the surface of their body into a rubbery surface to hold and manipulate solid objects. A half-ooze can only wear or carry six items at the same time, and does not have a foot slot.
A weapon or shield held in the hand, armor worn on the body, or any item that occupies a magic item slot each count as one item. Any item requiring the use of two or more hands counts as a number of items equal to the number of hands it would normally occupy. This trait does not grant the creature additional limbs. Any items that are carried by or in other items (ex. a quiver hung from a belt, a potion kept in a bandoleer, a sword hung from a backpack) do not count towards this limit, at the DM's discretion.
A half-ooze race that lacks this trait also lacks the Unusual Anatomy and the Slippery racial traits.
Second, a new "Size":
Variable (1+ RP): Choose two sizes within one size category of one another. This creature can shift its size from one category to the other as a move action. This is not a supernatural ability and does not magically adjust the size of the creature's equipment to fit it when it changes size, though armor and clothes can be modified to expand or contract with it via elastic internal bands between any two categories. (The cost of this modification is equal to the cost of resizing full plate to fit a particular wearer.)
The cost of this racial trait is increased by the cost of both size categories involved. Additional categories can be added for their point cost plus one.
So, using these custom traits and types:
Amorph
Type: Half-ooze (12 RP)
Size: Variable (Small/Medium) (1 RP)
Amorphs can compress and expand their gelatinous mass to shrink or grow in size while maintaining the same weight, but cannot either grow beyond their brains' and nerves' ability to maintain the ooze's cohesion (Large), nor shrink so that the organs are inadequately covered by gel (Tiny).
Speed: Slow (-1 RP)
Lacking legs, amorphs must scoot along on their pseudopodia.
Ability Scores: Mixed Weakness (-2 RP) -2 Dex, +2 Con, -4 Int, +2 Cha
Amorphs are durable and gregarious, but slow and sluggish both physically and mentally.
Traits: Curious (4 RP)
Perhaps because they find remembering so difficult, amorphs are always willing to ask and learn.
Total: 14 RP
Well, whaddaya think? Too strong? Too weak?
I kinda like it. It reminds me of an old monster, in some respects, specifically the Ghaunadan.
I'd suggest reducing the Unusual Anatomy from 50% chance to 25% chance, perhaps including a racial feat later to allow it to increase.
I'd also suggest leaving their magic item slots alone, as magic items are terribly important in facing challenges as you level, but otherwise, it's pretty spiffy.
My opinions, mind you.
It is the case of most homebrewed races IMHO that it has been created to exceed in one type of character class or another, such as a race that is a physical behemoth but would never be chosen for any kind of spellcaster. You have not done that here (I think), and that's good.
I think that amorphous body and unusual anatomy could be done without, it you wanted to get this down to a 10 RP race. Unusual anatomy could become abusable, and amorphous body seems like an unneccessary blow to the PC's capability.
For the Size ability, I recommend restricting the sizes to small and medium.
Finally, I don't think it would be unreasonable to create a negative RP trait called something like Universally Feared. Call it racism or being squeamish or whatever you like, but most creatures will have a hard time trusting an ooze. This is kind of a joke, but kind of not.
So we can have Goo Girls?
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So we can have Goo Girls?
I had to look that up, as I'm unfamiliar with the reference. Unfortunately, now I'm not.
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For the archetypal amorph, I strongly recommend that you study this. It's far better than the casual artwork might at first imply.
Does This help?
So, general consensus is that unusual anatomy is too good, and Amorphous Body is too harsh. Hmmm...
I agree about reducing the reduction chance, in that case (it was copied from the Denizen of Leng creature, and was an attempt to represent a "reduced" version of the ooze traits, as per the other parts of the template). Twenty-five percent it is.
I wonder though... how many "slots" *should* an ooze race have? I ask because I feel it has to be a fairly *big* disadvantage, to cancel out, effectively, the benefits of both Unusual Anatomy and Slippery. How many items do *you* feel it should be?
Speaking of Slippery, though the Squole wasn't as completely useful to me as I might've hoped, one thing I liked about it was the CMB/CMD bonus. I'd add it to the original, if this forum permitted editing.
On the whole, I'm happy the reception's been so positive. If I get in another Pathfinder game, I'll see if the DM is okay with my playtesting it.
EDIT: Oh my God, it's actually ''called'' an "amorph?" I spent like two hours trying to come up with something better than "gel-man" or "ooze-person," and now that I have I find I've been beaten to the punch!