Strategies for fighting a gelatinous cube

[Atalius]

Can anyone suggest good tactics when fighting a gelatinous cube at low levels. How do you deal with these oozes? The paralysis is a killer, and once it engulfs you your in a world of trouble.

[SuperBidi]

Oozes are very simple to deal with in PF2. Just move away from them and attack at distance. They don't move much and can't detect anything past 60ft.

[Blave]

Also note that the paralysis has the Incapacitation trait. Not sure what exactly "low level" means in this case, but by level 4 you're all but immune to the paralysis.

[Atalius]

I mean lower level than the ooze, seems like we just need to stay away and pick it apart. But if its a small room then what to do?

[SuperBidi]

It's stupid, so it'll certainly follow you if you get out of the room.

[Kylian Winters]

Atalius wrote:

I mean lower level than the ooze, seems like we just need to stay away and pick it apart. But if its a small room then what to do?

Can you explain what about level 4 makes players immune to paralysis?

[Blave]

Kylian Winters wrote:

Can you explain what about level 4 makes players immune to paralysis?

The Incapacitation trait orf the ability makes characters with a higher level than the Cube (which is 3) upgrade their save result by one step. So you'd have to roll a crtical failure (which is then upgraded to a regular failure) to be affected by the Paralysis.

Incapacitation wrote:

An ability with this trait can take a character completely out of the fight or even kill them, and it’s harder to use on a more powerful character. If a spell has the incapacitation trait, any creature of more than twice the spell’s level treats the result of their check to prevent being incapacitated by the spell as one degree of success better, or the result of any check the spellcaster made to incapacitate them as one degree of success worse. If any other effect has the incapacitation trait, a creature of higher level than the item, creature, or hazard generating the effect gains the same benefits.

Source

[thenobledrake]

Level 4 doesn't make character immune to paralysis.

What happens is that since the gelatinous cube's paralysis has the incapacitation trait, and the cube is level 3, any character that is level 4 or higher treats the result of their saving throw against it as 1 step better than normal.

[Demonknight]

Atalius wrote:

I mean lower level than the ooze, seems like we just need to stay away and pick it apart. But if its a small room then what to do?

This is sounding very much like a situation in a certain AP...

[Castilliano]

Oozes are one of the monsters that demonstrates why every PC needs a generic offensive option. Everyone can hit it easily, often twice/round while most "tricks" are unusable. Kite them if you can, but since module writers generally place oozes in cunning places (i.e. pits!) expect to simply attack as much as possible, perhaps scattering if the battlefield allows.
I'd expect an arduous battle, with whomever gets swallowed first needing a good Heal after escaping.

[Roboconn]

As stated previously oozes are slow. A cube is 15 feet of movement, I think. They also arent very smart and would probably act off the base instinct of eat the living thing. If there is room for kiting it can be very effective. If placed in a really deadly location, such as a pit you're stuck in, then raw brute force could do it. They are immune to crits and have a deep health pool (90hp) but an AC of 10 means they can be hit all the way into MAP 3 so just pile into the thing could work. But if you get stuck by it and are under its level the paralysis will hurt with a DC 20 (I think, I dont have to book in front of me) fort save. That's a difficult DC at level 1 or 2.

[jdripley]

Only had to fight one so far, and dogpiling worked. Fortunately it was Valeros and Amiri who were near it, so good fort saves and high damage potential in both cases... was still a pretty near thing though. Tough monsters to be sure.

[Siro]

Warning, Joke advice coming {can't add anything of importance not already mentioned}=

If gelatinous cubes are anyway similar to gelatin, throwing fresh pineapple at it should eventually kill it, if you got enough pineapples and time. This is because the enzymes in the pineapple will slowly break down the protein molecules in the gelatin. It works on Jell-o anyways.

And we have a solution encase paizo ever creates the Jell-olatinous cube. {ok, I know I did a bad, I'll leave now :p}

[HumbleGamer]

As a Lawbringer, against evildoers or monsters my strategy is always to Lerooy Jenkins.

I joined the paralized wizard and fighter inside the jelly and got victorious.

[GM Brent]

Oozes also tend to be easy to hit. What you hit them with tends to make a huge difference in what happens, but hitting and even getting crits on them at low levels shouldn't be too difficult.
Try hitting them with something and if something bad happens, don't hit them with that again. I usually try to hit oozes with nearby goblins. Those pesky critters are always crawling about. And they make this satisfying sizzling sound as they hit most oozes.

[Malk_Content]

Dont fight it, kite it to the boss fight with you as a pet.

[jdripley]

@GM Brent, typically oozes are immune to cries.

@Malk, that reminds me of something I had forgotten! In the one fight that had a gelatinous cube, the player running Amiri did very artfully move out of the way so that the villain was the nearest creature to the cube, with the express hope that the cube would attack the villain. No such luck as the GM decided to play the cube as an intelligent ally... which really was too bad.

[Uchuujin]

This was first edition, but my players summoned a fire elemental for it to engulf. It was then a fight to see if acid or fire would win first.

[Gisher]

Spoons?