PDA

View Full Version : Oozes and Engulf/Digest



Elric VIII
2011-02-20, 12:31 AM
I just played in a session that was part of the Savage Tide campaign. We fought an ooze of some sort and it had the special attacks of Engulf and Digest. I did not get to look at the stat block, but my DM used both of them in one round. Can both special attacks be used in one round or do they both require a standard action?

RndmNumGen
2011-02-20, 01:38 AM
Was Digest one of the special attacks, or did it just start dealing damage as soon as it engulfed someone?

AslanCross
2011-02-20, 01:43 AM
Most oozes begin dealing acid damage as soon as they slam and engulf.

RndmNumGen
2011-02-20, 01:49 AM
Most oozes begin dealing acid damage as soon as they slam and engulf.

Yeah, that's why I was wondering if Digest was actually an attack, or if it was an effect of engulfing the creature.

Elric VIII
2011-02-20, 03:00 AM
Digest is a save-or-die attack that I was told said it could be attempted on an engulfed creature, but it did not specify an action type (such as the free action grapple of improved grab). Engulf, however, specifically mentions a standard action and I thought the default action for extraodinary abilities was standard.

On that note, if I was "immune to death effects" would I be subject to this?

Darrin
2011-02-20, 10:02 AM
Engulf, however, specifically mentions a standard action and I thought the default action for extraodinary abilities was standard.


From the SRD: "Using an extraordinary ability is a free action unless otherwise noted."

If the "Digest" SA is similar to the "Absorb (Ex)" of the Flesh Ooze (MMIII), then it should say in the description whether it triggers automatically engulfing. Even if it doesn't, if it's an (Ex), then it's a free action.



On that note, if I was "immune to death effects" would I be subject to this?

Hmm... the SRD has rules for "Death Attacks" but doesn't explicitly define them. *Most* death attacks are negative-energy based or necromancy effects. However, "Digest" sounds like it's more of a natural chemical reaction, and there's no negative energy involved... maybe just a very fast-acting acid. However, since the SRD doesn't specify how the effect is accomplished, by RAW anything that says "save or die" in the description would count as a "Death Attack".

Elric VIII
2011-02-20, 12:28 PM
From the SRD: "Using an extraordinary ability is a free action unless otherwise noted."

If the "Digest" SA is similar to the "Absorb (Ex)" of the Flesh Ooze (MMIII), then it should say in the description whether it triggers automatically engulfing. Even if it doesn't, if it's an (Ex), then it's a free action.



Hmm... the SRD has rules for "Death Attacks" but doesn't explicitly define them. *Most* death attacks are negative-energy based or necromancy effects. However, "Digest" sounds like it's more of a natural chemical reaction, and there's no negative energy involved... maybe just a very fast-acting acid. However, since the SRD doesn't specify how the effect is accomplished, by RAW anything that says "save or die" in the description would count as a "Death Attack".

Thank you. I guess I misremembered the default action for (Ex) abilities.

CockroachTeaParty
2011-02-20, 12:56 PM
I have Savage Tide. Ahead be spoilers:


Is this the Flesh Jelly from the City of Broken Idols we are talking about? If so, let's look up the Flesh Jelly entry in the MM II.

Quoted from MM II page 104
Engulf: A flesh jelly can simply bowl over creatures, blah blah blah...
...A flesh jelly cannot make a slam attack during a round in which it attempts to engulf, but each engulfed creature takes automatic slam damage and must save against disease on that round and every round thereafter that it remains trapped. On any round after engulfing a creature the flesh jelly can attempt to absorb it.

Absorb [Ex]: A flesh jelly feeds by absorbing other creatures into its bulk. Any creature engulfed by the monster must succeed at a Fort. save (DC 25) or be absorbed into its mass and die...

If this is indeed the Flesh Jelly you're talking about, it would seem it would need to wait a round before attempting to absorb you. However, the absorption itself is an extraordinary, non-negative energy based attack, so methinks traditional death attack wards might not actually apply.


Of course, if you have Freedom of Movement, you might not be able to be engulfed by such an ooze anyway...

Elric VIII
2011-02-20, 01:58 PM
I have Savage Tide. Ahead be spoilers:


Is this the Flesh Jelly from the City of Broken Idols we are talking about? If so, let's look up the Flesh Jelly entry in the MM II.

Quoted from MM II page 104
Engulf: A flesh jelly can simply bowl over creatures, blah blah blah...
...A flesh jelly cannot make a slam attack during a round in which it attempts to engulf, but each engulfed creature takes automatic slam damage and must save against disease on that round and every round thereafter that it remains trapped. On any round after engulfing a creature the flesh jelly can attempt to absorb it.

Absorb [Ex]: A flesh jelly feeds by absorbing other creatures into its bulk. Any creature engulfed by the monster must succeed at a Fort. save (DC 25) or be absorbed into its mass and die...

If this is indeed the Flesh Jelly you're talking about, it would seem it would need to wait a round before attempting to absorb you. However, the absorption itself is an extraordinary, non-negative energy based attack, so methinks traditional death attack wards might not actually apply.


Of course, if you have Freedom of Movement, you might not be able to be engulfed by such an ooze anyway...

You were right about the creature.

Wow, there was so much wrong with what we did during that fight. I was a level 8 Bone Knight with immunity to disease and a Ring of Freedom of Movement.

Thank you, this makes me very happy because we killed the ooze before its next round after it engulfed me, so my character won't be dead unless my DM is a real jerk (Also, we are level 14 and this is CR 19, so we cannot actually get a wish spell).