Gelatinous Cubes

[TIPOT]

Right, there's a few things about Gelatinous Cube's that I've always wondered:

1) How do they move? Do they roll (like a die) or do they slide along (like a slug)?
2) How does it slam? What does it actually slam with?
and
3) Has anyone ever actually used one seriously in a game? :smalltongue:

[Tvtyrant]

1. I believe they slide along the same manner as a slug.
2. It never says straight out, but the Demon Lord of Slime (Jubilex) is essentially a gelatinous cube and gives people the power to control/transform into gelatinous cubes, so I would say that they attack using his other title. The Lord of Pseudopods (fake limbs; they create tentacles out of their ooze).
3. Yup! Jubilex is one of my favorite demon lords so they show up a lot. I used the Savage Species template that makes animals into gelatinous creatures as a plot hook where they were given as presents by Jubilex to his followers along with ooze crowns that were set to all break down at the same time, inudating the world with gelatinous purple worms.

[Ozreth]

1. They tend to slide like a slug
2.Slams with its body. Imagine it as being a flexible piece slippery goo.
3. For sure! I think a lot of people have used them over the years, they are one of the iconic d&d monsters (right up there with beholders, kobolds, mind flayers etc).

I dropped one into my last expedition to greyhawk game. There was a small square shaped stone pond in one room. At first glance it appeared to just be filled with dirty water. So the fighter of the group who loves to run and jump into/onto/over things, especially water, dives in.

Lo and behold, the pond was actually filled with a gelatinous cube who gobbled him right up!

I even had a really small, clear, plastic box that opened on one side. I would put the players' minis in the box whenever they got engulfed.

[Starscream]

I recently used one as a prison. Three new members of the party had Binding (the metamorphosis kind) cast on them, and had spent the past few decades in acid proof spheres floating in the middle of a Cube, watching helplessly as other victims were fed to it.

Yeah, when they got free they messed up the guy responsible pretty bad.

[Thurbane]

Right, there's a few things about Gelatinous Cube's that I've always wondered:

1) How do they move? Do they roll (like a die) or do they slide along (like a slug)?
2) How does it slam? What does it actually slam with?
and
3) Has anyone ever actually used one seriously in a game? :smalltongue:
According to the animations in the ToEE computer game:
1). Slide like a slug.
2). Their body (the top half) morphs into a kind of pseudopod and lashes foward.
3). Not for a while, but absolutely yes.

Gelatinous cubes are one of those iconic early D&D monsters, along with beholders, rust monsters and the like.

[Zaq]

I'd previously imagined them as sliding like a slug, but to be honest, I now see no reason why they shouldn't roll like a die. I am now firmly convinced that all gelatinous cubes roll around just by default, and all you naysayers can just slug-slide off to the corner, where I will ignore you.

[Kylarra]

I'd previously imagined them as sliding like a slug, but to be honest, I now see no reason why they shouldn't roll like a die. I am now firmly convinced that all gelatinous cubes roll around just by default, and all you naysayers can just slug-slide off to the corner, where I will ignore you.
Well, I'm firmly convinced that gelatinous cubes simply hold static in one point and force the world to move around them to their mobility desires.

[Jack_Simth]

Well, I'm firmly convinced that gelatinous cubes simply hold static in one point and force the world to move around them to their mobility desires.

How does that work if two gelatinous cubes are moving in opposite directions?

[The Dark Fiddler]

How does that work if two gelatinous cubes are moving in opposite directions?

Mountains and chasms, depending on whether they're moving towards or away from the other.

[Zaq]

How does that work if two gelatinous cubes are moving in opposite directions?

Maaaaagic.

[Kylarra]

Mountains and chasms, depending on whether they're moving towards or away from the other.Yes, geography is the result of gelatinous cube movement.

[rayne_dragon]

1. They slide like a slug, possibly on all available surfaces.
2. They slide into and engulf their target.
3. Back in AD&D they used to be a serious threat to a low-level adventuring party. They were specifically the reason we carried around extra oil flasks for burning. They're also a lot creepier if you treat them as heavily camoflagued or invisible. Being ambushed by one was not fun.

[Katana_Geldar]

I always believed they clean the dungeon, and I heard a story where people put one down a pit and used it to destroy garbage.

[big teej]

Right, there's a few things about Gelatinous Cube's that I've always wondered:

1) How do they move? Do they roll (like a die) or do they slide along (like a slug)?
2) How does it slam? What does it actually slam with?
and
3) Has anyone ever actually used one seriously in a game? :smalltongue:

1) I've always imagine them sliding, or perhaps 'rippling' as a means of locomotion.

2) I've been under the impression it forms an 'apendage' out of its body and smacks someone with it.

3) yes I have. luckily for my party, I forgot about the whole "squeeze through tiny spaces" clause, so they got it stuck in a doorway and just pelted it with projectiles until it popped.

scared the heck out of them though.

[Gamer Girl]

Right, there's a few things about Gelatinous Cube's that I've always wondered:

1) How do they move? Do they roll (like a die) or do they slide along (like a slug)?
2) How does it slam? What does it actually slam with?
and
3) Has anyone ever actually used one seriously in a game? :smalltongue:

1.Either way is fine. Ever watch Monsters vs. Aliens? Check out the character of B.O.B.

2.Ever eaten Jello? Ever watch it shimmer and see it glimmer? Shake a cube of jello some time...it moves!

3.All the time. They are a classic monster. They have the real purpose of 'cleaning up a dungeon'.

[Darrin]

1) How do they move? Do they roll (like a die) or do they slide along (like a slug)?


Level 1: #10. (http://rustyandco.com/comic/10/)



2) How does it slam? What does it actually slam with?


Cube-O-Vision. (http://rustyandco.com/comic/11/)



3) Has anyone ever actually used one seriously in a game? :smalltongue:

The Unexamined Life of G.C. (http://rustyandco.com/comic/38)

The classic gimmick is putting a gelatinous cube in the bottom of a pit trap.

Also, this older post has a number of ooze-related links (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10628776&postcount=11).

And how could we not mention some thoughts on acid jello carpet bombing (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10298708)?

[HalfDragonCube]

Mountains and chasms, depending on whether they're moving towards or away from the other.

And if three move at the same time?

Plus, if they move only when they manipulate reality, yet they only have a base land speed of 15ft, then surely whatever planet they happen to be on moves out from under their (feet?:smallconfused:) and leaves them floating in space where the planet just was.

There would be a swarm of gelatinous cubes all shifting through space trying to catch up with their planet.

They might swarm even together and form their own celestial body.

(Insert 'that's no moon' joke here)

[Firechanter]

Ah, I even remember the first time I ever had contact with a G.C.
Upon entering the dungeon, the DM had us roll a Spot check and had us notice that there is not a speck of dust anywhere.
A while later, we found out why. :D

[Geigan]

I remember using one in a cave, having it sit in a hole in the ground pretending to be a shallow cave pool (cave pools are notoriously deceptive in depth). When one poor guy stepped in the pool he made a very amusing *schlooping* sound. Makes a very fun bit of chasing with a sort of blob tag feel as it catches more and more of them. It's one of the few things anyone will run from despite themselves. Noone wants to be eaten by jello.

[Kylarra]

And if three move at the same time?

Plus, if they move only when they manipulate reality, yet they only have a base land speed of 15ft, then surely whatever planet they happen to be on moves out from under their (feet?:smallconfused:) and leaves them floating in space where the planet just was.

There would be a swarm of gelatinous cubes all shifting through space trying to catch up with their planet.

They might swarm even together and form their own celestial body.

(Insert 'that's no moon' joke here)No no, you misunderstand, the cube can choose to manipulate reality when it wants to move by fixating itself in space for a given amount of time needed to traverse the distance. It isn't always holding static.

[Particle_Man]

I have used cubes (once out in the open, holding a "Grail") so the knights thought they saw a floating Grail, waiting to be possessed).

I was a player in one where someone was mailing them. We opened up various cube shaped boxes and there they were. The treasure was the oil used the cover the inside of the boxes so that the cubes didn't eat them.

Now I have an idea involving Tetris. :smallsmile:

[HalfDragonCube]

Now I have an idea involving Tetris. :smallsmile:

:smalleek:You cruel, cruel person.

[Lateral]

My DM once inflicted upon us a Hulking Hurler who chucked enormous Gelatinous Cubes at us. This was a really optimized one-off; it was SO MUCH FUN.

[faceroll]

Most memorable cube experience:
Dungeon crawl, literally ran into one. We realized that they were on circuits, and at ten feet a round, they slowly pushed us backwards towards a gate. The cubes could move through the gate no problem; we couldn't. Luckily we were able to kill it, but we had our back to the gate when we succeeded.