Slime Thread 2: Rise of the Shadow Slime

[Jowgen]

After the reasonably successful original (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?574442-Fun-with-Green-Slime), it is time for an obscure sequel that might end up being more memorable than the original, or just flop entirely

While thread 1 dealt with Green Slime and its applications, this thread is about it's much more obscure cousin: Shadow Slime. Here's the full description.


Shadow slime is a corrupted version of green slime that grows in and around the lair of shadow dragons (and some other shadow creatures). It drop from walls and ceilings when it detects movement (and possible food). Shadow slime sucks the life energy of living creatures, chilling the air around it and the flesh of its victims. The slime is almost undetectable to normal vision - it has total concealment, and a character must make a successful DC 30 Spot check to notice it. Illumination such as a light or continual flame spell, does not cancel the concealment, but a daylight spell does.

A 5-foot square of shadow slime deals 2d6 points of cold damage each round as it sucks the moisture out of its victim's flesh. In addition, the victim must make a successful DC 17 Fortitude save or gain one negative level. VIctims that are immune to cold are not subject to the damage, but are still affected by the negative level. On the first round of contact, the slime can be scraped off a creature (most likely destroying the scraping device), but after that it must be burned, shocked or cut away (dealing damage to the victim as well). Anything that deals fire, sonic or electricity damage, sunlight, a remove disease spell, or a deathward spell destroys a patch of shadow slime. The slime has no effect on inorganic substances, though it does deal 2d6 points of damage to objects made of wood, leather, bone or ther natural materials.

Undead creatures heal 5 points of damage for each negative level the slime bestows, though they must actively pursue it, since it does not naturally gravitate towards nonliving targets. Shadow slime also ignores creatures immune to cold, because it cannot suck their heat energy.

So this stuff is cool. It's effects are way better defined that those of Green Slime. The selling point of Green Slime was its repeating no save Con damage and object destruction capacity, while this stuff's main thing is its negative level bestowing capacity.

For one, easy repeatable wight apocalypse kindle, with a decent save DC of 17 to boot. The total concealment also means that its quite easy to mess with people using it. If you get it on someone's dinner plate, they better succeed that DC 30 spot check to avoid eating it or they're pretty doomed.

The main application I see though is as an undead healing method. The hurdle is to overcome the 2d6 Cold damage per turn (sadly, Mantle of the Icy soul got nerfed in Spell Compendium). Once you got that, any undead with the stuff on it (or in it, should be drinkable like Green Slime is, see the prequel) will effectively get fast healing 5. Just gotta swallow a living thing once in a while to keep the microbiome healthy.

So, any idea on how to optimise and just generally have fun with this thing? :)


EDIT:
For purposes of spells and other special effects, all slimes (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/dungeons.htm), molds, and fungi are treated as plants.

[unseenmage]

I want to say there's an undead with stupid high abilities for its CR that I once TPKed a party with way back when. But I'm not sure if I'm thinking of Drowned or not.

Honestly I've been playing PF lately and the Frostfallen (https://aonprd.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Frostfallen%20Mammoth ) template keeps edging out the older memory.

[Goaty14]

If there's an undead in the party, getting the wizard to cast Ooze Puppet (Sorc/Wiz 6, SpC p 150) on the shadow slime and getting it to cover the undead's hands could be pretty nice for a melee type. It's definitely an upgrade from sticking Black Sand in the undead's shoes, and let's not ignore the 2d6 cold/negative level touch attack!
...
Just noticed that undead aren't immune to cold. I swear that there is a ~8th level wizard spell that lasts for 24 hours that converts energy damage into healing, but I can't seem to find it. Best I can get is Energetic Healing (BoED). I guess you could just cast Energy Immunity (SpC, Wiz/Sorc 7th), but I'd really rather use the aforementioned spell.

[Bronk]

It sounds like the green slime and the shadow slime are both usually inert unless you have a full 5 foot square of it though. Green slime has rules for weaponizing it, seemingly in lesser amounts, but does shadow slime?

[Menzath]

I agree that ooze puppeting it onto undead(skeletons) would be a good use, but all the better if those undead are amazing at grappling.

I mean covered in slime, and grappled, the only thing that could make it worse is also being stuck in black tentacles.

[unseenmage]

So, giant octopus/squid zombies for the win?

[ExLibrisMortis]

As a stretch, you could perhaps craft a shaboath (aboleth slime golem) out of green slime or shadow slime. Shaboath are immune to both cold and acid, too (and negative levels and ability damage), so they go well with puddles of slime regardless.


If shadow slime is nonmagical, can you create it with a chaos flask? (Chaos flasks can create creatures, but objects must be nonmagical.)

[Telonius]

Undead in general aren't immune to cold, but there are a few prominent individual undead monsters that are. Skeletons and Nightshades are immune; Vampires get Resist 10.

[Jowgen]

If there's an undead in the party, getting the wizard to cast Ooze Puppet (Sorc/Wiz 6, SpC p 150) on the shadow slime and getting it to cover the undead's hands could be pretty nice for a melee type. It's definitely an upgrade from sticking Black Sand in the undead's shoes, and let's not ignore the 2d6 cold/negative level touch attack!
...
Just noticed that undead aren't immune to cold. I swear that there is a ~8th level wizard spell that lasts for 24 hours that converts energy damage into healing, but I can't seem to find it. Best I can get is Energetic Healing (BoED). I guess you could just cast Energy Immunity (SpC, Wiz/Sorc 7th), but I'd really rather use the aforementioned spell.

I don't think Ooze Puppet will work. Slimes might be related to Oozes, and I think there's the odd slime that has an ooze statblock, but generally Slimes are treated as plants (not plant creatures, just plants) for the purpose of spells. Although that might open up some other venues actually.

The concept of covering an undead in the stuff so that it forces contact on attack might still be workable, just need to keep the stuff tethered somehow, and ideally protect it from daylight/fire/etc.

I also like the idea of finding a means to get a benefit of the constant cold damage. Now Energetic Healing probably won't work since it's only against magical cold, while the Shadow Slime's cold is mundane by the looks of it, but there might be some sort of item or other effect/ability that has like a "cold healing" function. Worth looking into


It sounds like the green slime and the shadow slime are both usually inert unless you have a full 5 foot square of it though. Green slime has rules for weaponizing it, seemingly in lesser amounts, but does shadow slime?

All we got there is that it's a "corrupted version of green slime", so most of the stuff should apply in principle.

Drinking it should still render the same full effect, but in terms of using it as a splash weapon I am not sure how to apply the same 1d6 Con => 1d2 Con conversion to the 2d6 Cold + Neg level.


I agree that ooze puppeting it onto undead(skeletons) would be a good use, but all the better if those undead are amazing at grappling.

I mean covered in slime, and grappled, the only thing that could make it worse is also being stuck in black tentacles.


So, giant octopus/squid zombies for the win?

Issue being keeping the stuff on, since Oozeputting won't work (Slimes=mundane plants).


As a stretch, you could perhaps craft a shaboath (aboleth slime golem) out of green slime or shadow slime. Shaboath are immune to both cold and acid, too (and negative levels and ability damage), so they go well with puddles of slime regardless.

If shadow slime is nonmagical, can you create it with a chaos flask? (Chaos flasks can create creatures, but objects must be nonmagical.)

Interesting idea, though I don't see a crafting rules for the Shaboath?

Chaos flask should work actually, since the stuff is just a plant as far as the rules go.


Undead in general aren't immune to cold, but there are a few prominent individual undead monsters that are. Skeletons and Nightshades are immune; Vampires get Resist 10.

Skeletons being immune is potentially real handy. Any garden variety necromancer can have a skeleton army, and covering them with the slime makes them not only more durable with the healing but dangerous to fight. Just gotta figure out a good way to keep the slime attached.

[unseenmage]

Could just pump the skeketon's bones full of slime, theoretically.

Would a fine coating of Sovereign Glue do the trick?

[Menzath]

I don't think Ooze Puppet will work. Slimes might be related to Oozes, and I think there's the odd slime that has an ooze statblock, but generally Slimes are treated as plants (not plant creatures, just plants) for the purpose of spells. Although that might open up some other venues actually.


Does that mean we can make a topiary guardian version of a creature out of slime?
And it's too bad that awaken specifies trees, and not plants. Still I suppose being a cleric with the plant domain would let you animate some slime, then command plants to hop onto and cling to some skeles you've raised works but sounds odd. But very doable.

[Jowgen]

Could just pump the skeketon's bones full of slime, theoretically.

Would a fine coating of Sovereign Glue do the trick?

Well it would be easy enough to fill their skulls with the stuff and plug the holes. Sovereign glue-ing the stuff probably wouldn't work I imagine, considering that the slime over the glued of layer can still just slide off.


Does that mean we can make a topiary guardian version of a creature out of slime?
And it's too bad that awaken specifies trees, and not plants. Still I suppose being a cleric with the plant domain would let you animate some slime, then command plants to hop onto and cling to some skeles you've raised works but sounds odd. But very doable.

Well the base of a topiary guardian is a regular topiary, which regular english defines as "shrubs or trees clipped into ornamental shapes". Question is if a DM will agree that a different kind of plant... a slime at that... clipped into an ornamental shape (an issue in itself) qualifies as a topiary. If so, then yeah, should work; though as written I don't think the slime would get to use its abilities if it were made into one.

Similarly, Rebuke Plants only works on plant creatures, so the slime, not being a creature, wouldn't be affected (for one it doesn't have any HD to count towards the limit anyway).

What one could do though is use the lowly Speak with Plants to try and convey to the slime that if it stays put on the undead, it'll be safe and get to eat regularly. The stuff is smart enough to detect movement and drop onto people, as well as not go after undead (i.e. it can tell the difference between living and undead) so it might be smart enough to understand the concept. The Greater Mummy from Deities and Demigods p. 161 can have slimes living in its body and those don't seem to mind, so there is at least some precedent for slimes being capable of such a symbiotic relationship with an undead.

[TheCount]

the protection from the sun is easy, as even mundane stuff is enough (like, an umbrella/parasol, a gigantic canvas cower held up by other minions)

There are spells for it too, with the fog/cloud group at the front, (and im sure there is some specially to protect against sunlight, like Cloak of Dark Power (it was your own suggestion in another thread lol))

magic items as well, thought they are just a step away from the spells (what would go better with this set up, bottles of fog or bottles of smoke?)

as for keeping the slime in place....modified force armor? like, letting stuf in but keep them in one fully engulfed them/ wearer wills them out? ....on that note, how much damage does arrows/bolts make as improvised melee weapons?

You could use the shadowslime for double profit in caravans, keep foodstuff containers (and thus, the food in them) cold and act as a guard/pestcontroll. Wich class(es) have bad fortutide saves and have a preference to avoid upfront fights?

[Jowgen]

the protection from the sun is easy, as even mundane stuff is enough (like, an umbrella/parasol, a gigantic canvas cower held up by other minions)

There are spells for it too, with the fog/cloud group at the front, (and im sure there is some specially to protect against sunlight, like Cloak of Dark Power (it was your own suggestion in another thread lol))

magic items as well, thought they are just a step away from the spells (what would go better with this set up, bottles of fog or bottles of smoke?)

In individual cases, stuff like my darling Cloak of Dark Power does make keeping the sun out relatively straight forward, though for mass application it is rather on the pricey side.

Now if Bottles of Smoke/Fog are judged to sufficiently block sunlight (should do, considering the total concealment) then they are a near-ideal add-on for one's shadow slimed skeleton army. Loving the image of a fog bank filled with skeletons washing over a city, as every living thing gets a slimy skeletal hug. The skeletons don't even need to hit, just maintain contact till something stops moving. Add corpsecrafter and destructive retribution and your army suddenly becomes way more durable and dangerous to fight.

Of course any humanoid that dies not from the cold but the negative levels of the slime will rise as a wight, potentially adding to your forces...


as for keeping the slime in place....modified force armor? like, letting stuf in but keep them in one fully engulfed them/ wearer wills them out? ....on that note, how much damage does arrows/bolts make as improvised melee weapons?

I don't see that one working as is, but the concept might be workable. City of Stormreach has rules for using Disable Device to make an armor fragile, so it falls off upon missing an attack. So in the dace of skeletons, all that is needed is an armor that encompasses the body as to keep the slime in (it won't just slither out on its own unless it detects food). We don't need to worry about the material, because their cold immunity extends to it, but it needs to be cheap.

My solution: a Beekeepers outfit (A&E). 9 gp a piece, designed to block attacks by fine insects, so should be a decent way to keep the slime inside. Once combat starts, outfit will fall off and the slime will be able to latch onto the nearest living thing.


And not sure how it's relevant, but they do damage as daggers with a lesser crit rate.


You could use the shadowslime for double profit in caravans, keep foodstuff containers (and thus, the food in them) cold and act as a guard/pestcontroll.

I'm thinking more like industrial scale cooling systems, but same principle.

[Goaty14]

I don't think Ooze Puppet will work. Slimes might be related to Oozes, and I think there's the odd slime that has an ooze statblock, but generally Slimes are treated as plants (not plant creatures, just plants) for the purpose of spells. Although that might open up some other venues actually.

That's pretty weird, honestly, considering how many druid-based plant spells that there are. Say you're in a dungeon corridor and a Shadow Slime plops down in the middle of your encounter, conveniently located near your enemies...

And the druid casts entangle, using the slime as the necessary plant (yes, your DM ruled that way). What happens? Do the enemies have to make their saves vs Entangle, and on a fail, make another save vs negative levels? Do you sue your DM for having such an oversight? The world may never know...


The concept of covering an undead in the stuff so that it forces contact on attack might still be workable, just need to keep the stuff tethered somehow, and ideally protect it from daylight/fire/etc.

Anywho, if the Shadow Slime is a plant, then you use Command Plants (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/commandPlants.htm) (PHB, *flips table for having to look this up*) in conjunction with the aforementioned sun-B-gone magic item. Now, I'm not sure whether or not plants have HD ("Hey DM, how much HD does the shrub over 'yonder have?"), but there's always Awaken (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/awaken.htm) if that bit comes up.

[Jowgen]

That's pretty weird, honestly, considering how many druid-based plant spells that there are. Say you're in a dungeon corridor and a Shadow Slime plops down in the middle of your encounter, conveniently located near your enemies...

And the druid casts entangle, using the slime as the necessary plant (yes, your DM ruled that way). What happens? Do the enemies have to make their saves vs Entangle, and on a fail, make another save vs negative levels? Do you sue your DM for having such an oversight? The world may never know...

Since it's "plants in a 40 ft radius" as target, yes the slime would move to entangle. And contact would then trigger the effects of the slime, as it being moved about via a spell doesn't stop it from having its own effect. So this is actually a rather neat combo.

Dropping an entangle in the middle of your squadron of shadow slimed skeletons (in Beekeepers outfits) adds yet another layer of terror to that already pretty messed up nightmare. Your skeletons will also get entangled, but they don't care. They can just continue to hack away.


Anywho, if the Shadow Slime is a plant, then you use Command Plants (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/commandPlants.htm) (PHB, *flips table for having to look this up*) in conjunction with the aforementioned sun-B-gone magic item. Now, I'm not sure whether or not plants have HD ("Hey DM, how much HD does the shrub over 'yonder have?"), but there's always Awaken (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/awaken.htm) if that bit comes up.

Annoyingly, Command plants again only works on plant creatures, and Awaken only works on trees speciically, not plants in general. Now there is the Minor Servitor spell that would let us animate a volume of Shadow Slime, although it's type would then technically become construct.

[Goaty14]

Now there is the Minor Servitor spell that would let us animate a volume of Shadow Slime, although it's type would then technically become construct.

Oh! Warforged Domain lets you rebuke constructs. You'd think that the text means living constructs but... no :smallconfused:, just any construct.
*crosses fingers that there aren't any implications*

[Jowgen]

Oh! Warforged Domain lets you rebuke constructs. You'd think that the text means living constructs but... no :smallconfused:, just any construct.
*crosses fingers that there aren't any implications*

Seems workable. Catalogues of Enlightenment touchstone feat or a simple domain draught can get you the granted power, you establish control over however many HD worth of now sentient shadowslime you can and they should then keep on following the initial command even after you change to different touchstone/domain.

Personally, I think than in most cases a simple Speak with Plants should suffice to convince the slimes to stay put on the undead on its own in exchange for regular feedings though. Really, all that's needed is for one colony of slime to behave and then you just propagate that strain as needed. But if not, we now have a means of establishing forceful control if necessary, or required for some other application.

[ShurikVch]

How about the Symbiotic Creature with the Shadow Slime as a "guest"?

[unseenmage]

Oh! Warforged Domain lets you rebuke constructs. You'd think that the text means living constructs but... no :smallconfused:, just any construct.
*crosses fingers that there aren't any implications*
There's also the Rod of Construct Control from Arms and Equipment Guide and if 3.P there are PF spells for controlling Constructs as well.

Not to mention Greater Humanoid Essence plus any old regular mind control and/or simple Diplomancy.

[TheCount]

If constructs, all youu need is a hollow interior/tube system for the slime, magic or minimal mechanics do the moving.
hell, if you are really cutting funds on your army, you could just put a damn bucket or something in the skeleton's ribcage!

You could also go the horror movie route with just smugle shadow ooze into dark places in the city, as a preparation.
Too bad they are lazy, a sewer system would do great hunting fields.

on another note, can you "shape" the slime? The ideal form would be lattice work, either on the skeleton itself or in its equimpemt.

and lets not forget the ranged attacks, like launch/fling(?) object or the more mundane versions like gnomish thrower or catapults.

[Jowgen]

If constructs, all you need is a hollow interior/tube system for the slime, magic or minimal mechanics do the moving.
hell, if you are really cutting funds on your army, you could just put a damn bucket or something in the skeleton's ribcage!

You could also go the horror movie route with just smugle shadow ooze into dark places in the city, as a preparation.
Too bad they are lazy, a sewer system would do great hunting fields.

on another note, can you "shape" the slime? The ideal form would be lattice work, either on the skeleton itself or in its equimpemt.

and lets not forget the ranged attacks, like launch/fling(?) object or the more mundane versions like gnomish thrower or catapults.

An engineering solution might be workable, kinda like the Oil Chamber from Dungeonscape or the Potion bladder from DotU. Some sort of contraption that releases the Slime stored (in the skeleton) once a grapple has been started, and then closes again after.

You also make a good point that Shadow Slime is particularly suited to being placed strategically ahead of time, since its concealment means it should mostly go unnoticed until it starts eating people.

Shaping it into something complex would require the awakinging+rebuking route. I think for most purposes it should be sufficient to condition/breed the slime to behave as desired. The slime might be technically mindless, but Speak with Plants alongside some basic conditioning training should work and selective breeding should work.

Put the slimes in the Skeletons. Tell them to stay in the skeleton for x time and they'll get a rat. The slimes that stay get a rat. Then raise the difficulty bit by bit. Have the skeletons moving about. Introduce temptations to disobey and punishments for giving into them. After enough time, the you should have a colony of slime that has adapted to the artificial ecology you have created for them, where staying in the Skeltons and attacking only the stuff the skeletons are attacking is natural for them (https://youtu.be/C0dFsAtAlEo?t=106).

[Jowgen]

Found a little (well, arguably huge) thing to help weaponize slimes.

The Heavy Aspergillum, Races of Faerun 154. This is a heavy mace that has a compartment to fit 3 pints/doses of liquid in it. You press a button, hole at the top opens up and then when you hit a creature they get one dose of the stuff onto them. Or you can just swing it as a ranged touch attack that's limited to melee range.

Green Slime has rules for using it like holy water, so if you can make the heavy aspergillum out of something that won't get eaten by the acid, you now have a convenient and safe delivery system for no-save repeating con damage. Shadow Slime can be filled in as is, although it does not have written rules for how it acts in smaller doses.

Either case, very neat thing. Great standard issue for the Slimed Skeleton army.

[unseenmage]

I remember that Faerun has the special material Living Metal that literally regains hp.
I do not remember if it is fast enough to out heal the slime. I doubt it though.


Isn't there a wood materials version of Dwarvencraft somewhere?

Could Plant Growth, or whatever the food crop growing spell is, generate a great volume of cultivated slime?


Where did you get the ruling that slimes are plants from if I may ask?

[Jowgen]

I remember that Faerun has the special material Living Metal that literally regains hp.
I do not remember if it is fast enough to out heal the slime. I doubt it though.


Isn't there a wood materials version of Dwarvencraft somewhere?

Could Plant Growth, or whatever the food crop growing spell is, generate a great volume of cultivated slime?


Where did you get the ruling that slimes are plants from if I may ask?

Living metal, only heals 1 hp/minute, so no dice there.

There is Hellforeged/Soulforged, which only work for Weapons/Armor specifically, adding 1 hardness. The Evergreen spell is hour/level area effect that gives plants cold immunity, if that's what you're looking for.

Plant Growth would absolutely work. Womb of the Earth, even if you can argue won't work purely because it only works on seeded plants.

It's from DMG p. 76," For purposes of spells and other special effects, all slimes, molds, and fungi are treated as plants."

[unseenmage]

Living metal, only heals 1 hp/minute, so no dice there.

There is Hellforeged/Soulforged, which only work for Weapons/Armor specifically, adding 1 hardness. The Evergreen spell is hour/level area effect that gives plants cold immunity, if that's what you're looking for.

Plant Growth would absolutely work. Womb of the Earth, even if you can argue won't work purely because it only works on seeded plants.

It's from DMG p. 76," For purposes of spells and other special effects, all slimes, molds, and fungi are treated as plants."

Thanks, might be worth including that in the OP of both threads. I dont think their status as plants is very widely known.

[ExLibrisMortis]

To use both kinds of slime in one aspergillum, you want a non-living non-metal material for your weapon, which mainly leaves stone and glass. Maybe a deep crystal weapon will do the trick?

[liquidformat]

So some interesting stuff to go along with the entangle spell, how would you rule the following spells interact with our slimes:
Plant Growth: is this a way to dramatically expand how much slime we have? if so this is a way to be a slime farmer...
Animate plant: so we can make slime constructs now? or we can have them entangle things?...

[Menzath]

To use both kinds of slime in one aspergillum, you want a non-living non-metal material for your weapon, which mainly leaves stone and glass. Maybe a deep crystal weapon will do the trick?

Crystal, deep crystal, Jade, does coral count too? I think there were a few more odd ones in 3.0 build guide and some other one off books, and OA.

[Jowgen]

Thanks, might be worth including that in the OP of both threads. I dont think their status as plants is very widely known.

Sure, why not.


To use both kinds of slime in one aspergillum, you want a non-living non-metal material for your weapon, which mainly leaves stone and glass. Maybe a deep crystal weapon will do the trick?

Crystal, deep crystal, Jade, does coral count too? I think there were a few more odd ones in 3.0 build guide and some other one off books, and OA.

Crystals might not be on the table if Psionics aren't allowed, plus they have that worrisome weakness against shatter, so not the best option I think. Jade is fine but pricey.

Assuming the CoV version is indeed the latest, I think that Glassteel is again the best option, and cheap at 500 gp. As long as it gets to apply its hardness of 20, should be able to contain them just fine. Plus looks real cool. Downside being that it doesn't block daylight, so might actually have to do a paint job on the thing.

If not, Elukian Clay (A&E) is an option as its a bludgeoning weapon, although at 200 gp/lb it works out a little bit more expensive. Strangely, no loss in hardness or increase in weight compared to steel. It just doesn't look quite as cool, but that's just personal preference on my part...

Either case, I can imagine a lot of builds could benefit from having a green slime filled heavy aspergillum weapon at hand. Getting 3 hits per filling might seem limiting, but you can keep a couple on hand to use throughout combat, and since each digested enemy produces more slime, you never have to worry about running out of ammo. Even if, there is touch of jubilex. At the very least, it can serve as a cheap and effective "your path is blocked by a reinforced adamantine door" type problem solver.



So some interesting stuff to go along with the entangle spell, how would you rule the following spells interact with our slimes:
Plant Growth: is this a way to dramatically expand how much slime we have? if so this is a way to be a slime farmer...
Animate plant: so we can make slime constructs now? or we can have them entangle things?...

Plant Growth should work no issue (unless it is somehow ruled to not be normal vegatation even though it is in any dungeon setting...) and might indeed come in handy. Even though slime production is a pretty straightforward matter and its hard to run out of once you got some (as it makes more of itself when fed, plus touch of jubilex), there might be times you just need to dramatiacally boost how much of the stuff you have.

If you got a Shadow Slimed skeleton army, dropping a plant growth into them might slow them but also spells a nightmare for whatever might be fighting them. And if you went through the trouble to place the stuff in a combat area ahead of time, plant growth could become a pretty nasty tide-turner.

Animate Plant might be temporary but would work, though whether that's an efficient use of a 7th level spell is questionable.

EDIT: Regarding the question of using Shadow Slime as a splash weapon, ie. in 1 pint doses rather than full patches, I think I have a good proposal for how to calculate the damage based on the green slime precedent.

The green slime's damage goes from 1d6 Con to 1d2 con, so 3 damage dice sizes smaller. It would follow that it also instead deals 1d4 acid damage to objects. The 2d6 Cold damage of the Shadow slime should therefore also go down to 1d4.

Multiple hits should arguably not add extra d4s, but jut increase the damage dice by one step, so hitting twice upgrades the roundly damage to 1d6, 1d8 and finally 2d6. (taken at the beginning of each turn started with slime on). So one patch would be equal to 4 pints. Drinking any amount is simply more caustic and just does a full patch worth of damage.

For the negative level, it could then follow that the negative level comes whenever a creature has taken damage equivalent to 4 1-pint hits. So like 4d4 over 4 rounds, 2d4 + 1d6 over 3 rounds, 1d4 +1d8 or 2d6 over 2 rounds, or the usual 2d6 over 1 round. One attack with the appropriate element to remove all the slime resets the counter to 0. I think this represents the effect of increasing slime coverage pretty well, plus the 4 round thing mirrors the 4 round countdown of Touch of Jubilex, so it satisfies my OCD...

[ExLibrisMortis]

Assuming the CoV version is indeed the latest, I think that Glassteel is again the best option, and cheap at 500 gp.
I'd always assumed that glassteel was metal with the transparency of glass, rather than glass with the strength of steel, so a glassteel aspergillum wouldn't contain green slime. But considering that there's absolutely no guidance on how glassteel interacts with green slime... it's a pretty cheap option. You'd need to paint it, but that's a bonus, because you could paint it like a maraca or easter egg or something. +4 to Bluff that you're not actually dangerous :smalltongue:.

[TheCount]

hm...would a sponge work? its absolutely ridiculus, but image, veteran adventurers, hardened by years of battles, puzzles and fetch quests, break down crying with PTSD when kids throw each other with wet sponges on a summer day somewhere..... or go berserk....


joke aside, i think slime(s) open another way to kill the tarasque, maybe.

[liquidformat]

hm...would a sponge work? its absolutely ridiculus, but image, veteran adventurers, hardened by years of battles, puzzles and fetch quests, break down crying with PTSD when kids throw each other with wet sponges on a summer day somewhere..... or go berserk....


joke aside, i think slime(s) open another way to kill the tarasque, maybe.

As hilarious as that is DnD doesn't have plastic so that leaves the sea creature sponge which if I understand slimes correctly means no.

[Jowgen]

Yeah, I don't see sponges being viable/available either. And the Tarrasque has immunity to both ability damage and energy drain, so at best you can get a hit with shadow slime in to deal 2d6 cold damage/round, slightly cutting into its regeneration.

[Goaty14]

Yeah, I don't see sponges being viable/available either. And the Tarrasque has immunity to both ability damage and energy drain, so at best you can get a hit with shadow slime in to deal 2d6 cold damage/round, slightly cutting into its regeneration.

Per hit, since the separate instances of shadow slime would stack with each other per round of application (and there's nothing to imply that the slime would run away from a tarrasque, who is essentially a self-refurbishing buffet). Now, I know damage-over-time isn't necessarily the best, but a 5-iterative thrower build (3 Iteratives, +1 Rapid Shot, +1 Haste) is getting off 10d6 cold around, that persists until the tarrasque dies (presumably the tarrasque isn't smart enough to scrape off shadow slime).

[Jowgen]

Per hit, since the separate instances of shadow slime would stack with each other per round of application (and there's nothing to imply that the slime would run away from a tarrasque, who is essentially a self-refurbishing buffet). Now, I know damage-over-time isn't necessarily the best, but a 5-iterative thrower build (3 Iteratives, +1 Rapid Shot, +1 Haste) is getting off 10d6 cold around, that persists until the tarrasque dies (presumably the tarrasque isn't smart enough to scrape off shadow slime).

You have a point, actually.

According to Slime Wave, one patch of (green) slime can adhere to a creature for every 5 ft square it occupies. The tarrasque occupies 30 ft, i.e. 6 by 6 at least, so applying this to Shadow Slime, covering a tarrasque in Shadow Slime (i.e. 36 patches) gives us 72d6 of cold damage/round (arguably more because 3 dimensions). More than enough to outpace its regen of 40.

Now getting 36 slime patches on a tarrasque is gonna be tricky though. A flask of slime can not be said to be equal to a whole patch (my estimate is 4 pints to a patch, might be more or less), so it's gonna take a lot of hits/rounds, even with a master thrower with double toss, rapid shot, TWF-tree and whatever is gonna have a hard time adminstering that all. And you either gonna do a lot of Darkness or be lucky enough to fight at night time so the slime doesn't die to daylight.

It might be more efficient to go the Siege Engine route, per dragon 334: heavy catapult alchemists fire ammo that affects a 20 ft radius upon hit, so 44 squares, should be enough to cover the whole tarrasque in one hit.

EDIT: So this is all subdual damage, so the tarrasque is gonna basically pass out form all the cold while the slime continues to feed of its regenerating body. The slime will of course continue to grow, and you best take care of that so your whole world isn't eventually covered in literal rivers of the stuff. Probably best to quarantine it (ideally with shielding from sunlight) and proceed to arrange a lasting solution.