Electric Oozes [Monsters]

[JNAProductions]

Spoiler: Skulking Ooze (CR 5)

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Skulking Slime
Medium Ooze, Neutral Evil

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Armor Class 17 (Goopy Body)
Hit Points 90 (12d8+36)
Speed 35', Climb 30'

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Strength	Dexterity	Constitution	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma
12 (+1)	20 (+5)	16 (+3)	14 (+2)	12 (+1)	12 (+1)

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Skills Stealth +11, Acrobatics +8, Sleight of Hand +8, Perception +4
Damage Resistances Acid
Damage Immunities Poison, Lightning
Condition Immunities Poisoned, Blinded
Senses Blindsight 60' (Blind past this), Passive Perception 14
Languages Common, Undercommon
Challenge 5

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Semi-Amorphous
A Skulking Ooze is capable of moving through areas as small as one foot in diameter without squeezing, and may squeeze through areas as small as three inches across.

Lightning Absorption
Whenever a Skulking Ooze would take lightning damage, they instead regain that many HP.

Actions

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Slashing Pseudopod Melee Weapon Attack:
+8 to-hit, reach 5', one target. Hit: 1d8+5 slashing damage, 1d6 acid damage, and 1d6 lightning damage.

Extra Attack
The Skulking Ooze makes up to two attacks or other attack actions.

Lightning Burst (Once Per Short Rest)
The Skulking Ooze lets out a burst of electricity. All creatures within 10', excepting the Ooze itself, must make a DC 14 Dexterity save, taking 6d6 lightning damage on a failed save, or half on a success.

Bonus Actions

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Cunning Action
The Skulking Ooze uses the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.

Reactions

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Parry
When targeted by a melee attack, the Skulking Ooze may raise its AC by 3 against that attack.

Deflect Missile
When targeted by a ranged attack, the Skulking Ooze may reduce the damage by 1d10+5. If the damage is reduced to zero, it may catch the projectile.

Spoiler: Lightning Oozemaster (CR 6)

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Lightning Oozemaster
Medium Ooze, neutral Evil

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Armor Class 15 (Goopy Body)
Hit Points 117 (18d8+36)
Speed 30', Climb 25'

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Strength	Dexterity	Constitution	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma
10 (0)	16 (+3)	14 (+2)	20 (+5)	14 (+2)	14 (+2)

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Skills Arcana +8, History +8, Religion +8, Stealth +6
Damage Resistances Acid
Damage Immunities Poison, Lightning
Condition Immunities Poisoned, Blinded
Senses Blindsight 60' (Blind past this), Passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Undercommon
Challenge 6

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Spellcasting
A Lightning Oozemaster is a 9th level spellcaster, using Intelligence as its casting stat. Save DC is 16, Attack Bonus is +8. A typical Oozemaster has the following spells prepared:
Cantrips (At-Will): Shocking Grasp, Chill Touch, Firebolt
1st Level (4 Slots): Armor of Agathys, Fog Cloud, Guiding Bolt, Shield
2nd Level (3 Slots): Enhance Ability, Hold Person, Spiritual Weapon
3rd Level (3 Slots): Lightning Bolt, Call Lightning, Crusader's Mantle
4th Level (3 Slots): Storm Sphere, Ice Storm, Dimension Door
5th Level (1 Slot): Synaptic Static

Master Of Lightning
A Lightning Oozemaster can change any damage dealt by its spells to Lightning damage, except for bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing.

Semi-Amorphous
A Skulking Ooze is capable of moving through areas as small as one foot in diameter without squeezing, and may squeeze through areas as small as three inches across.

Lightning Absorption
Whenever a Skulking Ooze would take lightning damage, they instead regain that many HP.

Actions

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Pseudopod Melee Weapon Attack
+5 to-hit, reach 5', one target. Hit: 1d6+3 bludgeoning damage, 1d6 acid damage, and 1d6 lightning damage.

[Composer99]

Seems cool. It might be interesting to learn more of the concept behind these critters, since, if memory serves, intelligent oozes are at best a rarity.

Some nitpicks about the skulking ooze:

Actions
Extra Attack
The Skulking Ooze makes up to two attacks or other attack actions.

Lightning Burst (Once Per Short Rest)
The Skulking Ooze lets out a burst of electricity. All creatures, excepting the Ooze itself, must make a DC 14 Dexterity save, taking 6d6 lightning damage on a failed save, or half on a success.

Should not the extra attack instead be a multiattack? And would it not make sense for the ooze to make two pseudopod attacks?

For the lightning burst, ought there not be some sort of range limit ("all creatures within X feet of the ooze..." or somesuch)?

Not a nitpick: what if the lightning absorption allowed the ooze to recharge its lightning burst? Say, each time it benefited from the absorption, roll a d6, and it regains the use of its burst on a roll of 6?

[JNAProductions]

I actually intentionally use Extra Attack instead of Multiattack, since Multiattack does not allow for Grappling or similar.

Lightning Burst was meant to have a 10' range! That's just me forgetting to put that in.

And they already heal from Lightning damage, so recharging an ability that does Lightning damage (and would potentially let them recharge it again) would be a little much, methinks.

[MrStabby]

So as a player it would be an unexpected monster - although the surprise might be jarring.

A highly dextrous ooze with great slight of hand? More intelligent and charismatic than many PCs? And faster - 105 ft per round is pretty fast... for an ooze? How do you describe this so players are happy with that - it it intended to challenge their expectations? On the other hand this loses a lot of typical ooze immunities.

AC 70 and 90 HP seems a bit on the high side for a CR 5 monster. Not excessive at all, just above average. Its no earth elemental. Attack and damage seems a little above average as well +7 seems more common than +8 for attacks. Not really an issue for either of these - both within the bounds of what would be normal.

The whole thing kind of looks fine, it just doesn't seem like an Ooze. And the oozemaster's spell list - there is nothing actively wrong with it, I just don't get the fluff behing the cleric spells.


Would you consider describing them as an abberation instead? They typically have higher intelligence, can be a bit amorphous (see gibbering mouther).

[JNAProductions]

So as a player it would be an unexpected monster - although the surprise might be jarring.

A highly dextrous ooze with great slight of hand? More intelligent and charismatic than many PCs? And faster - 105 ft per round is pretty fast... for an ooze? How do you describe this so players are happy with that - it it intended to challenge their expectations? On the other hand this loses a lot of typical ooze immunities.

AC 70 and 90 HP seems a bit on the high side for a CR 5 monster. Not excessive at all, just above average. Its no earth elemental. Attack and damage seems a little above average as well +7 seems more common than +8 for attacks. Not really an issue for either of these - both within the bounds of what would be normal.

The whole thing kind of looks fine, it just doesn't seem like an Ooze. And the oozemaster's spell list - there is nothing actively wrong with it, I just don't get the fluff behing the cleric spells.

Would you consider describing them as an abberation instead? They typically have higher intelligence, can be a bit amorphous (see gibbering mouther).

See Ooblex, if you're worried about smart oozes.

And honestly, I'm not in the habit of sharing my statblocks with the PCs-I'll describe them, but I won't outright say "These are oozes". I wouldn't be averse to classing them as aberrations, and if you wanted to use them but reclass them as such, I'd be in no place to complain. :P

For the Oozemaster, I just took the spells I thought would work best. Most of them will be lightning-based, owing to their Master Of Lightning ability, so don't think of them as divine spells-just think of the effects.