Consuming Slime [Pathfinder/3.5e Playable Race]

[Gaiyamato]

A ball of sentient slime from the demiplane of acid, that has the ability to morph into a humanoid form with features resembling a generic and plain looking Human.

Type: Outsider (native) [Ooze, Acid]
Size: Medium
Speed: 30'
Ability Scores: +2 CON, +2 CHA, -2 INT
Language: Common, Terran. Consuming Slimes with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aquan, Auran, Dwarven, Elven, Ignan, Orc.

Blind: A Consuming Slime cannot detect objects or creatures by sight. Consuming Slimes cannot make Perception checks to visually notice things beyond the range of their blindsight. They cannot discern color, read written text, or see incorporeal creatures. Consuming Slimes are immune to gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight.

Blindsight (40 feet): Using sensitivity to vibrations, the Consuming Slime maneuvers and fights as well as a sighted creature within a 40-foot range. Invisibility, darkness, and most kinds of concealment are irrelevant, though the creature must have line of effect to a creature or object to discern that creature or object. A Consuming Slime usually does not need to make Perception checks to notice creatures within range of its blindsight ability. Excessive vibrations or loud sounds provide concealment to those within range of the blindsight at the adjudication of the Gamemaster.

Boneless: A Consuming Slime can move in ways that other creatures cannot, slipping through smaller gaps, oozing out of bindings etc. A Consuming Slime gains a +2 racial bonus on Escape Artist skill checks.

Acid Resistance: Consuming Slimes have Acid Resistance equal to half of their HD.

Humanoid Ooze: Consuming Slimes cannot be stunned and do not take additional damage from precision-based attacks, such as sneak attack. In addition, Consuming Slimes are immune to poison and sleep effects. They can however be subject to critical hits, flanking, paralysis, and polymorph, just as other humanoids are. Consuming Slimes eat and breathe, but do not sleep or require drink.

Outsider Traits: When an outsider is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, don’t work on an outsider. It takes a different magical effect, such as limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection to restore it to life. An outsider with the native subtype can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be.

Spell-Like Abilities [Su]: Consuming Slimes gain the following Spell-Like Abilities with a caster level equal to HD. At will: Acid Splash, 1/day Steal Power.

Vulnerability to Cold Energy (Ex): Consuming Slimes receive +50% damage from damage sources using the cold energy type. Consuming Slimes can never gain cold immunity through the Consume ability (see below).

Vulnerability to Water (Ex): Water from spells or effects that create water deal 1d4 points of fire damage per caster level if the Consuming Slime is within its area of effect. Damage from water-based attacks, like the slam attack of a water elemental, is increased by 50%.

Consume (Su): Utilising their acidic body, Consuming Slimes have the ability to break down and analyze corpses, taking on some of the power of their victims.

Once per month, as a full round action, a Consuming Slime can devour a large or smaller corpse of a creature that had a CR no lower than the character's ECL -4. For every 5 HD the consumed creature has the consuming creature gains 1 ingestion point (minimum 1). This action requires the Slime to enter their natural slime form in order to engulf the corpse. For each size category greater than Large, this action takes an additional round.

For each ingestion point gain one of the consumed creature’s extraordinary, supernatural or spell-like abilities (Except for spell casting, which is never gained), or choose to store the creatures likeness for the Change Shape ability (see below). These abilities are not limited to universal monster abilities or class features. An ability gained via consumption uses the same statistics as the consumed creature, except for calculations dependent on specific ability scores or total Hit Dice (such as save DCs) in which case the ability uses the consuming creature’s appropriate statistic.

For example, a consuming creature that gains the energy drain ability of a consumed Wight gets energy drain 1 level, but uses its own Charisma modifier for the save DC.

This ability can only be used while the Consuming Slime is conscious and has a Intelligence score above 3.

Change Shape [Su]: Consuming Slimes can assume the appearance of a Small or Medium creature who's likeness they have stored upon consuming, as a move action. This only affects superficial appearance, and does not grant an exact copy of the original creature. The Slime can assume their true form as a swift action at any time.

Acidic transubstantiation(Su): As the Consuming Slime gains Ingestion points they provide the following passive bonuses as they reuse the consumed material to strengthen their own body. A Consuming Slime with 0 Ingestion points gains no bonuses from this ability.

Natural Armor Bonus: 1/3 Ingestion points (min 1)
Bonus HP: +1 HP per HD per Ingestion point.
Circumstance bonus: +1 BAB and Saves = 1/4 Ingestion points (min 1)

Spoiler: Notes

Show

This is a powerful race. I used Squole and Consuming Creature as the basic ideas and inspirations for this, and used the Creating New Races rules as a rough guide to balance this out. And yes, of course, Rimuru. lol

The strength of this will be very dependent on the starting character level, and what sort of campaign it is. This could be a CR+1/LA+1 race in the right scenarios, or even worse if you routinely throw powerful creatures that could be eaten to gain a lot of Ingestion points and steal powerful monster abilities. DMs could mitigate this by banning some types of abilities from being stolen, such as class abilities or anything too alien or monstrous. Though it could be interesting to roleplay a character coming to terms with an extremely powerful ability and learning how to use it as well. A house rule might be that the character has to go through the motions of learning to effectively use the new ability, placing limits on it's use until the DM is satisfied.

In some campaigns the character's weakness could be overwhelming. For example fighting water elementals from onboard a ship could quickly prove fatal for a Consuming Slime. Campaigns that feature very few opportunities to eat corpses such as diplomatic/intrigue or merchant style campaigns could also significantly nerf this race.

If we go by the Creation rules linked above, then this race is more or less equivalent to an Aasimar using that system. But in practice might play out quite differently.

So allowing this race should be considered carefully by a DM, and players alike.

[Gaiyamato]

Favoured Class

Bard: Add one spell from the druid spell list to the bard’s spell list and known spells. This spell must be at least 1 level lower than the highest-level spell the bard can cast.
Barbarian: Add +1 to the barbarian’s total number of rage rounds per day.
Magus: Add +1/4 to the magus’ arcane pool.
Monk: Add +1/4 to the monk's ki pool.
Ninja: Add +1/4 to the ninja's ki pool.
Shaman: Add one spell from the druid spell list to the shaman’s spell list. This spell must be at least 1 level lower than the highest-level spell the shaman can cast.
Samurai: Add +1/3 to the samurai's challenge use per day.
Summoner: Add +1/4 to the eidolon’s evolution pool.
Witch: Add one spell from the druid spell list to the witch’s familiar. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the witch can cast. If the familiar is ever replaced, the new familiar knows these bonus spells.

Feats

Qualify for the following feats as per a Squole:
Elemental Acclimation
Elemental Fist Only Acid may be selected.
Elemental Grasp Only Acid may be selected.
Liquefy
Honed Senses
Evade Grasp

Digestive Evolution (Su):
Each time a Consuming Slime with this feat gains a character level, and when this feat is first taken, they may choose to spend stored Ingestion points for a permanent bonus. A Consuming Slime may only choose one of the following benefits each time they gain a level. These changes are permanent.

• 4 Ingestion points to add one use of Consume per month. Consume can never have more than 4 uses per month (or 1 per week).
• 2 Ingestion points to increase one ability score by +2.
• 2 Ingestion points to add 1 use of Steal Power per day. If Steal Power SLA already has 5 uses per day, then taking this benefits increases it to At Will and can never be selected again.
• 1 Ingestion point to increase base movement speed by 10.

Rapid Assimilation (Su):
Consuming a corpse with Consume only takes a standard action. If the corpse is greater than Large size, then this takes only a single full Round action.

Flexible Consumption (Su):
The CR of the corpse consumed may be 2 levels lower. (So ECL-6)
This feat may be taken multiple times, each time it lowers minimum level of the corpse by an additional 2.

Sustaining Nutrition. (Su):
Requires: Digestive Evolution, at least 2 Ingestion points at the time of taking this feat. Character level 3+

Lose 2 Ingestion points when this feat is taken. The Consuming Slime no longer needs to eat or breath, and does not suffer from ageing penalties.

Efficient Metabolism (Su):
Requires: Digestive Evolution, Liquefy.

When Consuming a corpse, gain 1 Ingestion point per 4 HD instead of per 5 HD.

Prestige Classes

Counts as a Squole for the purpose of qualifying for the Slime Lord prestige class.

[Metastachydium]

the demiplane of acid

Huh. That's the second time I hear about that place in connection with something oozelike. What's that from?

Type: Outsider (native) [Acid]

I was kind of hoping it's going to be an Ooze(. Have I mentioned yet how the puddle race from Underdark should have been an Ooze too? Now I have). But hey, such is life!

Change Shape [Su]: Consuming Slimes can assume the appearance of a Medium humanoid as the alter self spell, save that it does not adjust its ability scores, it only affects outward appearance

Alter Self doesn't work across types, nor does it modify ability scores (only movement modes, natural aromour/attacks and skill bonuses). Also, does that have an action cost?

[Tzardok]

Yeah, I'd have thought it would be an ooze too (also, I don't think I've heard of an Acid subtype, but whatever).

Regarding the shapechange, I'd propably remove all references to any spells. At least, if I understand it correctly, the ooze just takes on a vaguely humanoid form, but is still clearly recognizable as an ooze and doesn't take any traits of humanoids. As the change is mostly cosmetic, it doesn't need anything more complicated than that.

[Gaiyamato]

Huh. That's the second time I hear about that place in connection with something oozelike. What's that from?

I just kept finding vague references to it in Pathfinder. It is a sub plane on the elemental plane of earth.

I was kind of hoping it's going to be an Ooze(. Have I mentioned yet how the puddle race from Underdark should have been an Ooze too? Now I have). But hey, such is life!

Yeah, I'd have thought it would be an ooze too (also, I don't think I've heard of an Acid subtype, but whatever).

An elemental basically. Feel free to refluff it as an Ooze though. DnD/Pathfinder is weird with types and sub types sometimes.

Alter Self doesn't work across types, nor does it modify ability scores (only movement modes, natural aromour/attacks and skill bonuses). Also, does that have an action cost?

It doesn't change type or stats of any sort. 100% outward appearance only, as it says. Same action cost as the Alter Self spell.

Regarding the shapechange, I'd propably remove all references to any spells. At least, if I understand it correctly, the ooze just takes on a vaguely humanoid form, but is still clearly recognizable as an ooze and doesn't take any traits of humanoids. As the change is mostly cosmetic, it doesn't need anything more complicated than that.

This is an elemental, I just copy pasted that line from an existing creature is all. But those changes also sound fine to me.

[Metastachydium]

I just kept finding vague references to it in Pathfinder. It is a sub plane on the elemental plane of earth.

Ah, I see.

An elemental basically. Feel free to refluff it as an Ooze though. DnD/Pathfinder is weird with types and sub types sometimes.

Except… It's not really an Elemental. It's a native Outsider. Which is quite an important distinction, given how it means the thing gets no Elemental traits (some of which are pretty good if they don't come with RHD). All it gets in return (because it has no RHD) is ease of resurrection.

It doesn't change type or stats of any sort. 100% outward appearance only, as it says. Same action cost as the Alter Self spell.

Call me obtuse if you will, but
1. crunch text that says "it's exactly like Alter Self, except it doesn't do the things Alter Self does not do either" is not terribly useful; and
2/a. the reference to Alter Self would mean that by RAW, it can gain the natural attacks/armour, movement speeds and skill checks of Outsiders (because that's what Alter Self actually does) – except… It can only take Humanoid forms (which should be impossible through Alter Self)?
2/b. At any rate, even if we ignore the type mismatch, Alter Self doesn't do what you think it does. Even in this case, the thing about ability scores is redundant, but it would still grant other benefits (as listed above).

I really think that you should drop the reference to that particular spell.

[Gaiyamato]

Except… It's not really an Elemental. It's a native Outsider. Which is quite an important distinction, given how it means the thing gets no Elemental traits (some of which are pretty good if they don't come with RHD). All it gets in return (because it has no RHD) is ease of resurrection.

True. It is basically a rubbish Ooze. But it's abilities are pretty powerful, and it was built from an Ooze/Acid Elemental type concept.
I just slapped this together one night by mashing a few templates together and changing a few things about a little to try and balance it better.
I would see no problems with people making such changes to it as you suggested.

Call me obtuse if you will, but
1. crunch text that says "it's exactly like Alter Self, except it doesn't do the things Alter Self does not do either" is not terribly useful; and
2/a. the reference to Alter Self would mean that by RAW, it can gain the natural attacks/armour, movement speeds and skill checks of Outsiders (because that's what Alter Self actually does) – except… It can only take Humanoid forms (which should be impossible through Alter Self)?
2/b. At any rate, even if we ignore the type mismatch, Alter Self doesn't do what you think it does. Even in this case, the thing about ability scores is redundant, but it would still grant other benefits (as listed above).

I really think that you should drop the reference to that particular spell.

Sure. Again though, I copied that verbatim from an existing race. I don't disagree with what you said there. I just wanted it to be able to shift between a ball slime and a human looking figure (not an oozy one) as per something like Rimiru's ability. Perhaps tie it to the Consume ability and remove the Alter Self reference actually. Then make it, "can choose to permanently be able to assume a vague likeness of a consumed creature instead of stealing one ability upon consuming." or somethign like that... More in keeping with the concept then.

EDIT: Ok. See the changed above now.

[Metastachydium]

Sure. Again though, I copied that verbatim from an existing race. I don't disagree with what you said there. I just wanted it to be able to shift between a ball slime and a human looking figure (not an oozy one) as per something like Rimiru's ability. Perhaps tie it to the Consume ability and remove the Alter Self reference actually. Then make it, "can choose to permanently be able to assume a vague likeness of a consumed creature instead of stealing one ability upon consuming." or somethign like that... More in keeping with the concept then.

EDIT: Ok. See the changed above now.

Yup. That looks a lot better already. Not sure I'd have tied it to Consume myself, but the resulting flexibility makes that worth the hassle.

[noob]

It seems possible to cheese it with some way to lose levels in order to indefinitely gain power from eating high hd, low cr creatures and gaining and losing levels frequently to trigger digestive evolution.
However in pathfinder, ways to lose levels are absent since basically all sources of level loss have been replaced by permanent level drain/negative levels.

[Gaiyamato]

It seems possible to cheese it with some way to lose levels in order to indefinitely gain power from eating high hd, low cr creatures and gaining and losing levels frequently to trigger digestive evolution.
However in pathfinder, ways to lose levels are absent since basically all sources of level loss have been replaced by permanent level drain/negative levels.

Yeah I touched on that in the notes. There is still potential for abuse for this race, and DM's should be aware of that and cautious. Unless they want an over the top PC of course.