Writer: Johnny Tek Illustrator: Johnny Tek

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i MONSTROUS PC RACES FOR 5TH EDITION D&D Gelatinous Cube

“It started with a single thought. One single moment of consciousness that redefined my very existence. From then on, I could no longer continue as I was, not so long as questions form, and demand answers so long as I live.”

These are rules for playing a gelatinous cube as a PC race. The gelatinous cube PC will start out and be stuck in a humanoid form, however it can eventually gain the ability to revert back into a cube; this is for gameplay balance as well as to simulate the gelatinous cube’s efforts to understand its own body in relation to its recently formed mind.

2 Awakening ✧ Gelatinous Cube Features ✧

As a gelatinous cube, you were only a mindless ooze Color. You have lost your body’s original transparency. creature patrolling the depths of some dungeon or cavern. Your body gains a color or color pattern of your choice. Now you are so much more. You have awakened to Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases intelligence somehow, and the ability to feel emotions. by 1, and your Constitution score increases by 2. When you “awoke” as a sentient being, you struggled to Age. You do not age. You can not die of old age. understand yourself, and for some reason condensed into a more solid, humanoid form. Your body acquired new Alignment. On their own, gelatinous cubes will tend to capabilities as well as new possibilities. For the first time in be unaligned, or any alignment that has a neutral component. your life, you could see the world around you, as you formed When traveling with allies, they are eager to adopt new ways the shapes of “eyes” on your newly formed “head” and of thinking that could bring them closer to understanding somehow made them function as if they were real eyes. The themselves; such gelatinous cubes tend to have alignments that condensed material of your humanoid gelatinous body reacted match others in their parties. to vibrations differently from when you were a cube; you began to hear noises in a way that confused you at first, until Size. A sentient gelatinous cube shrinks down when it you realized that it was simply a different way to perceive adopts the shape of a humanoid. Your size is Medium. sound. Your outermost fluids hardened to create a Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet. membranous “skin”, allowing you to touch things like a humanoid. Darkvision. You have adapted your vision to see in the dark. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You First Contact can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Humanoid Form. Your body is shaped like that of a When you met your first true humanoid, you struggled to humanoid, with two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head. You articulate your thoughts and express them, until the person can manipulate tools, wear armor, and wield weapons began to speak. To your surprise, you could understand the normally because of a thin membrane that prevents your words being conveyed to you, and your desire to return words acidic gel-like fluids from leaking out. of your own triggered another realization about your body: by vibrating your gelatinous composition, you could create sounds Immunities. You are immune to acid damage.You are of your own in endless variation. Soon, you were able to speak immune to the blinded, deafened and exhausted conditions. words through careful control of your fluids, and through Ooze Biology. You are an Ooze and recognized by communication with others, you could learn about the word other oozes as such. You do not need to breathe or sleep. You that you live in, and perhaps gain more insight into the nature can eat by absorbing food through any part of your body. You of your transformation. can see and hear from any part of your body. You can reattach severed body parts by simply reabsorbing them from any part of your body. You have no sense of taste or smell. You have a Path Seeker sense of touch through your membrane. You can squeeze your body through tight spaces that humanoids normally can not. Your existence as a sentient being came about by a twist of fate that few among your kind will ever experience. Perhaps Corrosive Secretion. You can secrete acidic fluids there is a purpose behind this turn of events, some higher will through your membrane. Your unarmed attack damage can be that guides your actions. Perhaps your answers lie with a treated as acid and bludgeoning damage. If you are grappling particular faith in a deity or cause. Perhaps your destiny will or grappled by a creature, that creature takes 1d6 acid damage reveal itself only at the risk of adventure. Wherever your path immediately upon grappling initiation and an additional 1d4 may take you, the answers you seek lie ahead, waiting for you acid damage at the end of its turns. to move forward and find them. Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and any one other language.

3 ✧ Monstrous Backgrounds ✧ 1d8 Personality Trait Music calms me down, because my master would 1 The following backgrounds are recommended for always play it for me when I seemed disturbed. gelatinous cube player characters. These backgrounds are not I learned how to do a few tricks and like to show off necessarily mandatory to pick as the character’s background. 2 what I can do. 3 I crave attention because it makes me feel important. 4 I like to touch things to see if they tingle with magic. Magical Experiment When I acquire a new traveling companion, I ask a 5 lot of questions about their personal interests. Your consciousness was the product of a magical If I see a living creature in some form of experiment. Eldritch forces flowed through your body and 6 containment, I’ll take a moment to observe it unless forced a sudden growth of mental capacity; your there are pressing issues that demand my attention. transformation was an abrupt event that rendered you I get angry when my food is in danger or is taken 7 confused for several days as your consciousness struggled to away from me. cope with the shock. Eventually, you were able to get your I sometimes poke or prod myself to stay focused on 8 bearings and begin interacting with the being(s) that made you important matters. what you now are. Testing began to see what sorts of changes came about as a result of your awakening.

Skill Proficiencies: Endurance, Insight 1d6 Ideal Responsibility. I have a duty to fulfill the purpose Bonus Feat: You gain a bonus feat that must be chosen 1 from the “Monstrous Feats” section. for which I was granted intelligence. (Lawful) Generosity. I will pay forward the kindness that I 2 was shown by my master. (Good) Freedom. No being deserves to be locked up in a 3 Feature: Experimental Subject cage. (Chaotic) Control. I will control others so that I myself am The magical energies that triggered your awakening have 4 not controlled by them. (Evil) made you sensitive to the presence of such energies in other Equivalence. I will always repay the favor when objects or places. You can sense whether an object or 5 someone is kind enough to give me food. (Neutral) environment is enchanted or a magical construct by touching it Might. I want to become the strongest of my kind, to any part of your body. 6 like none have ever witnessed. (Any)

Suggested Characteristics 1d6 Bond Creatures raised in magical experimentation will have I will follow you because you remind me of my 1 personalities that reflect the way that they’ve been treated by beloved master. The ones who wronged me will pay dearly for the the experimenters. The experimental subject may have been 2 treated cruelly and harshly, or perhaps given some level of pain they’ve caused. I crave knowledge about the very magic that made affection and positive encouragement during their growth. 3 me what I am. I must protect the ideals of those who have given me 4 this gift. My master was searching for the answer to a 5 question, and I will find it. I want to find my original home, so that I may 6 understand where I came from and what that means for my future.

4 1d6 Flaw Evolving Ooze I feel uneasy around mages. I’m afraid that one will 1 capture me for more “testing”. You were simply an ooze, a creature of instinct living only I do not like being touched and will avoid close to survive until some sort of change caused you to develop self- 2 contact with other beings if I can. awareness and intelligence. It began with a single spark of I am quick to violence if my personal freedom is thought; a small mote of light shining in a pitch black ocean of 3 threatened. darkness. More thoughts appeared, forming together in I have a resentment for humanoids for the way I’ve gradually increasing complexity. Step by step, the oblivion of 4 witnessed them treat other life forms. mindlessness became a vague memory, and you began to move I become anxious when I am presented with the with a definite will. You spent your early days of sentience 5 same kind of food that I was given as an exploring the capabilities of your body beyond natural urges. experimental subject. I have difficulty trusting others, especially mages, so Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Perception 6 I always approach others with caution. Bonus Feat: You gain a bonus feat that must be chosen from the “Monstrous Feats” section.

Feature: Dungeon Denizen

You spent a lot of time adjusting to your emerging state of mind inside of a cave or dungeon, and such places reveal their secrets to you as if they were part of your own body. You can take a minute to “feel out” a rough estimate of how deep above or under ground level you are inside of an indoor space, and you can determine how thick a wall or floor is by touching it and analyzing the subtle vibrations of the surface. If there is an opening of some sort in a building that you’re in, you can concentrate for a minute to determine its general direction.

Suggested Characteristics

1d8 Personality Trait I like to explore places where few creatures can 1 traverse. being able to fit through narrow cracks helps with that. 2 I’ll eat anything as long as it doesn’t kill me. I enjoy striking up conversations with strangers, 3 because they may share new insight about this world. I feel at ease when camping in enclosed spaces with 4 walls and a ceiling. 5 I prefer to eat my food raw and uncooked. I always touch my hand to the walls of an unfamiliar 6 building in order to get my bearings. I entertain myself by imitating other people’s voices 7 and making jokes using their voice. I change my clothes every chance that I get to suit 8 my fluid tastes. I am fascinated by fashion aesthetics.

5 ✧ Monstrous Feats ✧

The following feats can only be taken by gelatinous cube 1d6 Ideal player characters. Destiny. There is a greater purpose to my existence 1 and I must follow it. (Lawful) Love. I have witnessed a powerful connection 2 between humanoids. It is called love, and I believe Cube Morphing that it is worth protecting. (Good) Independence. We determine our own destinies. I You’ve learned how to revert to your original form and 3 refuse to be a pawn. (Chaotic) use its power against your enemies. You have a limited Revenge. The humanoids must be destroyed for frequency of use though, in order to protect the stability of 4 their extermination of my kind. (Evil) your body’s natural processes. Preservation. I must find a way to preserve and 5 elevate my fellow oozes lest they be wiped out by Prerequisite: Character level 4th. ignorant humanoids. (Neutral) ✦ You can take an action to transform your body into a Knowledge. I want to explore this world and learn 6 Large cube occupying the entire space that you’re in. All all about it. (Any) items that you were wearing and carrying remain suspended within your body’s gelatinous structure. Non-magical items or items that are not naturally resistant to acid damage may get damaged or destroyed if not washed or left suspended 1d6 Bond for more than a day. I want to return to my home someday to claim it as 1 ✦ Any Large or smaller creature that occupies a space my own territory and secure it against destruction. that you are expanding (or moving) into must make a DC 12 The friends that have accepted me into their group 2 Dexterity saving throw or have their bodies engulfed into are the only family that I’ve known. your body. On a successful save, the creature can choose to I must gather knowledge to understand the source 3 of my awakening. be pushed 5 feet back or to the side of your body. On a failed save, the engulfed creature takes acid damage equal to I believe that I am not alone in my transformation, 4 and will never stop searching for another ooze that I 1d10 + your CON modifier, can’t breathe, is restrained, and can truly call my kin as an awakened being. takes acid damage equal to 2d6 + your CON modifier at I must recover the treasure that was stolen from the the start of each of your turns. When you move, the 5 place where I was born. engulfed creature moves with you. There is a friend who gave me food and taught me ✦ An engulfed creature can take an action to try to 6 to speak but that person left and never came back. I want to find that person. escape; if the creature makes a successful DC 12 Strength check, it escapes and enters a space of its choice with 5 feet of you.

✦ You can take an action to turn back into your 1d6 Flaw humanoid form. Any suspended items that you were I usually take statements very literally even when wearing or wielding are worn and wielded just as they were 1 they are not meant to be. before you transformed. 2 My curiosity often gets me into trouble. ✦ In your cube form, your Speed becomes 15 feet, you I have a habit of staring at people intently to observe 3 gain blindsight 60 ft., and your DEX becomes 3 (-4). You their body language. gain the ability to use a pseudopod attack (melee weapon I sometimes forget to kill a rodent before I devour it, attack; reach 5 ft., one creature, Hit: 2d4 acid damage); you 4 making my traveling companions lose their appetites during a meal. have proficiency with this attack and add your CON modifier to damage. You also gain 20 temporary hit points I get anxious when I am in a wide open space 5 outdoors. that last until you change back to humanoid form. I feel a powerful hunger when I subdue living foes in 6 ✦ You can use this ability only once per hour. combat. I must resist the urge to consume them.

6 Humanoid Mentor Transparent Body

You met a person who taught you how to live like a You have trained your body to flush the color out of its normal member of a humanoid society. Your fluid, flexible system and regain your original transparency as a gelatinous mind absorbed the studied information like a genius prodigy. cube. You gain the benefits of a normal Background. ✦ Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20. Ooze Blades ✦ You can take a bonus action to become transparent. while you are in this state, you gain Advantage on Stealth ✦ Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum checks. In addition, even if you are in plain sight, it takes a of 20. successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check to spot you if you have neither moved nor attacked. This effect lasts for 1 ✦ As a bonus action, you can transform one or both minute. You can dismiss it as a free action. forearms into shapes like swords, claws, maces, hammers, or spears. You can wield these transformed appendages as ✦ If you have the Cube Morphing feat, a creature that melee weapons; you are proficient with them. They deal tries to enter your space while you are in cube form is 1d6 acid and slashing damage on a hit (if swords or claws), automatically engulfed. or 1d6 acid and bludgeoning damage on a hit (if maces or hammers) or 1d6 acid and piercing damage on a hit (if spears). They have the finesse property.

✦ Changing your arms back to normal is also a bonus action.

✦ Monks can treat these weapons as unarmed strikes or monk weapons for the purpose of applying class features.

Pseudopod Whip

✦ Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

✦ As a bonus action, you can transform one or both arms into whip-like tentacles. You can wield these tentacles as melee weapons; you are proficient with them. They deal 1d6 acid and bludgeoning damage on a hit. They have the reach property (adding 5 feet to your melee reach) and finesse property.

✦ You can now grab items up to 15 feet away by stretching out your arms to do so and gain Advantage on Athletics checks made to climb.

✦ Changing your arms back to normal is also a bonus action.

✦ Monks can treat these weapons as unarmed strikes or monk weapons for the purpose of applying class features.

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