D&D Homebrew Race - Oozle
Sunday, December 3rd, 2023 22:19![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Mostly notes for myself in a fic I'm writing to make sure I don't break my own rules, but if anyone wants to actually use this (admittedly slightly broken) race for their own stuff, you're also welcome to have at it.
Introducing Oozle, the race everyone wanted when playing a Plasmoid.
Oozle (pl. oozles)
Oozles are sapient ooze creatures that are amorphous and ageless. They have a gelatinous composition and no internal organs or circulation. When conscious, they can assume a general shape of their choosing. By adjusting the density of their gelatinous body, they can grow to one size larger or smaller than their normal size. Their gelatinous body is usually uniformly translucent blue-green and takes on different colors depending on the oozle's mood. When unconscious, oozles flattens into what visually appears to be an unassuming puddle.
Oozles produce sound by vibrating the surface area of their bodies that passes as speech to non-oozle species. Oozles communicate with their own species by secreting pheromones that form a complex chemical language. Because it is difficult to translate chemical language into auditory language, oozles adopt a Common language name when in the presence of non-oozles.
Oozles are highly acidic and can dissolve any material. Dissolved organic materials and minerals serve as the nutrient building blocks for oozles. Oozles do not need gas exchange to maintain their metabolism, therefore they cannot be suffocated. However, oozles will lose mobility at temperatures under -173°F (-114°C).
Oozles can temporarily lose large parts of their body mass without permanent damage provided they are re-united with lost mass within an hour. If oozles looses more than 50% of their original body mass past one hour, the magic providing sapience to their gelatinous body will fade and the oozle experiences "death".
Ability Score Increase: Increase one ability score by 2, and increase a different one by 1, or increase three different scores by 1.
Creature Type: You are an ooze.
Size: You can be small or medium. You choose the size when you gain this race.
Speed: Your walking speed is 30. When falling, you can use an action to shape-self into a parachute and gain a fly speed of half of your walking speed while falling.
Amorphous: You can pass through space as narrow as 1 inch wide, provided you are carrying and wearing nothing. You can use your reaction to dodge a physical attack that would have hit.
Blindsight: You can perceive your surroundings within a 10-foot-radius without relying on sight.
Chemo-receptor: You rely on chemical receptors to perceive beyond a 10-foot-radius. You do not perceive color or shapes beyond a 10-foot-radius.
Magic-sight: You have regular light-reliant sight past 10 feet through magic. Anti-magic fields will remove sight-based perception beyond a 10-foot-radius.
360° Vision: Attacks originating from within 10 feet of your position cannot gain advantage.
Anaerobic: You do not need to breathe. You cannot be suffocated. If you are not under a magical silencing effect, you can satisfy the vocal component of spellcasting.
Natural Resilience: You are immune to acid and poison damage. You resist cold and physical damage. You are immune to being blinded, paralyzed, prone, poisoned, or stunned. You resist being grappled or restrained.
Shape Self: As an action, you can consciously reshape your body into any shape. You can change your density to grow or shrink one size. You can grow multiple limbs equal to your level plus dexterity modifier. These extra limbs do not give you extra attacks or longer reach, but will allow you to hold extra pieces of equipment and satisfy the somatic component of spellcasting. As a bonus action, you can grow a pseudopod that can reach up to 6 inches wide and 10 feet long or reabsorb it into your body. As part of the same bonus action, you can use this pseudopod to manipulate an object, open or close a door or container, or pick up or set down a Tiny object. As a part of your body, the pseudopod has the same amount of sensitivity as the rest of your body surface and can deliver touch-based spells. When not in combat, you can use concentration to squeeze the pseudopod into the shape of and replace the utility of a Tiny non-magical object, such as a key. The pseudopod loses its shape if you lose concentration.
Gelatinous: When you are under the effect of a shape-changing effect (such as Wild Shape or Polymorph), you retain your gelatinous physiology and racial abilities. You can also choose to expend Hit Dice when you reach 0 HP. You gain 1 HP for each Hit Dice you spend this way.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Ooze.
Further mechanical explanations during combat:
Sight and line of sight: Line of sight for Oozles during attacks using attack rolls have the same requirement as other sighted species. Spells with area of effects can be placed without line of sight if using an enemy as the center of the targeted area by using Chemo-receptors to determine the location of the enemy. Hidden creatures can still be detected and targeted with Chemo-receptors, but attacks by hidden creatures against the Oozle still retain advantage (unless those creatures are within 10 feet). Magically invisible creatures are not detectable by Oozles through racial abilities.
Falling: Oozles cannot lose more than 50% of their Max HP from falling damage if they shape-self into a parachute. Falling more than 200 feet deals 50% Max HP damage due to reaching terminal velocity. Falling less than 200 feet deals 25% Max HP damage. Falling less than 50 feet deals no damage. If the fall lasts less than 6 seconds and the Oozle no longer has an action to shape-self, then the Oozle will take falling damage as normal. If the fall lasts longer than 6 seconds, the Oozle may use their action on the next turn to shape-shift into a parachute to reduce fall damage.
Escaping grapple: Oozles can use an action to shape-self to escape the grapple effect instead of rolling a strength or dexterity check. Doing so deals 1d4 of damage to the Oozle.
Hit Dice: Oozles can only spend Hit Dice to regain 1HP when at 0HP during combat. Oozles cannot spend Hit Dice to regain HP if they have 1 or more HP during combat. If Oozles are reduced to 0HP during their turn, they must wait until the next turn to spend Hit Dice to regain 1HP. On the round Oozles spend a Hit Dice, they cannot take actions, bonus actions, or reactions, however they can move up to 30 feet.
Death: If Oozles receive more than their Max HP in damage in a single attack, they experience death like other races.