Oozy Goodness Part IV: Green Slime

Green slime is almost more of a trap than a monster per se.  It's gross and dangerous and PCs hate encountering it, but is it a "monster"? It's hard to say, I suppose. Anyway, let's get on with it, shall we?

Green Slime (from Moldvay)

AC: Can always be hit
HD: 2*
Move: 3 (1')
Att: 1
Damage: special
No. App: 1 (0)
Save: F1
Morale:12
Treasure: Nil
AL: N

What jumps out from the stat block is its lack of AC. You literally can't miss this thing. The trick is most attacks don't harm it. Only fire or cold can affect it. It is barely  mobile, so outrunning it isn't the problem. The problem is the slime's nasty tendency to drip onto people and turn them into slime themselves.

Green slime turns flesh into slime. It can completely "melt" a PC in as little as 7 rounds. There is no save vs. the slime. If it hits, it starts dissolving you. The really annoying part of the process is that there are only three ways to get the slime off the victim: Cold, Fire, or a Cure Disease spell. If you aren't lucky enough to have a cleric on hand with the appropriate spell prepared, then you're left with either trying to freeze or burn the slime off. By the book, the only cold attacks in BX are things like white dragons or frost salamanders, or a Wand of Cold, so the most likely scenario is to use good old reliable fire!

Now hold still!

The catch, of course, is that burning off slime also burns the victim. (1/2 the damage each). 

All this adds up to two things:

1. I tend to think of green slime as a hazard, not a creature.
2. I need to use it in dungeons WAY more often! (evil laugh)

Curious Objects: Big Magic

When one thinks about finding magic loot in D&D, images spring to mind of glowing swords, magic potions, powerful rings, sorcerous wands, and enchanted armor. The real fun begins in the Miscellaneous Magic tables, though. Crystal balls, bags of holding, magical amulets, and magical cloaks are all classic finds in a dungeon or lair.

All of the above share one similar characteristic: portability. Even a flying carpet, which can seat up to three people and is hardly small, is still by its nature easily moved. There are, however, a few items which -while not immobile- can't be so easily transported.

Bowl of Commanding Water Elementals

This is the largest of the elemental summoning items (X50). It's described as a 3' diameter bowl. I imagine it as a birdbath-like stone basin, but I suppose it could be metal (or an enormous seashell!). Whichever way you imagine it, a 3' bowl is not something one stuffs in a knapsack (weight/encumbrance aside). It only works 1/day and takes 1 turn to prepare. Also, the caster cannot move or cast other spells while controlling the elemental. None of this lends itself to the bowl being moved around a lot. I can even imagine it being a fixture in a wizard's tower, as part of its defenses. This would work especially well if the structure was located near a coastline, river or similar where the elemental can operate easily on or in the water. 

Brazier of Commanding Fire Elementals

The brazier is the next largest elemental based item after the bowl. Braziers are defined as a pan for holding burning coals, usually for cooking and typically with a stand or legs. Braziers are designed to be portable for things like camping, but certainly not carried while lit! Cook's Expert doesn't give an exact size, but a foot or more in diameter and height isn't unreasonable. As a DM, I would interpret this item's 1 turn preparation to include lighting a fire for the elemental to "ignite" from. It also carries the same restrictions about the caster moving about or performing other actions while concentrating on controlling the elemental.

Efreet Bottle 

"This item is a large, heavy, sealed jug about 3' high." (X50). Now, unlike the elemental items, nothing in the bottle's description says one needs to have the bottle once the efreet is bound to the one who freed it, but it could be fun to require it. Perhaps it retreats to the bottle each day after it's completed the task required by its master. The possessor of the bottle must pop the cork each time he wants the efreet to do something. Remember that "[Efreet] are reluctant and difficult servants and will obey their instructions exactly, attempting to distort the meaning of whatever they have been told to do in order to cause trouble for their masters." (X31) So why would it make things easy for the clown summoning it over and over for 101 days? Making the PC drag around a Nebuchadnezzar full of surly smoky servant would probably amuse it.

Drums of Panic

This item is described as "large kettle drums" (plural). It's even in the name: it's not "DRUM of Panic" after all. Now, timpani come in different sizes, but the large ones are about 30" in diameter. Not something one just totes along through the dungeon. Of course the drums' function is better suited to a battlefield situation. It's interesting to note that the save vs magical fear is replaced when the "optional" morale rules are used with a simple -2 modifier. Again, this is an item I see used as a defensive measure for a castle or keep, but you'd have to work out the logistics of not affecting friendlies who are farther than 10' away when the drumroll starts.

Of course nothing says the DM can't make other interesting magic less of a snatchable bauble and more of a fixture or even occasionally left at home. It may make the players have to think a little harder about how to take advantage of "big magic" in the game. 

RMA: Golem, Bronze

I posted about the amber golem a little while ago. There are lots of golems in classic D&D. It seems stone, iron, and flesh are the ones that see the most play, but some of the others are darned cool. And scary as all get-out.

First off, some stats (from Cook):

Bronze Golem

No. Appearing: 1

AL: N

AC: 0

HD: 20

Move: 240' (80')

Att: 1 (fist)

Damage: 3-30 + special

Save: F10

Morale: 12

Well, eek.

They are described as resembling fire giants, which would put them at approximately 16' tall. 3d10 damage from a fist is bad enough, but the thing is full of liquid fire! This means it's scalding even to touch. A hit does another d10 damage from the heat alone (unless a resist fire or similar is in effect). This also means it's immune to fire-based attacks. (Some like it hot, I guess!)

Oh yes, there's one more thing I neglected to mention about this patina'd powerhouse. If you do manage hurt it with that lovely +3 longsword you're carrying, the wound sprays liquid fire on you! You can make a save to avoid it, otherwise 2d6 damage from what's basically lava spattering your face.

Moving on from the fiery aspects, did you happen to notice that movement rate? I guess being 16' tall gives it a long stride. It has AC 0, which is darned respectable, and TWENTY hit dice! Even a middle range model is sporting close to –if not over– a hundred hit points. It also means it's hitting rather often.

Like all golems, it cannot be hit with non-magical weapons. It is immune to Sleep, Hold, and Charm spells as well as poison gasses, etc. So, if you're facing one of these things, what's the plan?

I recommend panic.

Seriously, though. It only gets one attack per round, and that's melee (not ranged). Keep your distance. Resist Fire would be a handy low level spell for this situation. Ranged attacks, especially spells like Lightning Bolt. A wand of cold would be nice, too. If you have to close, blunt weapons like a cleric's  +1 mace will avoid cutting the thing's "skin." Or he might use the spell Striking on a club to let it hit. Although even without the heat/fire damage, the cleric needs to be ready with some healing!

I can imagine this thing guarding a lost temple or a wizard's prize possession. Best of all, it doubles as a furnace, keeping the place warm in winter!

RMA (Random Monster Assessment): Salamanders, Fire & Ice

I thought I'd move away from the more "normal" critters and take one of my favorites that you don't see so often in games. At least, I've only seen them a few times in play, and one of those times was in a module I wrote (so I'm thinking that one doesn't count so much).

Let's talk salamanders!

No, not these:

THESE!

Salamander      Flame            Frost

No. Enc:          1d4+1 (2d4)  1d3 (1d3)

AL:                  N                  C

Move:             120' (40')        120' (40')

AC:                 2                     3

HD:                 8                    12

Attacks:           3                     5

                          (2claws/bite)   (4claws/bite)

Dmg:               1d4/1d4/1d8   1d6 (each claw)/2d6

Save:               F8                   F12

Morale:            8                     9

Flame: 12'-16' intelligent lizard-like elemental with four limbs. Scorching heat deals 1d8 damage per round (within 20'). Sleep & Charm do not work. Fire-based and non-magical weapons do not work.

Frost: Same as above except SIX limbs and cold-based.

(stats are LL based, but comparable to Cook Expert)


Now, unlike some previous entries, I don't think I need explain how these fellas are badass. I mean, come ON! Look at those hit dice! Look at that AC! Multiple attacks! You take 1d8 damage per round just for being within 20' of the thing! (That wimpy clerical resist fire or resist cold is looking pretty nice right now, huh?) They're intelligent, which means they can devise tactics and adapt to situations. Not to mention that you're always going to encounter at least two of the fire version BtB.

The fire-based ones are bad news, but that frost one? That's just NASTY!

It's worth noting that, according to some interpretations, protection from evil spells should keep the creatures from touching you (as "summoned"/extraplanar creatures), but that has no effect on the 1d8/round < 20' effect.

I think these things would actually make a great "boss" monster or final fight for a 4th-6th level party. That 5th level MU who's been so cocky since he got fireball is in for a nasty surprise!