The Xenobiologist has been in a weird mood lately and is studying gross, slimy dungeon creatures, some with dangerous chemical physiologies. Yes, she is into oozes now, starting with the Black Pudding.
Black Puddings, in dim dungeons or other underground ecosystems, oftentimes seem to be just more creepy shadows — until someone stumbles into their sludge-like “body,” or a Pudding suddenly drips down from a ceiling or overhang, covering the hapless adventurer.
BLACK PUDDING [Minion]
Non-sapient Fantasy Monster
Characteristics
Brawn 4
Agility 2
Intellect 1
Cunning 2
Willpower 1
Presence 1
Skills
Brawl 2
Perception 2
Abilities
Acid Physiology: A character who touches, or makes an unarmed/melee attack against, a Black Pudding takes 6 Wounds. So do characters covered by a Pudding. Non-magical wood or metal takes one step of damage from each contact. Treat area occupied by a Black Pudding as Impassible Terrain.
Amorphous: Can climb and move through openings as small as 1″. Also immune to acid, cold, electricity/lightning, and slashing attacks.
Divide & Conquer: The Black Pudding may be split into 2 Puddings, each with a Wound Threshold of 9, by spending 4 Threat or 1 Despair from an opponent’s attack.
Limited Senses: Perceives out to Medium range via unusual senses, but lacking “normal senses.”
Silhouette 1
Soak: 4 Defense (m/r): 0/0 Wound Threshold: 18
Equipment: Semi-liquid Body (Soak +1); Pseudopod (Brawl, Damage [per Acid Rating 6, Genesys p. 11], Short range, Critical 3)
Design & Play Notes: The Oozes are a classic category of D&D 5e, and most of them have been staples of Monster Manuals for practically the game’s entire history. I thought it would be interesting to holisticly convert them for use in Genesys fantasy games. Note that Divide & Conquer doesn’t limit the type of damage that can result in two Puddings. Spending narrative results seems better suited to the spirit of Genesys, in my opinion. The damage from Acid Physiology is still limited to the flesh, wood, metal and, in the case of characters, is based on “Fire, Acid, and Corrosive Atmospheres” from Genesys Core Book, pp. 111-112.
One of the difficulties I had was that Genesys mechanics don’t have an easy way to represent lifeforms that really don’t have any intelligence and/or only minimal self-awareness. So I used the same approach as with my Genesys Cursed Climbing Roses. That is, 1s in Intellect, Willpower, and Presence, and leaving the rest to the narrative created for your encounter.
Linda Whitson
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