Putrid Ooze

Carrion and debris breaks the inky surface of this massive undulating sludge.

Putrid Ooze (CR 11)

Huge Ooze
Alignment: Neutral
Initiative: -1
Senses: Blindsight 60 feet; Perception -5

Speed: 30 feet, Climb 20 feet, Swim 30 feet
Space: 15 feet

Defense

Armor Class: 7, touch 7, flat-footed 7 (-1 Dex, -2 size)
Hit Points: 157 (15d8+90)
Saving Throws: Fort +11, Ref +4, Will +0
Damage Reduction: 10/-
Immunity: ooze traits
Energy Resistance: electricity 20, fire 20

Offense

Melee: slam +20 (6d6+16 plus 2d6 acid and Grab)
Reach: 10 feet
Ranged: splatter +8 (3d6 acid)

Special Attacks: acid, Constrict (6d6+16 plus 2d6 acid), splatter

Statistics

Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
32 (+11)	9 (-1)	22 (+6)	-	1 (-5)	1 (-5)

Base Attack Bonus: +11
CMB +24 (+28 Grapple)
CMD 33 (37 vs. Grapple, can't be tripped)

Feats:

Skills: Climb +19, Swim +19

Languages:

Special Abilities

Acid (Ex)

A putrid ooze secretes a digestive acid that dissolves organic material and metal quickly, but doesn't affect stone. Each time a creature takes damage from a putrid ooze's acid, its clothing and armor take the same amount of damage from the acid (Reflex DC 23 negates damage to clothing and armor). A metal or wooden weapon that strikes a putrid ooze takes 2d6 points of acid damage, unless the weapon's wielder succeeds at a DC 23 Reflex save. If a putrid ooze remains in contact with a wooden or metal object for 1 full round, the object takes 30 points of acid damage (no save). The save DCs are Constitution-based.

Splatter (Ex)

As a standard action, a putrid ooze can throw a portion of its acidic sludge at a creature within 30 feet. The putrid ooze must make a successful ranged touch attack to hit the target. Creatures struck take 3d6 points of acid damage.

Ecology

Environment: Any
Organization: solitary
Treasure: none


Putrid oozes are primarily made from organic mire animated with Abyssal energies. While these creatures can exist near any rift or portal, they're most plentiful in the Worldwound. These oozes have become more of a threat in recent years, caustically burning through any plants or animals in sight in pursuit of their vicious, though mindless, hunger. Putrid oozes especially are known for their ability to subsume creatures into their own gelatinous bodies once they have destroyed their victims. Putrid oozes generally are a combination of churning, gray-and-black slurries, similar to chunky tar mixed with wet gravel, but their bodies also hold undigested portions of the creatures they consume. At any one time, they present a mixture of rotting limbs, severed heads, and entangled entrails among the miscellaneous sludge that makes up their bodies. A putrid ooze typically covers an area that measures 12 feet by 12 feet, and piles up on itself to a height of no more than 8 feet. A putrid ooze weighs about 20 tons.

Ecology

Putrid oozes terrorize the Worldwound region, presenting yet another danger to those brave enough to face the demonic hordes. How putrid oozes went from caustic environmental hazards to roving, animated horrors is still unclear. Some believe that the same strange Abyssal power that ripped the Worldwound into the face of Golarion slowly leaked into putrid oozes, which already contained substances native to that chaotic realm. This bizarre power imbued these oozes with a fundamental need to destroy and consume all plants and creatures in their paths. This explanation is as good as any—especially because it parallels the conscious desires of most Abyssal creatures, which seek the entropy and eventual destruction of all orderly existence. In this way, putrid oozes are like avatars of the power that seemingly gave them life.

To feed, putrid oozes physically roll over their victims, using their caustic bulk to break victims into easily digestible bits. They then churn these severed body parts and the other organic components of their prey throughout their sludge. For several days, the remnants of a putrid ooze's meal can easily be seen as it pulls its bulk across the ground, up walls, and even through water. Being resistant to acid, demons break down more slowly in a putrid ooze's body; it's not uncommon to find parts of clawed demon arms, horned heads, or spine-covered torsos churning around in a putrid ooze's bulk long after they were first consumed. Durable metals and stonework are also sometimes found suspended in these acidic creatures.

Most hardy materials the putrid ooze consumes are never completely devoured. Eventually, putrid oozes break down their meals into the same gray-black, chunky morass that makes up their bodies. It's these ones that are considered most dangerous, for oozes that are empty are also hungry and aggressive. Although it's rare for a putrid ooze to starve—the Worldwound contains no shortage of slaughtered bodies and hapless crusaders—those weakening from hunger use the last of their dwindling energy to seek out chasms or ravines where they can lie in wait, hoping for meals to wander past. In these dark places, the putrid oozes go dormant, existing as murky pools of sticky acid until a living creature draws near. Though the creatures are essentially in hibernation, all it takes is a simple touch to awaken them. In contrast, active putrid oozes are intimidating and disgusting sights to behold, something not likely to take someone by surprise.

Unlike other oozes, putrid oozes do not reproduce via mitosis—splitting into two identical, smaller oozes. Instead, they form spontaneously from the corrupted rifts surrounding the Worldwound. Some cultists who revere Jubilex, demon lord of ooze monsters, have experimented with creating putrid oozes by creating disgusting slurries and exposing them to Abyssal rifts and foul energies. To date, the cultists have been unsuccessful in their endeavors, but the cult has captured half a dozen of these creatures for study. They see the spontaneous creation of these oozes as manifestations of their Faceless Lord.

When putrid oozes are attacked and take enough damage to destroy them, they melt into an inert pool of muck as other oozes do, though whether putrid oozes eventually reform from such remnants is a point of debate. Some say that sunlight further breaks down putrid oozes once they are destroyed. Since the Worldwound has irregular patterns of daylight and even less sunlight, it is a relatively hospitable habitat for them. Regardless, because the Worldwound is seemingly growing at a steady rate, scholars believe these oozes will remain denizens of the region for generations to come.

Habitat & Society

Putrid oozes inhabit most corners of the Worldwound region, particularly in areas that bear the strongest Abyssal influence. Being mindless and thus lacking any sort of culture, putrid oozes have no use for each other—or for any other creatures, for that matter, outside of their ability to serve as prey. In particularly isolated parts of the Worldwound, where wildlife is rarely encountered, putrid oozes turn on each other to eat. In these cases, the intense stench of sulfur and death emanating from the creatures—as well as any undigested food still churning away inside full oozes' bulk—draws other putrid oozes to one another. When putrid oozes feed on their own kind, they project narrow pseudopods into the bodies of their intended target in an attempt to fish out some half-digested food and draw it into their own bulk. Those who have studied these strange creatures note that the use of these pseudopods is exclusive to cannibalistic behavior.

Among the crusaders and other goodly souls who inhabit the Worldwound, putrid oozes are considered yet another affront to the free and natural beauty that was once Sarkoris. Many superstitious people consider putrid oozes instruments of the Abyss's destruction—evil blobs that seek to help the demons rule the region. The more rational-minded know that putrid oozes simply attack all living creatures with impunity, including wildlife, plants, demons, and crusaders alike.

Those who have had the misfortune of encountering a putrid ooze and lived to tell about it warn all those who venture deep into the Worldwound to stay alert for the smell of sulfuric decay, the sound of gravel grating against bone, and the sight of suspiciously deep slurries and sludge; these are all signs of a nearby putrid ooze.