[3.5] Sponge character

[Uncle Pine]

Hello everyone, long time no see!

My players have been abroad for quite a while but will return for the holidays, so naturally I have a one shot planned for Christmas. They will use 8th level characters and since it'll be partially mostly located underwater one of the players asked to play as a sponge.

Yes, a sponge.

Now, I know it's a one shot so I could just homebrew something and have him be a sponge, but I love doing things by RAW and I know you playgrounders are quite resourceful so... Except for the psionic sandwich trick applied to a sponge, what ways are there to play a sponge or sponge-like character?

Thanks in advance and have a happy Saturday!

[Venger]

what kinds of powers does he want? what does he mean by sponge?

sea sponges do not have stats in 3.5.

[Nifft]

Obviously this sponge is going to be a Wizard, able to cast spells like Mordenkeinen's Magnificent Pineapple and Squidward's Blue Tentacles.

[Tryxx]

First thing that comes to mind: Advance (and re-fluff as necessary) a Desiccator from Libris Mortis (Pg. 94).

[AvatarVecna]

Bard/Sublime Chord with Superior Unarmed Strike, and (somehow) an animal companion.

Edit: Snail familiar via Obtain Familiar?

[Telonius]

This sounds promising:

Will-o’-wisps can be yellow, white, green, or blue. They are easily mistaken for lanterns, especially in the foggy marshes and swamps where they reside. A will-o’-wisp’s body is a globe of spongy material about 1 foot across and weighing about 3 pounds, and its glowing body sheds as much light as a torch.

Will-o’-wisps speak Common and Auran. They have no vocal apparatus but can vibrate to create a voice with a ghostly sound.

[ATHATH]

This sounds promising:

Aberration Wild Shape, anyone?

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Uncle Pine
…what ways are there to play a sponge or sponge-like character?

Is this intended to be a Medium-sized, fully mobile, object-manipulating sponge? Or will this be a small, friendly blob that just rides around on someone else’s shoulder?

[heavyfuel]

Psionic Sandwich Sponge!

Ahh, if only he were high enough level...

[Darrin]

Psionic Sandwich Sponge!

Ahh, if only he were high enough level...

An Unbodied can use Assume Likeness (Su) to become any small, medium, or large-sized creature. A giant barrel sponge could get up to medium size. ECL is 8, so you wouldn't have any class levels, but supposedly this is playable...

Quasits, Imps, and certain dragons can use Alternate Form to take the shape of any animal. A sponge would technically count as an animal.

[Venger]

shrieker probably provides something like appropriate stats for a giant barrel sponge

[Nifft]

shrieker probably provides something like appropriate stats for a giant barrel sponge

Ooo, in that case, why not Phantom Fungus?

It's actually got a move speed (unlike a Shrieker).

[Bohandas]

awaken spell

[Venger]

Ooo, in that case, why not Phantom Fungus?

It's actually got a move speed (unlike a Shrieker).

right, I know the shrieker doesn't have a move speed. if he wanted to play as a sponge (and since psionic sandwich was mentioned) I thought he might be seeking out a way to have a legally immobile character.

[ShurikVch]

In the Spell Compendium, effect of Desiccating Bubble described as "spongy"; so, Living Spell: Desiccating Bubble (with some Spell Thematics, if necessary)?

[Dalmosh]

How about a Sussurus (MM3)? with the aquatic template...
They were originally more humanoid sea-spongey than headless mirror facet bears
Its intelligence 7 too, so pretty much playable

http://www.bogleech.com/dnd/sussurus.html
God knows what ECL it would have though

[Darrin]

if he wanted to play as a sponge (and since psionic sandwich was mentioned) I thought he might be seeking out a way to have a legally immobile character.

Stanz: "I was present at an undersea, unexplained mass sponge migration."

Venkman: "Oh... Ray, the sponges migrated about a foot and a half."

[Uncle Pine]

what kinds of powers does he want? what does he mean by sponge?

sea sponges do not have stats in 3.5.

He wasn't that specific. The situation was that as soon as I mentioned underwater one of the players said that he was going for a human with a shark head, another one asked to play Spongebob. The concept didn't evolve much beyond that. Although he wondered if it was possible to have a Spongebob monk at a point, he'll be happy as long as he gets to play a sponge (which could pretty much vary in the whole spectrum between 100% "realistic" Spongebob, aka psionic sandwich sponge plan, to a sponge-like aberration or ooze).
Sea sponges might not have stats, but neither do sandwiches so in case we really have to fall back to the psionic trick there's room for statting a Fine inanimate object possessed by whatever sounds more appropriate.

Obviously this sponge is going to be a Wizard, able to cast spells like Mordenkeinen's Magnificent Pineapple and Squidward's Blue Tentacles.

While intended as a joke, your message nailed the subject used as reference pretty accurately.

First thing that comes to mind: Advance (and re-fluff as necessary) a Desiccator from Libris Mortis (Pg. 94).

What frightens me the most about this is that desiccators actually have a LA, so someone could casually bring one as a PC in a normal game.
Thanks for the suggestion.

Bard/Sublime Chord with Superior Unarmed Strike, and (somehow) an animal companion.

Edit: Snail familiar via Obtain Familiar?

I'm not too familiar with Sublime Chords in general, but if I'm not mistaken Spongebob should play a flute or something similar so this looks extremely promising!
EDIT: Nevermind, I've checked and Sublime Chord needs 13 ranks in several skills therefore being unavailable at 8th level. The bard idea is great though, so provided we found a suitable race I'm going back to this.

This sounds promising:

Aberration Wild Shape, anyone?

Interesting, but will-o-wisps are naturally invisible 9 HD aberrations. I haven't checked wild shape ACF and feats in quite a while but I'm not sure if there's a way for an 8th level character to turn into one. Moreover, the player would prefer to remain as corporeal and visible as possible (at least before using spells etc.).

Is this intended to be a Medium-sized, fully mobile, object-manipulating sponge? Or will this be a small, friendly blob that just rides around on someone else’s shoulder?

Anything we can make between this range works. Naturally the character is going to fulfill a different role depending on its size and mobility, but as with all the PCs (especially those used in a one-shot) the more options the character will have access to, the more the player will be able to have fun tooling with them. No one wants to only spam eldritch blasts or full attacking with a greatsword all the time in a one-shot.

Psionic Sandwich Sponge!

Ahh, if only he were high enough level...

I believe using the entirety of his WBL (or at least most of it) it would be possible for the character to pay someone to turn him into a sponge without having to be a powerful psion himself, but I have faith there'll be more interesting suggestions in these 10+ replies as I've already seen a few of them.

An Unbodied can use Assume Likeness (Su) to become any small, medium, or large-sized creature. A giant barrel sponge could get up to medium size. ECL is 8, so you wouldn't have any class levels, but supposedly this is playable...

The idea of the unbodied sounds cool. I'm not sure if the player will like it as he's never played psionics, but I will present it to him. Any suggestion on how to build and equip one for underwater combat? I'm not sure I've ever statted an incorporeal PC that wasn't a ghost.

awaken spell

Animated objects aren't playable races and the Awaken spell doesn't actually provide a LA for the awaken creature (whatever sponge statblock we may want to use). This actually reminded me of the existence of urban druid, but that doesn't get the ability to wild shape into an inanimate object like a bath sponge until 12th level.

In the Spell Compendium, effect of Desiccating Bubble described as "spongy"; so, Living Spell: Desiccating Bubble (with some Spell Thematics, if necessary)?

Living spells don't have a LA, but Desiccating Bubble would make a fine living spell familiar for a Spell Sovereign interested in sponges. An ECL 8 Spell Sovereign won't be able to have a 2nd level living spell familiar, but it could still create living Desiccating Bubbles Spongebobs. I'll ask to the player if he's interested in this possibility.

How about a Sussurus (MM3)? with the aquatic template...
They were originally more humanoid sea-spongey than headless mirror facet bears
Its intelligence 7 too, so pretty much playable

http://www.bogleech.com/dnd/sussurus.html
God knows what ECL it would have though

A sussurrus' LA is -.


Tl;dr: If we wanted to mix as many of these suggestions as possible we'd end up with a 1st level Bard Evil zombie sponge (= dessiccator), an giant sponge-shaped unbodied or a dandy spellcaster in a bath robe blowing 3-ft.-radius killer sponges out of a bubble pipe.

Thanks for the help so far!

[ShurikVch]

There are couple of more ideas:

Myconids - in 2e Monstrous Manual - were describes this way:

Myconids resemble walking toadstools in human form. Their flesh is bloated and spongy and varies in color from purple to gray. Their wide feet have vestigial toes and their pudgy hands have two stubby fingers and a thumb on either side.

Myconid Junior Worker and Myconid Average Worker are both LA +2 (Average Worker also got 2 HD)


Homoscleromorpha is "a class of marine sponges" too
They look... kinda like a brain:


So, Unbodied?..

[MaxiDuRaritry]

So long as the character is a monk, he should soak up XP without contributing his share just fine. Especially if he uses partially-charged wands.

[Nifft]

He wasn't that specific. The situation was that as soon as I mentioned underwater one of the players said that he was going for a human with a shark head, another one asked to play Spongebob. The concept didn't evolve much beyond that. Although he wondered if it was possible to have a Spongebob monk at a point, he'll be happy as long as he gets to play a sponge (which could pretty much vary in the whole spectrum between 100% "realistic" Spongebob, aka psionic sandwich sponge plan, to a sponge-like aberration or ooze).
Sea sponges might not have stats, but neither do sandwiches so in case we really have to fall back to the psionic trick there's room for statting a Fine inanimate object possessed by whatever sounds more appropriate.

While intended as a joke, your message nailed the subject used as reference pretty accurately.

Hmm, okay... what about a Warforged? They're made of metal and plant-matter, which might be wood, but also might be sponges.

Take the Unarmored Body feat at level 1 to get rid of the metal, and he's a very decent Wizard.

Since he's a Construct, he'd get immunity to charm person (etc.).



Another way to go might be to view the sponge-body as the skeleton of a sea-creature, which is technically kinda-sorta valid, and make an undead Spongiform Necropolitan type of thing.

Be a Necromancer Loofah, and refer to making skeletal minions as "extreme exfoliation".

[ATHATH]

IIRC, you need the Enhance Wild Shape spell or the like to pick up the invisibility and magic immunity abilities from Wild Shaping into a Will-o-Wisp, so just not casting/using those should do you just fine.

You can Wild Shape into Aberrations by using the Aberration Wild Shape feat (use the Mourning Mutate feat so that you won't have to be Chaotic). There are a few items out there that can bump your effective Wild Shape level up by one so that you can turn into 9 HD stuff at level 8.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Nifft
…what about a Warforged?

o god. The Spongeforged.