Gelatinous cube......Monk?

[dentrag2]

I DM a campaign, and a new player wanted to try something truly original. i decided a gelatinous cube would make a hilarious character, but i couldent figure out a way to make it smart enough to play. then i remembered that fiendish creatures get an intelligence of at least three. i figured that was enough to play a monk. can someone help me convert the gelatinous cube into player stats?

Fiendish gelatinous cube (Evil)
Large
+5 str
-3 Dex
-7 Int (no lower than 3)
+6 Con

Transparency
A DC 15 spot check must be made to see a gelatinous cube
Acid (Little help?)
Engulf: as a full round action, a Gelatinous cube may make a slam attack against an adjacent target. if the attack succeeds, the creature is swallowed and will take acid damage every round.

Slam 1d6

+4 escape artist
+4 move silently
+4 hide
-4 climb
-4 jump (how???)

[Kellus]

By a strange coincidence, this has already been done.

[dentrag2]

hmmm. still help me figure out the stats for a player race of this?

Wow i dident think someone else had done that.

[Fiery Diamond]

I have a question regarding what's on the end of that link, by the way. What does it mean to have a "B" next to a feat? "Bonus Feat?"
Also, this concept is hilarious.
-Fiery Diamond

[Nebo_]

Fiendish gelatinous cube (Evil)
Large
+5 str
-3 Dex
-7 Int (no lower than 3)
+6 Con

Ability score mods are never odd. Ever.

[MorkaisChosen]

The way to do the low stats is to work out the stats for a Fiendish GC and then use that table in the MM or the DMG (can't remember which, sorry).

[RebelRogue]

Hilarious!

Anyway, assuming the MM Gelationous Cube is an average one (with all rolls of 10/11) the stat modifiers would be:
Str: No mod, Dex: -10, Con +16, Int -, Wis -10, Cha -10

I'm not sure if a GC should have a level adjustment, though. Probably not: Though the Con bonus is huge, it is more than evened out by the massive minus tens! The racial features makes a little up for it, but not much.

Edit: and a B does indeed indicate a bonus Feat

[dentrag2]

hmmm. still help me figure out the stats for a player race of this?

Wow i dident think someone else had done that.

[dentrag2]

Hilarious!

Anyway, assuming the MM Gelationous Cube is an average one (with all rolls of 10/11) the stat modifiers would be:
Str: No mod, Dex: -10, Con +16, Int -, Wis -10, Cha -10

I'm not sure if a GC should have a level adjustment, though. Probably not: Though the Con bonus is huge, it is more than evened out by the massive minus tens! The racial features makes a little up for it, but not much.

Edit: and a B does indeed indicate a bonus Feat

But you're forgetting something. you cant play a player race with a score of 0 or -. therefore, it has to be a fiendish or celestial gelatinous cube.\
Edit: and i belive the wisdom and Cha scores of the gelatinous cube were 10 each. i said -7 as the minimum is 3. the average is ten 10 - 7 = 3

[RebelRogue]

But you're forgetting something. you cant play a player race with a score of 0 or -. therefore, it has to be a fiendish or celestial gelatinous cube.\
Edit: and i belive the wisdom and Cha scores of the gelatinous cube were 10 each. i said -7 as the minimum is 3. the average is ten 10 - 7 = 3

Sure. I was assuming you would then apply the Fiendish template yourself. Int is the only score with a minimum required for a PC. Sorry, but the MM cube has Dex, Wis and Cha 1. Sort of sucky Wis for a Monk, unfortunately...

[MorkaisChosen]

Actually, you should have a look at the tables halfway down this page. That's the SRD method for calculating the ability scores of a Creature-as-Race if the scores are particularly low. GC would indeed get -10 Dex, -10 Wis and -10 Cha, but the Int score would be -8, with a minimum of 3.

[dentrag2]

Actually, you should have a look at the tables halfway down this page. That's the SRD method for calculating the ability scores of a Creature-as-Race if the scores are particularly low. GC would indeed get -10 Dex, -10 Wis and -10 Cha, but the Int score would be -8, with a minimum of 3.

*thinks a little* well we need to give it some extra abilities to balance out the fact that its gonna suck if we dont do something unless we want to give it a NEGATIVE level adjustment (is that possible?)

[Necromimesis]

Negative level adjustment is ALWAYS, ALWAYS a bad idea. *shudders at memories of playing in a game with such a character in it*

But a Gelatinous Cube...let me see...I'd probably ditch the Fiendish/Celestial aspect and have it be mutated through magic similar to the Awaken spell, meaning...


-It begins with 4 Ooze Hit dice, which grant a +3 Base attack bonus and base saves of Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +1, as well as (7x[2+Int Mod]) skill points. As it's an Ooze, no skills are class skills.
-Space/Reach: 10ft/15ft
-Speed: 15ft
-Dex -10, Con +16, (Int, Wis, and Cha all at 3d6 from Awaken)
-All Gelatinous Cube abilities. The DC's are all based on Racial HD, not Class HD (currently meaning 12+relevant ability modifier [13+ in the case of Engulf])

Level Adjustment for this playable version? Probably +1 to +3, given the insane amounts of Con and all the abilities, meaning it's probably good for a level 4 to 7 game...I'd err on the 4-5 side, since it's slow, easy to hit and hard to use in combat against anything that doesn't just stand there.

[RebelRogue]

While less outlandishly funny, I do like the idea of an awakened Ooze: definitely much more playable. As far as negative LAs go: it's pretty much a nono!

[Uncle Festy]

You could just use the "sentry ooze" template from Dungeonscape (page 114).

[Khanderas]

If it is amorphous (sp) and essentially mallable. Why is it a cube ? A semi-sphere form must be much easier to keep up.

[Manga Shoggoth]

If it is amorphous (sp) and essentially mallable. Why is it a cube ? A semi-sphere form must be much easier to keep up.

I suspect the creature got its name because Jelly (Jell-o in the states?) was at one time distributed in rectangular packs, which were further subdivided into cubes. You broke up the slab into the cubes, dropped* them into hot water, and then let the resulting mess set.




* Having first sampled them, of course. Several times. "Raw" jelly cubes were quite chewy and one of the true joys of childhood.

[Kami2awa]

A gelatinous cube monk...

Without limbs, how does it do ANYTHING that a monk can do (Especially Deflect Arrows)?

Secondly, who trained it?

[Khanderas]

A gelatinous cube monk...

Without limbs, how does it do ANYTHING that a monk can do (Especially Deflect Arrows)?

Secondly, who trained it?

Deflect arrows are for wimps.
Absorb arrows is much cooler.
Im more concerned about 40 feet or more landspeed cubes of doom that jumps and dropkicks a wizard, followed by a grapple (while having evasion).

[dentrag2]

how does it do most of the things monks do? simple. A slam attack is technically a unarmed attack. therefore, you have a cube of doom that hits people for around 2d6 of damage BEFORE applying monk stats. thats 4d6, then add the acid. 6d6 of damage a hit.
LA: lets settle it at 2.
We can crank up the Wis by simply ignoring the adjustment and then deal with the other problems.
How the hell does it have armor? wouldn't hurt a monk much but how do you use Nunchaku, and how do you hold items that would be dangerous? could it sqeeze itself under doors? if so, it would beat out the rouge in terms of usefulness. i'm more worried about sorcerors and Rouges. Imagine a gelatinous cube with sneak attack and how would it preform somatic components? that leads me to my next question. How does it speak?
Thats all for now.

[Khanderas]

how does it do most of the things monks do? simple. A slam attack is technically a unarmed attack. therefore, you have a cube of doom that hits people for around 2d6 of damage BEFORE applying monk stats. thats 4d6, then add the acid. 6d6 of damage a hit.
LA: lets settle it at 2.
We can crank up the Wis by simply ignoring the adjustment and then deal with the other problems.
How the hell does it have armor? wouldn't hurt a monk much but how do you use Nunchaku, and how do you hold items that would be dangerous? could it sqeeze itself under doors? if so, it would beat out the rouge in terms of usefulness. i'm more worried about sorcerors and Rouges. Imagine a gelatinous cube with sneak attack and how would it preform somatic components? that leads me to my next question. How does it speak?
Thats all for now.

Unarmed attacks: Pseudopods. Why not. (I know the cubes dont really have it). The better option for a creature of a cubes... type, would be bullrushing and grappling (essentially rushing in and engulf).

Wis: If it is sentient (kinda boring to play something that isn't) the god / wizard / natural phenomenon / special race template that gave it sentience, would also buff the wis up to workable levels. Perhaps it absorbed a monk wearing a periapt of Wisdom, while in a wild magic zone. Or WAS a monk, then failing to protect some artifact because of his phobia of slimies of all types that caused him to be cursed by some evil god (the shock of BEING what he fears the most, rendered the monk insane so he belive he always was a cube).

Natural armor is basically just the ability to not be hurt by an attack. By that I mean, there has to be tons of areas on a cube that don't really hurt getting punched at. On dragons that would be scales, for the cube it would be more of an evasion (dodge) bonus and chipping off insignificant corners. I would not hold it impossible to have, say a shield of acid resistence (so the shield isnt dissolved), that is floating around near one side of the cube would protect it some. Helmets and boots... notsomuch.

Weapons: Well nunchuks is kinda silly, but a shortspear or kama could be thust out of the cube (roll a horror check).

Speech: Telepathy, or permanencied magic mouth variant. Or for extra horror points a semi-animated zombie skull under the cubes control.

Slithering under doors is prolly not an option for a semi-solid big thing like this cube, but he can "eat" the door ?

Still would be cool to have his baby with 40+ feet speed racing up to other would-be adventurers eating them up and dogding spells (yeahyeah batman. shut up about your mf batman)


Most of my suggestions may be too outlandish for sane people though.

[dentrag2]

hmmm... well i am betting that you should reroll stats for the mental stats. i kinda like the slam attack... maybe the cube could vibrate like a voice box to speak? because all sound is is vibrations. but still, what would we do about a gelatinous cube rouge? Slam sneak attack.

[dman11235]

Heh, I once was going to through one of these against my players. Has to be monk levels btw, the speed will catch them so off-guard. But the campaign dissolved soon after it started. But yeah, apply the Sentry Ooze template to make it playable. That gives it an int of 2 and a very large dex, cha, and wis boost (they get +10 each except dex). After that you give it the half-dragon template. I might be missing something though. Oh, and the Awaken Ooze spell made permanent works too. Make sure to give it deflect arrows, for even more "wtf?" factor. As for LA, use your judgment (which I assume is pretty poor for allowing this in the first place). Maybe a +1 LA for all of those tasty special features like immunity to crits. And the half-dragon template comes with another +4 btw. Add in another +1 for the Sentry Ooze special features. That should do it for this. I'd play this, but only at high levels.

You know, I thought GCs were greenish clear, not red. And I don't thing playing as makeup will get you anywhere.

[LoneGamer]

But you're forgetting something. you cant play a player race with a score of 0 or -. therefore, it has to be a fiendish or celestial gelatinous cube.\

You're incorrect. PCs can become Liches, which have Con -.

You know, I thought GCs were greenish clear, not red. And I don't thing playing as makeup will get you anywhere.

They are normally green/clear. The fiendish one is reddish because of its fiendish heritage.

[dman11235]

I was poking fun at him saying "rouge" instead of "rogue".