Slime Child (3.5e Race)

= Slime Children =

Summary::Slime Children are amorphous abominations created from human and ooze progenitors.

History
The first two Slime Children were created by Sulfurous The Mad; a female wizard of considerable talent in the craft of magically combining monsters. Using a pair of human slaves she had on hand who had displeased her in some small manner and a pair of captive oozes. The result was a pair of abominations. After extensive and horrible experiments Sulfurous deemed them to be of little value. They apparently could not reproduce on their own, they were slow to obey, and seemed to see every other experiment as food. Eventually sold to a coliseum that frequently bought the mad wizard's oddities, their fate seemed to be the end of a gladiator's blade. Fortunately for the Slime Children (so named by Sulfurous) bandits attacked the caravan and accidentally unleashed the two progenitors from their captivity in large glass containers. After such a long time in the jars without sustenance they devoured the bandits and fled into the nearest cave where they fled into the underdark.

Personality
A Slime Child's live is a harsh one. Although they prefer meat to a vegetarian diet they will absorb and digest anything when they are hungry. But they are not innately savage or brutish. Their Ooze progenitor's instincts have made them reclusive and shy creatures. With each generation they seem to become more outgoing and willing to associate with other races. They seem to exhibit many traits of humanity, curiosity being the most predominate; but they seem distant and at times even amoral.

Physical Description
Appearance: When at rest Slime Children appear as nothing more as a puddle of watery goo. But if one were to inspect it closer you could see two brightly colored, pupil-less eyes staring up at you. When active however they spring up, taking a humanoid form that only resembles the outline of a naked human (although lacking several key features). But despite their unnatural appearance they always seem to have a glimmer of intellect in their actions. Many are semi transparent but none of them are completely without coloration, which ranges from reds to blues and greens with purple being the most rare. Their eyes are always present on their body no matter what form they take and are always together, they are not capable of independent movement. Their eyes are not always the same color as their bodies.

Both genders stand an average 6 feet tall in their humanoid state, and although they have two arms, a head, but their legs end in puddles of slime that seem to devour their feet. They generally do not leave slime trails as they learn from inception to reabsorb their leavings. They also do not have a foul odor to them like some oozes. Both genders wear jewelry, arm bands and necklaces are the norm but the more exotic the better. Clothes are an impossibility as all natural fabrics melt within minutes of coming into contact with a Slime Child.

Reproduction: There are female and male genders in the Slime Child race, but it has little function beyond appearance and minor differences in behavior. Every twenty years a Slime Child enters its division state, where it suddenly becomes gluttonous to a degree that borders on feral. They eat until they have stuffed themselves with enough organic matter to grow to a Large size category wherein they divide into two Medium sized Slime Children. It should be noteworthy that both males and females go through this process and the end result is always one male and one female Slime Child. But one 'sibling' typically referred to as a 'favored offspring' always has an advantage over the other.

For example if a female Slime Child divides, all of her experience and knowledge will be passed down to her own daughter while her son will need to learn everything as if he was a human child. An odd form of reproduction but it seems to have its advantages. There are however disadvantages to carrying knowledge for so long; while Slime Children are almost immortal through this process of rebirth and suffer no effects due to aging with each new generation the stress of having so many memories will eventually give way after roughly 160 years. One of two things occur in this situation (at DM's discretion):

1) The resulting Slime Child's 'favored offspring' will both be born without any of the parent's past knowledge.

2) After dividing the Slime Child's 'favored offspring' will reform into a mindless Ooze, normally a Gelatinous Cube or Ochre Jelly of Medium size that instantly turns on its sibling.

None have attempted to interbreed with a Slime Child, but there is no proof to suggest that Slime Children are capable of reproducing in anyway other than division.

Relations
Most races see the Slime Children as abominations at best and monsters at worst. They have yet to demonstrate any worthwhile traits that would undermine their appearance. However some trading has begun between small circles of druids and rangers without incident. Drow and other underdark races despise these creatures, and if they were not already fighting among themselves they could easily wipe them out. Though every 20 years their population nearly doubles there is some fear that they could overwhelm even the Mind Flayers if their population is not checked.

Alignment
Slime Children that are in a community are normally True Neutral. Those that roam are more likely to deviate from this.

Lands
Slime Children are primarily an underground race, but they have recently begun to branch out into swamplands and other moist areas.

Religion
Religion is a tricky subject for this repetitively new race. Newer generations occasionally say a word of praise to the mad wizard that gave them their existence but older Slime Children discourage this. Ghaunadaur is currently trying to work his way into the heart of this intelligent Ooze race but he faces competition from several other deities, especially ones of moisture and caverns.

Much to Ghaunadaur's rage a new god has started to take root among the Slime Children; Robigus the god of rust, fungus, and peace.

Language
The first of their race learned the Common tongue from mimicking Sulfurous The Mad, their creator and have passed it down through diffusion. Slime Children learned Undercommon from their Roper cousins. They speak these languages with a gurgling accent that is difficult to understand, but they can learn to speak more clearly for the sake of 'solids.'

Names
Slime Children tend to have simple, descriptive names. Examples: Cool-to-the-touch, Blue-as-sky, Trapper-of-flies.

Racial Traits

 * ,, : Due to their monocellular nature Slime Children have an aloof, almost alien mind. Their fluid nature has made them more robust yet at the same time hampering their overall dexterity.
 * A Slime Child's base land speed is 30 feet. Since their body is slightly amorphous swimming is difficult. Swim speed is 15 feet.
 * Darkvision (Ex) 60 feet. Unlike true oozes a Slime Child still has a line of sight.
 * Partial Ooze Traits: A Slime Child has many of the same traits as ooze creatures, including immunity to sleep effects, a Slime Child eats and breathes, but does not sleep and cannot wear heavy armor. But due to their human ancestry they are subject to poison, paralysis, stunning, polymorph effects, and are subject to critical hits and flanking. They are also affected by any spell or effect that could target an Ooze.
 * Partial Human Traits: Slime Children are affected by all spells and affects that can target a humanoid despite being an Aberration. Its the result of a flaw in their initial creation process.
 * Amorphous Body (Ex): A Slime Child can, as a full round action melt into a puddle of goo to move through Tiny cracks and holes. They begin to enter the crack, hole, or other small entrance way on the next round. Their 60 ft Darkvision is replaced by 20 ft blindsight but they become immune to gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight. It is immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. It is not subject to critical hits or flanking.
 * Involuntary Digestion (Ex): Anything a Slime Child touches or holds slowly dissolves as its body feeds on whatever it comes in contact with, dealing 1d3 points of acid damage each round of contact. It does not harm rock, metal, or glass. This ability cannot be turned off, and the Slime Child can be poisoned by simply touching poisons that require ingestion.
 * Automatic Languages: Undercommon, Common.
 * Bonus Languages: Elven, Goblin, Giant, Aquan, Gnome, Dwraven, Gnoll, Halfling, Orc, Sylvan, Dragonic.
 * Favored Class:
 * Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::0
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::1
 * Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::0
 * Effective Character Level: Effective Character Level::1