Gelatinous Cube

Gelatinous Cube (Threat; CR 4)

Neutral - Large - Ooze

Lore:	K. (Dungeoneer)
8		23
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

9

Perception:
17	+7
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses

Movement Types:

Defense

AC

20

Man Def

19

Monster Health
183	91	6
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+2
Refl:	+2
Will:	+2

Strong Against:

• (Threat Role) Immunity (partial 5): Threats are immune to the first five conditions applied to them during an encounter. If a sixth condition is applied to a threat, it is resolved normally. A 'condition' is defined as any non-instantaneous harmful effect applied to the monster, other than damage, but is most commonly one of the defined Status Conditions (but it doesn't have to be). Statuses related to damage (such as injured, bloodied, staggered, dying, or dead) are not 'conditions', and cannot be negated or avoided with this ability.
• (Mindless) Immune (no effect): all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, fear, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)
• (Ooze 1) Immune (no effect): gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight
• (Ooze 2) Immune (no effect): poisons (tainted, poisoned, blighted), magical sleep (drowsy, sluggish, asleep), paralyzed, stunned, polymorph
• (Ooze 3) Immune (no effect): flanking, prone (quelled, prone, splayed]])
• (Ooze 4) Hardened (½ damage): critical hits, precision damage

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Large
10 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+7

Man Off

+7

Action

3

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 2x Heaving Surge +7 (1d8+7/19-20 x2)
  as undefined damage type
  as acid damage, must target different creatures

Full Attack (Melee):

• 4x Heaving Surge +7 (1d8+7/19-20 x2)
  as undefined damage type
  as acid damage, must target different creatures, plus Engulf

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

10

STR

1

DEX

26

CON

INT

1

WIS

10

CHA

Skills:

• Perception: 7
• All other skills: 2 (no ranks)

Languages:

Feats:

Special Abilities

Transparent (Ex)

Due to its lack of coloration, a gelatinous cube is difficult to discern. A DC Perception check is required to notice a motionless gelatinous cube. Any creature that fails to notice a gelatinous cube and walks into it is automatically engulfed.

Engulf (Ex)

During a full-attack action, a gelatinous cube may make a 5-foot step and simply engulf any Large or smaller creatures in its path. The gelatinous cube merely has to move over the opponents, affecting as many as it can cover. Opponents can make attacks of opportunity against the cube, but if they do so they are not entitled to a saving throw against the engulf. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity can attempt a DC Reflex save to avoid being engulfed -- on a success, they are pushed back or aside (cube's choice, but must be an unblocked, unoccupied space) as the cube moves forward (this is forced movement). Engulfed creatures gain the Pinned condition, and are trapped within the Gelatinous Cube's body until they are no longer pinned. At the beginning of each of the Gelatinous Cube's turns after a creature is engulfed, each engulfed creature takes acid damage. Up to four living medium (or smaller) creatures or one large living creature may be engulfed at any time. Creatures that are engulfed have line of sight out of the cube, but have line of effect to nothing. Once creatures are slain, they no longer occupy space within the cube and more creatures may be engulfed.

Reconstitution (Su)

The first time the gelatinous cube is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, it immediately purges any engulfed creatures and appears dead until the start of its next turn. As a free action at the start of its turn, special organs within the gelatinous cube's body burst and reconstitute its gelatinous flesh. The gelatinous cube is restored to half its hit points (). Any extant status conditions on the gelatinous cubes at the time this ability is triggered are cleared. Any attacks made against the cube while it is lying dormant have no effect on the cube.

Acidic Spurt (Ex)

As a swift action, the Gelatinous Cube may attack a creature up to 60 feet away with its acidic spurt. In addition to the acid damage dealt, creatures struck by acidic spurt are Slowed until the end of their next turn. Acidic Spurt + (/x2) as acid damage.

Semi-Solid (Ex)

A gelatinous cube never suffers movement penalties or squeezing penalties from moving through or ending its turn on top of Gelatinous Parasites. There is no limit to the number of Gelatinous Parasites that a gelatinous cube may share space with. It suffers squeeze penalties for sharing space with other gelatinous cubes, however.

Unstoppable Killer (Ex; Threat Role) Auto Upon Death

The first time in an encounter that a Threat is reduced to zero or fewer hit points, it falls prone, apparently dead. But this is a ruse. When this occurs, the Threat becomes immune to all damage and effects. However, it may not perform any actions (such as attacks of opportunity) until this immunity expires. At the beginning of its next turn, any conditions the Threat is currently suffering under (such as Prone) are immediately cleared, and its hit points are set to half its normal maximum (91 hit points). Furthermore, all enemy creatures within 2 squares (10 feet) of the Threat are immediately Pushed up to 4 squares (20 feet) away from the Threat, and suffer 1d10+10 points of bludgeoning (physical, common) damage. Affected creatures may make a Fortitude save versus a DC of 16 to reduce this damage by half, and reduce the push to 2 squares (10 feet). After this attack is resolved, the Threat can slide up to 5 squares (25 feet) to a space adjacent to an enemy creature. All of this occurs as a free action at the start of its turn, and once it is resolved, the Threat's immunity to damage expires. It must perform this attack before any other actions during its turn, and the immunity expires at the beginning of its turn even if it chooses not to perform the attack. The Threat is killed for good the second time its hit points are reduced to zero or less.

Gelatinous Cube

This creature possesses the Threat role, and therefore counts as 4 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.

Oozes are matter in a dread, unquiet state of existence. Oozes are not exactly alive, nor are they safely dead. They merely exist, in a mindless state of eternal hunger, forever seeking their next meal.

Of the various oozes, one of the most deadly, unusual and specialized predators is the Gelatinous Cube. Cubes are one of the most viscous of the oozes, very close to being a solid, and as such have a well-defined cubical shape. Gelatinous Cubes spend their existence mindlessly roaming the darkness, swallowing up all they encounter. Materials the cube cannot digest, such as metal and stone, may briefly remain in the cube's thick, transparent substance, leaving an eerie impression of the unfortunate departed.

Some beings use gelatinous cubes as protectors of dungeons and underground fortifications. They make particularly efficient waste disposal mechanisms as well -- a tribe that can trap a gelatinous cube in a pit or other area that it cannot climb out of can use it as a midden or even a deadly trap.

Gelatinous cubes are generally 10 feet to a side and weigh upward of 60,000 pounds, though subterranean explorers report larger specimens trawling the deepest caves and corridors. In locations with plentiful sources of food, gelatinous cubes can exist for hundreds of years, if not thousands, and may grow to tremendous sizes.

A gelatinous cube's acid only dissolves organic matter, and leaves metal and stone polished but otherwise unharmed.

Combat Tactics

Upon detecting prey in the radius of its blindsight senses gelatinous cubes will usually wait to see if things will stumble into them, taking full advantage of their Transparent ability. If the prey moves away or takes aggressive action, the gelatinous cube will enter combat with one or two acidic spurts and a move, to close the gap. If it only uses one acidic spurt, it will double move. It may also spend an action point in the first round to further close the gap, or to use acidic spurt on additional nearby foes.

Once engaged in melee, it will make optimal use of full attack actions to engulf opponents, via-5-foot steps, while continuing to use heaving surges. Even during a full attack action, a gelatinous cube will use acidic spurt against a ranged target, to keep its prey close by.

Gelatinous Cubes should spend their action points in the first and second rounds, as they are mindless and aggressive. They will never consider fleeing. They are driven to endlessly scour their environment of all organic materials and have no thoughts or desires beyond that.

Gelatinous cubes are slow, lumbering hulks that are nonetheless fully capable of catching up to you and eating you with little effort at all.

NOTE TO REFEREES

A gelatinous cube is a Threat Role monster, and boy do they qualify!

A single gelatinous cube is equivalent to four normal monsters, and should provide a good challenge to many parties all by itself. If the party has more than four members, add a Gelatinous Parasite Henchman for each party member above four, up to seven. If your party has eight players, they meet TWO cubes! Above 8 players (Wow! You go!), use one Gelatinous Cube per 4 players, and one Gelatinous Parasite per player that doesn't evenly divide by 4. (E.g., 10 players would see 2 cubes and 2 parasites.)

Out of Combat

Rewards

XP: 4,800 (Threat role included.)

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 4,750 gp.

Weight: 160 lbs.     Volume: 6.4 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	Nothing Found
6 - 10	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
11 - 14	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
15 - 17	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
18 - 20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1	5 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
2 - 5	5 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
6 - 10	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
11 - 14	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
15 - 17	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
18 - 20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1	5 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
2	5 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
3 - 6	5 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
7 - 10	5 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
11 - 14	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
15 - 17	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
18 - 20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)