TEXT: HALF-OOZE
  by david somerville
     A Stretchy, Squishy, & 
     Very Hungry Playable Race
  by david somerville
  
  2
  HALF-OOZE: A HUNGRY PLAYABLE RACE FOR D&D 5E
  Half-Ooze
  LOST MADE THE BARKEEP UNEASY. BUT THEN, 
  Lost made everyone uneasy. Still, he couldn’t help but 
  notice the way the old halﬂ ing avoided his eye.
  “Hey,” Lost said, slapping the bar. “Want to see a trick?”
  “I’ve seen ‘em all,” said the barkeep.
  “Doubt it,” said Lost. “Watch this.” He lifted his thick 
  arm and stretched—and stretched—and the arm length-
  ened unnaturally, twice its usual length. With a gap-
  toothed grin, Lost grabbed a sack of potatoes that stood 
  behind the bar, and pulled it back to himself, his arm 
  retratcting to its normal length with a sickening ‘schluck.’
  “What are you?” asked the ashen-faced halﬂ ing.
  “Hungry,” said Lost, and ate the sack of potatoes raw.
   
  —David Somerville, Half-Ooze at Hellsgate
  Sometimes, in dark caverns or long-forgotten forests, a 
  hapless wanderer meets an untimely end at the creep-
  ing pseudopids of an ooze sire. Usually catching travel-
  ers while asleep, the sire slies into a humanoid’s ears, 
  nose, and mouth—and once it’s inside, it’s too late. What 
  awakes from that slumber is a new creature, a half-ooze, 
  half-humanoid thing that is aware of only three things: its 
  strangely malleable body, the dim memories of its past 
  life, and an overwhelming hunger.
  Is That You?
  Half-oozes wear the outside form of the creature that 
  died when the ooze sire took their life, although they are 
  a little more pale, and clammier to the touch. Their skin 
  tends to have an unusual tint, depending on the type of 
  ooze that sired them. Half-oozes usually exist in the dregs 
  of society, and are typically dressed poorly, in clothes that 
  let them stretch their limbs when occasion calls for it.
  So Hungry
  When a traveler meets its end at the touch of an ooze 
  sire, that creature ceases to exist. Half-oozes can, with 
  great eff ort, recall some dim shreds of the memory of the 
  creature that died to bring them into being (called the 
  ooze dam, regardless of gender). But although they wear 
  the outer face and form of their dam, they are entirely a 
  new creature in their thinking. Half-oozes usually come to 
  consciousness in dark places, alone, without any knowl-
  edge of how they got there—only the need to eat.
  More often than not, the dark and lonely origins of 
  half-oozes, and their voracious appetites, leads them to a 
  life of poverty and crime. They tend to fall in with despa-
  rate people, doing what they need to do to stay alive.
  DiSGUSTiNG, BUT USefUl
  Most civilized races reject half-oozes as monstrous, 
  some even choosing to kill them on sight. But half-ooz-
  es who stay out of the way of the authorities can fi nd 
  employment with brigands, second-story men, or even 
  those adventurers, pioneers, or working people who 
  don’t care what you smell like (or how much you eat) as 
  long as you can get a job done.
  Born in Darkness
  Nobody knows how the fi rst ooze sires came to be. Some 
  say they’re arcane, others a fi endish prank, still others 
  that it’s something that leaked through from a more 
  distant and unsettling plane of existence. Still, regardless 
  of their origin, ooze sires and their off spring are a fact of 
  life grudgingly accepted by those at the edges of dark and 
  eerie places.
  Appetite for Adventure
  Half-oozes all come into existence with ravenous hunger, 
  and that appetite continues to drive them throughout their 
  existence. Most half-oozes will give the same answer to 
  anyone who asks them why they did something—they were 
  hungry. The rare half-ooze who can fi nd a regular meal 
  might seek to better itself for its short life, in learning or 
  building something, or in seeking to make the world a 
  better place. There have even been half-oozes who sought 
  out the families of their dams and tried to make restitution 
  for whatever was broken in their last life... as long as it 
  doesn’t get in the way of the next meal.
  Half-Ooze
  
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  HALF-OOZE: A HUNGRY PLAYABLE RACE FOR D&D 5E
  A Bad Beginning
  Your half-ooze adventurer has arisen from unpleasant 
  circumstances. Use the tables below to find out a few 
  details, or sort it out yourself.
  Dam
  d6
  The creature who your sire infested was...
  1
  A lost commoner who stumbled into the wrong cave.
  2
  A heroic adventurer on a critically important quest.
  3
  An explorer trying to map unknown places.
  4
  A criminal hiding from justice.
  5
  A researcher trying to learn more about ooze sires.
  6
  I don’t know.
  Awakening
  d6
  You woke up in...
  1
  A deep, dark cave, far below the sunlit surface.
  2
  A forest considered to be cursed by those who live 
  at its edge.
  3
  The dungeon of a powerful noble.
  4
  A wrecked ship at the edge of a stormy coastline.
  5
  The tower of a wizard.
  6
  A battlefield strewn with bodies.
  Background
  d6
  You’ve managed to make your way so far because...
  1
  When I stumbled into the sunlight, a kind passerby 
  had pity on me and took me in.
  2
  I got in trouble with the local law immediately, and 
  they established me in my background as a path 
  to rehabilitation.
  3
  I watched the locals from hiding for some time 
  before sneaking in amongst them.
  4
  Adventurers found me in the darkness and 
  brought me to nearby civilization, setting me on 
  my current path.
  5
  I was mistaken for my dam and I’ve never cor-
  rected the error.
  6
  Nobody’s ever given me anything—everything I 
  have, I fought for, tooth and nail.
  Half-Ooze Names
  Half-oozes usually call themselves by the first word or 
  phrase that pops into their mind. This is often one of 
  the last thoughts of their dam as they drifted off to sleep. 
  Since dams usually meet their end in dark and lonely 
  places, this lends a macabre air to the names of most 
  half-oozes.
  Common Names: Lost, Hopeless, Dark, Cold, Miss-You, 
  Desparate, Soon, What-Was-That, Damp, Alone, So-
  Tired, Not-Safe.
  The Ooze Sire Life Cycle
  The dreadful creatures known as ooze sires wait in 
  the dark for unsuspecting humanoid victims for one 
  reason—reproduction. As an asexual species, they 
  infest a humanoid host, posthumously called an ooze 
  dam, permanently fusing with it and using it to con-
  sume as much nourishment as possible. The fused 
  creature—called a half-ooze—tends to live until the end 
  of the ooze dam’s natural lifespan. When the half-ooze 
  dies, the final stage of the ooze sire’s life cycle begins, 
  and 1d4 new ooze sires depart the corpse, to seek new 
  dams, perpetuating the species’ miserable existence. 
  Half-Ooze Traits
  Your half-ooze character has a number of qualities in 
  common with other half-oozes.
  Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution and Dexter-
  ity scores increase by 1.
  Age. Half-oozes don’t last long, since their bodies begin 
  on borrowed time. They usually live out about half their 
  dam’s original lifespan, if the dam was young when the 
  half-ooze was sired. A half-ooze with an elvish dam might 
  live for a hundreds of years, where one with an orcish 
  dam might die of old age after only a couple of decades.
  Alignment. Half-oozes are, more than anything, hungry. 
  This constant need to consume renders them either 
  neutral, or somewhat evil—although if they can get the 
  food they need through good and lawful means, they may 
  do so.
  Size. Half-oozes range in height from under 4 feet 
  to over 6 feet tall, depending on their Dam. Ooze sires 
  don’t usually prey on smaller races such as halflings or 
  gnomes, as they’re not suitable for their life cycle. Your 
  size is Medium.
  Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
  Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, 
  and can understand one other language of your choice, 
  but you can’t read, write, or speak it.
  Hunger of the Ooze. You must eat every day, or suffer 
  1 level of exhaustion. When eating, you require twice as 
  much food as other Medium humanoids.
  Pseudopodic Limbs. As an action, you may extend 
  either your arms or legs to twice their normal length. 
  When doing so, your AC decreases by 1. If you extend 
  your legs, add 10 feet to your speed on foot. If you extend 
  your arms, any melee weapon you’re weilding is consid-
  ered to have the Reach property. If a weapon already has 
  the Reach property, it does not gain additional range, as 
  it’s too awkward to handle at that length. You may end the 
  effect as a bonus action. Your arms and legs cannot both 
  be extended at the same time.
  Rubbery. Your ooze origin makes you able to fit through 
  small spaces. Your body can fit through openings nor-
  mally suitable only for Small or Tiny creatures. Depend-
  ing on the size of the opening, your armor and equipment 
  may not fit through.
  
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  HALF-OOZE: A HUNGRY PLAYABLE RACE FOR D&D 5E
  Echoes of the Dam. You have the faintest memories 
  from the life of your dam. Choose one: Gain one skill 
  profi ciency, gain one weapon profi ciency, or gain two tool 
  profi ciencies.
  Subrace. Half-oozes are sired by one of three types of 
  ooze. Choose one.
  ACIDIC
  The ooze that sired you was of a peculiarly acidic variety. 
  The skin of acidic half-oozes tends to have a pale greenish 
  hue, a faintly sharp smell hangs around them.
  Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score in-
  creases by 1.
  Corrosive Strike. Once per day, when hit by a melee 
  attack, you may as a reaction deal acid damage equal 
  to your Constitution modifi er. You may not use this trait 
  again until after a short or long rest.
  Omnivore. You do not require your food to be cooked, 
  and are immune to being poisoned by food or drink you 
  ingest.
  STICKY
  The ooze that sired you was of a creeping, sticking nature. 
  The skin of sticky half-oozes tends to have a yellowish 
  hue, and they smell faintly of rot.
  Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases 
  by 1.
  Ooze Climb. Your sticky fi ngers help you cling to the 
  walls. Climbing no longer costs you extra movement.
  Sticky Fingers. You gain profi ciency in the Sleight of 
  Hand skill.
  MAGICAL
  The ooze that sired you was of arcane origin, perhaps 
  concocted by some strange wizard for unknown experi-
  ments. The skin of magical-half-oozes tends to have a 
  purplish hue, and they have a vaguely sweet smell.
  Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score in-
  creases by 1.
  Cantrip. You know one cantrip of your choice from the 
  wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.
  Magic Knows Magic. You gain profi ciency in the 
  Arcana skill.
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the 
  Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon amper-
  sand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers 
  League, all other Wizards of the Coast 
  product names, and their respective logos 
  are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in 
  the USA and other countries. All characters 
  and their distinctive likenesses are property 
  of Wizards of the Coast. This material is 
  protected under the copyright laws of the 
  United States of America. Any reproduction 
  or unauthorized use of the material or art-
  work contained herein is prohibited without 
  the express written permission of Wizards 
  of the Coast.
  ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, 
  Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured 
  by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 
  Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 
  4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, 
  Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.
  STICKY
  The ooze that sired you was of a creeping, sticking nature. 
  The skin of sticky half-oozes tends to have a yellowish 
  hue, and they smell faintly of rot.
  Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases 
  by 1.
  Ooze Climb. Your sticky fi ngers help you cling to the 
  walls. Climbing no longer costs you extra movement.
  Sticky Fingers. You gain profi ciency in the Sleight of 
  Hand skill.
  MAGICAL
  The ooze that sired you was of arcane origin, perhaps 
  concocted by some strange wizard for unknown experi-
  ments. The skin of magical-half-oozes tends to have a 
  purplish hue, and they have a vaguely sweet smell.
  Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score in-
  creases by 1.
  Cantrip. You know one cantrip of your choice from the 
  wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.
  Magic Knows Magic. You gain profi ciency in the 
  Arcana skill.
  4
  HALF-OOZE: A HUNGRY PLAYABLE RACE FOR D&D 5E
  
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