KotM Fight! Treacle

KotM Fight! Treacle

kittenWelcome to the King of the Monsters Contest finals: the treacle is finalist 8 of 10. These submissions are left almost entirely as they were received with the exception that all submissions have had minor alterations for proper spelling (not grammar), formatting, and the addition of an image. Let the fight commence!

______

Nerves steeled against the horrors of impending combat, you almost feel a pinch of disappointment to discover that the shuffling noises came not from a beast, but instead a small kitten with an injured paw. It looks up at you in fear and surprise and mewls softly…

Treacle              CR 3

600 XP
N Tiny ooze (shapechanger)
Init -2; Senses blindsight 60ft.; Perception -4

DEFENSE
AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10 (+2 size, -2 Dex)
hp 34 (4d10+12)
Fort +4 Ref -1 Will -4
Immune ooze traits

OFFENSE
Speed 15 ft., climb 10 ft.
Melee slam +0 (1d2-3, plus poison) or 2 slams +0 (1d2-3, plus poison)
Space 2 1/2 ft. Reach —
Special Attacks blood drain, poison

TACTICS
Before Combat Immediately upon detecting prey, they use their Reshape ability to assume a nonthreatening form. Afterwards, they mewl or sing to attract attention.

During Combat Treacles prefer to drain blood slowly and subtly, ideally while their prey sleeps or is paralyzed.

Morale If threatened or injured, treacles flee.

STATISTICS
Str 4, Dex 6, Con 17, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 6
Base Atk +3; CMB -2; CMD 6
Feats —
Skills Disguise +8; Racial Modifiers Disguise +10
SQ Charming Presence. Reshape

ECOLOGY
Environment temperate forests and underground
Organization solitary or nests (2-8)
Treasure incidental

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Blood Drain (Ex): Once a Treacle has skin-to-skin contact, it can slowly siphon blood from its victim. Blood drain inflicts one point of Con damage every 30 minutes. Thanks to the treacle’s natural poison, this blood drain is subtle, requiring a DC 20 Will save to notice. The victim in allowed a new save every time a point of Con is lost.

Charming Presence (Su): Treacles radiate a faint aura of divination, and have the uncanny ability to sense and mirror emotions. This often gives them the illusion of rudimentary cunning, though all they actually do is show what an observer thinks they’ll see. Treacles use Disguise to oppose any Sense Motive or Knowledge skill checks made to see through their ruse.

Poison (Ex): Treacles excrete a mild anesthetic. Like their Blood Drain, the poison is subtle, requiring a DC 20 Will save to even notice the effects. Contact. save Fortitude DC 13; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1d4 Dex. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Reshape (Ex): Treacles can assume new forms easily. Being an extraordinary ability, spells such as true seeing will only reveal the Treacle’s mild aura of divination, not their true form. A reshaped Treacle gains the movement methods of it’s new form, but no other special qualities, and can only assume the form of creatures or objects its own size. Reshape grants the ooze a +10 bonus to the Disguise skill (already factored in the their skills, above).

As mindless oozes, treacles cannot reshape consciously. Instead, they assume their forms based on what the nearest creatures finds non-threatening or appealing. They generally hold a shape for several hours once assumed, even if their original victim is no longer present.

Ecology

A curious bunny, an abandoned infant, or a delicate songbird can spell slow and agonizing death for the unprepared. Beneath any of these facades may lurk a treacle waiting to feed on a gullible victim. Whether by natural selection or arcane tampering, these compact oozes prey on kindness.

Treacles feed on blood but lack natural weapons or the acid of larger slimes. To survive, prey must welcome and embrace them, unaware of the threat. Their soft bodies absorb psychic impressions and take the shape of whatever nearby creatures find least threatening. In the wild, treacles assume the form of an animal’s offspring to lie close for several hours. Among humanoids, this ability manifests by transforming them into pets, infants, or injured animals. In the most horrific cases, these oozes even transform into children’s toys.

Once sated, treacles detach from their host and find a cool, dark place to digest. Provided with suitably large and receptive prey, they instead remain in place and eventually divide into two fully-grown oozes. Rarely, a mutation will prevent mitosis, and the sterile treacle will instead grow in size. The largest mimic human children and the elderly.

Being mindless, treacles cannot act or plot. They simply move towards a food source. Their sensitivity allows them to react as their target might expect, but they cannot speak or otherwise behave intelligently. This keeps their numbers low in civilized areas. Still, one undetected treacle in a village can easily grow into dozens and decimate the population.

Typical Physical Characteristics

Treacles are small, less than six pounds. Their natural forms, on the rare occasions they are glimpsed, are pale and iridescent, like oil on fresh milk. After feeding, treacles take a deeper brown hue, though remain glossy and opalescent.

(This post is Product Identity.)

18 thoughts on “KotM Fight! Treacle”

  1. wow… just wow!
    I don’t know about the strenghts and weaknesses of the mechanics but this sure looks like a must-encounter to me. Tons of roleplaying possibilities yet also translated to mechanics. Well done.

  2. Great monster! For some reason, I keep imagining this thing as a familiar. Perhaps, at 7th level or higher, an arcane spellcaster with Improved Familiar could have their own treacle?

  3. I CAN HAZ ADVENTURIR?

    This is a great idea. I would be strongly tempted to adding some sort of minor benefit to any host of a treacle — like a +1 morale bonus to all attack rolls or +3 hp. Something just sweet enough to tempt the player, in addition to the character.

    “Hey, awesome — this kitten must be giving me the Toughness feat for free. Can Dirk Silverleaf fit her in his pocket? Because he totally wants to keep her.”

  4. I was all set to no tlike this one and then I read it . It was awesome and creepy. The kids toy thing was extra disturbing!

    _

  5. I was reminded of the end of Ghostbusters, with Ray thinking of the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man as the most non-threatening form for Gozor the Gozarian. Awesome idea, Crystal.

  6. For some reason, this made me think of John Carpenter’s “The Thing.” Very awesome!

    I have to admit, when I saw the picture first, I thought Scott was pulling some kind of prank.

  7. I actually laughed when I started reading this, but by the time I was finished, I want to throw this at my party to see what happens. Very well done.

  8. Wonderful monster! I’m definitely using this one.

    If you have the option, I suggest rewording,

    “This often gives them the illusion of rudimentary cunning, though all they actually do is show what an observer thinks they’ll see.”

    As I doubt very much that an adventurer would think to see something non-threatening in a dungeon. Perhaps it’s drawn to places where emotions are calm and contented? Like the bird’s nest or a person’s bedroll. Becoming what an observer might HOPE to see.

    Also, in the third line of the last paragraph of Ecology, after they’ve reshaped?

    “react as their target might expect”

  9. Good points. By the contest rules, entries may not be reworded or revised once submitted.

    If this is the winner, though, it will certainly be edited before it appears in print!

  10. What if these lil friends are disease carriers? Perhaps they have an unexplainable tendency to show up in large numbers when a plague is present. Perhaps they also are harbingers of the coming of a plague?

    This monster is great because of the brainstorming that naturally comes to a DM when he or she reads it. It is ripe with possibility!

  11. Mr. Fishy approves, please sent two to Mr. Fishy and accept this pie. Mr. Fishy has a cat problem this should clear up nicely.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Join the Kobold Courier and Earn Loot!

Stay informed with the newest Kobold Press news and updates delivered to your inbox weekly. Join now and receive a PDF copy of Shards of the Spellforge

Join The Kobold Courier

38878

Be like Swolbold. Stay up to date with the newest Kobold Press news and updates delivered to your inbox twice a month.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This
Scroll to Top