With Deep Magic just hitting the shelves, gamemasters have no excuse for sub-par magic in their games. This extends to magic items, and, as a celebration of the debut of Deep Magic, I offer you all something to help you let your imaginations soar. Today, give your players the cloak of slime.

Appearance and History

You make out something glossy and reflective in your sputtering torchlight. Approaching cautiously, you see what at first appeared to be a patch of inert slime, but no, something is different about it. It has the definite shape of a cloak! Even down to the clasps that might hang upon a wearer’s shoulders. Do you dare to test this theory?

A cloak of slime is an aberration—a freak organism with potent sorcery and a sinister purpose. Centuries ago, an avatar of the demon lord of ooze and poison was summoned into existence by a self-destructive cult devoted to its name. The cultists fed the creature animals, prisoners, and sometimes their own members. While this creature remained on the material plane, the avatar left a thick and toxic spoor in its wake.

Cult leaders collected the spoor and used it in dark and long-forgotten rites that created new organisms with a malevolent cunning and singular purpose: to seek out other humanoids and transform them into oozes to honor their god. These creatures, they found, also imparted their hosts with strange new abilities—an interesting and unexpected side effect.

The original cult has long since evaporated, but many of their creations still lurk in the dark forgotten places of the world. Some have remained dormant for years awaiting prey. For centuries they have waited. Until now…

Pathfinder Crunch

Aura strong transmutation and moderate evocation; CL 4th

Slot shoulders; Price none Weight 5 lbs

Description

The cloak of slime is a semi-intelligent creature that imparts to its host (owner) a variety of ooze spells, but this power comes at a price as any wearer shall soon discover. These ooze spells are available in the new sourcebook Deep Magic, but I have provided alternative effects to get you by until you get your own copy.

The cloak is capable of limited communication with its wearer. It can effectively communicate such things as hunger, comfort, discomfort, and an innate understanding of the cloak’s spellcasting functions which are as follows:

Mucus Spray (3/Day)

The caster sprays a fine mist of poisonous mucus. The mucus is acidic and has psychedelic properties. For those of you who still don’t own a copy of Deep Magic, treat this spell as burning hands and change the damage type from fire to acid.

Oozy Transparency (Functions Continually)

This spell renders the flesh, clothing, and gear of the wearer transparent. You may treat this spell as providing a +4 bonus to Stealth checks.

Jellied Resilience (1/Day)

This spell causes the subject’s body to become gelatinous, though it retains its original shape (humanoid or otherwise). You may treat this spell as granting cold resistance 5 and granting any melee attacks 2 extra acid damage.

The Danger

In addition to these potent ooze spells, the cloak of slime has a darker purpose it inflicts upon its would-be users. After three days of wearing the cloak, the wearer must take a DC 20 Fortitude save; if this save is passed, all is well (do not explain why you requested the saving throw). If the save is failed, the wearer begins transforming into an ooze, slime, or jelly (GM’s choice). This transformation takes place over one hour and may occur while the subject is asleep. Request a new Fortitude save each day after the first save that the cloak is worn until the save is failed.

After the victim is transformed, they retain their will and personality, but must make a DC 20 Will saving throw each day (starting the day of the transformation) or have control overtaken by that of the slime. The slime is mostly concerned with obtaining food, avoiding sunlight, and general survival, any one of these things could mean bad news for the victim or the other party members. If the victim fails a Will save three days in a row, the slime gains full dominance, completely overtaking the victim’s personality. They are effectively deceased.

The only way to reverse the transformation is through remove curse (DC 20) or a wish spell. Other cures are at the GM’s discretion. Once the original wearer’s personality is completely overtaken by the slime, they cannot be saved by any means.

You say, “My players would NEVER put something like this on in the first place!”

The cloak of slime is fully capable of creeping about like an ordinary monster and is quite stealthy (+8 bonus to checks). If the party sleeps in a mysterious cave or dungeon, you are fully within your rights to have it slink under some unfortunate character’s blanket and attach while he or she sleeps. The new owner can awake to quite a shock, but with immediate knowledge of their new spell capabilities. How convenient.

Nightmares

One interesting way to impart the ooze’s origin to your players is to have the wearer suffer from night terrors if he or she goes to sleep while wearing the cloak. Sporadic images of the ooze’s birth and the cult involved are a fun and colorful way to let them in on the story element, and, with some effort, the character might even serve as an adventure hook if you wish to lead the party into an adventure involving oozes, slimes, or cults.