Monster Monday is going through some changes. From now on, it is going to be called Creature Feature and will be occurring multiple times a week. Creature Feature Mondays will continue to focus on creatures for Starjammer. Today for Creature Feature we are presenting the Puff Ooze, not a true ooze, the puff ooze is a corrupted plant that has grown hungry for the bone marrow of living creatures.
Puff Ooze CR 5
This puffy sticky mass is covered and run through with vines and roots, with little sprouting red flowers.
XP 1,600
Neutral Large plant
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6
DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 16, flat-footed 11 (+2 Dex, +7 natural, -1 size)
hp 56 (7d8+21);
Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +4
Weakness fire
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.
Melee 2 slams +7 (1d6 plus 7)
Special Attacks marrow drain, sticky
STATISTICS
Str 21, Dex 14, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 10
Base Atk +5; CMB +11 (+13 grapple); CMD 21 (23 vs grapple)
Feats Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike, Power Attack
Skills Stealth +0, Perception +6; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in swamps
SQ marrow drain, squeeze
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Gelatin Reinforcement (Su)
Each round the puff ooze drains marrow, it heals 5 hit points or gains 5 temporary hit points for one hour (Up to a maximum number of temporary hit points equal to its full normal hit points.)
Marrow Drain (Ex)
The puff ooze extends its roots into any creature it is grappling, seeking out its victim’s bones and connective tissues. As a swift action, a puff ooze can suck the marrow from a creature it is grappling or a helpless creature. The victim can resist with a DC 16 Fortitude save; otherwise, the creature becomes staggered from the pain and takes 1 point Constitution drain. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Marrow Drain only works on creatures with a skeletal system.
Squeeze (Ex)
The puff ooze can condense its spongy body down, a puff ooze can easily slip through spaces not normally accessible to a creature of its size. For the purposes of determining how small a space a puff ooze can squeeze through, treat it as one size category smaller.
Sticky (Ex)
Whenever the puff ooze is struck by a slashing or piercing weapon it can attempt a disarm attack as a free action. This disarm check does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If struck by a natural weapon or unarmed strike that does slashing or piercing damage the puff ooze can attempt a grapple check instead.
ECOLOGY
Environment swampy marshlands
Organization solitary
Treasure incidental
The puff ooze is a swamp born menace found on a number of swampy planets. Originally a rather harmless plant known for its healing properties, over time the puff ooze developed a taste and need for the marrow and gelatin of living creatures, using the material to expand its spongy mass.
Legend suggests that the puff oozes had their first taste for bone after prolonged ritual sacrifice and disposal of bodies in the swamps. Nourished by the act of worship, the puff ooze grew accustomed to such meals and when the supply of bodies was no longer being delivered, it started to move and seek out new prey.
While the buds and roots of the plant can still be used to help cure diseases of the throat, the plant itself is no longer associated with healing, but instead with the horrible pain caused when those same roots forcibly extract bone marrow from the living.
