Vermilion Pudding
by Jamie BatySCMC
Large Ooze
Hit Dice: 10d10+60 (115 hp)
Initiative: -5 (-5 Dex)
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armour Class: 4 (-1 size, -5 Dex), touch 4, flat-footed 4
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+15
Attack: Slam +10 melee touch (Consumed Alive)
Full Attack: Slam +10 melee touch (Consumed Alive)
Space/Reach: 10 ft. /5 ft.
Special Attacks: Consumed Alive, Improved grab
Special Qualities: Blindsight 90ft, ooze traits, split, vermilion immunities
Saves: Fort +9, Ref -2, Will -2
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 1, Con 23, Int -, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: Climb +12
Feats: ---
Environment: Any land
Organisation: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 11-20 HD (Large); 21-30 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: -
Vermilion pudding is the name given to an aggregate colony of the flesh-eating vermilia bacteria. The Red Curse has affected these colonies, imbuing them with the ability to act together as one creature.
The vermilion pudding glows with an eerie internal red light. It usually takes the form of a red-tinged amorphous blob, and like other puddings, it can change shape rapidly and flow through almost any opening and can squeeze through very small cracks (such as the chinks and gaps in armour). The pudding is extremely sticky and tar-like enabling it to travel on ceilings and walls..
Vermilion puddings reproduce by fission. If a vermilion pudding becomes too large, it will split into two separate puddings. They adapt to live in a wide variety of climates.
Combat
Vermilion puddings are driven by the need to consume flesh. In order to determine if something is edible, the vermilion pudding can sense heat and vibration from a distance. The vermilion pudding will even attack undead creatures that have organic matter in their bodies. The puddings count as magical weapons for the purpose of eating undead or magical flesh.
Vermilion puddings prefer to attack Legacy-using creatures and will attack Inheritors before attacking those with a single Legacy.
The attack mode of the rapacious vermilion pudding is similar to that of the vermilia infection, except much faster- the bacteria literally eat the flesh from the bone. It only stops once the victim is consumed. Metal armour is no defence- the pudding will find a hole or a chink in the armour to flow through. The vermilion pudding does not eat the armour itself; it simply flows past it to get at the flesh beneath.
The vermilion pudding is mindless and will never retreat as long as there remains flesh to be eaten.
Consumed Alive (Ex): Vermilion puddings infect their victims with a Red Curse-mutated version of the vermilia bacteria. When a victim is first hit by the pudding, he suffers 2 hp of damage (Fort save vs DC 21 for half damage). Each subsequent hit doubles the damage per hit (save allowed for half damage). Thus 4 hp damage is done by the 2nd hit, 8 for the 3rd, 16 for the 4th, etc... A character that is held by the pudding automatically suffers damage each round, and has a -4 penalty to its fortitude save.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the vermilion pudding must hit an opponent with its slam attack. If it gets a hold, the vermilion pudding may use its Consumed Alive attack automatically each round, and the victim suffers a -4 penalty to all associated saves.
Split (Ex): Slashing and piercing weapons (and lightning attacks) deal no damage to a vermilion pudding. Instead the creature splits into two identical puddings, each with half of the original's current hit points (round down). A pudding with 10 hit points or less cannot be further split and dies if reduced to 0 hit points.
Vermilion Immunities (Ex): A vermilion pudding has 100% immunity to all cold and acid damage
Ooze Traits: No Intelligence score, and immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects); Blind (but have the blindsight special quality), with immunity to gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight; Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning; Not subject to critical hits or flanking; Oozes eat and breathe, but do not sleep.
Skills: A vermilion pudding has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.
The Red Curse
Vermilion puddings never acquire Legacies or become Afflicted.