Discussion:Ooze Questions

Oozes Question

Galamantyl 11:55, 7 June 2009 (MDT)

Hi, I encountered a very interesting scenario in a friend's game the other night. I play a dragonborn Monk in 3.5e using the Races of the Dragon, but that detail is irrelevant. We're dealing with an encounter with a gelatinous cube.

The other entries for oozes show that if they are hit with a metal or wooden weapon, that weapon has a chance of taking damage. However, gelatinous cubes deal acid damage but do not harm metal or wood.

My DM ruled that the most realistic decision was to make me physically take damage for punching it, since unarmed strikes are organic weapons. Yet, there's nothing under the ooze traits or gelatinous cube description for acid that says anything about taking damage by striking it with natural weapons. I've searched throughout all of the books and cannot find anything on this particular scenario.

Is there something in any of the rulebooks that explain what would happen in this situation? Anything that would rule that I would take damage by punching or kicking an ooze?

Jota 12:45, 7 June 2009 (MDT)

I would say yes (you would take damage). You're not metal or stone (the things the acid is said to explicitly not affect), and you're organic (flavor text), which is not inorganic, which in turn (inorganic) is described as being left alone.

Galamantyl 18:03, 7 June 2009 (MDT)

I'm looking for more of a source reference (link or book + page). I know it would "kind of" make sense to do it that way, but there's no DC, the only description for acid says one round of exposure (6 seconds), or whether there is benefits of wearing gloves/boots, other protective equipment. It sounds like there should be a rule for it 'somewhere', I just can't find it. If someone could point me to something of reference, it would help a lot.

Dragon Child 20:09, 7 June 2009 (MDT)

Are we actually talking about a gelatinous cube? Because those things don't damage anything that hits them, be they spear, sword, or fist.

Galamantyl 09:06, 8 June 2009 (MDT)

Well that was my assumption, only given the understanding that oozes are not necessarily made up of just acid. However, some oozes have acidic properties, such as a digestive acid when constricting or engulfing it's victims.

Jota 13:32, 8 June 2009 (MDT)

I get what you're saying (like if it had an acid splash or attacking someone with flame shield). I guess, no? Since there isn't anything like that, although you could just use house rules either way (damage or not) given that it's unclear.

Galamantyl 10:36, 12 June 2009 (MDT)

Well, it's easy to get a DC for acid damage from attacking the acid. According to the monster manual under the Ooze type, the DC is 10 + 1/2 the Ooze's HD (rounded down) + the Ooze's constitution. The thing is, as I pointed out with the ochre jelly, some oozes only inflict acid damage depending certain circumstances (ex: digesting, secreting, ect.,). So what I really am looking for is a reference to a book page that explicitly explains that. Though I've had no luck so far.

Aarnott 10:51, 12 June 2009 (MDT)

If a rule isn't there, it isn't there. Gelatinous cubes do not deal acid damage on an unarmed strike. See Ooze Type. "Some oozes have the ability to deal acid damage to objects". Your fist is not an object and it also says that this rule does not apply to all oozes. Since the cube doesn't have any specific ruling of dealing acid damage to organic attack forms (natural weapons), it doesn't.

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