I hope you enjoy the tavernscourge blob, and I'll see you next week with another monster!
This shapeless gray mass,
no larger than a typical coin, looks like putty. It smells vaguely of alcohol
and the tasteless remains of prechewed food.
Tavernscourge
Blob CR 3
XP 800
N Diminutive ooze
Init +2; Senses sense alcohol, tremorsense 30
ft.; Perception +5
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 16,
flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +4 size)
hp 32 (5d8+10)
Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +1
Defensive Abilities
energy interaction; DR 5/piercing; Immune acid, cold, electricity, fire, ooze
traits
Weaknesses
vulnerability to sonic
OFFENSE
Speed 10 ft.,
climb 10 ft.
Melee slam +9
(1d2–5
plus attach)
Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks
alcohol drain
STATISTICS
Str 1, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 3, Wis 11, Cha 8
Base Atk +3; CMB +1 (+9 to maintain a grapple); CMD 6 (14 to resist breaking its
grapple, can't be tripped)
Feats Great
Fortitude, Skill Focus (Stealth), Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +10,
Knowledge (local) +6, Perception +4, Stealth +17; Racial Modifiers +8 Knowledge (local)
SQ agglutinant
ECOLOGY
Environment any
land (taverns and inns)
Organization solitary
or buzzkill (2–8)
Treasure
incidental
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Agglutinant (Ex)
A tavernscourge blob gains a +8 racial modifier to CMB checks to maintain a
grapple and to its CMD to resist a creature breaking its grapple. Additionally,
it can take a move action to attach small objects (no larger than a coin) to
itself; this grants it a +2 armor bonus to AC, but slows its base and climb
speeds to 5 feet. Removing an object requires a standard action.
Alcohol Drain (Ex)
Within a container of alcohol, a tavernscourge blob converts one pint of alcohol
into water as it absorbs the alcohol. For each pint it absorbs, it gains 5 temporary
hit points (which last for 1 minute). If it absorbs four pints of alcohol, it
splits into two tavernscourge blobs, each with half the original blob’s hit
points at the time it split.
When attached to a creature, it removes the effects of one
pint of alcohol from the creature, which must also make a DC 14 Fortitude save
or take 1 point of Constitution damage. If the creature has no alcohol in its
system, it takes 1 point of Constitution damage and it must make a DC 14
Fortitude save or take an additional point of Constitution damage. For each
point of Constitution damage inflicted, the blob gains temporary hit points and
splits into two blobs as above. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Attach (Ex) When
a tavernscourge blob attaches itself to a creature, and until it deals
Constitution damage with its alcohol drain ability, the creature only notices
the blob with a successful DC 16 Perception check. The check DC is
Dexterity-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Energy Interaction
(Ex) A tavernscourge blob is immune to acid, cold, electricity, and fire,
but it has unusual reactions to energy types to which it is exposed. If subject
to cold damage, it gains a +2 natural armor bonus to AC and its base and climb
speeds are reduced to 5 feet. If subject to fire damage, it gains the effects
of haste and loses its damage
reduction. If subject to electricity damage, its slam attack deals 1d4 points
of electricity damage for the following round; if it is attached to a creature
at the beginning of its turn, it deals the electricity damage if it maintains
its grapple.
Sense Alcohol (Ex)
A tavernscourge blob can immediately sense the presence of alcohol in closed
containers or within creatures in a 60-foot radius as if by scent. This range
increases to 300 feet for exposed alcohol.
Tavernscourge blobs were alchemical creations meant to scrub
alcohol from the bloodstream or from drinks, but their interactions with
alcohol awoke a bizarre intelligence and an overwhelming desire for the substance.
Their initial attempts to obtain their favorite drink caused them to drain the
blood of their victims. They eventually came to a dim understanding that “riding”
potential victims to locations with alcohol would prove more rewarding. When
they arrived upon travelers at taverns, they hopped off and attached themselves
to the underside of tables. There, they could absorb alcohol into their masses
in secret, often cleaning up spills created by rowdy drinkers.
Tavernscourge blobs are typically content with the amount of
alcohol they take in this manner, but occasionally, an overwhelming desire for drink
overtakes them and they destroy kegs and kill patrons in their zeal. Worse, the
more alcohol they absorb in these frenzies, the more blobs they create,
exacerbating the situation.
Calmer oozes learn about their establishments’ “regulars,”
often so they can attach themselves to outsiders to make trips to other
taverns. By plying these oozes with alcohol and working out a way to
communicate with them, creatures can gather information about the conversations
and goings-on at the locations hosting the oozes.
