The Ooze Mastermind

The Ooze Mastermind.

It's body is thoughts. A protoplasmic slime formed of churning memories and half-formed ideas. A single cell with a dozen minds. This is the ooze mastermind.

An ooze is a simple creature. It exists only to eat, creating a slime network across its environment, receptors that activate in the presence of food. When the ooze grows too big, it splits into two identical daughter oozes. It is little more than a single cell.

An ooze mastermind is also a simple creature. It exists only to eat, creating a slime network across its environment, receptors that activate in the presence of food. When the ooze grows too big, it splits into two identical daughter oozes. It is little more than a single cell. Except that a mastermind feeds not on death and detritus, but on the thoughts and memories of intelligent creatures.

Ooze masterminds are intelligent, their entire body acting as a pseudo-brain filled with the thoughts and memories of those they have devoured. They are cunning, able to develop and execute complex plans in order to feed. Masterminds have the ability to create ooze-clones of those they have eaten, a near perfect replica formed by memory, a perfect recreation in all ways except their ooze-like texture. With these clones, a mastermind can infiltrate a society, slowly replacing everyone within with itself, until it is the society. From there, it'll expand like an infestation, daughter masterminds infecting nearby villages until an entire region of the countryside is nothing but ooze-clones.

Young Ooze Mastermind.

An ooze mastermind that has yet to develop the power to create ooze-clones, generally one that is freshly born. Around the size of a small bush. Come in a variety of colors, but most often gray-green.

HD: 1

Defense: As Leather

Mobility: Below average, but can squeeze into tight spaces.

Tactics: Devour the thoughts of sleeping people. Otherwise, hide.

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Pseudopod: As Dagger, but Bludgeoning

Engulf: Can swallow the head of a target that is unconscious or prone

Devour Thoughts: While engulfing a target, can devour their memories for damage [as sword] to intelligence, or similar effect. If reduces target to 0 intelligence, consumes their mind and grows 1 hit die.

Adult Ooze Mastermind.

An adult ooze mastermind, one that can form clones. Can be as large as a semi-truck. Come in a variety of colors, but most often gray-green.

HD: At least 6, up to 12

Defense: As Leather - 1

Mobility: Below average, but can squeeze into tight spaces.

Tactics: Use ooze-clones to lure prey to it. Otherwise, hide.

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Pseudopod: As Sword, but Bludgeoning

Engulf: Can swallow a target adjacent to it

Devour Thoughts: While engulfing a target, can devour their memories for damage [as great-sword] to intelligence, or similar effect. If reduces target to 0 intelligence, consumes their mind and grows 1 hit die.
Create Ooze-Clone: Creates an ooze-clone of a creature the ooze mastermind has eaten. Ooze mastermind takes damage equal to health of ooze-clone (it still regains this health over time)

Ooze-Clone.

An ooze-clone formed by an ooze mastermind. Appears as a human but with skin that feels like ooze. They split into cytoplasm when cut open. Capable of using normal equipment.

HD: 1

Defense: As Equipment

Mobility: As Human.

Tactics: Convince others it is human.

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Pseudopod: As Dagger, but Bludgeoning
Weapon: As Equipment

Conclusion.

The ooze mastermind is a re-imaging of the oblex from the 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons book, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, my favorite original monster from 5e and one of my favorite monsters in general.

It's also an attempt at system neutral monster stats, something I'm not entirely sold on my execution yet, but that should be more helpful than my older method.