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Old 07-06-2019, 09:01 PM   #1
b-dog
 
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Default What control goo in a dungeon?

I am curious about what controls goo in dungeons? I mean the slimes, jellies, puddings, and oozes should dominate the dungeon eventually unless there were some creatures that prey upon it, right? I was thinking there could be some sort or giant parasitic insect that lays their eggs in goo and somehow the larvae are not affected by the noxious fluids and acids the goo has. Or maybe some sort of monster is able to eat them or suck them up like a mosquito sucks up blood. I don’t know does anyone have any more ideas on this? Thanks
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Old 07-07-2019, 01:02 AM   #2
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Default Re: What control goo in a dungeon?

Spellcasters could use magic to direct them, intelligent denizens could even do so. Perhaps herding animals into certain areas so they tend to stay where the food is good or using fire and other things to limit their movement.
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Old 07-07-2019, 01:59 AM   #3
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Default Re: What control goo in a dungeon?

In the same way as how spiders can’t climb out of the bath, and slugs don’t want to cross crushed egg shells, maybe there are sections of the dungeon that the goo can’t or won’t cross?
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Old 07-07-2019, 08:12 AM   #4
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Default Re: What control goo in a dungeon?

Gelatinous cubes evolved to fit graph paper so they can scrape the goos, mold, and slimes off the walls and ceilings as they slide around looking for food. No tidy dungeon should be without one.
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Old 07-07-2019, 11:54 AM   #5
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Default Re: What control goo in a dungeon?

Lack of sustenance is probably the biggest controller. I always see goo as lying dormant, barely moving until environmental conditions trigger an attack from one.

Rather how pre-emergent fleas 'sleep' for up to 5 months until a passing animal's body heat awakens them.
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Old 07-07-2019, 07:54 PM   #6
b-dog
 
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Default Re: What control goo in a dungeon?

I was hoping for some monsters that would eat the goo so that the dungeon would make a little sense and also might be a challenge for the PCs. Maybe some sort of larvae could be growing in the goo and when the goo attacks the PCs the larvae inside the goo also bites and attacks too.
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Old 07-08-2019, 03:14 AM   #7
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Default Re: What control goo in a dungeon?

Maybe goo doesn't stay goo forever? It is animate primordial soup after all, perhaps after a while goo tends to metamorph into something else? Maybe another type of weird monster, like a mimic or rummage (non-predatory mimic), or maybe they turn into actual real objects and creatures with the right stimulus.
'My PC woke up in a dungeon with no idea where he was and had to fight his way out'. Is it a lazy backstory, or is the PC actually an ex-goo lifeform?
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Old 07-08-2019, 04:10 AM   #8
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Default Re: What control goo in a dungeon?

Quote:
Originally Posted by b-dog View Post
I was hoping for some monsters that would eat the goo so that the dungeon would make a little sense and also might be a challenge for the PCs. Maybe some sort of larvae could be growing in the goo and when the goo attacks the PCs the larvae inside the goo also bites and attacks too.
I like the idea of goo as part of the life cycle of some other creature. Like some monster that lays eggs in goo – yeah, that's kind of cool.

Or, more simply, make each goo the prey of some other monster – it's fun when (almost) everything in the dungeon has to fear something else. An interesting hint comes from animals that get "powers" from what they eat, like South American poisonous frogs that aren't inherently poisonous themselves, but develop their famed poison by eating ants that provide the toxin. So, you could take a corrosive goo, then take some monster with a corrosive attack, and from there reason out how the monster gets its attack from a diet of the goo.

You can also imagine goo-on-goo action. Create a food chain that lays out which goo feeds on which, perhaps connecting the ends so that the top goo of the chain is actually vulnerable to the bottom goo. Like an endless rock-paper-scissors loop. Made of goo.
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Old 07-08-2019, 08:55 AM   #9
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Default Re: What control goo in a dungeon?

Quote:
Originally Posted by b-dog View Post
I was hoping for some monsters that would eat the goo so that the dungeon would make a little sense and also might be a challenge for the PCs.
Nothing is stopping you from making some.


[EDIT]
In the cause of being a decent sort, I'll even make one:


Rot Grubs (stolen shamelessly from Peter Dell'Orto)

Detect: Vision-based Per-2. This assumes a search! A quick glance while, say, searching for treasure is at -5, for a net Per-7.
Disarm: Burning the infested corpse, or using Cleansing (Magic, p. 94) will remove any rot grubs; they are easily killed (or harvested) after this . . . unless they find another victim to burrow in to.
Avoid: None.
Steal: Eww, but yes. Takes some creativity and a Animal Handling-5 roll (unless the character is a worminger with the appropriate Animal Handling expertise.
Effect: Usually 1d rot grubs will burrow into a target; each causes 1 HP of injury immediately as it furiously burrows into the flesh of the victim. Each inflicts another 1 HP of injury every 3d seconds, and requires a HT roll at -1 per rot grub in the victim. On a failure, the rot grubs have reached the vitals and inflict x3 damage from this point on. On a critical failure, one has reached the heart, killing the victim. Success means damage as before; critical success means the grubs take twice as long before they inflict injury again. Application of flame to the burrowing holes before the second round of damage kills the rot grub but also inflicts the usual fire damage for the source. Each burrowing hole must be cleaned separately. Cleansing will remove all rot grubs immediately.

evile's note: I would allow for Esoteric Medicine to also kill the Grubs, the treatment takes 5 minutes though... so cross your fingers the subject survives long enough.



Rot Grub Infested Goo

A slime infested with grubs has a chance of infesting any creature it injures with Rot Grubs. 1d-4 grubs per hit. A grub infested goo actually moves and reacts more slowly than regular goo as the grubs are sapping it of it's vital essence. Infested goo have their Move halved, if their Move is already a 1 they are reduced to Moving or Attacking each round, no Move and Attack Maneuvers. You might also consider dealing some amount of damage in advance, say half HP, or even giving it a -2 to hit. Any goo that is normally hard to see because of being "clear" (I'm looking at you Jelly), the delvers get a +2 to spot due to the Grub infestation (either spotting the grubs themselves, or due to the Jelly being cloudy or discolored from the infestation).

Spotting the infestation itself is harder than normal, after all you're in the midst of a fight! Per-9 once the goo is encountered or Naturalist -2 after seeing it in action (it's sluggishness, discoloration, etc) will reveal the infestation to the character.
[/EDIT]

Last edited by evileeyore; 07-08-2019 at 01:33 PM.
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Old 07-08-2019, 09:13 AM   #10
Michael Thayne
 
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Default Re: What control goo in a dungeon?

For spongy goo, the question isn't really any different than why any other tough monster type doesn't take over dungeons. The answer is that other monsters are also tough! For runny goo, you really need area effect attacks, which can be provided by something as simple as orc shamans with explosive fireballs. Puddings, which lack the Clinging advantage, might also be confined to certain areas of the dungeon by sticking them in deep pits. If these things aren't feasible, it's not just dungeons that will be overrun by goo—by the same logic, cities will also be overrun in a goopocalypse! So it's probably best to assume every intelligent species can manage goo effectively.

On the other hand, I actually kind of like the idea of of goo taking over dungeons that aren't being intelligently managed. The trick is to mix the goo in with other monsters that are entirely immune to the goo's effects. Though this is harder to justify with some types of goo, particularly corrosive goo, which I avoided using in my dungeon.
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