Jellies...! Part 2

Working onwards from last week's post, I was wondering whether, if jellies are partially the result of magical experiments, what would happen if they had some magical abilities? With that in mind, here's another jelly design. It's statted for 1E AD&D and, as always, includes an illustrative doodle:

LIGHTNING JELLY

  
FREQUENCY: Rare
 
NO. APPEARING: 1
 
ARMOR CLASS: 8

MOVE: 3"

HIT DICE: 4-6

% IN LAIR: Nil

TREASURE TYPE: Nil

NO. OF ATTACKS: See below

DAMAGE/ATTACK: See below

SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below

SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard

INTELLIGENCE: Non-

ALIGNMENT: Neutral

SIZE: M (6 feet wide, 2-3 feet high in spherical form)

PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

       Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
 

Lightning jellies are found in dungeons and other subterranean places, usually taking on the appearance of a pool of water or of moisture running along a surface. Like the ochre jelly, it can squeeze through narrow spaces and can move along ceilings, walls, and floors.

It is only when attacking that the jelly takes on another form, gathering itself to become a spherical mass that has a slight blueish glow. It will then loose a charge of electricity, attacking as a 3rd level Magic User casting Lightning Bolt and inflicting 3-18 points of damage. It can usually only make one attack per turn, although striking the creature with lightning bolts only serves to give the jelly an extra attack in the following round. The jelly will absorb the organic part of any fallen prey.

Lightning jellies are immune to cold attacks but fire-based attacks have a normal effect.

Jellies...!

Time to get back in the ol' blog saddle and get back to designing some monsters.

I have a general propensity to think that many of the monsters in 1E AD&D are... well.. weird. I thought that when first introduced to the RPG and I still think it now. One of the stranger species in the Monster Manual is the Ochre Jelly. If I remember correctly, Gary Gygax said that jellies were the result of life springing up from drains, down which various exotic ingredients had been discarded after magical experiments.
 

Anyway, a few years ago I ran a homebrew 1E AD&D dungeon crawl and designed a new type of jelly (and subsequent posts will feature some others):

STAR JELLY

  
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
 
NO. APPEARING: 1-2
 
ARMOR CLASS: 8

MOVE: 6"

HIT DICE: 4-6

% IN LAIR: Nil

TREASURE TYPE: Nil

NO. OF ATTACKS: 2

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 4-8

SPECIAL ATTACKS: None

SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard

INTELLIGENCE: Non-

ALIGNMENT: Neutral

SIZE: L (10 – 15 feet wide, 3-4 feet high)

PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

       Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
 

Star jellies resemble a huge starfish and exist in a wide variety of colours. This gelatinous mass is usually found in cold, dark, damp places such as caves but will venture into dungeons in search of food. Unlike the ochre jelly, star jellies lack the ability to flow through small spaces and cannot move along ceilings. However, they are a much faster opponent, propelling themselves along with a multitude of feelers beneath each limb.

These creatures are particularly attracted to metals of all kinds, seeking out mineral veins in caves but preferring the refined steels, irons, and precious metals common to adventuring parties. They will attempt to engulf any target and use powerful acids to consume metal and flesh alike (4-8 hit points per round of exposure).

Should any jelly lose 50% of it’s hit points, one or more of it’s afflicted limbs will dissolve into an acidic gas and the jelly will attempt to escape. Anyone within 10 feet of the creature must make a Saving Throw or receive 1-6 points of damage. Wounded jellies can regrow a single limb in 1-4 days. Similarly, upon death the jelly will dissolve into a larger cloud and anyone within 10 feet must make a Saving Throw or receive 1-8 points of damage. Any form of metal exposed to this gas will tarnish and become discolored.

Star jellies are immune to cold attacks but fire-based attacks have a normal effect. Striking the creature with lightning bolts causes it to split into seperate limbs, each with 2 hit dice but with all movement, attacks and defenses remaining the same as a complete jelly.