D&D MONSTER RANKINGS - OOZES

An analysis and ranking of oozes, the most bottom feeder, underdog creatures in D&D.
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Intro Music “Black Mass” Brian Bolger
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0:00 Intro
1:36 History of ooze monsters
6:05 Trials of the Neophyte promo
8:06 Oblex spawn
10:38 Ochre jelly
12:45 Gray ooze
14:12 Inkling mascot / D&D has changed
15:29 Ink of Pain / Emporium promo
18:21 Psychic gray ooze
19:17 Black pudding
20:57 Gelatinous cube
23:39 Dragonblood ooze
24:48 Slithering tracker
26:41 Oblex adult/elder
32:11 DCs of monster effects
34:47 Outro

[@Sean-fv9rf]

I’ve always felt like mimics should be classified as an ooze. Seems like an ooze-like creature to me.

[@esperthebard]

For sure!

[@amberkat8147]

Wait, they aren't? I's always assumed they were, it was the only thing that made sense.

[@jordyplaysgamesAUTISMYEET]

@@esperthebard he could be right, but mimics do have one thing unlike other oozes. They become a full solid and in some mediums use the solid form to attack. It seems they may act as an ooze when transfering and thus are probably best classed as a "polymorph", or many shape

[@justnoob8141]

@@jordyplaysgamesAUTISMYEET and internal organ, dunno why but they have it

[@gadellomagnollo1810]

I’ve always had them be cephalopods.

[@purplehaze2358]

I think the main reason oozes have been neglected is simply the negative preconceptions a good number of players have for them. I’ve spoken to quite a few people who believed oozes as a whole are poorly made, simple monsters with very few uses, automatically writing off even good examples like the oblexes. I can sympathize with it from a creative perspective: why would the lovely gents at Wizards Of The Coast make more oozes with a lot of thought put into them when people will just reject them solely because they’re oozes?

[@kamataros5172]

Thats simply because all of the oozes in the monster manual are boring. Whats the actual difference between an ochre jelly, a black pudding and a gray ooze? Especially to a player who doesn't see the statblock in front of them? The gelatinous cube is the only moderately interesting one, and thats the "standard ooze" if you ask anybody, really. All the interesting ones are from additional books.

[@elgatochurro]

@@kamataros5172 I don't think you know how to use them then...? Gray oozes can mimic walls and I plan to use them in such encounters where the players enter and are eventually "locked in" as their way back is sealed by a monster that mimics the walls and texture.

[@kamataros5172]

@@elgatochurro the point is not that oozes from the monster manual can't be an interesting encounter, but that you can't make a story with them. You can easily make a whole arc around the background of a slithering tracker or tie an oblex into the narrative of mind flayers. A grey ooze is just a nuisance. A tool for an evil wizard at best. You can make a story about how a peryton is threatening a village, you can make the hunt for an owlbear a big Sidequest (for low levels). There's no such finesse about grey oozes (in my opinion). In addition, monstrosities, even if only on the MM, have many different entries. Carrion crawlers, rust monsters, griffins and owlbears are very very different from each other. Giants are very distinct from one another, a hill giant and a fire giant barely compare outside of theor size. But, again, grey oozes, ochre jellys and black puddings are basically the same thing. Sure, one doesn't eat metal and the other doesn't climb. Wow. And the only distinguishing feature of the gelatinous cube is that it's translucent and shaped in a funny way. Like the parent comment said, the fact that the "original" oozes lack so much in variety makes it hard for people to warm up to the interesting ones, because those interesting ones are only in the supplement material.

[@pedroslim2]

​@@kamataros5172lack of creativity is the problem then, because I can imagine without thinking much about it a dungeon where someone found out a way to control most types of oozes because of obsession with the creatures, and from the begining the party has to get past increasingly harder versions of oozes to get to that someone. As to why would a party wanna go there? Well, oozes are voracious, a steady source of food has to come from somewhere.

[@Takeda10K]

I actually quite liked Strixhaven and it helped to get my sister interested in playing D&D with me since she loves the idea of wizard school. But I agree with tenfold that it’s a shame to see the sword and sorcery, pulp fiction roots of the game be left behind. But like you showed with your book (which is fantastic) and Trials of the Neophyte we can still create these gritty adventures for our games. 21:40 It’s funny you mention this cause I was thinking about how some of my favorite covers to superhero comics are the ones not where they’re being ultra badasses but instead are shown struggling and even being over powered by the villain. The cover to the first ever issue of Fantastic Four comes to mind. Great video Esper!

[@ckmishn3664]

When they turned the Ravenloft campaign setting into the woke Goosebumps RPG I think WotC were making it pretty clear that they consider D&D to be a kids game.

[@esperthebard]

Through the characters' struggles, we can relate to them. I actually very much like the idea of a wizard school campaign or setting book, there so much to flesh out there, and DMs could really benefit from that. It's just that the style and design of Strixhaven isn't my cup of tea. Thanks for your support, and I hope your sister enjoys her adventures!

[@bleddynwolf8463]

@@ckmishn3664 i mean with with fucking Hasbro at the helm what did you expect?

[@ShadowWolfTJC]

Say Esper: Since there are so few oozes that have been published in D&D, perhaps your community members could brainstorm a few up? For example, here are some conceptual ideas that I've been thinking about: - Fey Jelly: Imagine taking the concept of one of those cute Dragon Quest slimes (complete with expressive facial features), and turning it into an appropriately-thematic D&D monster by, say, giving it a fey-like connection (such as being the products of benevolent fey creatures like faeries, dryads, etc., and/or being born within enchanted forests where fey creatures more commonly reside within), along with a generally good-aligned nature despite its lack of intelligence and/or morals (similar to other chaotic-good-aligned fey), and perhaps some beneficial magical effects (like being able to clean dirt and grime off of others by its soapy touch, and cast Grease, Prestidigitation, and Color Spray, to name a few, as spell-like abilities for example), all of which could make for an interesting little wizard's familiar. - Quicksilver: A basic unintelligent ooze, likely of magical alchemical origin, made of quicksilver, also known as the metallic liquid element known as mercury, which is known for being poisonous to organic life, and for absorbing metals in a way that could be of beneficial use to many alchemists. Unlike most typical oozes, this creature would be solely interested in absorbing metals (much like a Rust Monster), and would not readily attack organic beings except in self-defense, or if they're in the way of its food source. - Arcane Ooze: A magical ooze that hunts for magical sources to consume and disenchant, whether it's magical items (like a Holy Avenger or Bag of Holding), magical creatures (like a Unicorn or Pixie), or spellcasters (like a Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard). Though it doesn't inflict acid damage like other oozes, or bother with consuming living beings unless they're carrying something magical, and/or are innately magical themselves, they can still attack with pseudopods if anything tries to interfere with its consumption of said magical source. Moreover, they possess an ability to absorb spells cast within their immediate area (possibly even having a reaction command to leap into the path of spells being cast in order to become the target of said spell instead), and can dispel spell effects on touch (like casting Dispel Magic), but are otherwise easy to kill with non-magical attacks, including acid flasks and alchemist fire. - Necroslime: This is an ooze themed off of death, undeath, and rot, lingering near graveyards, corpse-strewn warzones, and hordes of corporeal undead creatures such as zombies, in order to feast upon dead or decaying matter (especially bodily fluids), emitting a foul, sickening stench, inflicting necrotic damage, poison, and/or disease to any meddlesome creatures that it touches, and attacking those that get too close to any corpses that it wants to feast upon. - Horrific Mass: This is basically a Shoggoth from Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Do with it as you desire, such as whether or not to give it high intelligence, an aura of fear and/or madness, and/or the usual slime's ability to engulf its victims, smack them with pseudopods, burn them with acid, sicken and/or poison them, or even inflict necrotic damage via a rotting touch. - Amorphous Servant: Imagine creating a loyal ooze under the control of a wizard like you would, perhaps, a golem, by taking some kind of gelatinous material, whether it's honey, tree sap, mucus, or even an actual basic slime creature like a gray ooze or ochre jelly if skilled and/or ambitious enough, and infusing it with a bound water elemental, and you might end up creating one of these, a slime creature with significantly more intelligence and cunning than usual, along with a handful of extra abilities, such as being able to control nearby liquids or slimes (possibly including other lesser slimes). - Soul Jelly: Similar concept as the Amorphous Servant above, but this time, done using the soul of an intelligent creature, and perhaps of divine origin, with the host soul's memories, skills, personality, and even alignment preserved, along with the ability to easily take on a humanoid form to aid in communication with others. I could imagine seeing plenty of roleplaying opportunity with such a creature (such as playing a similar role to King Arthur's Lady of the Lake for example).

[@esperthebard]

Some great concepts here, and lots of details. In my book, the spelldrinker ooze is similar to that arcane ooze.

[@DrLipkin]

A homebrew ooze that I've been itching to run is a Botched Potion. Different abilities depending upon what potion it was made from, and comes in two varieties (bottle and cauldron). Bottle version is tiny size, and bursts its vessel dealing AoE slashing damage. The cauldron version is medium to large, and carries the cauldron on top of itself like a snail shell. Much higher AC, and also uses the cauldron to attack, greatly increasing its slam damage.

[@tysondennis1016]

The Arcane Ooze sounds like the kind of monster a DM only throws at the players if they're okay with their players hating them.

[@diegodankquixote-wry3242]

Slimey bois have always been my favorite enemies. Adorable and silly yet some of the most dangerous enemies and "demonic" in nature. This is reflected to how innocuous but dangerous amoebas and strangely intelligent slime molds.

[@dungeonessentials4961]

Love the Elder Oblex. Had it as a mid-level boss monster that took over the kingdom belonging to a Nobel PC who had fled the responsibility of rulership and wandered about for years before returning at the start of the campaign. It was effectively the whole court, impersonating well over 10 people on the small council. A lot of storytelling potential here and a memorable adventure

[@saintlucus2359]

Im thinking of an adventure encounter where an adventure party goes missing in the underdark, and the party is sent to save them, only to find them all impersonated by the Ooze and having to fight the versions of them (with maybe resistance to certain damage thanks to being oozes)

[@madkarl4052]

How nice of you, I was wondering when will we have another Ranking. At 3:08, the submarine creature you are showing is actually a Nudibranch, one of the most exquisite - and hard to spot, being underwater and tiny - creature to crawl the earth. We love Nudibranch. We love the Bard. Ooze, Booze, I'm getting there...

[@esperthebard]

Nudibranch is a delightful word to say.

[@johngleeman8347]

A tragedy there aren't more oozes. 3rd-edition had tons of different puddings and slimes you could send at your players.

[@esperthebard]

That's what I'm saying! Summoning ooze, arcane ooze, graveyard sludge, just to name a few.

[@LuxuriaU]

There is even a really good section in MM V about the filth domain, and an entire adventure seed with the hermit who lies at its centre, and is an aspect of Jubilex who answers questions in exchange for strange, random requests that likely in some way help the Faceless Lord achieve it's strange, alien goals. Coming from someone who started in 5th edition, and recently moved to 3.5, it is absolutely bizarre to me that isn't the more popular system. It is superior in most aspects, save simplicity.

[@tysondennis1016]

The gelatinous cube is the perfect example of a mighty glacier: Hits really hard while being hard to kill itself, but is slow enough to easily outrun.

[@nicka3697]

For an F tier ooze I recommend the green slime which languishes with molds in the traps section of the DMG. For movement it only gets to drop on you, although one must assume it can slowly slime its way back to the ceiling but is absolutely excellent when employed by clever kobolds and other trap makers. I think the oozes have been badly served by denying them their greatest members. The Mimic with its amorphous body shaping and pseudopod attack is clearly related to the Oblex. And of course Juiblex himself clearly more ooze than demon.

[@esperthebard]

Ah man, I probably should have included the green slime here. I'm working on the plants ranking too, and some of them (like some of the oozes) seem more like hazards and not actual creatures.

[@kevinlloyd7679]

The ooze between my toes gets +2 to hit. Thanks esper. Great as usual. Thanks

[@evanwhite5704]

Well said on the subject of d&d changing its tune. There will always be room for anyone to play their game however they want to, and I hope everyone always feels like they can play their version of d&d, regardless of what Wizards publishes.

[@DrLipkin]

I'd love to see a slime inspired by SCP-999 at some point. A Chaotic Good slime with the temperament of a playful puppy. Loves hugs and tickle wrestling, and direct contact with it acts as an anti-depressant. Refuses to eat meat, and will risk its life to protect other living things.

[@officialc1459]

If you want an ooze creature that has a bit of variety the Jell from monster rancher has some neat tricks. Albeit cartoony in nature an intelligent ooze like creature that can morph its body into a myriad of weapons and combine attributes of other monsters could be neat.

[@owlthemolfar4690]

Thank you for the video! Love that you also doing a lot (A LOT) of research for the history of creatures in world cultures.

[@shivershins3730]

I love the deep dive into the origins of the monster. Super interesting

[@iustitiamerchantxiv5872]

I like oozes and jellies. I imagine a mage that uses oozes and jellies for servitude, utilities, offense, and defense. All this mage's skills are based on oozes and jellies.

[@tobefrnk]

I've been developing "Ooze Space" for my Spelljammer game. This vid is going to help me A LOT. Thank you.

[@nitrogenbubbles4555]

Hell yeah, I was waiting for you to deal with Oozes, once upon a time they were my favorite kind of creature just because of how weird and out there they were without being like, aliens, extraplaner, etc. Also due to you know, the film "The Blob." I think there is a certain terror that is evoked by... Sapient sludge. giant amoebas, creatures that can drown and digest you without effort while you are on land and walking, and aren't beholden to reasoning or mammalian or even reptilian feeling thought and self expression. No personality, no ignoring you because it isn't hungry. For the most part that is, intelligent oozes might be able to be reasoned with but I digress.

[@pupstarproduction15]

Yeeeeeeees finally a new rank. I will say as a new dm your videos has really help to sort out monsters

[@ukebeleza]

Slime day to you!

[@ClarkyClark]

Just gotta say, picked up your book. Really really well done dude. And I love oozes. Underrated in general

[@esperthebard]

Many thanks Clark!

[@JohnSmith-qe6fb]

I run a huge number of oozes and jellies in my D&D campaign. Blue, red, purple, and green slime, black pudding, ochre jelly, gelatinous cube, etc. I use the dollar store paintable play-do crafting packs and they work great. The paint adheres nicely and my players love them!

[@BobCain2006]

Really enjoy this series of videos. You always say something that sparks interest in using these monsters in a "new" way. Thank you! I know they must take a lot of time and effort to put together.

[@esperthebard]

Thanks Bob! Yes, the ranking videos take a TON of time to produce.

[@RelaxAntti]

Elder Oblex is a great monster. Few years ago I used it in my game. Someone had brought a cursed book into City of Glass and the book released an Elder Oblex. Some people started disappearing and eventually the party was asked to investigate why a certain scribe just suddenly didn't appear to work at courthouse and is declining any visitors.

[@ianyoder2537]

One idea I really like for an ooze is the "non Newtonian slime" essentially it's like oobleck ware the harder you hit it the harder it becomes. Rules wise it has AC 15, but you need to roll *under* it to hit.

[@CheckersMcGavern]

I'm running a character who is an ooze that was accidentally given sentience (using the Plasmoid race), so I appreciate all the lore you're dropping here. Thanks :)

[@VideoClam]

Esper the Bard is the best D&D channel on KZbin. Bar none.

[@Jartist234]

I know I'm a few years late, but at 15:43.... TAKE MY MONEY!!! lol

[@Skud0rz]

weird, i was searching for this video 5 days ago before it even released

[@vger9084]

I once added Gelatinous cubes to a D6 Star Wars game, as Sith alchemy creatures that I was GM-ing. The player was a DnD fan trying out SW. Wiggle and Jiggle had many adventures until their sad ending.

[@tomfair7261]

Just thought I'd pop on here to say I got my copy of Espers Emporium of Esoterica, and its amazing. The best quality D&D book I've got in my collection, and the contents is fantastic and creatively dark without being tacky. I'm sorry that shipping caused major headaches for you, and I wish it had gone smoother, but you should be so proud of the quality of what you produced. Fantastic job Esper!

[@esperthebard]

Thank you so much Tom! I poured my heart and soul into the Emporium, so it's great to know how much you appreciate it. Yes, I got over ambitious with the project and also yes, the international shipping was a hellacious struggle, but I made it.

[@warlicofthewarp4300]

Hi Esper the Bard just Watch your D&D Monster Rankings about Oozes. It was Great and You know that You Miss Four Rare Oozes to Add. 1 - Hungry Fog 2 - Skitterhaunt 3 - Bloodfire Ooze 4 - Deathreap Ooze

[@TabletopBob]

Ahh some of my favorites. I am so pumped for this video!

[@esperthebard]

Thanks man! And your group almost wiped out against the flesh ooze. Did you catch the Blood Lament I ran? One character died to the flesh ooze, and another character got about as close to dying as you could possibly get.

[@TabletopBob]

@@esperthebard I did and love that monster. Anyone that wants to add some unique monsters that their players will have no meta game knowledge should grab your Emporium. My players had no idea what they were up against!

[@landremon]

I love those monster ranking! I re listen them few time a year. They have a way to spark my dm reflex and creativity.

[@jasonz7788]

Awesome thanks Esper

[@northeastoperations]

There are no legendary slimes. That's not because there aren't any. It's because there are never any survivors.

[@wperdew6078]

As a player, oozes have always been the most terrifying. They can split from slashes, they have bad effects, and different energy immunities. I'll pass fighting these things. But, as a gm, I'll use them because of the same reasons - they are mysterious and scary

[@the_chosen_one5642]

It would be cool to see a tier list like that but with the creatures you made for Esoterica.

[@esperthebard]

Ooh I might have to do that. But would it be too biased if I did that for my own book? Can we get a petition going for another youtuber to do that?

[@the_chosen_one5642]

@@esperthebard if you think it could potentially be biased you could show the ratings before to someone and ask them what they think about it.

[@hunterkage2842]

@@esperthebard If it was just your creatures you made it wouldn't be bias because they all would be made by you.

[@sethrichardson8644]

@@esperthebard I would actually find it interesting to have both the petition and perhaps you can do a shorter video on your reactions to the tier list. Not necessarily real-time reaction, but simply hearing the way your creations were viewed, perhaps adding a touch of your own personal intentions into the response. Alternatively, you could see if a group of your own subscribers or simply players who are fortunate enough to have already gotten a copy of your work would be willing to do a sort of community tier list that you could then go over, adding details and reasons why you may have rated it personally higher. Regardless, I always enjoy your videos, and the tier lists most of all. My friends are wanting me to be the DM for the campaign we're hoping to start so I'm bingeing your videos again to get unique scenarios.... or at least that is the plan so far.

[@HiopX]

I like to implement slimes as created to be sewer custodians, dissolving anything that could rot and spawn diseases, remove blockages and also function as a security system that prevents people to set up hide outs in the sewers.

[@declanandrewbell]

loving the new mic esper

[@DrLipkin]

So, there's the Necronommicon, which is the book of the dead. There's the Demonomicon, the book of Demons/Fiends. I'd love to see an Oobleckanomicon. The book of oozes.

[@garberasandor9699]

Why not Amorphanomicon, book of the formless?

[@DrLipkin]

@@garberasandor9699 Mostly because I like the "leck of "oobleck" sounding similar to the "nec" of "necro."

[@garberasandor9699]

@@DrLipkin Fair enough

[@internetcatfish]

I've been working on a custom setting to run in Savage Worlds off and on for a few years now. I've made it a point to make a wide variety of oozes, jellies, and slimes. They all have special abilities ranging from freezing ice to volatile accelerants to trapped swarms of bees.

[@DrLipkin]

Tar pit ooze?

[@internetcatfish]

@@DrLipkin 100% stealing that idea.

[@DrLipkin]

@@internetcatfish It's not stealing if someone gifts it to you.

[@satierfoira]

Love your videos man! Mandatory GM research right there ;D

[@DuskyPredator]

The DMG also has the green slime under dungeon hazards. It doesn't really have monster stats rather than explaining it will drop from the ceiling to get prey, but the implication is that it is about the most simple ooze.

[@DWSP101]

Uses have always been my favorite D&D monster I only wish they had even more variants and specialized flavors that are actually legit from the game I would like to see a forsaken shell hiding an ooze inside of itself and then they really use that as a weapon against a D&D group

[@redfaux74]

🤣🤣🤣 Uses... and flavors?!? 🤣🤣🤣 You mean like Butter Pecan.... 😏 Pistachio Walnut?

[@DWSP101]

@@redfaux74 yeah like there's different flavors of ooze lol 🤣

[@redfaux74]

@@DWSP101 - I prefer choc vanilla twist myself.... 😏

[@zimattack9994]

Two of my favorite use for oozes in my games were two downright evil puzzles and a bit of world building

[@robotdude2206]

I like the gray ooze. The corrosion effect can potentially impact every character in the party, save maybe for the wizard. In a game I'm in, our party of three was attacked by four gray oozes. My dagger and the paladin's chain mail became -1, which prompted us to reassess our situation after the fight. Since I was an artificer, I offered to repair the paladin's armor the next chance I got, which came the following day. Before that, I asked the DM if I could use some tools to fashion a Bullette tooth into a shiv to replace my damaged dagger, which he allowed. The point is, damaging the party's equipment is a great way to mix things up and cause the party to reconsider their plan moving forward. Sometimes the solution is as simple as buying new equipment at the shop, but the best way to take advantage of it is to use the oozes when the party is either out of money or two days' travel away from the nearest town.

[@974cerebrate]

I am ill, can't even go the toilet alone ... And suddenly I saw a video from The Bard on my favourite enemy type. Thanks a lot mister Esper !

[@daikaijugamer]

Can't really go wrong with an ooze. They're such an inherently fun type of monster, and yet for such simple slimy lifeforms they sure can be a great way to throw the players off a loop. On tangential note, I have to say that Strixhaven is just plain bad even as a Harry Potter knock-off. Remove the cringe-inducing West Coast American College aspects of it, and you're left with a really bland and boring take on a magic academy setting. I'm not too keen on Harry Potter myself, but Hogwarts at least had all sorts of zany, cool, and creepy witchiness to it. Where are the talking paintings? Where's the spooky forest full of spiders and evil mages that drink unicorn blood? Where's the hidden monster lair that can only be accessed through a lavatory? And what about the monster manuals that are literal monsters themselves? Instead we get relationship mechanics for dating a loxodon. What, your players don't want to interact with any of these npcs the designers wasted pages to create tinder profiles for? Well too bad, it's the DM's burden to come up with a cast of better NPCs, just like they have to come up with what actually goes on during class! Anyway I really recommend looking into third party bestiaries. Kobold Press' books have had some pretty fun oozes, such as one that pretends to be an oasis in the desert, a living bubble filled with swamp gas, or the ridiculous yet awesome Giant Shark Bowl Ooze which is a living shark tank, to name a few.

[@MuppetLord1]

Wish there were some type of Ooze ranger that has an ooze companion. :D

[@dave-bulletrider]

Yesssss... Thanks a lot for this. My PCs are just about to stumble into a forgotten temple of Ghaunadaur and while I already set up everything, your video let me change some encounters, hehe... Great! edit: Strixhaven *shudder* What an abomination... another edit: Alice In Chains for the tiers: fantastic! :D

[@esperthebard]

Glad you noticed that. I love Alice in Chains. Which btw was hard to find a band that had song titles that worked as flavor text for oozes. I hope the forgotten temple adventure turns out well!

[@spoopyghost2683]

RAINBOW OOZE its an amalgamation of many ooze types

[@martinpat94]

My favorite thing about the Oblex is the story behind its creation as part of Make a Wish

[@danjbundrick]

A gel which has eaten the memories of something with a powerful mind could have a lot of its motivation taken over by the creature it ate. Might make for an interesting story

[@simonwest903]

Giant grey ooze filling deep pit or gelatinous cube, camouflaged with gravel over, lurker above ready to drop on any who blunder into pit. The two have a basic symbiotic relationship. The pit trap can be detected, but this can take all the players attention, until the lurker above falls…! The gelatinous cube could have tempting treasure inside, again helps to focus the party away from what lurks above.

[@jonwooldridge3766]

By far, these are my favorite monsters. ALL HAIL JUBILEX!!!

[@danpgrady]

Great episode! Would have personally given some higher ratings for the gelatinous cube. I dont agree that it is a slow and easy to out-maneuver. When using the engulf action it can move up to its speed AGAIN essentially giving it 30ft per turn, plus if you use them in narrow corridors or use two to ambush characters on either side, or even place one on the bottom of a fall trap, they become extremely versatile.

[@xaetaminvaela9830]

One of my favorite homebrews are a cluster of levitating oozes called the Blourbs. They all share a hivemind with a much larger and stationary ooze called the Blourb Brain which continuously spawns lesser Blourbs to hunt for living organisms in their surrounding environment (usually a cave, crypt or other suitable dark and cramped locale), then grapple those creatures, lift them up into the air and drag them off to the Brain to eat.

[@direkitsune]

I feel like you kind of under sold the inkling mascot, it can be turned into horror monster extremely easily just by having them be encountered as a swarm in old keeps, laboratories, or wizards towers they are a hidden swarm messing with the party, a biting darkness that follows them and toys with then to soften them up, their faces a mockery of the party memebes

[@esperthebard]

That's fair. I think most monsters can be implemented well, if just presented well, maybe a bit of a reskin, maybe add in another interesting special ability. The potential is often there.

[@direkitsune]

@@esperthebard I think "The potential is often there" is 5e in a nutshell. It technically is the one I learned d&d on, though I lore dived and played a one shot game of PF first, and while I already see the limits and need for something more robust, I feel like 5e as a whole is just a framework to make it easy for people to both understand and build off of

[@jonwooldridge3766]

I understand this video is about "creatures," but a mention of the green slime and brown mold would have been fair, even though they are more environmental obstacles and one is a mold, not an ooze. Not to be downplayed, both are quite formidable and will stick in your player's minds for a long time.

[@esperthebard]

I hear ya, I probably should have included the green slime here. I'm working on the plants ranking too, and some of them (like some of the oozes) seem more like hazards and not actual creatures.

[@asdf5303]

I find it kind of funny that the first picture you choose to illustrate the more serious, mature, history-buff-compatible fantasy of old is a group of bodybuilders in boob armor.

[@adviel]

Some homebrewed oozes I used are. Adamantium Slime. It can be found in abandoned Adamantium mines and it likes to dissolve and eat metal. It can take the shape of an Iron Golem but only if it has more then half HP. In the Slime form it has the same stats as an Iron Golem but looses the abilities and attacks and gets the normal Ooze abilities plus a Dissolve Metal similar to the Rust Monster's Rust metal ability. Potion Slime. It can be find in ancient tombs, Healing Potions that have been stored undisturbed for more then 1000 years sometimes gain sentience and become Potion Slimes. It can be summoned as a Familiar by a Level 5 Find Familiar smell (this was a different homebrew were you could get stronger familiars with higher level spell) Once per day it can make 1 Common Healing Potions and if you place it on a wounded person it heals 1 HP every 10 min during a short rest.

[@DrLipkin]

I've got a different homebrew Potion Ooze. It's abilities differ depending upon what potion it was created from (potion of fire breathing can breath fire, potion of invisibility is invisible, etc.) Comes in two sizes, tiny and medium/large. Tiny version starts in a bottle, and uses an AoE attack that deals slashing damage as it bursts free. Large version travels in an inverted cauldron (like a giant snail), granting it much higher AC and Slam damage.

[@hankwimbleton3119]

5e really needs to bring back the Genius Loci that ooze was quite a unique one

[@ginger-ham4800]

Kobold Press put out sooooo many new oozes and they're all so flavorful.

[@Battleguild]

The party traverses the dark corridors beneath the abandoned fort; your boots clacking against the stone brick floor, as the light of your torch stings your eyes as you search the twisting shadows of the rusted iron barred cells that line your path. You hear the flow of water in the darkness ahead, your party readies their weapons, as whatever monsters that might lurk here will no doubt use the source to slack their thirst. As the sound of water increases, there is a notable acrid scent in the air as you continue your approach. The path opens to a hexagon-shaped chamber; other than the path you entered from, there are two more exits to this room, where one path leads to the north and the other departs to the east. As you glance about the room, you quickly spot the source of the water to the west; what first catches your gaze is the impressive 10ft wide basin that dominates most of the room, with the walls of the basin ending at 3ft high off the floor. The most notable feature of the fountain however is the wall-mounted dragon head that functions as the spout for the flowing water; while the water itself within the basin is plentiful enough to stop only a couple inches before spilling over. The party has been down in the dungeon for a few days now and our waterskins are almost empty. While the water is tempting, the group isn't stupid enough to drink from the source without testing it first. Our druid companion Rose was the first to notice that the dragon head was that of a Black Dragon, citing that the spout must be the source of the acrid scent, probably to match the dragon's acidic breath weapon. While this information is useful, our group is too distracted on the fountain. I remind our barbarian Garth and the ranger Lucy to keep an eye out on the other paths, as we don't need to get jumped while we examine and collect the water. I return to the basin, drawing a string around the neck of a leather bag of ball bearings and dropping them into the water. There is no noticable reaction to the string or leather, so I touch and then eventually taste the water; it has a sourness to it, like a strong citrus fruit but otherwise appears safe to drink. Vryn, our groups rogue, speculates that the acrid scent might be the result of a previous trap going off as he stares as the dragon's mouth for a trap mechanism. As I begin to gather water into our waterskins, Vryn's attention is drawn into the basin itself and waves at me to get my attention. Vryn says he can see a chamber and door at the bottom of the basin 15ft below the water, with the door heading to the west. As I take a closer look at the chamber below, the room itself appears to be protected by an air pocket of some sort, perhaps by some trick of magic? Excitement filling Vryn's voice as he sheds the extra weight of his pack, claiming that the door must lead to a hidden chamber and that such a room must have something valuable. I admit the prospect of hidden treasure excites me as I take an extra look into the basin just to make sure it's safe, and I notice that something is off... The leather bag that I tossed in earlier is gone. Not sunk down to the bottom as I expected, but simply gone! However I do notice that the ball bearings are oddly suspended in the water below the surface. I quickly try to stop Vryn from jumping in, but he escapes my grasp as he leaps into the basin. To my horror, Vryn's graceful swan dive into the basin is almost comically stopped short, as he is stopped only while waist-deep into the water, his legs wildly flailing uselessly into the air. At the same time, I can see Vryn's skin on his face and arms begin burning as if they were trapped in viscous scalding hot water. I come to the realization that the air bubble below wasn't created by magic, and that the dragon spout was a warning and it was not the trap itself. The only creature that comes to mind that is nearly invisible and is strongly acidic in nature: A Gelatinous Cube.

[@esperthebard]

What a read! 👏

[@theprinceofawesomeness]

the problem i have with Oozes is that they are so Specialised. i wish there would be a more Generic Ooze to act as a Slime enemy that could be anywhere

[@thatoneguy1085]

Yes favorite monsters favorite band. Love this

[@Dnd-Versatility]

I've made mimics and doubleganger in to oozes. Mimics being able to change their chemical makeup to turn in to wood and steal like substance where doublegangers have the same ability but also gained psionic intelligence and the ability off speach

[@kevinsmith9013]

Tired of your pit traps being a mere inconvenience? Put a gelatinous cube at the bottom of that 30 foot drop!

[@esperthebard]

Hey it's not like they will gripe at you.

[@krishollow]

Love it!

[@smaugdounowdawae]

The Alice in chain references though

[@OrthoBro3]

One of the darkest quotes Lovecraft ever produced sends shivers everytime

[@zazbellum7350]

Missed the Aquatic Oozes from 3e but good list!

[@notreallyalec]

Such a basic monster concept yet you can still do a lot with it!

[@andreabontempo6004]

There is a type of vampire, from German folklore I think, that becomes a blood blob or similar

[@Tarrasuge]

Well thanks to my awesome niece I have a hardbound book in my hands call Espers emporium of esoterica.

[@zoesequeira5388]

The original Spelljammer was full of anime references. If D&D using anime and pop culture means it's abandoning its roots, it did so at least as early as 1989.

[@nicolaezenoaga9756]

And I who thought your never going to do one.

[@kevinsmith9013]

Despair not! For the Bard will never let you down! Or at least it's really gently... unless you like it rough... lol

[@SessionSakic]

I find Gelatinous Cubes f'n hilarious, I love to put them in spots you don't see coming.

[@malcolmt7883]

The invention of the microscope allowed people to see translucent blobs that absorb prey (microbes). Maybe that's why ooze type monsters are modern.

[@sapphireaurora9634]

On the subject strixhaven, I'm playing a pretty modded version of it we're calling Everett Academy. It is very not DND like. We are simple college kids just doing college stuff. I'm playing a soulknife rouge multi into college of visual arts bard kitsune who is starting to date a sorcerer or wizard (not sure exactly which) rouge non verbal changeling. It's a nice difference compared to your standard go save the world and fight that bad guys

[@lihanchai154]

I believe even old school fantasy anime were inspired by the darker Dungeons and Dragons in the day. Stuff like Record of Lodoss War and even Berserk had darker, grittier artsyles and themes. While I'm not a fan of the current direction of WotC, it's nice to know I can always refer to older versions and art to tickle my DnD itch.

[@heysamuelhere2733]

Just got to say. I really enjoy your content. A fellow DM preferring the darker and the more mature fantasy. Instead of this cartoonish child friendly display. Unfortunately I started with 5e and had to endure this torment. Often I don't even realize what I'm missing out on till I hear or read about it. Previous editions just had so much more heart and thought put into them.

[@redfaux74]

Yes! Yes! Yes! DnD of 35 years ago was nothing like this new "Woke" sexual perversion neon Japanime crap. They need to hear people think it sucks.

[@jonathanstern5537]

There are plenty of darker campaigns such as Curse of Straad, Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, and Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus. That's the great thing about D&D, regardless of your desired story, you can do that. I'm running Stryxhaven right now, and my party and I are having a blast. I'm planning on running a much darker campaign based around Spelljammer for another group (trying to prevent a Mindflayer invasion of their home planet by gaining allies, magic items, and perhaps even taking the fight to the Ilithid home world) who like darker, more adult fantasy. That's the great thing about D&D; it ha basically infinite possibilities.

[@tysondennis1016]

A few homebrewed oozes wouldn't hurt anybody.

[@damianfry2080]

I can't remember who made it up, but there's an idea I like for a slime or an ooze varient based on non newtonian fluid, the harder you hit it the less damage it takes

[@DaxterL]

I actually made a little change to the ooblex's ability, instead of it being a puppet, it can condense its matter to take on the humanoid form and practically infiltrate anywhere.

[@onemisterfranko]

that could make it a fantastic assassin of sorts, maybe something monsterous made by a wizard or cult? I might have to barrow this idea if you don't mind. :)

[@jackdunne6152]

Don't forget the Plasmoid. Now you can play an ooze.

[@daiymohermitaurenjoyer9160]

Are you going to do a ranking of the creatures in boo's astral menagerie?

[@squashedeyeball]

The Esper rolls a critical hit once again!!! Bless you Esper! Oozes are a long overdue and as always, you presented each in a way which only you can. Sadly, I share the same fear that d&d will continue down the road of, cute/safe/adorable/bubbly/etc'. After all, seems like it has gotten bigger than ever. That being said, for anyone like Esper, join in on the Trials of the Neophyte! Take a part in a glorious, hardcore d&d experience.

[@aaronmcintosh6740]

I love black Pudding food and the ooze lol.

[@takkun34]

had an idea for an oblex badguy that hid in a over sized backpack and would go town to town giving out quests and fake treasure maps that would lead would be adventurers into death traps and mindflayer slave raids who kind of looked and acted like the mask salesman from zelda majoras mask.

[@davidragan9233]

I wonder where Plasmoids (PC Race so you can have Plasmoid Necromancers or some evil class or background) and Jubby itself falls into the list :D

[@scorpiovenator_4736]

i knew that the ooblex would be first, its just so cool

[@overgearedd]

YES i love oozes

[@High-LordHarza]

Look, while 5e hasn't had much "dark and gritty fantasy", Rime of the Frostmaiden being one of the few and I guess that is debatable too, having lighter stuff like Strixhaven is fine too. It doesn't take away from anything. I also don't see the whole "marvel" thing in anything in 5e, but maybe that's just me. I want gritty stuff too, but light hearted stuff is nice too. Now if only the Strixhaven book itself wasn't written terribly....

[@ckmishn3664]

The most interesting fact I learned in this video was that Juiblex has a scrotum. I would have guessed Juiblex reproduced by mitosis, or maybe spores.

[@esperthebard]

It is unknown how many scrotums he has 🤢

[@redfaux74]

Let's keep it that way.... 🤢🤮

[@TheTravelerww]

One of my players got the deed to a castle. I modified the Axholm dungeon from the essentials kit for a higher-level party. I said that the dwarves dug their plumbing too deep, invading the water supply of some Illithid in the Underdark. So the Illithid sent Oblex up their pipes as revenge. The players were met at the entrance by odd-smelling dwarves who were dressed in garbs that hadn't been worn in hundreds of years. The player was suspicious but followed the dwarves as they invited them into the throne room. On the throne was the long-dead dwarven king being puppeted by an Elder Oblex, who had just surrounded the players with simulated dwaves. It was an epic fight.

[@BootyCrusader]

I don’t see how new worlds inspired by different things is bad. There’s sci-fi worlds, modern fantasy, political intrigue etc. Not everything needs to be game of thrones, and if someone wants to play Sailor Moon; TTRPG, LET THEM! I had a blast the two times I got to play as a superhero character. When my bard got to be a grouchy music teacher as a magic school, that was fantastic. Let people play the games they want, man. Good video though! It inspired me to use a really big homebrew slime, ehehehe