The Paraelemental Plane of Ooze

-Thomese Ervo,

At its heart, the paraplane of Ooze is a noisome mass of slime. This disgusting realm ranges from clear, gelatinous goo to putrid, green sludge. In some places, it’s almost thick enough to be solid, and in others, it’s runny and watery. The ooze teems with worms, insects, grubs, and disgusting bits of...well, things too disturbing to think about. While the look and feel of the place is horrible, it’s the smell of the ooze that’s really bad. It can literally knock a newcomer off her feet.

When a body starts to move away from the paraplane—and most folks do that the first chance they get—the muck under- goes a gradual transformation. Moving toward the plane of Earth, it gradually thickens until it has the color and consistency of molasses. In this revolting region, which is known as the Muckmire, the ooze has a natural tendency to harden around living beings, trapping them very literally like flies in amber. Chant is, a berk who digs around in the mire can find interesting things hardened in the goop—but who’d want to do that?

In the direction of the plane of Water, the ooze starts to thin out. Before too long, it becomes green and caustic. This region is generally referred to as the Bile Sea, and the muck here clings to flesh and burns like acid. A few sickly fish flop about in this new horrible mess, but usually not for long. Their decomposing bodies only worsen the revolting environment.

In the other direction—toward the quasiplane of Steam—the ooze grows thinner and thinner. At the same time, strong winds begin to kick up an oily spray. This quickly forms rolling clouds of toxic vapor that’re carried along by brutal winds. No living thing, not even bloods normally immune to poisons, can survive the Choking Gale for long. Even if a body gets out alive, it'll be weeks before she can really wash the residue from the vapor out of her skin and hair.

If a body heads toward the Positive Energy Plane in the direction of the quasiplane of Mineral, the ooze begins to congeal as various ore residues collect in it. In time it forms the Slag Marshes, a morass of heavy, metallic paste with an airy atmosphere over the top of it. Silvery, pussy weeds called ioungis grow throughout this region, and most creatures find them poisonous to the touch.

Moving toward the Negative Energy Plane, a planewalker can head in the direc- tion of Salt or Dust. If she chooses the quasiplane of Salt, the ooze becomes thick and briny, eventually growing caustic enough to corrode metal. Even magical weapons and armor rust away at the touch of the noxious chemical soup (known as the Stagnant Sea).

Those who decide to head toward the quasiplane of Dust won't find the going much more pleasant. In this direction, the slime grows thicker and, if possible, even. more disgusting. It leads to a region most folks call the Oasis of Filth. This half-con~ gealed place is almost organic and is so thick with disease that any sod who comes here’d better be on good terms with a cure disease spell. Even bloods who're normally immune to diseases, like paladins, contract all sorts of fevers and illnesses here.

The Powerful and Mighty

Most folks figure that nothing or no one of any importance lives in the paraplane of Ooze. That’s simply not the case. True, there aren’t nearly as many such creatures as might be found in the other Inner Planes, but there are still a few bashers a body ought to know about.

BWIMB II

This revolting creature is the closest thing a berk’ll find to a Paraelemental Princess of Ooze. While Bwimb II is, in fact, an archomental in the loosest sense of the word, she is among the weakest of that group. She inherited the posi- tion from her father, who was recently slain. Some folks say that Bwimb II was formed from the remains of her father's sludgelike corpse, but this seems more like morbid gossip than fact.

While the true paraelementals of Ooze obey her, most of the other beings that dwell in the endless slime have no interest in Bwimb II at all. Chant is that she’s looked beyond the borders of her realm for allies, recognizing that she’ll never be anything more than a minor archomental at best. Now, a body might think that an undulating mass of splotchy, violet sludge would have difficulty in finding friends. Bwimb II has proven herself to be very resourceful, however, and it appears that she’s come to an understand- ing with the tanar’ri lord Juiblex. Although the exact nature of their relationship and shared goals remains as dark as can be, it doesn’t take a graybeard to realize that it can’t be pleasant.

THE WARLOCK OF 00ZE.

Word around Sigil is that this berk (Pr/d human/Ele[Ooze]14/N) is the living definition of barmy. He's said to have been a wizard of only moderate importance on the prime-material world of Krynn. That realm was the site of a great battle known locally as the Chaos War. The Warlock, whose name even he doesn’t remember, tried to play a part in the conflict, but instead he somehow wound up infused with the essence of chaos. While this made his magic far more powerful than it had been before, it also left his brain a few components shy of a spell.

The berk was catapulted to the paraplane of Ooze and has lived here ever since. He’s used his magic to survive, and he's grown into a unique kind of specialist wizard, having whipped up such spells as wall of mould, gelatinous servant, and flesh to slime. More than one spellslinger’s journeyed into the muck in search of the Warlock, hoping to learn a few new tricks to confound (or at least disgust) her enemies.

Creatures & Denizens

There aren’t too many creatures living in the Paraelemental Plane of Ooze. And, really, that’s not surprising. After all, who'd want to call kip in a giant pool of slime? Well, believe it or not, a few things’d like nothing better than to live out their days in an endless swamp of sludge and waste.

PARAELEMENFALS

Ooze mephits are the most plentiful race in the paraplane. They don’t build cities or strongholds, but instead live in nomadic packs. These creatures make up such a large percentage of the population that most folks believe there’s no one else here at all. The mephits can’t stand the ooze sprites (as described below}, but they’re generally forced to do as those crea- tures command. Ooze mephits are often as pathetic as they are dis- gusting, and a common joke told about them says that they beg for jink so they can pay spellslingers to polymorph them into something— anything—else.

As revolting as the mephits are, however, they can’t hold a candle to true ooze paraele- mentals. These stomach-turning beasts are walking masses of slime, foul-tempered and quick to attack just about anyone they see. Chant is they do this because they disgust even themselves and can’t stand the idea of being seen by others.

ANIMALS

Think of the most disgusting animal known to the multi- verse, and odds are, it'll be found here. Leeches, bloated maggots (that never seem to grow into flies), electric eels, jellyfish—if it’s slimy, foul-smelling, or thick with disease, it probably lives in the paraplane of Ooze.

In addition to these organic creatures, the paraplane has a healthy (or unhealthy) number of animentals as well. These beasts are no more pleasant than the other natives of Ooze. Unfortunately, some of “em seem to think they're cute and cuddly, which makes it even worse. There are few things as revolting as having an ooze cat hop into a sod’s lap or a slime dog lick her face.

MONSTERS

Every form of deadly pudding, carnivorous jelly, or killer slime can be found (often in large numbers) in the para- plane. Fact is, these monsters seem to be greatly empow- ered here. Not only do they have maximum hit points, but their Intelligence is increased by one step. Thus, gray or crystal oozes, stun jelly, and olive slimes are semi-intelli- gent here. While this might not seem especially important, it becomes more worrisome when a body considers that mustard jelly and slithering trackers are considered to be very intelligent.

Otyughs and neo-otyughs, if they’re lucky, find their way here as well. Although not true natives, these creatures sometimes hear about the paraplane of Ooze and assume that the speaker's talking about paradise. They use whatever means possible to try to reach the place, and once they arrive, they fiercely defend their new home as they wallow in the infinite filth.

OTHER RACES

Ooze sprites, misnamed creatures if ever there were any (the name may have originated as a joke—the Editor}, lead solitary existences and hate almost everything they find. Fact is, they usually assume that whatever they meet isn’t intelligent. They see nothing wrong with forcing the mephits to do their bidding, as the sprites consider them- selves the only sentient race in the whole paraplane. Even if they were right, it’s doubtful that anyone’d want to trade places with them

At any given time, a visitor to Ooze'll encounter only a handful of nonnatives. For the most part, these folks are here against their will. In some corners, the paraplane of Ooze is known as the “House of Chambered Madness.” Want to know why? Just pike off a powerful wizard, berk. The really unpleasant bloods exile their foes to Ooze, leav- ing them entombed here until the weight of the muck drives ‘em barmy.

Hazards & Phenomena

Repugnant as the thought may be, it’s possible for a sod to survive in the paraplane of Ooze. In fact, it’s actually one of the more hospitable parts of the Inner Planes.

BREATHING

Even though it’s a good deal thicker, the goo that makes up the paraplane of Ooze is a lot like water. In fact, it’s enough like water that magical items designed to let a cutter breathe while submerged work fine. Thus, a body can make reliable use of a ring of water breathing. Spells, however, must be slightly modified to account for the concentrated mass, as with an airy ooze spell.

Creatures who are naturally able to breathe water, like fish or merfolk, can't survive in the paraplane without some manner of magical aid. The primordial slime of Ooze is too thick to be processed by gills or similar organs.

VISION

Although the color of elemental Ooze varies, it's generally translucent. As such, a body can see a few feet even without the help of magic. In general, a planewalker can make out objects as far as 15 feet away—assuming that she has a light source, of course. Normal flames won't burn here, so torches and lanterns aren't any use. Magical or biochemical illumi- nation, on the other hand, works normally.

ELEMENTAL POCKETS

plane of Ooze than they are throughout the rest of the Inner Planes. It’s difficult to say. See, with so many types of muck and sludge pressing in on a sod from every side, who can say whether the revolting goo she’s just stepped in is a natural part of the paraplane or has been tracked here on the boots of an unexplained cosmic force?

Elemental pockets in Ooze tend to resemble those found in the plane of Earth (in regions where the muck is thicker) or the plane of Water (in spots where it’s thinner). The most common pockets in the paraplane are those that drift in from Earth and Water. Bub- bles of air tend to form hollow cysts in which a body a can seek shelter and find a breathable (if foul-smelling) atmosphere. Earth pockets provide solid matter upon which a trav- eler can firmly plant her feet, though many of them have been hollowed out or laced with traps.

OTHER DANGERS

A number of very dangerous things wait to smother a sod who comes to Ooze. Because of the nature of these hazards, a planewalker seldom even sees them before she walks right into them. In game terms, any of the following hazards can be assumed to be 90% invisible to a casual traveler, or 50% invisible if a cutter’s watching out for them.

ACID.

Once the size is determined, the DM can use the fol- lowing chart to find the strength of the pool's acid.

A berk who moves into the area of an acid pool must make an immediate saving throw vs. breath weapon. This roll is adjusted as indicated on the chart, so a victim who stum- bles into concentrated acid makes the save with a -2 penalty. Anyone who fails her save suffers the damage shown on the chart; a successful saving throw cuts the damage in half. A new saving throw is required at the start of each round spent in the acid pool. (Bloods who are immune to acid are unaf- ected and don’t need to make a roll.)

Objects exposed to the acid must make a saving throw as well. Failure indicates that they’ve been utterly consumed y the fluid. The acid formed on the paraplane is so caustic that it can eat through glass and other such materiais. A cutter who manages to collect some of this powerful acid usually through magical means) finds that it’s very valuable in other parts of the multiverse.

DISEASE.

When a sod enters an infectious zone, she’s instantly affected as if by a cause disease spell, and she must make an immediate Constitution check. If the roll is successful, she develops a disease that is merely debilitating. If she fails the roll, she contracts a deadly illness.

Polson.

The DM should first determine the size of a toxic region by rolling on the table for elemental pockets and then halv- ing the result. Then he can use the following chart to deter- mine the type of poison encountered (the entries are drawn from the DUNGEON MASTER Guide).

Class K, L, M, and N poisons act on contact. The others on the table must be ingested (which includes inhaling them while using ooze breathing and similar spells).

When an explorer moves into one of these areas, she must make a saving throw vs. poison. This roll is adjusted as shown on the table for determining acid strength (above). A sod who fails her save suf- fers the damage indi- cated before the slash in the “Strength” column. A successful saving throw results in the damage shown after the slash. Cutters who're immune to poisons are unaffected.

Unfortunately, about 25% of all toxic areas in the paraplane are also acidic, which means that they have the effects described in that section as well.

Mysterious Sites & Treasures

There are no major structures in the Paraelemental Plane of Ooze. Here and there, a clan of ooze sprites, paraelementals, or mephits have set up some kind of fortification, but these are seldom of any great importance.

THE CYSTS

Scattered throughout the paraplane are pockets of con- gealed, coagulated matter. They form when a sod gets trapped here with a sink spell. The victims stuck in the cysts are perfectly preserved, just like the living fossils in the Ele- mental Plane of Earth.

Although it’s impossible to tell what type of creature is trapped within a particular cyst, the size of the cyst can provide a Clue. After all, a cutter’s not likely to find a kobold buried in a cyst 60 feet across or a giant sealed inside a 5-foot sphere.

From time to time, a cyst ruptures, freeing its prisoner. In most cases, the poor creature quickly drowns on the filth in which it’s embedded. Those who are able to survive in the muck, however, generally set about tracking down the blood responsible for their incarceration.

It’s also possible for a careless planewalker to acciden- tally rupture a cyst. ‘Course, since the creature within is likely to come forth in a very bad mood, it’s not an action to be taken lightly. A body can get herself lost before she convinces the newly liberated prisoner whose side she’s on.

GNOME’S HOME

Speaking of unfortunates, a few years back a bevy of gnomish miners toiling in the quasiplane-of Mineral broke through a cavern wall. They were hoping to make their way toward a rich new vein, but they ended up pushing them- selves right into the paraplane of Ooze, specifically into the Slag Marshes. The sods have never tumbled to how this hap- pened, exactly, but they realiy regret that it did.

Resourceful in the extreme, the gnomes took what they had—tools, rope, ore carts, mine shaft supports, and the like— and made a gigantic raft. It looks terrible, but it functions well as a place to live. Once they realized that they couldn't get back to the quasiplane of Mineral, they learned to hunt worms, eels, rays, and other creatures for food. They made allies with the ooze paraelementals and mephits when they could and fought them off when they couldn't. In short, they survived.

Chant has it that these hardy bloods hold more than one secret about the paraplane of Ooze. (In fact, the gnomes contributed to this chapter by adding to Ervo’s original text.—the Editor) The misplaced sods have adapted fully to their new environment, and they've taken to calling Ooze their new home. Their raft has grown considerably over the years, and it now stretches out to a radius of at least 500 feet, providing shelter (of a sort) to forty gnomes, some of whom were born in the paraplane. The group’s current leader is Hundais Jeweleye (P1/2 gnome/F9/LN).

THE TRASH HEAP

Sigil produces a lot of waste material. All of its garbage, sewage, and refuse needs to go somewhere. So take three guesses where—and the first two don’t count. That’s right: The paraplane of Ooze gets all the waste of the City of Doors. It ain't fair, but then, what is?

Stretching out for unbelievable miles, the trash heap grows each day, with more and more of the Cage’s junk flowing in from a portal in the city’s sewers. Decaying food, discarded materials, broken tools and weapons, and a great deal of organic waste products pass into the paraplane under the guidance of the Lady of Pain’s dabus, Very, very rarely, these bloods briefly step through into Ooze as well, in order to maintain the portal or unclog a jam in the flow.

The surrounding area's sometimes called the Sargasso Sludge, wherein trapped bits of all sorts of debris float in the muck. Sometimes, these pieces of flotsam take on the appear- ance of ships trapped in a Sargasso Sea—hence the name.

Don’t think for a moment that the trash heap’s uninhab- ited. Some of the unwanted refuse that Sigil throws away is the living, breathing kind. Generally, these sods are unsavory, to say the least—how bad does a berk have to be to get tossed out of Sigil? Most of them end up in the dead-book right quick, drowning in the ooze. Some don’t have to breathe, though, or manage to find air pockets among the junk, often wearing and wielding whatever they find as clothing and equipment. A cutter’s got to say one thing for these bashers—they’re usually quite resourceful with what they find and what they do with it.