What is a Kobold Ooze Talker?

[Goonalan]

Is it some sort of bastard offspring of the Kobold Vermin Handler and the Kobold Rat Master?

Perhaps?

Or like Rort in HS1 the Goblin Tomeripper who summons Oozes as a Minor 1/Round?

Cheers

 

[DracoSuave]

He throws gobs of acid at people, what sort of flavor text do you need for three different ways to do that one thing?

'He stabs you between throwing gobs of acid.'
'He throws gobs of acid.'
'He throws a bigger gob of acid.'

 

[Tony Vargas]

I prefer a fiction-rich game, where the game terms mean something in the fiction. But it's not clear what the author had in mind for this monster, apart from it's role in tactical combat, and I'd like to have something more before running it tonight. Thanks again for your help folks!

Yeah, that's a limitation of modules. The writer never knows how much detail to go into, and what is obvious to him and to some readers is obscure to others. One of several reasons I don't much care for modules, but, hey, it's organized play and you're stuck with it.

My take on the 'fiction' to add below the cut:
[sblock] The "Ooze Talker" has three attacks: "Caustic Dagger" is her melee basic, which is pretty self-explanatory[/quote]This is clearly a dagger coated with with substance from an ooze - acidic secretions or actual living protoplasm. I think living protoplasm is creepier, and it would explain why the blade isn't 'caustic' for just one hit, like a poisoned weapon. It's probably pretty nasty looking, with pulsing goo flowing un-naturally along the pitted blade, maybe.

"Ooze Orb (acid)" is her ranged basic. There's no description of what "Ooze Orb" does, it just says "Attack: Ranged 15 (one creature); +7 vs Fortitude; Hit: 2d6+4 damage".

That is a description of what it does. It's an orb. Made of Ooze, that's acidic, and can be used on creatures some distance away. It's effect is immediate, not ongoing.

So, it's a glob of ooze protoplasm or secretion that the Ooze Talker either magically conjures or has collected into a blob and throws at you - given the range, I'd go with the former, I think. It hits, splashing the target with acid that inflicts a nasty burn, but it's not living ooze - if it were, it'd presumably stick to to the target and try to eat it, doing ongoing acid damage.

There are three "Squelching Oozes" in the encounter too. The "Ooze Whisper" encounter power is likewise unexplained. It just says "Attack: Area burst 1 within 10 (enemies in the burst); +7 vs. Reflex. Hit: Ongoing 5 acid damage (save ends). Effect: One ally in the burst can make a basic attack as a free action."

Sounds like it's an order to his ooze allies to attack - maybe the squelching oozes in the area spew acidic secretions or just lash out with psuedopods in all directions or parthenogenically throw out tiny oozes that attach to targets in the area and start digesting them. Or, maybe he conjures acidic ooze protoplasm in the area, which attaches to enemies for the ongoing acid damage, but merges with an allied ooze, energizing it to redouble it's attacks?
[/sblock]

It occurs to me that my Encounters table went through this combat a few weeks back. I remember it being a fairly entertaining one, but it would have been better if it had been more obvious what the Kobold was up to. We figured out he was acid-throwing artillery, but the Ooze connection escaped us, I think.

 

[TarionzCousin]

But where does this kobold get the different types of ooze that he throws? From his own body!

"He squeezes his shoulder and a big glob of sickly green pus forms. He grabs it and hurls it at you."

"His face contorts and his cheeks bulge as he seems to be creating something in his mouth. He spits a horrible spray of foul ichor all over you."

... and imagine the terror the players will know when you say "He crouches down and reaches around toward his butt...."

 

[fanboy2000]

He throws gobs of acid at people, what sort of flavor text do you need for three different ways to do that one thing?

What kind of flavor text do you want?

Example 1: The little reptile hurls a chestnut size ball of sticky, gooey acid at the fighter.

Example 2: As if that weren't enough, he tries a put a dagger in kidney.

Example 3: Ok, that's it. Now the little ______ has had enough. He shouts a phrase in no known language, creating a large beach ball sized thing of acid! He uses all his might and strength to launch it at you, grunting as he does so!

 

[Unwise]

If it were me, I would play him as a type of leader/shaman, but for oozes. He is a shaman of that god that is the patron of abominations and the lord of all the oozes (who's name I forget). I would surround him with a few kobold cultist minions and a bunch of oozes of various sorts that he has summoned to do his (and his masters will).

His AE spell is him calling upon the blessing of his hideous patron and the veil between realms decays and the area is filled with horrid ooze. His thrown attack is either one of his many pet oozes that he simply throws at the party, or he reaches his hand into his masters realm and rips out a chunck of ooze and hurls it.

 

[gaptooth]

Thank you all for your guidance and support! I don't know what the author had in mind, but your variations were very useful in play. Too bad I didn't see the comment about using puss from her own body before sitting down to play, that's gold. I wound up depicting her with a huge masonry jar filled with pulsing globs of ooze which she spoke to softly, calling them her pretties, before hurling them at the delvers. Oddly, she didn't get a single hit from her basic ranged attack.

I described her corner of the cave as having phosphorescent veins of ooze branching and throbbing on the rocks, which played into her area attack. The description gave some of the players a sense of foreboding, and one talked about retreating before any of the enemies actually appeared.

Thanks again!