Building an encounter with a gelatinous cube (don't laugh!)

[RichGreen]

Hi,

I want to build an encounter suitable for 1st or 2nd level characters with a gelantinous cube in it. I know it's a silly monster but it's iconic in its own way and I have one of those cool clear plastic minis!

The gelantinous cube is a Level 5 Elite Brute worth 400 xp. What monsters (if any) would you suggest adding into the encounter? The groups suggestions in the MM are often bonkers but there's no suggestion for the poor old cube!

The encounter will take place in ancient tunnels beneath the city of Parsantium so most dungeon monsters will be OK.

Cheers


Richard

 

[davethegame]

It's not silly at all! The Cube is one of our favorite monsters (it probably gets mentioned once a session.)

My second 4e adventure featured a fight against a Cube at the bottom of the well. I had 7 first level characters, so I added 4 decrepit skeletons and 1 (non-minion) skeleton... those were the remains of former victims of the cube, which had become animated.

The two scouts down the wall totally blew their perception checks to detect the cube, and were engulfed right away (but got to scream out and alert the other party members, who had to decide whether they wanted to take their time to climb down the rope but lose a round, or rush to save their friends by leaping down.

It was a great fight, but be warned: the Cube is a dangerous opponent for a first level party. I fudged the rules a bit (and got a few rules wrong), but it very easily could have been a TPK. The ongoing 10 damage plus status effects is very deadly to a first level party. I recommend adding other creatures to fight (like you want) but down-leveling the cube.

Hope that helps!

 

[blargney the second]

Just add a gnome.

[DESSERT]

 

[Asmor]

I'd throw in some monsters with push/slide abilities to toss PCs into the cube.

I don't think it's technically allowed by the RAW, but it does say that until the cube is noticed someone might stumble into it, so I'd rule that someone could be pushed into it as well.

 

[El Mahdi]

Just add a gnome.

[DESSERT]

Who's my minion? . . . You are!

 

[jadrax]

The gelantinous cube is a Level 5 Elite Brute worth 400 xp. What monsters (if any) would you suggest adding into the encounter? The groups suggestions in the MM are often bonkers but there's no suggestion for the poor old cube!

The encounter will take place in ancient tunnels beneath the city of Parsantium so most dungeon monsters will be OK.

Given its iconic shape, something that would appeal to me is fighting it on some sort of ledge or bridge, meaning to get flanking or everyone engaged you get around it. Maybe by swimming through the water around it or perhaps swinging on ancient rusted chains that are hanging around.

 

[Terwox]

You could adjust it down to a lower level monster fairly quickly as well. Solos are supposedly odd with extra monsters added...

 

[fba827]

Just add a gnome.

[DESSERT]

I am presuming that you're talking about this ....

[ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_q3s4_Ku5rw[/ame]




Edit:

Joke aside, let me actually add something that will address the OP's question.

I often feel odd putting anything with a gelatinous cube. As such, I make the terrain the interesting feature...
perhaps a pit or pit trap. Perhaps lots and lots of difficult terrain around it (perhaps all three? )

Otherwise, for a monster, you'll have to put something that could reasonably coexist near the cube (at least for 5 minutes before the PCs got there)... Stirges ? They can fly out of the cube's way, and possibly (unintentionally as neither is smart enough to formalize it) cohabitate for a while if the stirges drain the fluids of creatures and the cube eats the remaining flesh.

 

[spiralcat]

How about putting it in an enclosed space. These things are designed to fill up corridors and small rooms. No need for extra monsters.