Special Conversion Thread: Microscopic Monsters

[freyar]

Yes. Can we get away with calling them "fungus" or "fungoid" since they're oozes and not plants? I guess I would just say

Slime molds are single-celled fungi that spend most of their life-cycle as amoeba-like scavengers, which may appear in swarms. As food becomes scarce, the amoeboid slime molds gather and conglomerate into a single large slug, which is strong enough to find more sources of nourishment. Eventually, the slug forms a sporocarp, a rigid structure full of spores that can populate a new colony when conditions are favorable.

Or something like that, you know.

 

[Cleon]

Yes. Can we get away with calling them "fungus" or "fungoid" since they're oozes and not plants? I guess I would just say

Slime molds are single-celled fungi that spend most of their life-cycle as amoeba-like scavengers, which may appear in swarms. As food becomes scarce, the amoeboid slime molds gather and conglomerate into a single large slug, which is strong enough to find more sources of nourishment. Eventually, the slug forms a sporocarp, a rigid structure full of spores that can populate a new colony when conditions are favorable.

Or something like that, you know.

Slime Molds are a member of the Amoeba group, the Amoebozoa. They aren't fungi. Indeed, the Fungal Kingdom is more closely related to the Animal Kingdom than it is to the Amoebozoa.

How about...

Slime molds are a kind of amoeba with a complicated lifecycle. Each organism is a single-celled blob of protoplasm hereafter called an "amoeboid slime mold". These amoeboids seek out organic material to digest and reproduce by splitting in two. Slime mold can grow very quickly, a single amoeboid will become an amoeboid slime mold swarm within a few days, assuming there is enough food. Once the slime molds start to exhaust their food supply, the swarm (or swarms) conglomerate into a single mass called a "slug", which is hardy enough to seek out more sources of nourishment. Eventually, the slug forms itself into a "sporocarp", a rigid structure full of spores that resembles a dried-out mushroom. When conditions are favorable, the sporocarp releases its spores, a single one of which can populate an entire new colony.

 

[freyar]

Interesting, didn't realize about that taxonomic change... Neat.

Anyway, that looks pretty good there. Are these done once that flavor's plugged in?

 

[Cleon]

Interesting, didn't realize about that taxonomic change... Neat.

Anyway, that looks pretty good there. Are these done once that flavor's plugged in?

Updating Working Draft.

It's missing a description and we could add some sizes and weights.

 

[freyar]

10-15 lb for the Tiny amoeboid ones and something of the order 500-1000 lb for the Large slugs?

 

[Cleon]

10-15 lb for the Tiny amoeboid ones and something of the order 500-1000 lb for the Large slugs?

That's too light going by the weight of the SRD Large Oozes (15,000 lbs for Gelatinous Cube, 5,600 lbs for Ochre Jelly). The Ochre Jelly seems the best match, suggesting the Slug should weigh around 5000-6000 pounds.

The Slug is a condensed Swarm, and according to the SRD Tiny nonflying Swarms contain 300 individuals. If it weighs 6000 lbs each amoeboid would weigh about 20 pounds.

Alternatively, a Large creature normally weighs about 512 times as much as a Large creature going by the standard size rules. If we make the amoeboid weigh 10-15 pounds then the Slug should weigh about 5000-7500 pounds ,or 3000-4500 if we use the standard "300 creatures per swarm rule".

So, like this:

Amoeboid slime molds normally spread their amorphous bodies to a diameter of about 2 feet with a thickness less than an inch, but can compress themselves into a clump up to 3 inches thick. A typical specimen weighs 10 to 15 pounds.

A slime mold slug is usually about 20 feet long, 5 to 10 feet wide and 1 or 2 feet thick. It can spread its slimy gestalt body into a 20 diameter disc up to a foot thick, or condense into a lump 10 feet across and up to 4 feet tall. A typical specimen weighs 5000 to 7500 pounds.

 

[freyar]

That will work for me.

 

[Cleon]

That will work for me.

Updating Working Draft.

 

[freyar]

Anyone have a description?

"A large blob of amorphous slime." Will that work?

 

[Cleon]

Anyone have a description?

"A large blob of amorphous slime." Will that work?

A brightly colored blob of slime?

Slime mold is often strikingly coloured. I'd better add a "Many slime molds are strikingly colored in yellow, white, or orange-brown. They may be a single uniform color, or a patchwork mass of different colors or shades."