Special Conversion Thread: Microscopic Monsters

[freyar]

Protiston does not usually interact with intruders in its domain, typically sending its macrobe servitors to investigate any disturbance. If they do not suffice, however, a clump of Protiston will soften opponents with spells, closing to melee and using overwhelming physical force once its enemies are weak.


That's not terribly good, but there's the germ of an idea there.

 

[Cleon]

Protiston does not usually interact with intruders in its domain, typically sending its macrobe servitors to investigate any disturbance. If they do not suffice, however, a clump of Protiston will soften opponents with spells, closing to melee and using overwhelming physical force once its enemies are weak.

That's not terribly good, but there's the germ of an idea there.

It looks a good start to me. I'd mention the devastating effectiveness of the Multispell & AutoQuicken combo though.

How's this?

Protiston does not usually interact with intruders in its domain, typically sending its macrobe servitors to investigate any disturbance. If they do not suffice, however, Protiston will attack with a devastating combination of physical force and spells. Protiston's triple Automatic Quicken Spell feats allow it to cast any of its spells as quickened spells, while its twin Multispell feats mean it can cast up to 4 quickened spells in a round while simultaneously making a full attack.

Protiston can use its self-division ability to to surround or outflank opponents. It always sequesters at least 1 small portion of its body in a safe place, so it can regrow if the rest of its body is destroyed.

 

[freyar]

Excellent.

Here's some descriptive text: A giant blob of slime.

That's only a little facetious.

 

[Cleon]

Excellent.

Updating Protiston's Working Draft.

Here's some descriptive text: A giant blob of slime.

That's only a little facetious.

Ridiculous! It could be using its self-division to become several giant blobs of slime!

 

[freyar]

But you probably only encounter one blob at once.

How about "A giant blob or two of slime"?

 

[Cleon]

But you probably only encounter one blob at once.

How about "A giant blob or two of slime"?

Or "A roiling sea of vile slime, it flows apart and blends together so chaotically it's impossible to tell if it's one creature or a hundred"?

 

[freyar]

That looks pretty good!

OK, ideas for background. It seems to have evolved naturally, developing emergent intelligence and magical ability. It can't understand sentience in other creatures. And it seems to be very fond of macrobes. Anything else we should add?

 

[Cleon]

That looks pretty good!

Updating Protiston's Working Draft.

OK, ideas for background. It seems to have evolved naturally, developing emergent intelligence and magical ability. It can't understand sentience in other creatures. And it seems to be very fond of macrobes. Anything else we should add?

Yes. It definitely needs the "innate disregard for all other forms of life" and "it wishes to “eat” the entire world or shape it to benefit itself" bits.

We should also mention the rumours of an association with the Demon Lord Juiblex. As written it would eat the CR20 Book of Vile Darkness Juiblex for breakfast, so maybe the Faceless Lord did have a hand in Protiston's formation or acquiring of magical power, but did not expect it to grow so powerful?

Of course, the current conversion is significantly more powerful than the original, and the BoVD Juiblex is considered a "minimum power" version by some 3E aficionados, so this Protiston could have been helped by a "Demigod" level (CR 30+?) Juiblex.

Anyhow, let's review:

Protiston (as it was named by the mage who discovered it) began as a simple collection of single-celled creatures in a large body of water, such as a sea or an ocean. At some some point in the distant past, Protiston became so large and complex that it acquired intelligence, and slowly thereafter gained magical skills. Being of such an alien intelligence, Protiston has no understanding at all of “normal” human thought, and regards everything around it as either a food source or “hostile environment” to be overcome and destroyed. No one knows for sure, but the chaotic evil alignment detected from Protiston may stem from either Protiston’s innate disregard for all other forms of life, or from some form of association with the demon prince Juiblex (which might explain how Protiston gained spellcasting abilities). Little else is known of this being’s origins or intent, save that it wishes to “eat” the entire world or shape it to benefit itself. Few beings are even aware that this creature exists — and few who have found it have lived to tell about it later.

Hmm, we seem to have everything covered.

I'd rather make its origins be a matter of rumour and speculation rather than a statement of fact like the author does above. The stuff about an ancient colony of ocean bacteria slowly developing intelligence and magic could be down to "the discovering mage talking out of his ear", or a matter of "deep study by the most erudite sages".

 

[freyar]

I think the BoVD demon lords are often considered as aspects or low-power avatars; the demon lords in the Savage Tide AP were much more powerful than CR 20, certainly.

But rumors of association with Juiblex is a good idea.

The wizard that discovered Prostiston was surprised to find that the island-sized slime mold was in fact an intelligent, spellcasting entity. Before Prostiton devoured him, his retainers --- fleeing rapidly --- heard him speculate that Protiston evolved slowly from ancient colonies of mold deep in the oceans, gradually developing intelligence and spellcasting ability. Other sages have speculated that Juiblex, the demon lord, had a hand (or pseudopod) in elevating Protiston to its current power.

But a few things are clear about Protiston: From all observations, it is completely incapable of recognizing sentience in other beings despite its own high intelligence. Protiston has no regard for other life, save its servitor macrobes, and views the entire world as its own to reshape or devour.

 

[Cleon]

The wizard that discovered Prostiston was surprised to find that the island-sized slime mold was in fact an intelligent, spellcasting entity. Before Prostiton devoured him, his retainers --- fleeing rapidly --- heard him speculate that Protiston evolved slowly from ancient colonies of mold deep in the oceans, gradually developing intelligence and spellcasting ability. Other sages have speculated that Juiblex, the demon lord, had a hand (or pseudopod) in elevating Protiston to its current power.

But a few things are clear about Protiston: From all observations, it is completely incapable of recognizing sentience in other beings despite its own high intelligence. Protiston has no regard for other life, save its servitor macrobes, and views the entire world as its own to reshape or devour.

Protiston's not really island sized, there's nothing about it eating its discoverer, and I doubt very much it has any regard for its servitor microbes - they're just part of the world it has reshaped to serve it.

Hmm...

Protiston is a vast slime mold of enormous age which has developed terrible spellcasting powers and a formidable, albeit highly alien, intelligence. The mage who discovered and named Protiston claims that it slowly evolved from a simple colony of mold floating in some ancient sea. Other sages speculate that the demon Juiblex, the Faceless Lord, had a hand (or pseudopod) in Protistion's elevation.

Protiston is unable to comprehend even the possibility that anything other than itself might possess sentience. Everything it encounters is either food to be devoured, or a hostile environmental phenomena to be destroyed or reshaped to Protiston's benefit. Protiston wishes to reshape the entire world to benefit itself. It has the ability to transform ordinary microbial life into giant "macrobes" under its control. It has no more regard for the lives of these macrobes than it does for the rest of existence — they are nothing more than tools to feed its hunger and guard its treasure.

Protiston can move on land but lives in water. It may be found in the sea or freshwater lakes, most often lairing in coral atolls or caverns along the shoreline. Whatever place Protiston chooses as its home is only temporary, the sapient slime mold always moves on sooner or later. Sometimes this is because Protiston's devoured everything in its habitat, or it may have finished "reshaping" an area to its tastes and moved on to other project, or perhaps the chaotic creature decides to relocate on a whim. In adverse conditions, Protiston can turn part or all of its body into a sporocarp and wait for better times. Even the smallest piece of Protiston is part of the whole, the slime mold can regrow to full power even all of its body is destroyed apart from a single amoeboid cell.

Protiston can reshape the slime of its body in any shape it desires, it can even split itself into many parts and rejoin together again. Most commonly, it takes the form of a small island of slime up to 80 feet across and 20 or 30 feet thick. Protiston typically weighs between 1200 and 2000 tons.