Slinking their way through cold swamps and bleary marshlands, or sometimes even dungeons and caverns, gray oozes consume any organic materials they encounter. Despite its lack of intelligence, the gray ooze is a most problematic creature due to its transparency. While the ooze cannot easily climb walls or swim, its habit of lurking in the thick mud that lines the banks of marsh pools or lying in harmless-looking pools on dull-colored dungeon floors makes it dangerously easy to overlook and step on.
Some sages believe that the gray ooze is the result of a failed alchemical experiment, while others postulate that the first gray oozes spontaneously arose from a cesspit of magical detritus. Of course, these theories that gray oozes are not living organisms, but rather the alchemical result of an unfortunate mixture of rare caustic fluids and magical waste, are derided by many who dwell in areas plagued by the creatures but which do not have a long history of magical pollution.
The gray ooze adapts readily and swiftly to changes in environments, the simple structure of its primeval form and its method of using fission to reproduce all but ensuring that such changes occur. Listed below are two such variants that adventurers have encountered.
Acid — The digestive acid that covers a gray ooze dissolves metals and organic material, but not stone. Each slam and constrict attack deals 1d6 additional acid damage. Armor or clothing worn by a creature grappled by a gray ooze takes the same amount of acid damage unless the wearer succeeds on a DC 20 Reflex saving throw. A wooden or metal weapon that strikes a gray ooze takes 1d6 acid damage unless the weapon's wielder succeeds on a DC 20 Reflex save. The ooze's touch deals 12 points of acid damage per round to wooden or metal objects, but the ooze must remain in contact with the material for 1 full round in order to deal this damage. The save DCs are Constitution-based.
constrict (1d6+1 plus 1d6 acid)
Transparent — Due to its lack of vivid coloration, a gray ooze is difficult to discern from its surroundings in most environments. A DC 15 Perception check is required to notice the gray ooze. Any creature that fails to notice a gray ooze and walks into it automatically suffers damage as if struck by the ooze's slam attack and is immediately subject to a grab attempt by the ooze.
Grab
(slam)
Ex
from Universal Monster Rule
If a creature with this special attack hits with the indicated attack (usually a claw or bite attack), it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. The creature has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply to use the part of its body it used in the grab to hold the opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it takes a –20 penalty on its combat maneuver check to make and maintain the grapple, but does not gain the grappled condition itself. A successful hold does not deal any extra damage unless the creature also has the constrict special attack. If the creature does not constrict, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals the damage indicated for the attack that established the hold. Otherwise, it deals constriction damage as well (the amount is given in the creature's descriptive text). Creatures with grab receive a +4 bonus on combat maneuver checks made to start and maintain a grapple. Unless otherwise noted, grab works only against opponents no larger than the same size category as the creature. If the creature can use grab on sizes other than the default, this is noted in the creature's Special Attacks line.
Constrict
(1d6+1 plus 1d6 acid)
Ex
from Universal Monster Rule
A creature with this special attack can crush an opponent, dealing bludgeoning damage, when it makes a successful grapple check (in addition to any other effects caused by a successful check, including additional damage). The amount of damage is given in the creature's entry and is typically equal to the amount of damage caused by the creature's melee attack.
Acid
from text
The digestive acid that covers a gray ooze dissolves metals and organic material, but not stone. Each slam and constrict attack deals 1d6 additional acid damage. Armor or clothing worn by a creature grappled by a gray ooze takes the same amount of acid damage unless the wearer succeeds on a DC 20 Reflex saving throw. A wooden or metal weapon that strikes a gray ooze takes 1d6 acid damage unless the weapon's wielder succeeds on a DC 20 Reflex save. The ooze's touch deals 12 points of acid damage per round to wooden or metal objects, but the ooze must remain in contact with the material for 1 full round in order to deal this damage. The save DCs are Constitution-based.
Transparent
from text
Due to its lack of vivid coloration, a gray ooze is difficult to discern from its surroundings in most environments. A DC 15 Perception check is required to notice the gray ooze. Any creature that fails to notice a gray ooze and walks into it automatically suffers damage as if struck by the ooze's slam attack and is immediately subject to a grab attempt by the ooze.