Globster Ooze — The Rotting Tide
At a Glance
| Creature | Globster — a living mound of rotten sea-flesh |
|---|---|
| Nature | Mindless, unaligned predator; mistaken for a dead whale or squid |
| Size | Large, filling a ten-foot stretch of wet shore |
| Habitat | Beaches, shoals, coastal caves and sea-washed wrecks |
| Warning signs | Rotting blubber without birds feeding on it, a foul smell carried inland |
| Greatest danger | Bludgeoning mass, paralysing nausea, stench and the birth of another globster |
| Company | Solitary, pair, or entire beaching of three to eight |
The dead whale has climbed the rocks. The fishermen thought it had washed ashore at dawn. Now its pale blubber drags itself towards their boats, every swollen fold opening into a tooth-ringed mouth. The youngest deckhand drops to his knees retching. From inside the thing comes a second heartbeat.
A globster is a heap of partially digested whale blubber, squid tentacles and sea-worn bones bound into one living predator. It can lie still for days among wreckage, indistinguishable from carrion until someone cuts into it or steps close enough to smell its terrible breath. A scavenger who survives the first blow must still endure the sickness and the crushing grip of its flesh.
Behavior
Deceptively inert at first, a globster ooze lies motionless for hours—sometimes days—feigning death to lure in scavengers or curious humanoids. When provoked or hungry, it lurches into motion, flinging itself at prey with surprising speed. It attacks with its weight, acid-laced slam attacks, and nauseating emissions, often coating the battlefield with its own ooze, which continues to digest and dissolve anything it touches.
It has no mind, but reacts with a predatory instinct, prioritizing movement and feeding above all else. When severely bloated, it may expel a portion of its mass—a fully formed spawn that attacks immediately.
Habitat
Globster oozes are found along desolate coastlines, reef-littered beaches, or drowned caves. They often wash ashore during high tides or storm surges, blending in with real carcasses and debris. While primarily aquatic, they can survive on land for several hours, slowly drying out unless rehydrated by seawater.
The ideal breeding ground is a coastline rich in marine carrion and unwary coastal villagers. During certain moon phases, multiple globsters may emerge in sync, creating the illusion of a plague of living corpses rising from the sea.
Modus Operandi
- Lure: Lies dormant among beach wreckage, exuding stench to attract or confuse.
- Ambush: Springs to life with a grapple or slam, attempting to nauseate or pin prey.
- Consume: Absorbs victims alive into its mass, slowly digesting them within.
- Replicate: Once sated, regurgitates partially digested biomass fused with its flesh, creating a new globster ooze to continue the cycle.
Globster oozes don’t pursue prey far from the shoreline unless flooded terrain allows it. Their instinct is to consume, replicate, and return to the sea.
Motivation
Globster oozes are not intelligent in the conventional sense. Their “motivation” is a biological imperative to feed and multiply, driven by a viral or parasitic force that reanimates dead sea matter. Some coastal sages claim globsters are the spawn of primordial ocean gods, a punishment for overfishing or coastal desecration. Others whisper of plague cults that seed beaches with tainted remains to birth globsters deliberately.
Game Statistics
Globster Ooze
Large Ooze, Unaligned
AC 13 (natural armor); Initiative −3 (7); HP 112 (15d10 + 30); Speed 20 ft., Swim 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 5 (−3) | 15 (+2) | 1 (−5) | 6 (−2) | 3 (−4) |
Saving Throws Con +5
Resistances Cold, Lightning
Immunities Acid, Bludgeoning, Piercing; Charmed, Deafened, Exhaustion, Frightened, Prone
Senses Blindsight 60 ft., Passive Perception 8; Languages None
CR 6 (2,300 XP; PB +3) — original conversion
Traits
Amorphous. The globster squeezes through gaps as narrow as 1 inch without additional movement.
Putrid Stench. Each creature other than an ooze that starts its turn within 10 feet of the globster must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or have the Poisoned condition until the start of its next turn. A creature that succeeds is immune to that globster’s stench for 24 hours.
False Carcass. While motionless among wreckage or dead sea creatures, the globster is indistinguishable from a stranded carcass until a creature succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check.
Water-Dependent. Its Speed is halved after a full hour out of water, returning to normal after it spends a minute submerged.
Actions
Multiattack. Two Putrid Slam attacks.
Putrid Slam. Melee Attack Roll: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) Bludgeoning damage and 7 (2d6) Acid damage. A creature hit must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be Poisoned until the end of its next turn.
Engulf (Recharge 5–6). The globster moves up to its Speed through the spaces of Medium or smaller creatures. Each target makes a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure it is engulfed, Blinded and Restrained, and carried inside the globster. It takes 14 (4d6) Acid damage at the start of each globster turn. It can escape to a free adjacent square by using an action to succeed on a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check.
Regurgitate Spawn (1/Day). If the globster has eaten at least four Medium or equivalent creatures, it takes 3 (1d6) damage and creates a second full-grown globster in an adjacent free space. The new creature has 25 HP, otherwise uses these statistics, and acts immediately after the parent.
Globster Ooze
Large ooze, unaligned
Armor Class 13 (natural armor); Hit Points 105 (14d10 + 28); Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 5 (−3) | 15 (+2) | 1 (−5) | 6 (−2) | 3 (−4) |
Saving Throws Con +5; Damage Resistances cold, lightning; Damage Immunities acid, bludgeoning, piercing
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 8; Languages —; Challenge 6 (2,300 XP) — original conversion
Traits
Amorphous Mass. The globster can move through a gap as little as an inch wide without squeezing.
Putrid Stench. A creature beginning its turn within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned until the start of its next turn. A successful save provides immunity to this globster’s stench for 24 hours.
False Appearance. While motionless, it looks like an enormous mass of stranded carrion; a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals the truth.
Water Dependency. After an hour outside water, its movement speeds halve until it spends one minute immersed.
Actions
Multiattack. The globster makes two slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) bludgeoning plus 7 (2d6) acid damage. A creature struck must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned until the end of its next turn.
Vomit Sludge (Recharge 5–6). A 15-foot Cone of foul fluid. Creatures in the area must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, suffering 14 (4d6) acid damage and becoming poisoned until the end of their next turn on a failure, or half damage and no poisoning on a success.
Create Spawn (1/Day). After devouring four Medium or equivalent living creatures, the globster may regurgitate a new globster into an adjacent free space, suffering 3 (1d6) necrotic damage. The new creature has 25 hit points and otherwise uses this stat block, acting after the parent.
Globster — CR 5
XP 1,600; N Large ooze (aquatic); Init −5; Senses Perception −5; Aura stench (DC 18, 10 rounds)
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 4, flat-footed 16 (−5 Dex, +12 natural, −1 size); hp 57 (6d8 + 30)
Fort +7, Ref −3, Will −3
Immune acid, bludgeoning, piercing, ooze traits; Resist cold 10, electricity 10
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft.; Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Melee slam +9 (2d6 + 9 plus grab and nausea)
Special Attacks create spawn, constrict (2d6 + 9)
STATISTICS
Str 22, Dex 1, Con 20, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
Base Atk +4; CMB +11 (+15 grapple); CMD 16 (can’t be tripped); Skills Swim +14; SQ decompose, water dependency; Feats —
ECOLOGY
Environment ocean or coast; Organization solitary, pair, or beaching (3–8); Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Stench (Ex). A living creature close to the globster must save against its stench (Fortitude DC 18) or become sickened for 10 rounds. Creatures immune to poison are unaffected.
Nausea (Ex). A creature struck must succeed on a DC 18 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. A success grants immunity to that globster’s nausea for 24 hours. This is a poison effect.
Create Spawn (Ex). If it has eaten at least four Medium-sized creatures, or equivalent biomass, the globster may spend a full-round action and take 1d6 damage to disgorge a new fully grown globster. The offspring immediately attacks the nearest non-globster target. It may create spawn once per day.
Constrict (Ex). A successful grapple check deals 2d6 + 9 bludgeoning damage.
Decompose (Ex). Its corpse liquefies in 24 hours, but the stench persists for 1d10 days.
Water Dependency (Ex). With Constitution 20, the globster can survive out of water for 20 minutes. After that it risks suffocation as though drowning, until it returns to water.
Swim. The globster has a +8 racial bonus on Swim checks and can take 10 while threatened or distracted.
Globster Ooze — CR 5
N Large Ooze (Aquatic); original D&D 3.5e conversion
Hit Dice 6d10+30 (63 hp); Initiative −5; Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft.
Armor Class 16 (−1 size, −5 Dex, +12 natural), touch 4, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple +4/+14; Attack slam +9 melee (2d6+9 bludgeoning plus nausea); Full Attack slam +9 melee (2d6+9 plus nausea)
Space/Reach 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks create spawn, constrict (2d6+9), nausea, stench
Special Qualities blindsight 60 ft., ooze traits, decompose, water dependency, immune acid, bludgeoning and piercing damage, cold resistance 10, electricity resistance 10
Abilities Str 22, Dex 1, Con 20, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1; Saves Fort +7, Ref −3, Will −3
Skills Swim +14; Feats — (mindless); Environment oceans and coasts; Organization solitary, pair or beaching (3–8); Treasure none; Alignment always neutral
COMBAT
Stench (Ex). Creatures within 10 feet make a DC 18 Fortitude save or are sickened for 10 rounds. This is a poison effect.
Nausea (Ex). A successful slam forces a DC 18 Fortitude save or the victim is nauseated for 1 round. A creature that succeeds is immune to this globster’s nausea for 24 hours.
Improved Grab (Ex). The globster may start a grapple as a free action after a slam hits without provoking. Each successful grapple check inflicts 2d6+9 constrict damage.
Create Spawn (Ex). After devouring four Medium creatures or equivalent, the globster can take a full-round action and suffer 1d6 damage to create a fully grown globster in an adjacent space (once per day).
Decompose (Ex). The dead body dissolves into foul liquid after 24 hours; the stench remains for 1d10 days.
Water Dependency (Ex). It survives for 20 minutes out of water with Constitution 20; after that it risks suffocation until returned to water.
What Is Happening Right Now?
The Beach That Breathes
Fishermen come ashore to find what appears to be the remains of a dead whale. The harbour priest wants its bones for a relic, and a butcher offers silver for the blubber. When the first axe touches it, the carcass rises. Those who rush to drag away the wounded begin to retch before they can draw their weapons.
The Wreck’s Last Cargo
A merchant vessel wrecked on a rocky shoal carried sealed casks of salted fish. The boat now drifts stern-up, and a terrible odour reaches the coast long before the tide. A globster has fed on the drowned crew. Before dawn, it may disgorge a second of its kind and come ashore towards the village.
Sources and Related Creatures
Pathfinder 1e: Globster, from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3, © 2011 Paizo Publishing, LLC; authors Jesse Benner, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, James Jacobs, Michael Kenway, Rob McCreary, Patrick Renie, Chris Sims, F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter and Russ Taylor, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook and Skip Williams. The official errata corrected Strength 16 to 22. The 2024, 2014 and 3.5e panels are original adaptations, not official versions of the named creature.
Related: Giant Amoeba · Gelatinous Cube · Gray Ooze · Plasma Ooze · Ooze Bestiary.
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