Amoeboid

Character race option

Comments from the Finger: Welcome back to the ‘Verse! For the next few months, we’ll be digging back through some of Dark Matter in preparation of a new print run with a revised edition of the book. Don’t expect anything too drastic: just smoothed-out edges, better cohesion with our other products, and a dose of future-proofing. As is our custom, we’ll dig into races and subclasses first, before biting off new spells, feats, magic items, and more! Stay tuned!

Check out Dark Matter

“Another failed experiment,” muttered Yr. The amoeboid’s nucleus flashed dark red with resigned frustration as a pair of automatons scraped viscera off the walls and ceiling of his medical bay. “The serum made no difference—those cows were just like the last batch,” grumbled Yr. He made his way to the next room, where a terrified human lay restrained on a table, yelling incoherently. Yr tapped the man on the shoulder with a blobby appendage, setting off a ripple of changes through the amoeboid’s body, settling into the vague shape of a human with an overlarge head and bulging eyes. “Sorry for the inconvenience,” Yr apologized in the man’s language. “I wish I could repay you for your livestock, but we have rules against that sort of thing. Now please stop squirming while I prepare a memory modification.”
— Yr, amoeboid scientist, assessing a Void experiment

Amoeboids are intelligent, vaguely humanoid-shaped oozes that can mimic the form of any creature they touch. These beings dwell on maw stations, experimenting at the cutting edge of science and parlaying with any creature they encounter.

Fluid Anatomy

Amoeboid bodies are composed of a translucent jelly-like substance with a complex network of nerves visible throughout, emitting a dim light. They range in color from blues and purples to bubblegum pink, with scintillating rainbows in between. Within an amoeboid’s head floats a large, brain-like nucleus surrounded by five radially-spaced eyespots—their unearthly equivalent of a face. An amoeboid can take a genetic imprint of a creature they touch, molding into an inexact copy, visible made of the same jelly material. When in this form, they can speak the language of their subject and move in much the same way, allowing them to empathize with virtually any creature. No one is sure exactly how the bizarre anatomy of the amoeboids originated, for they predate most other races in the ‘Verse. The elves believe that they must have evolved on a rogue world, flung into deep space by some catastrophic event, whereas the avia-ra maintain that they must be the result of long-term Void radiation. Perhaps the amoeboids were warped so intensely by the Void they were left as mere genetic sludge, lacking any true shape.

Mawkeepers

Amoeboids originate on the maw stations and most reside there, researching the stations’ ancient technology, repairing ships and Dark Matter engines, and meeting people from across the ‘Verse. By default, their position is that of galactic ambassadors, a role in which many amoeboids relish. They tend to regard newcomers with curiosity and enthusiasm, a disposition that has transformed their maw stations into central meeting places across the ‘Verse.

Scientists and Visitors

Most amoeboids view the ‘Verse through a lens of science and reason. With proper experimentation, the multiverse can be defined solely through the workings of magic and physics. Amoeboid researchers regard no subject as taboo as long as its methodology is sound and likely to produce useful data.  For centuries, amoeboids have taken to secretly visiting undeveloped worlds, disguising themselves and their saucers to experiment upon the inhabitants. These experiments are usually noninvasive but nonetheless unwelcome. As a result, many worlds share tales of strange visitors from the stars, looking much like them, but strangely distorted, stealing away individuals by night and performing strange rituals in brightly lit rooms. Amoeboids will also vivisect the odd head of livestock, but these occurrences are more likely to be blamed on predators than on visitors from the stars.

Amoeboid Names

Ever concerned with efficiency, amoeboid names can traditionally be represented by a single unusual character, to differentiate it from the rest of a particular alphabet. Amoeboids don’t differentiate between males and females, nor are their names particularly masculine or feminine.
     Amoeboid Names. Ash (Æ), Chevron (Λ), Digamma (Ͷ), Eth (Ð), Ezh (Ʒ), Gangia (Ϫ), Kai (ϗ), Pilcrow (¶), Psi (Ψ), Shei (Ϣ), Solidus (/), Thorn (Þ), Tilde (~), Yr (Ʀ)

Amoeboid Traits

As an amoeboid, your bizarre anatomy grants you the following racial traits:
     Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score of your choice by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1.
Typical: Intelligence +2, Constitution +1
     Creature Type. You are a Humanoid. However, spells and effects that specifically affect Oozes affect you as well.     
     Size. You are Small or Medium.
     Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.
     Flexible Form. You can use your action to stretch, compress, and mold your body into a myriad of shapes. You can transform into any static form that you choose that is no larger than 8 feet in any dimension. When you assume this form, you can replicate something’s basic shape but not its color, texture, moving parts, or fine details. You can’t change your body’s volume, nor can you move, attack, or cast spells while you’re transformed into a static shape.
     Biomimicry. You can also use your action to touch a living creature and assume its general form. Your size and other statistics don’t change. If the target has a burrowing, climbing, or swimming speed, you gain those with the same speed, up to a maximum of 40 feet. Your transformation ends after 1 hour, or when you choose to end it on your turn (no action required). If you transform into a form incapable of wearing clothing or armor, your clothing or armor falls off. You can only take actions that your form would be able to take.
     Amorphous. You can compress your body enough to squeeze through a 1-inch wide space. You can’t expand inside a space that offers any resistance.
     Reform. Whenever you take bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage from a nonmagical attack and don’t drop to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to immediately regain 1d4 hit points, up to a maximum of the amount of damage taken.
     Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Amoeboid. Most creatures are only able to approximate speaking Amoeboid, for its burbling words are made using the amoeboid’s fluid body. If you are transformed into a creature that has a language, you can speak and understand that language.

Check out Dark Matter

Amoeboid Changelog from Dark Matter 1.41

• Creature type is now specified in the race description
• Ability score increases are now “typical,” not mandatory
• Option to be Small or Medium
• Flexible Form is now two features