It’s time for another Monster Mash, where we take two (or more) creatures found across the various D&D fifth edition monster manuals and smash them together to see what wacky hybrids we can create!
This time, we’re going to give some love to the Ooze family with the inclusion of the Trollish Gel. As you may guess by its name, this creature’s primary gimmick is the combination of the troll’s notorious ability to regenerate and an ooze’s ability to proliferate when struck with certain (usually common) forms of damage. For some extra oomph, I’ve tossed in the black pudding’s Corrosive Form with an emphasis on wooden weapons. I gave the gel a higher AC and Dexterity score to make it sturdier than a typical ooze and help it feel more earthy in nature, but most characters will still find their attacks landing with relative ease. They just better hope it’s not a fire spell or blunt weapon!
In this article, you’ll get the trollish gel’s stat block, as well as its usual habitats and combat tactics. However, these details aren’t true for all trollish gels, so use them however fits best for your adventure!
The Stat Block
Habitat
Trollish gel thrive in woodland environs, rolling across the forest floor and absorbing any dead foliage, branches, and other debris in its path. Unlike many of their ooze kin, gels are carrion hunters that, as such, do not rely on predatory stealth or fake appearances to capture their prey. Their presence can be discerned by the rhythmic thumping of their gelatinous forms rolling over rocks and sticks or the potent minty aroma they exude.
During harsh, dry summers or in the vicinity of a circle of wildfire druids, trollish gel populations explode almost exponentially. In these situations, their numbers must be carefully monitored (and controlled, if necessary) to ensure the gluttonous newborns do not devour the scorched forest before it has time to revitalize the soil. In such scenarios, adventurers may be called upon to help overwhelmed druids or other forest caretakers thin the trollish gel population.
Tactics
As a carrion hunter, a trollish gel’s first instinct is to avoid battle at all cost; they prefer their meals stationary and non-combative, after all. If provoked in a scenario where it cannot reasonably escape, the gel rushes whichever aggressor is blocking the nearest exit, slamming into its foe until an opening is revealed.
Adventurers attempting to slay a trollish gel must be aware of three factors: their regenerative capabilities, their ability to dissolve wooden materials, and their capacity to split into numerous, smaller offspring when hit with fire or bludgeoning attacks. Any one of these abilities would prove troublesome, but all three can prove deadly to an unprepared assailant. When in doubt, remember that trollish gels want to escape. Disengaging from the fight and allowing it to roll away may be the smartest option when the battle gets messy.
If you want to slay a trollish gel, focus on using spells, magic items, and other effects that deal cold damage to end its Regeneration ability. In battle, you can describe this as the gel’s form hardening into a brittle solid that, when defeated, shatters into frozen chunks.
Conclusion
What do you think? Feel free to use a Trollish gel in your next woodland adventure and let me know how it goes!
Blessed be,
Matthew Wulf
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