Jordan D Thompson

Welcome to Monsters of the Microverse, a blog series in which I take microscopic creatures and bring them into the fantastical world of Dungeons and Dragons! Much of the inspiration for this series comes from the YouTube channel Journey to the Microcosmos, which I highly recommend checking out.

To incorporate these monsters into your D&D games you might make them the products of transmutation magic which, either intentionally or unintentionally, supersized them to the point where they exist at a scale where they can meaningfully interact with the world of the adventurers. Alternatively, these creatures may serve as the focus of an adventure in which the heroes are shrunk down to the size of microbes and have to deal with the challenges of navigating a microscopic world.

Amoebas are, arguably, the archetypical ooze. When considered amongst the varieties of puddings, cubes, and jellies that might be encountered in all places damp and dark, the amoeba may seem a bit basic, but that simplicity is to the creature’s advantage.

The amoeba is a persistent predator, slowly but surely dragging itself along with its pseudopodia until it finds a bite to eat, after which it uses those same pseudopodia to pull its food into its body for digestion. Most creatures can avoid this fate so long as they stay alert and quick on their feet.

Testate Amoebas. Some varieties of amoeba are able to compensate for their soft, fleshy forms by gathering hard materials from their environment to form a protective shell. In the microverse these materials often take the form of particulates, and when enlarged through magic these amoebas will seek out the closest substitutes.

In the wilderness an amoeba’s shell might be a collection of boulders, tree branches, and bark, while in the sewers of a metropolis that shell could consist of anything from wagon wheels, rusty shields, broken weapons, discarded shoes, pieces of glass, and even the bones of previous victims.

Giant Amoebas. These monolithic blobs are capable of laying waste to entire villages. Carts, livestock pens, and small buildings buckle and break beneath a giant amoeba’s mass, while the pedestrians, horses, chickens, and pigs are caught up the tide to be devoured. In the wake of a giant amoeba attack there are huge swathes of land and infrastructure that have been stripped bare down to the dirt.

Ooze Nature. The amoeba doesn’t require sleep.

Amoeba
Large ooze, unaligned

Armor Class 8
Hit Points 136 (16d10 + 48)
Speed 15 ft., climb 15 ft.

STR 16 (+3) DEX 4 (-2) CON 16 (+3) INT 1 (-5) WIS 6 (-2) CHA 1 (-5)

Damage Resistances Acid
Condition Immunities Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Exhaustion, Frightened, Prone
Senses Blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), Passive Perception 8
Languages –
Challenge 3 (700 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

Amorphous. The amoeba can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.

Amoeba Form. Other creatures can enter the amoeba’s space, but a creature that does so is subjected to the amoeba’s Engulf and has disadvantage on the saving throw.

Creatures inside the amoeba can be seen but have total cover.

A creature within 5 feet of the amoeba can take an action to pull a creature or object out of the amoeba. Doing so requires a successful DC 13 Strength check, and the creature making the attempt takes 10 (3d6) acid damage.

The amoeba can hold one Large creature or up to four Medium or smaller creatures inside it.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The amoeba makes two pseudopod attacks. It can replace one of its pseudopod attacks with an engulf attack.

Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 +3) bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) acid damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 13).

Engulf. The Amoeba pulls a target it is grappling into its body. The target takes 10 (3d6) acid damage and is engulfed. An engulfed creature can’t breathe, is restrained, and takes 10 (3d6) acid damage at the start of each of the amoeba’s turns. When the amoeba moves, the engulfed creature moves with it.

An engulfed creature can try to escape by succeeding on a DC 13 Strength check. On a success the creature escapes and enters a space of its choice within 5 feet of the amoeba.

Testate Amoeba
Large ooze, unaligned

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 68 (8d10 + 24)
Speed 15 ft., climb 15 ft.

STR 16 (+3) DEX 2 (-4) CON 16 (+3) INT 1 (-5) WIS 6 (-2) CHA 1 (-5)

Damage Resistances Acid; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage from Nonmagical Attacks
Condition Immunities Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Exhaustion, Frightened, Prone
Senses Blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), Passive Perception 8
Languages –
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

Amorphous. The amoeba can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.

Amoeba Form. Creatures inside the amoeba have total cover. The amoeba can hold one Large creature or up to four Medium or smaller creatures inside it.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The amoeba makes two pseudopod attacks. It can replace one of its pseudopod attacks with an engulf attack.

Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 +3) bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) acid damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 13).

An engulfed creature can try to escape by succeeding on a DC 13 Strength check. On a success the creature escapes and enters a space within 5 feet of the amoeba.

Giant Amoeba
Huge ooze, unaligned

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 210 (20d12 + 80)
Speed 25 ft.

STR 24 (+7) DEX 4 (-2) CON 18 (+4) INT 1 (-5) WIS 6 (-2) CHA 1 (-5)

Amorphous. The amoeba can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.

Amoeba Form. Other creatures can enter the amoeba’s space, but a creature that does so is subjected to the amoeba’s Engulf and has disadvantage on the saving throw.

Creatures inside the amoeba can be seen but have total cover.

A creature within 5 feet of the amoeba can take an action to pull a creature or object out of the amoeba. Doing so requires a successful DC 16 Strength check, and the creature making the attempt takes 22 (4d10) acid damage.

The amoeba can hold one Huge creature or up to eight Large or smaller creatures inside it.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The amoeba makes two pseudopod attacks. It can replace one of its pseudopod attacks with an engulf attack.

Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d8 +7) bludgeoning damage plus 5 (1d10) acid damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 16).

Engulf. The Amoeba pulls a target it is grappling into its body. The target takes 22 (4d10) acid damage and is engulfed. An engulfed creature can’t breathe, is restrained, and takes 22 (4d10) acid damage at the start of each of the amoeba’s turns. When the amoeba moves, the engulfed creature moves with it.

An engulfed creature can try to escape by succeeding on a DC 16 Strength check. On a success the creature escapes and enters a space of its choice within 5 feet of the amoeba.