Ooze Genasi

"The...er...noble beauty of a...uh...a pig wallow.
The......the melodious sound of a...a boot splorching
 through the mud after...after...BWAHAHAHA"
            --Excerpt from the last performance of Gerald the 
              Straight-faced Bard, held at the Great Silt Palace 
              on the Para-Elemental Plane of Ooze.

        On the other hand, there's nothing particularly inspiring about Ooze. And Dwellers of the Mud (as they call themselves) get this repeatedly drummed into their heads from the moment they step off the Para-Elemental Plane of Ooze. While some Ooze berks develop a crushing inferiority complex from all this lack of respect, most Ooze Genasi react in both of the following ways:

        First, they become over-confident overachievers. They push themselves to the limit, and more, just to prove their worth. For Ooze Genasi with the skill to back it up, this can often be a boon. Many Ooze Genasi have skyrocketed to fame and fortune due to their "I can do it if I just try hard enough" attitude. For Ooze Genasi less able to put their jink where their bone-box is, this over-confidence can have sometimes humorous, sometimes deadly, results. While an Ooze Genasi would (almost) never be over-confident enough to do something obviously stupid like trying to best a Titan in a wrestling contest, it's not unheard of for an Ooze Genasi to imagine themselves the equal of a Pit Fiend or an Arcanoloth when it comes to understanding binding contracts and the loopholes therein. The results of such folly are predictable.

        Secondly, they try to hold up mud, ooze, muck, and so forth as equally worthy of respect and admiration as the other elements (and para- and quasi-elements). They're constantly trying to find new ways to inspire folks with mud. From artistic creations made of mud to cosmetic mud-baths to weapons that sling mud, almost all Ooze Genasi strive to increase the respect accorded their native element. So far, the results have been less than impressive. But the Ooze Genasi keep trying.

        Ooze Genasi always display one or more of the following traits:

• Skin that seems almost to flow and drip
• A skin color reminiscent of mud or silt
• A thin film of moisture covering their entire body
• The faint aroma of moist earth

        Once per day, Ooze Genasi can Create Mud. Create Mud is a lesser version of the 5th-Level Wizard spell Transmute Rock to Mud. By standing on bare earth or rock, an Ooze Genasi can create a 3-ft deep mud pit, centered on the caster, with a radius of up to 50 feet. The duration of this effect is identical to the Transmute Rock to Mud spell. Genasi use this talent most often to give them a place to sleep while on the trail, but since walking through a 3-ft deep pit of mud will slow most bashers down, it also comes in handy for thwarting pursuit. Note that they can only use this ability to affect the ground beneath them. Cave walls (for instance) would be unaffected by this ability, even if the Ooze Genasi were somehow standing on the wall, unless gravity naturally pulled her towards the wall (as on the plane of Pandemonium).

    Ooze Genasi can be fighters, mages, fighter/mages, or (interestingly enough) paladins. Ooze Genasi paladins (called Silt Knights) occur when an Ooze Genasi (in typical Ooze Genasi fashion) decides that she will be the sworn protector of a particular town (prime or planar), region (prime or planar) or realm. (Ooze Genasi are nothing if not big thinkers.) In adopting this town, region, or realm, the Ooze Genasi swears to defend it from evil at all costs. A Silt Knight might adopt the gate town of Tradegate, for instance, or the Great Glacier of Toril. They're free to leave their designated area at any time (to visit relatives, for instance), but if they undertake a quest that doesn't directly or indirectly relate to the protection of this area, they lose their paladin abilities until such time as they atone for it in the normal fashion of paladins. If the area under protection should somehow get destroyed during the paladin's absence, the paladin immediately (and irrevocably) loses all paladin status, and becomes a fighter of the same level.

Ability Requirements
--------------------
 STR      DEX      INT      WIS      CON      CHA
 5/18     7/18     3/18     3/18     7/18     3/18


Age and Aging Effects
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Starting Age:  20+1d10
Middle Age*:  60
Old Age**:  80
Venerable***:  120
Maximum Age:  120+6d10

* -1 Str/Con; +1 Int/Wis
** -2 Str/Dex, -1 Con; +1 Wis
*** -1 Str/Dex/Con; +1 Int/Wis


Average Height and Weight
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Height/Male:  60+1d10 inches
    /Female:  59+1d10 inches
Weight/Male:  150+5d10 pounds
    /Female:  100+5d10 pounds


Level Limits
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Fighter:  13
Wizard:  12
Paladin:  15