Green slime
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
, the green slime is an ooze
, a category of monster. It is more akin to a plant
than an animal. It is a horrible, fetid growth, resembling a bright green, sticky, wet moss which grows on the walls and ceilings of caves, sewers, dungeons, mines, and the like.
. Some of these might have been inspired by cavers' contacts with peculiar lifeforms in caves with a high hydrogen sulfide
and sulfuric acid
content which are even more corrosive than the environments they inhabit, such as the "snottite
s", "red goo", and "green slime" encountered in the real-world Cueva de Villa Luz
.
(1974).
The green slime appeared in the D&D Basic Set
(1977, 1981, 1983) and Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia
(1991).
The green slime appeared in first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original Monster Manual
(1977).
The green slime appeared in second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993) under the "ooze" entry.
The green slime appeared in the third edition Dungeon Master's Guide
(2000) as a dungeon hazard, and again in the 3.5 revised Dungeon Master's Guide (2003).
. Being a growth, it is fixed to one place and cannot move or attack. For the most part, it is forced to feed off of vegetable, organic or metallic substances in an underground wall. If it grows on a ceiling, however, it can sense if someone passes below, and drops onto them. Living creatures touched by a green slime eventually turn into green slime themselves. Green slime is vulnerable to light, heat, frost, and cure disease spells.
Green slimes are mindless and cannot speak. As such, they are regarded as neutral
in alignment.
A green slime will regrow if even the tiniest residue remains, and can germinate to form a full sized ooze
again years later. In the Dungeons & Dragons universe, huge colonies of green slime exist deep beneath the earth.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, the green slime is an ooze
Ooze (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, an ooze is a type of creature. This category includes such monsters as slimes, jellies, deadly puddings, and similar mindless, amorphous blobs...
, a category of monster. It is more akin to a plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
than an animal. It is a horrible, fetid growth, resembling a bright green, sticky, wet moss which grows on the walls and ceilings of caves, sewers, dungeons, mines, and the like.
Creative origins
The description of various "genera" and "species" of corrosive mineral oozes encountered by unwary miners underground, that can eat unnoticed through skin and flesh to the bone, date back at least to the works of Georg AgricolaGeorg Agricola
Georgius Agricola was a German scholar and scientist. Known as "the father of mineralogy", he was born at Glauchau in Saxony. His real name was Georg Pawer; Agricola is the Latinised version of his name, Pawer meaning "farmer"...
. Some of these might have been inspired by cavers' contacts with peculiar lifeforms in caves with a high hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor of expired eggs perceptible at concentrations as low as 0.00047 parts per million...
and sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
content which are even more corrosive than the environments they inhabit, such as the "snottite
Snottite
Snottites are colonies of single-celled extremophilic bacteria which hang from the walls and ceilings of caves and are similar to small stalactites, but have the consistency of "snot", a slang word for nasal mucus....
s", "red goo", and "green slime" encountered in the real-world Cueva de Villa Luz
Cueva de Villa Luz
Cueva de Villa Luz is a cave near Tapijulapa in the southern Mexican state of Tabasco. The springs within the cave are rich in hydrogen sulfide, a gas that is a potent respiratory toxicant and smells like rotten eggs...
.
Publication history
The green slime first appeared in the original Dungeons & Dragons setDungeons & Dragons (1974)
The original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson was published by TSR, Inc. in 1974. It initially included the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
(1974).
The green slime appeared in the D&D Basic Set
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...
(1977, 1981, 1983) and Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia
Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia
The Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia was published by TSR, Inc. in 1991, as a continuation of the basic edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, which ran concurrently with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Its product designation was TSR 1071...
(1991).
The green slime appeared in first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original Monster Manual
Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
(1977).
The green slime appeared in second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993) under the "ooze" entry.
The green slime appeared in the third edition Dungeon Master's Guide
Dungeon Master's Guide
The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
(2000) as a dungeon hazard, and again in the 3.5 revised Dungeon Master's Guide (2003).
Characteristics and habits
The green slime is notably different from other oozesOoze (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, an ooze is a type of creature. This category includes such monsters as slimes, jellies, deadly puddings, and similar mindless, amorphous blobs...
. Being a growth, it is fixed to one place and cannot move or attack. For the most part, it is forced to feed off of vegetable, organic or metallic substances in an underground wall. If it grows on a ceiling, however, it can sense if someone passes below, and drops onto them. Living creatures touched by a green slime eventually turn into green slime themselves. Green slime is vulnerable to light, heat, frost, and cure disease spells.
Green slimes are mindless and cannot speak. As such, they are regarded as neutral
Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of people, creatures and societies....
in alignment.
A green slime will regrow if even the tiniest residue remains, and can germinate to form a full sized ooze
Ooze (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, an ooze is a type of creature. This category includes such monsters as slimes, jellies, deadly puddings, and similar mindless, amorphous blobs...
again years later. In the Dungeons & Dragons universe, huge colonies of green slime exist deep beneath the earth.