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Mercurial slime is an organism from the Spelljammer campaign setting.[1]

Overview[]

Mercurial slime is widely feared as a mindless, swift, and deadly organism by wildspace sailors, and is considered a deadly spaceborne hazard.[1]

Description[]

A colony of mercurial slime resembles a large blob of silver liquid drifting aimlessly in space. Several colonies can be found together, though no closer than 30-feet apart. Usually this means that spelljamming ships will only have to contend with a single colony at a time, though other mercurial slime colonies may block any escape routes.[1]

Behavior[]

Mercurial slime has no sensory organs, but it can follow sound waves to their source, and is also attracted to light. When the slime is in an atmosphere, it can sense motion by disturbances in the air.[1]

Combat[]

Mercurial slime is permeated with strong acid that functions much like blood and digestive fluids do in a human, dissolving nutrients and carrying them to individual cells. If the acid comes into contact with living flesh, it immediately dissolves the tissue, causing tremendous damage. Metal objects, such as weapons, used to attack a slime may dissolve without harming the organism.

Mercurial slime is at its most hazardous when it comes into contact with a spelljamming ship. Should a vessel touch mercurial slime, the organism will envelope the vessel, dissolving its structure.

Sometimes the slime's silver surface catches starlight and reflects it back in lovely patterns of color. Anyone staring at this display is mesmerized as if by a hypnotic pattern spell. The captivated viewer has to be violently shaken for at least a minute to free them from their state of beguilement.

Mercurial slime is not organic, and therefore cannot be affected by spells that control living creatures such as charm plant or charm animal. Fire, cold, and electrical attacks have no effect on mercurial slime; However, it is susceptible to magic missile spells.[1]

Habitat[]

Mercurial slime is unintelligent and has no society or organization beyond the colony. It merely drifts through space, seeking to feed. It cannot communicate. The organism reproduces by fission while it is dissolving living tissue. There is a small chance that a slime splits into two creatures while attacking a particular victim. Both organisms will continue to attack the victim, using their living flesh to reach full size instantly.

Mercurial slime converts light, including starlight, into energy for propulsion. It can fly through space at an SR of 2 and can even achieve spelljamming speed. Mercurial slime does not need air to survive, but it cannot land on a planet, since gravity breaks it up into a fine mist which dissolves rapidly into nothing.[1]

Uses[]

Enterprising folk have attempted to use mercurial slime as an organic spelljamming power source. The big problem with this plan is that the slime can dissolve any container used to hold it. Similarly, alchemists have tried in vain to collect enough mercurial slime to create a powerful acid, but the stuff keeps eating through their vials and containers.[1]

Rumors[]

Some sages theorize that mercurial slime is in fact nothing more than a groundling slime or jelly carried into space and somehow altered. Others believe it was created by deities who do not wish to see the various races ply the spacelanes. It is interesting (and reassuring) that no clerics endorse this theory. Some elven scholars have suggested that mercurial slime may be a weapon left over from the Unhuman Wars.[1]

Appendix[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 John Terra, MC9 Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix II, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Mercurial Slime entry
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