Curious ooze folk whose biology defies explanation
Ozu Heritage Traits
Average Height: 100 – 190cm (3’3” – 6’2”)
Average Weight: 35 – 150kg (77 – 330lb.)
Ability Scores: +2 Constitution, +2 Dexterity or Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 5 squares
Vision: Darkvision
Languages: Common, Deep Speech.
Aberrant Existence: Your “biology” lies outside the realm of nature. You have the aberrant origin and the ooze subtype.
Mutable Form: Your physical form is, at best, a temporary confluence of matter. You suffer no penalty when squeezing, and you are considered both small and medium (whichever is most advantageous to you) at all times.
Rubbery Rebound: You always take the minimum possible damage when falling.
Unnatural Resilience: Your system is impenetrable to that which troubles ordinary creatures. You are immune to poisons and diseases inflicted by, or derived from, natural sources. Also, you can gain sustenance from any organic matter you can physically consume, whether or not it would normally be considered food.
Heritage Power: You have the damp impact heritage power.
| Damp Impact | Ozu Heritage Power |
|---|---|
| The force of a terrible blow dissipates easily through your resilient rubbery form. | |
| Encounter | |
| Free Action ✦ Personal | |
| Trigger: You take damage | |
| Effect: Each die value included in the triggering damage is treated as result of 1. (This is true for all targets taking damage from the roll.) | |
Of all the sentient creatures yet known, few are as bizarre or ill-explained as the ozu. Spawned from an unknown source, their biology defies rational explanation as much as the mindless oozes they resemble. Their existence somehow both a disturbing accident and a granted wish, these solitary aberrations feel compelled to seek out company and exist, against all odds, as people.
Play an ozu if you want…
- your physical form to be an ongoing negotiation.
- to enjoy resilience that’s downright unnatural.
- to be stared at by absolutely everyone.
Physical Qualities
Broadly speaking, an ozu is a mostly human-shaped creature that appears to be made entirely from some manner of slime. They lack any form of skeleton or internal organs, though most do have at least a suggestion of a face, and their bodies are highly mutable—able to squeeze and stretch with ease, extrude extra appendages at will, and “remodel” themselves around what might otherwise be permanent injuries. Beyond this, little is reliable; colour, texture, detail, opacity and even viscosity can all vary greatly between individuals. Some look like crude dough caricatures, some like perfect sculptures rendered in sparkling jelly, some like liquid rubber animated into the barest abstraction of a person.
Ozu do not age like natural creatures, and may have no inherent lifespan. Indeed, since they seem to lack reproductive biology, it seems that each one is a unique accident, gaining self-awareness only by circumstance. However, they do experience gradual long-term mutation of their physical form, slowly growing to resemble creatures around them, people they admire, or aesthetics they find appealing. Unlike their more temporary deformations, this happens slowly and without conscious effort, though it seems directly tied to the ozu’s desires and self-image; it can be said that an ozu’s physical form is a constant, subconscious conversation with their surroundings.
Most ozu continue to mutate for as long as they remain alive, though they often “rest” in a certain appearance for an extended amount of time. If they become truly content with their current state, they seem to find an equilibrium that prevents further mutation—at least until they change their mind.
Playing an Ozu
Compared to most adventurers, ozu are astonishingly resilient creatures. Well-suited to exploring deep caverns and tight caves, they have little to fear in their formative years, and seldom experience serious pain or injury. By the time they are fully self-aware, they have usually acquired a generalised nonchalance toward their own wellbeing—but also a sense of general isolation.
Among ozu adventurers, loneliness and curiosity are near-universal motivators. Ozu likely never encounter others of their own kind, so those who feel a need for social connection have no choice but to look elsewhere. For many, their first vague memories take the form of a journey, ascending from the dark places of the world in search of friends who can help them fully realise their own existence. The first individuals an ozu finds company with are the very definition of family—fundamental to their idea of how to be people, for better or worse.
With all this in mind, most ozu approach existence with a light-hearted recklessness—whether exploring unknown depths, facing terrible foes, or navigating social interactions. Although it’s common to see them as monsters, most people struggle to maintain that notion when met with a disarming lack of fear and defensiveness. Those who welcome them are liable to find a friend for life, however bizarre that life may be.
Ozu are perceived as… unnatural, resilient, incomprehensible, fearless, naive, loyal, curious, unsettling, easily distracted, friendly.
Names: Literally anything. Lacking a race-based social structure or language, ozu take whatever names they see fit, as often as they like.