Plasmoid 5E | An Ooze Race for D&D
There are many interesting new races in Spelljammer: Adventures in Space. Wizards of the Coast has blessed us with a lot of fun options, but few are as interesting as the ooze race known as Plasmoids. They have all the hallmarks of an ooze, including their amorphous nature. Unsure how to inject this new race into your next campaign? Check out our Plasmoid 5E guide for everything you need to know!
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Plasmoid 5E Guide
Personally, plasmoids are my favorite race released with Spelljammer: Adventures in Space. Unlike some of the races added in this book, plasmoids are a new addition to the array of 5E races. They have a clean slate to work with – unfortunately, at times, it is a little too clean. This race has a lot to offer, and it is a good fit for Spelljammer and Wildspace in general. The major drawback is that the book spends more time describing how plasmoids eat rather than where they come from or how they live.
See Also: Spelljammer New Races Guide
What are Plasmoids in D&D?
Plasmoids are a race of oozes. In fact, they are the first ooze race in 5E D&D. While there are some spells and options in older editions that offer you the ability to play as an ooze, this is the first time that Wizards of the Coast has opened up a playable race that is specifically an Ooze creature.
Building a Plasmoid Character
In recent years, WOTC has moved away from setting ability score bonuses for races. Instead, they have come up with a homogenized approach that allows for flexibility for most new races. Plasmoid characters, along with other Spelljammer races like the Thri-kreen and the hadozee are beneficiaries of this new approach. When building your plasmoid character, here are the decisions you will need to make.
Ability Score Increases
There are no set ability score bonuses for plasmoids. Instead, you must select any two ability scores. Increase one of the skills by two and the other skill by one. This gives the choice of adding a +2 and +1 bonus that mirrors the set bonuses with older races. Alternatively, you may increase three separate scores by one each. This approach allows you to play a plasmoid while customizing an ideal ability score spread for your character.
Languages
All of the new races in Spelljammer offer two languages out of the box. Your character knows common plus a second language of your choosing. There are additional options depending on your background. For example, the Astral Drifter gains two additional language proficiencies. While your second language is yours to choose, the text in the Astral Drifter background suggests either Gith or Celestial.
Plasmoid Trait Guide
- Creature Type: You are an Ooze
- Lifespan: Your lifespan is roughly one century
- Size: You are Medium or Small. You choose the size when you select this race
- Amorphous:You can squeeze through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide, provided you are wearing and carrying nothing. You have advantage on ability checks you make to initiate or escape a grapple.
- Darkvision:You can see in dim light within 60 feet of yourself as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.
- Hold Breath:You can hold your breath for 1 hour.
- Natural Resilience:You have resistance to acid and poison damage, and you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.
- Shape Self:As an action, you can reshape your body to give yourself a head, one or two arms, one or two legs, and makeshift hands and feet, or you can revert to a limbless blob. While you have a humanlike shape, you can wear clothing and armor made for a Humanoid of your size. As a bonus action, you can extrude a pseudopod that is up to 6 inches wide and 10 feet long or reabsorb it into your body. As part of the same bonus action, you can use this pseudopod to manipulate an object, open or close a door or container, or pick up or set down a Tiny object. The pseudopod contains no sensory organs and can’t attack, activate magic items, or lift more than 10 pounds.
There is a lot to unpack with the plasmoid, and there is a lot to love. If you are familiar with the original UA release, you will recognize little has changed in the final version. Hold Breath and Darkvision combine to make plasmoids particularly useful in the Wildspace. Suffocation is a constant threat in this setting, but Hold Breath gives plasmoids a lot of – wait for it – breathing room.
I also love this race because its attributes are very thematic. You are amorphous, meaning you can squeeze through tight spaces like an ooze normally would. Keep in mind this is only an option if you are not wearing or carrying any items. You also have the natural resistance to acid and poison that oozes are known for.
Finally, Shape Self is both thematic and cool. You can choose to take the form of a limbless blob, or you can reshape yourself to mimic the form of a humanoid. In either form, you can also extrude a pseudopod up to 10 feet long. The pseudopod can’t make an attack, but you handle a number of useful tasks like opening doors or picking up tiny objects from 10 feet away.
Best Classes for Plasmoids
Is there a single best class for plasmoids in 5E? Given the flexibility you have with your ability scores, I would say probably not. While some might prefer the old days where certain races were synonymous with their best class options, I like that you could build an optimal plasmoid character in any class. That said, there are some options that feel as though they are especially appropriate. Here are a few of our suggestions.
Astral Way Monk
One interesting subclass that I think would fit well with a plasmoid character is the Way of the Astral Self monk. Not only does this subclass fit thematically, but it also offers the opportunity to maximize the use of the Amorphous attribute. If your build focuses on unarmed strikes, you could give up equipment entirely, which always gives you the ability to become amorphous. The additional attacks that come with using astral arms are another plus.
Path of the Beast Barbarian
Another way to focus on a build that can easily shed its items and make use of the Amorphous attribute is the Path of the Beast Barbarian. Not only is this an interesting fit mechanically, but the prospect of a beastly glob of ooze with claws or fangs is also a lot of fun. Gaining claws allows you to avoid carrying weapons, and some of the other options like Bestial Soul fit well with your ability to hold your breath for an hour.
How to Play a Plasmoid
One of the unfortunate parts of homogenizing the new races in D&D is that much of the flavor is lost. I am generally happy with Spelljammer as it exists, but one of my major issues is that the book provides virtually no support in actually playing a plasmoid. This section is designed to help you with that.
Roleplaying as a Plasmoid
Due to the lack of lore, we know very little about the history or origin of the plasmoid race. There is no information on their origin or if they have a home planet. This gives you a blank slate to roleplay with when it comes to your background. Thankfully, you do have some options to consider when it comes to your nature. It could be fun to focus on the amoeba-like traits of the plasmoid, which include:
- Slowly, uncomfortably consuming food through osmosis
- Getting mundane objects accidentally stuck in your gooey form
- Taking the form of a rock or puddle when you sleep
- Being able to hold your breath for long periods of time
Plasmoid Names
Spelljamer: Adventures in Space does not provide any suggestions for character names. This is an unfortunate departure from other recent additions like the Harengon from Wild Beyond the Witchlight. Since this race is entirely new, there are no name suggestions we can pull from previous editions either. If you are looking for a suggestion, this generator provides several options that are the kind of gibberish you would expect in a sci-fi setting. I got Gleblex, which actually works for me.
Conclusion – Our Plasmoid 5E Guide
I’m of the opinion that all of the new races in Spelljammer offer something special. They might all be cool, but for me, the plasmoid takes the cake. I love the ability to become amorphous, and I think there are some strange and fun roleplaying opportunities when it comes to absorbing things and taking multiple forms. I’d love to hear your take on it in our comment section! If you are looking for more character options, check out our breakdown of the Astral Elves.