| Gelatinous cube | |
|---|---|
| Dungeons & Dragons race | |
 An illustration of a gelatinous cube | |
| First appearance | the original Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974) |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Ooze |
| Alignment | Neutral |
A gelatinous cube is a fictional monster from the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It is described as a ten-foot cube of transparent gelatinous ooze, which is able to absorb and digest organic matter.
Oozes are relatively common antagonists in fantasy fiction; in addition to the oozes of Dungeons & Dragons, examples include the monster from the film The Blob (1958), [1] slime in Dragon Quest , and flan in Final Fantasy . These fictional oozes may have been inspired by microscopic organisms such as amoebae, which, like oozes, can consume organic matter by engulfing it (phagocytosis). [2]
The gelatinous cube is an original invention of Gary Gygax, rather than being inspired by outside sources and adapted to the roleplaying setting, as were many mythological monsters such as the minotaur and dryad, [1] all of which appeared in the 1974 Monsters & Treasure book of the original boxed set.
Being a cube that is a perfect ten feet on each side, it is specifically and perfectly "adapted" to its native environment, the standard, 10-foot (3.0 m) by 10-foot (3.0 m) dungeon corridors which were ubiquitous in the earliest Dungeons & Dragons modules. [1]
The gelatinous cube first appeared in the original Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), [3] and its first supplement, Greyhawk (1975). [4]
The gelatinous cube appeared in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977, 1981, 1983). The gelatinous cube also appeared in the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991). [5]
The gelatinous cube appeared in first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original Monster Manual (1977). [6] The creature was further developed in Dragon #124 (August 1987). [7] Published first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventures which included gelatinous cubes as adversaries that the player characters encounter included "The Ruins of Andril", published in Dragon #81. [8]
The gelatinous cube appeared in second edition in Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), [9] and the Monstrous Manual (1993) under the "ooze/slime/jelly" heading. [10] The gelatinous cube was featured on an AD&D Trading Card in 1991. [11]
Under the ooze entry, the gelatinous cube appears in the third edition Monster Manual (2000), [12] the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003), [13] the fourth edition Monster Manual (2008), [14] the Monster Vault (2010), [15] and the fifth edition Monster Manual (2014). [16]
The gelatinous cube is fully detailed in Paizo Publishing's book Dungeon Denizens Revisited (2009), on pages 16–21. [17]
A gelatinous cube looks like a transparent ooze of mindless, gelatinous matter in the shape of a cube. The cube's transparency coupled with a dimly-lit dungeon gives it the element of surprise to engulf unsuspecting beings, and only an alert adventurer will notice the cube. The cube slides through dungeon corridors, being able to mold its body to flow around objects and fit through narrow passages and then returning to its original shape once enough space is available. A cube will absorb everything in its path, with its acidic digestive juices dissolving everything organic and secreting non-digestible matter in its wake. David M. Ewalt, in his book Of Dice and Men, describes the gelatinous cube as "a dungeon scavenger, a living mound of transparent jelly", [18] The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters called it a "dungeon clean up crew", well adapted to this unique fictitious ecosystem. [1]
Rob Bricken from io9 named the gelatinous cube as the 5th most memorable D&D monster. [19]
Chris Sims of the on-line magazine ComicsAlliance stated of the gelatinous cube that "there can be no question of what is the greatest monster" in D&D, calling the gelatinous cube "amazing". [20]
The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters called the gelatinous cube one of the "iconic monsters" of the D&D game. [21]
Levi R. Bryant calls the gelatinous cube "irksome and dangerous", "populating many a dungeon". [22]
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In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a vampire is an undead creature. A humanoid or monstrous humanoid creature can become a vampire, and looks as it did in life, with pale skin, haunting red eyes, and a feral cast to its features. A new vampire is created when another vampire drains the life out of a living creature. Its depiction is related to those in the 1930s and 1940s Hollywood Dracula and monster movies. In writing vampires into the game, as with other creatures arising in folklore, the authors had to consider what elements arising in more recent popular culture should be incorporated into their description and characteristics.
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In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the term monster refers to a variety of creatures, some adapted from folklore and legends and others invented specifically for the game. Included are traditional monsters such as dragons, supernatural creatures such as ghosts, and mundane or fantastic animals. A defining feature of the game is that monsters are typically obstacles that players must overcome to progress through the game. Beginning with the first edition in 1974, a catalog of game monsters (bestiary) was included along with other game manuals, first called Monsters & Treasure and now called the Monster Manual. As an essential part of Dungeons & Dragons, many of its monsters have become iconic and recognizable even outside D&D, becoming influential in video games, fiction, and popular culture.
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