The gelatinous cube, admittedly one of the silliest monsters in the game, is a fan-favorite beastie because

it is so ridiculous. I’ve personally been a supporter of the gelatinous cube for decades, embracing the
thing’s totally ludicrous concept and design and always happy when the sliggly, wiggly, jiggly creature
appears in an adventure. They dumb, sure, but they’re also completely awesome!

Jiggles & Wiggles, Gelatinous Cubes Rule!, is my contribution to gamemasters everywhere

and offers a selection of ideas directly related to the gelatinous cube and how it might be
used in your next game session. This poster-sized work includes:

• Now what is that damn cube doing? These jiggly cubes might spend a lot of their
time sliggling down the dungeon corridor, but there are times when the gelatinous
cube decides to do more than simply roomba the dungeon floor. Use these ideas
when you want a more memorable gelatinous encounter.
Systemless Support
• What’s inside this jiggly gelatinous cube? On the reverse side of this sheet, I have As a systemless work, Jiggles & Wiggles, Gelatinous Cubes Rule, is designed If you need even more ideas, especially if you dislike the players’ characters and
detailed several ideas for what may be suspended in a gelatinous cube’s jelly-like for use with almost any variation of the classic fantasy dungeoncrawl RPG. wish them harm, I highly recommend checking out some of my other works.
body. No doubt, the more foolish players in your campaign will take the bait and Those games with the core “roll a d20 and hope for the best” mechanic are a They’re somewhere on the internet, maybe, but since these projects are intended
inflict great damage on their characters as they try to retrieve some enticing item perfect fit for the material described in this worthless text, but experienced more as stress-relief than a business, it’s possible that my other creative efforts
or two from within the sliggling monster. GMs will no doubt find it easy to add these ideas to almost any game system are tougher to find than they should be. Sorry about that.
of their choice. (The truly clever gamemasters will even make this work in
Hopefully, you take inspiration from these words and use a few of these ideas to wipe- their next game of Old Maid! But you aren’t that clever, are you?) Follow me on Twitter @philipjreed if you are seeking pointless nonsense.
out the party. After all, the adventurers likely deserve death for some past offense.
Large artwork © Dean Spencer.

1 Oozing and flowing to completely fill a circular
chamber that is roughly 10-feet in diameter. The
“cube” is knee-high when spread this thin, and
some of the larger objects stuck inside the thing
are protruding from the top, making them far
more tempting and possibly luring the party into
a truly bad situation.
2 Engulfing a trapped goblin who is screaming
and begging for help. The goblin’s left and right
Of course, the jiggly beast might simply legs are both ensnared in the cube’s acidic form,
block the entrance to the next room in the small goblin swinging wildly with a dagger
the dungeon, filling the entire width of and the thing in an attempt to stop the inevitable
a key passage and frustrating the PCs. capture of its entire body.
It’s a classic gelatinous cube move, but
classics are classic because they work. 3 Pressing its bulk against a wooden door, seeking
to smash the door open and get at whatever is
on the other side. Roll 1d6: 1. A wounded troll
is holding the door closed, desperately seeking
something to bar the door so that it can escape
into the dungeon. 2. A commoner who made
the mistake of exploring a little too deep in the
dungeon. The unfortunate wanderer will thank
the PCs repeatedly if they save him. 3. Another
cube, also trying to destroy the door. The two are
mindless foes, each trying to consume everything
in sight. 4. A large trunk, heavy with fine robes
and capes. Nothing magical, but all very attractive
and valuable to someone. 5. A wounded fighter
of less experience than the heroes, and absolutely
ready to join forces . . . for now. 6. Two children
who grew angry with their parents and are
running away from home. They very much wish
to return to their parents and forget this day.
Jiggles & Wiggles, Glatinous Cubes Rule! writing, layout,
and design copyright © 2021 Philip Reed. Some art by 4 Carefully working its way down a spiral staircase,
J.M. Woiak and Heather Shinn of the STINKYGOBLIN. the thing filling the entire width of the stairs and
Some artwork © 2021 Dean Spencer, used with making it impossible for anyone to get by without
permission. All rights reserved. Some artwork copyright stepping in the destructive ooze.
Daniel F. Walthall, used with permission. Some art ©
Jacob E. Blackmon, used under license. Some art © 5 Slipping through a crack in the floor into the
erivaldo fernandes, used under license. Some art © Luigi room below. If the PCs are in the same room as
Castellani, used under license. the cube, they can see the objects inside it are
Publisher’s Choice Quality Stock Art © Rick Hershey being separate from the cube as it squishes its way
/ Fat Goblin Games. Some graphics and artwork © through to the below chamber. If in the room in
Irina Solatges and Nsandr, used under license from which the cube is now entering, they see only a
Shutterstock.com thick sheet of gelatinous, shimmering goo. It will
take the cube 3d4 minutes to regain its shape.
6 Playing a bone flute that is lodged within its
bizarre form. By flexing its jiggly mass of wiggly
ooze, the cube has accidentally stumbled across a
method of pushing enough of the stale air of the
dungeon through the flute to play a melancholy
dirge. The thing’s a musical prodigy!
7 Pushing upward against a trap door in the ceiling.
The cube has sliggled its way onto a wooden table
and is stretching up as its disgusting, oozing form
pushes down against the table. It almost looks
like a stretchy pillar. The question is, will the
table collapse below the cube’s weight before the
monster smashes the trap door open and slimes
its way into the room above?
8 Swallowing (and, at the same time, completely
filling) the head of a red dragon, stripping the
fleshy bits from the dead monster’s skull. (Both
inside and outside!) Heroes looking too close at
the scene must make a successful Constitution
check or lose their latest meal; watching as a
gelatinous cube forces its way through the eye
sockets, nostrils, and mouth of a dragon so that it
can dissolve the dragon’s squishy innards is quite
a disgusting experience and is not recommended.
9 Filling a giant suit of plate armor, the ooze
monster’s form expanded to fill every limb of
the armor. The giant’s skeletal remains are still
within the armor; just how long has this cube
been walking around the dungeon in this armor?
Worse still, the thing has figured out how to
manipulate the dead giant’s skeletal fingers and
the monstrosity is raising a giant axe to strike the
nearest member of the party.
10 Camped inside a subterranean well. The cube has
reshaped its body to perfectly fill the cylindrical
well, gripping the stone sides of the well as it uses
the dungeon feature as protection from others.
If the adventurers get too close to the well, the
cube extends a gloopy and wiggly pseudopod
that lashes out to strike the unfortunate hero. The
monster is content to sit in this well for a very
long time, but the movement of the heroes may
reawaken its desire to feed on more than the bugs
and rodents that get too close to the well.
11 Stripping the rotten flesh from a giant worm that,
if the smell is to be trusted, died several weeks
ago. The cube has started at the worm’s head and
has, so far, managed to wiggle roughly half of the
way down the worm’s gargantuan corpse.
12 Completely destroying the books in a large
bookcase. The cube managed to knock the
bookcase onto its back and has oozed into every
shelf, distorting itself so it looks more like a
rectangular blob of ooze than a cube. If the heroes
can lure the monster from its current activity,
they may salvage as many as 1d6 books: 1. A
slim, traveling spellbook made of leather and
metal parchment pages. It contains 3d43 low-
level spells. 2. The journal of Arja Kanerva, an
inexperienced merchant who made the mistake
of visiting the wrong dungeon. The journal may
be of value to the woman’s relatives, but it is (to
be honest) quite dull. 3. A bard’s book of songs.
The parchment pages, several quite weathered
and battered, contain 4d6 songs and poems as
selected by the GM. 4. A dry, boring accountant’s
book, complete with the ancient records of some
long-gone family. The book is so old that it might
be valuable as a relic to a scholar who enjoys
history. 5. A thick, beaten spellbook that is far, far
too big to easily move. All of the writing within
is almost illegible it is so tiny; anyone attempting
to study the 2d3 spells detailed in the book will
require two to three times the usual time because
of how tough it is to read the book. 6. The ranger
Jochen Laufer’s book detailing the mimic. Laufer,
dead for centuries, spent decades studying the
mimic and this small tome grants any who read
the work (requiring twelve hours and a successful
Intelligence check) a +1 bonus to attacks and
damage when engaged in combat with a mimic.
13 Trying to escape a pit. The sides of the 30-ft deep
pit are slick with hazardous slimes, making it
difficult for the cube to shimmy its way up.
14 Ejecting and reclaiming the skeletal remains of
an armored knight. Every few minutes, the cube
squishes and squiggles its body, dumping the
knight’s body on the dungeon floor and then
immediately moving to envelop the corpse again.
15 Trying to find a way across a collapsed bridge
in the dungeon. The cube stretches out, hoping
to reach the opposite side, and then falls into
the chasm. Will the heroes climb down to see
what goodies may be contained within the
sliggly monster, or will they ignore the cube and
continue on their way?
16 Struggling to engulf a stone statue that is much,
much too large for the cube to completely
envelop. The statue, a dozen feet tall and hacked
from a block of stone, is of a wizardly sort with
spellbook tucked under one arm and a wand
pointing upward to threaten some unseen foe.
The cube will never be able to fit the entire statue
within its wiggly form, but the thing is far too
stupid to realize this and will keep trying . . . until
something tastier comes along. The intruding
adventurers are tastier than a statue, right? Of
course they are!
17 Flattened itself as much as possible, until it is
only a few inches thick and spread across a 30-ft
chamber. The dark room makes it difficult to
spot the bizarre trap; all heroes must make a
successful Perception check or fail to notice the
patient cube. What happens when an adventurer
accidentally steps on an ooze-covered floor in the
dungeon? Nothing good.
18 Scouring the dungeon passage, its thick, oozy
form stripping all dust, stones, bugs, and other
tiny objects from the area. The cube is so packed
with fine particles that its body appears cloudy.
19 Absorbing the remains of a competing cube.
Unfortunately, the other cube was infected; it is
now only a matter of time until this cube is an
undead hazard roaming the dungeon’s halls.
20 Thrusting crude, thick pseudopods of ooze
through the bars of a locked cell. Inside, the cell’s
occupants – two orc corpses, stripped of their
flesh – make no move to protect themselves
from their attacker. The cube is so focused on the
bodies in the cell that the heroes gain the upper
hand and may sneak attack the monster.
 Swords, shields, rings, helmets, gemstones, and much more may be found in the jigging innards of the gelatinous cube. Of course,

Large artwork © Dean Spencer.

spotting a potential prize inside one of these dungeon crawlers is far, far simpler than claiming said items from the acidic prison
that holds them. When it comes time to describe a gelatinous cube to the players, you may choose to roll one d6 and a single d30
and consult the below table to determine what is inside the monster’s wiggling and jiggling form.

Of course, you may be one of those totally cube-happy gamemasters who throws so many
of these jiggly beasties into your campaign that you need more choices than I’ve included
with this worthless paper. You do know that you can always turn to the equipment list
in the rules and either select or randomly roll to find more things to put inside the guts
of a gelatinous cube, right? It’s true! Any list in any book is a random table, so long as
you pick up a few dice, roll them, and then start counting. I know, counting is the worst,
but it really is a simple way to greatly expand your choices. And if you do something
particularly dumb, such as roll d100 on a list that is clearly only a few dozen items long,
then just return to the top of the list when you reach the bottom and continue counting
down. Eventually, you’ll reach the number rolled.

Or, just do what most of us do and choose something. Or not. What do I care?

d6 Result – 1-3 d6 Result – 4-5 d6 Result – 6

1 3d6 copper coins and a common arrowhead. 1 Roll on the table at right. (Worthless things.) 1 Roll on the table at far right. (Valuable things.)

2 A dagger in relatively decent condition. 2 A slim, wicked dagger made entirely of bone. 2 4d6 gold pieces, a small gold ring, and a tiny ruby.

3 A small metal shield. The leather straps are gone.
4 The right hand of an iron golem.
5 A small gold bar, worth roughly 20 gold coins.
6 4d4 silver coins and a silver bracelet.
7 A padlock and, surprisingly, the lock’s key.
8 A ring made of silver and gold.
9 6d6 copper coins and an empty potion vial.
10 A glass jar with a metal lid, filled with holy water.
11 A gold holy symbol, design chosen by the GM.
12 A sealed and ready-to-use healing potion.
13 A tiny music box in perfect condition.
14 A ceremonial dagger, made of platinum.
15 A shattered, wooden frame and ruined canvas.
16 A platinum buckle and the remains of a belt.
3 A chain and clasp attached to scraps of a cape.
4 An elven skull, a black sapphire in one eye socket.
5 A wooden torch, somehow unharmed.
6 2d3 scales of a red dragon, each worth 10d6 gold.
7 A copper cauldron, large enough to hold a dwarf.
8 A small mirror, the wooden handle eaten away.
9 A perfectly preserved suit of chainmail.
10 3d4 platinum coins and a silver chalice.
11 A chainmail coif, stained with blood.
12 3d3 throwing knives, each one in excellent shape.
13 A magic helmet. (Roll 1d4: 1-3. +1. 4. +2.)
14 A magic short sword. (Roll 1d4: 1-3. +1. 4. +2.)
15 A suit of banded mail, slowly coming apart.
16 A slim spellbook inside a locked, metal case.
3 A metal staff topped with a yellow opal.
4 Two magic arrows (+2), both in perfect shape.
5 Enchanted leather armor +1, immune to acid.
6 A two-handed sword with a glowing blade.
7 A partially-dissolved leather pouch with 3d6 gold.
8 The metal hinges of a door. Where is the door?
9 A metal anvil, so heavy it is being left behind.
10 A pair of magic gloves (+1 to Dexterity tests).
11 A ring of protection. (Roll 1d4: 1-3. +1. 4. +2.)
12 A metal scroll case with a single arcane scroll.
13 An animated skeleton, trying to escape the cube.
14 A silver statue of a knight, just over 2-ft tall.
15 A bone map case and a map of this dungeon.
16 A silver sickle blade. (There is no handle.)
5d6 worthless things stuck inside a gelatinous cube.
5 • Two links of chain, far too little to be of any value or use.
6 • A rusted horseshoe. It is best if we don’t think about how the horseshoe got there.
7 • A partially-digested crossbow. All of the metal bits are there, and some wood parts remain.
8 • The lower jaw of a goblinoid of some sort. The teeth are crumbling and horribly discolored.
9 • 3d3 gold coins. If retrieved, it is immediately obvious that the coins are actually painted coppers.
10 • A broken gauntlet. Twisted and battered, the gauntlet may have been valuable once. Now it is trash.
11 • A shattered short sword. The weapon’s blade is snapped into 2d4 pieces.
12 • Large metal bands and scraps of wood. A clever hero will recognize this as the remains of a barrel.
13 • A bronze cup covered in large scratches and banged to hell.
14 • The remains of a small treasure chest. Those who make a successful Perception test identify the chest as a mimic’s corpse.
15 • A complete skeleton wearing scraps of clothing, damaged boots, and a suit of chainmail far beyond repair.
16 • Three bone dice. Each is cracked, shattered, or broken in some way that makes them unusable.
17 • A glass eye. If recovered, the item is chipped and cracked; using this would certainly cause the wearer pain.
18 • 2d3 large nails. Unfortunately, each is so badly bent that trying to hammer them straight will break each one.
19 • The skull of a giant, partially sticking out of the top of the cube. It will take decades for the cube to fully consume this.
20 • Three wicked teeth, two copper coins, and a short sword. Of course, the short sword snaps in two if it is recovered.
21 • The remains of what was once a spellbook. Most of the pages are gone, the cover is mostly dissolved, and the metal lock is broken.
22 • A brass horn, twisted and mangled to the point that it is little more than trash.
23 • All that is left of a wizard. Unfortunately, that means broken bones and a shattered metal wand.
24 • Half of what was once a metal door. The jagged, broken edge protruding from the top of the cube.
25 • Two stone tablets, each a sign warning of unknown dangers.
26 • An open vial, likely a valuable potion long ago. Now, unfortunately, it is little more than a worthless tube of glass.
27 • 3d4 lockpicks, all of which have been chewed on by some unknown beast long before they found their way here.
28 • A heavy stone, roughly the size of an adventurer’s backpack.
29 • A thick tree branch that is slowly being dissolved by the cube’s nasty, acid-like guts.
30 • Surprise! There’s actually something good in this damned cube. Roll on the below table.

17 A grappling hook in excellent condition. 17 Silver earrings, each decorated with rubies. 17 3d4 silver coins, 2d6 gold coins, and a tooth.

18 A metal skullcap, scarred and battered. 18 4d6 swords protruding from the cube’s sides. 18 A ring of wisdom. (Roll 1d4: 1-3. +1. 4. +2.)

19 A large bell, as big as a dwarf! 19 A skeleton key that opens doors in this dungeon. 19 Gauntlets of strength. (Roll 1d4: 1-3. +1. 4. +2.)

20 The ubiquitous 10-foot pole, made of metal. 20 A wooden goblin marionette, mostly dissolved. 20 A gold door knocker shaped like a dragon’s head.

21 A small metal cage, the skeleton of a bird inside. 21 3d6 silver coins and 6d6 gold coins. 21 A magic cape that grants the wearer nightvision.

22 A copper bowl, decorated with small gemstones. 22 The horn of a unicorn. 22 A sword made from the horn of a defeated devil. 3d6 valuable things stuck inside a gelatinous cube.
23 A copper funnel and 3d4 silver coins. 23 The skeletal remains of a bear. 23 A magic key that unlocks most mundane locks. 3 • A metal scroll case, stoppered and containing a single scroll of the GM’s choice.
4 • An empty bag of holding. The item’s enchantment has kept it safe from the cube’s acid.
24 A gravestone, the writing worn away by time. 24 A metal flask holding two tears of a black dragon. 24 6d6 platinum coins and a magic ring of tongues. 5 • A perfectly sealed and ready-for-use vial containing a magic potion of the GM’s choice.
6 • A silver crown with seven emeralds. A socket for an eighth stone is empty; the missing emerald is visible elsewhere within the cube’s wiggly form.
25 A metal flask. Unfortunately, it is empty. 25 An amulet of protection. (Roll 1d4: 1-3. +1. 4. +2.) 25 Magic boots that adapt to fit the wearer’s feet. 7 • A magical ring of spell storing. The ring holds two arcane spells of the GM’s choice, both of which are instantly known by any wizard or sorcerer who slips on the ring.
8 • The remains of a mandolin. Fortunately, the instrument’s magic strings – granting a +1 bonus to music checks when the strings are used on a working instrument – are in perfect shape.
26 The remains of a wooden box and 3d4 brass nails. 26 A magic knife. (Roll 1d6: 1-3. +1. 4-5. +2. 6. +3) 26 A magic rope; anchors without need of a grapple. 9 • A magic scabbard that re-sizes to hold any one-handed sword. The sword gains a +1 bonus to damage on the first attack made with it after it has been sheathed for 24-hours.
10 • 2d20 gold coins, 4d20 silver coins, and an ornate dagger worth roughly 20 gold.
27 3d6 copper coins and a plain, boring bracelet. 27 A ring of levitation. 27 A gold chain and a star-shaped, silver amulet. 11 • A slim spellbook (2d3 random spells) wrapped in thick leathers. The cube’s acidic innards are slowly dissolving the protective leathers, but so far the spellbook is unharmed.
12 • A magic shield, glowing within the cube so brightly that it makes the jiggle monster shine with an eerie, unnatural brilliance that illuminates the immediate area. Creepy.
28 A gold candlestick. 28 5d6 platinum coins inside a small metal box. 28 A ring of intelligence. (Roll 1d4: 1-3. +1. 4. +2.) 13 • Three bone dice, enchanted centuries ago by a trickster-mage. When rolled, so long as the command phrase “curse fate” is whispered, the dice land exactly as the roller wishes.
14 • 7d6+10 gold coins, one of which is magical and will automatically return to the owner’s coin purse if the coin’s owner whispers “return to me” as the coin is spent.
29 A crystal ball, slightly nicked and scratched. 29 A necklace of continual light. 29 A magic cloak of invisibility. 15 • A chunk of onyx skillfully carved into the shape of a single chess piece, a knight. The object glows midnight blue when in the presence of one with royal blood.
16 • The skull of a minotaur. The horns would be worth quite a bit to a powerful wizard or art-collecting noble.
17 • A bone map case, holding the remains of a map of the GM’s choice. Is there enough there for the PCs to follow?
30 Roll on the table at right. (Worthless things.) 30 Roll on the table at far right. (Valuable things.) 30 Roll twice on d6 result 1-3 at far left.
18 • 5d6 gold coins, 2d4 platinum coins, and an intact healing potion just waiting to be used.