Black Pudding

Black Pudding (CR 7)

Neutral - Large - Ooze

Lore:	K. (Dungeoneer)
14		29
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

10

Perception:
21	+11
Passive	Active

Ambush:

9+

on a d20

Senses:

• Blind to Vision
• Blind to Sound
• Blind to Smell
• Tremorsense 60 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 20 ft.
• Greater Climb 20 ft.
• Lesser Swim 20 ft.

Defense

AC

23

Man Def

23

Monster Health
113	56	11
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+9
Refl:	+4
Will:	+4

Strong Against:

• (Mindless) Immune (no effect): all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, fear, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)
• (Ooze 1) Immune (no effect): gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight
• (Ooze 2) Immune (no effect): poisons (tainted, poisoned, blighted), magical sleep (drowsy, sluggish, asleep), paralyzed, stunned, polymorph
• (Ooze 3) Immune (no effect): flanking, prone (quelled, prone, splayed]])
• (Ooze 4) Hardened (½ damage): critical hits, precision damage
• Immune (no effect): piercing (physical, common)

• Hardened (½ damage): slashing (physical, common)

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Large
10 ft.		10 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+12

Man Off

+11

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Pseudopod Smash +12 (2d8+4/19-20 x2)
  as acid (energy, common)
  plus Gorge

Full Attack (Melee):

• 4x Pseudopod Swarm +12 (2d8+4/19-20 x2)
  as acid (energy, common)
  plus Gorge

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Acid Blob +16 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die) (2d8+4/19-20 x2)
  as Acid (energy, common)
  (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)

Full Attack (Ranged):

• 3x Acid Blob +16 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die) (2d8+4/19-20 x2)
  as Acid (energy, common)
  (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

16

STR

1

DEX

22

CON

—

INT

1

WIS

1

CHA

Skills:

• Perception: 11
• All other skills: 6 (no ranks)

Languages:

Feats:

Special Abilities

Corrosion (Ex) Free Action 1/Rnd, after successful attack

Once per round as a free action, the Black Pudding may attempt a Sunder maneuver against the first creature it successfully strikes. This is a free action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The Black Pudding makes a Maneuver Offense check (1d20 + 11). If the result equals or exceeds the target's Maneuver Defense, the first non-broken item on this list becomes corroded, gaining the Broken condition: Shield Armor Weapon/Item held in main hand Weapon/Item held in off-hand Boots Helmet Belt Bracers If none of the above items are present, or all of them are broken, the Sunder maneuver has no effect. Since the Black Pudding is mindless, it must always follow this sequence and may not choose a more effective item from the list to corrode first. Note that, unlike a normal Sunder attack, this attack does not deal any damage itself, since the Black Pudding already dealt normal attack damage prior to making the sunder.

Gorge (Su) Free Action 1/Rnd, After successful attack

Up to once per round, when a black pudding hits a foe with a Pseudopod attack (either Smash or Swarm) it may 'pour itself' along the length of that pseudopod and enter the space of the struck creature. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The black pudding may only use this ability against creatures it has struck -- if Gorge would take them into a space with a creature they struck and a creature they haven't struck, the pudding must adjust the movement to only include the struck creature. If it cannot do so, it can't use the Gorge ability. Being inside a pudding's space this way does not impede either the pudding or the victim in any way, except that the victim takes 2d6+2 as acid (energy, common) damage at the end each of the pudding's turns, if the victim is still sharing a space with the pudding. This effectively adds 2d6+2 acid (energy, common) damage to the attack which the pudding used to trigger Gorge, as well as a source of ongoing damage, if victim does not move away from the pudding. Note that puddings cannot occupy the same space as other puddings, meaning that Gorge can never be used on the same creature more than once per round, regardless of how many puddings may be present in the encounter.

Portion Control (Ex) Free Action 1/Enc

Once per encounter, as a triggered free reaction, upon being struck by a piercing or slashing weapon, a Black Pudding will split from one Large creature into four Medium creatures in the same space. Once split, each Pudding can and will move and attack independently using the same initiative. Each one has one fourth of the ORIGINAL hit point total of the Black Pudding (28), regardless of any damage the pudding has taken up to this point. (This is, effectively, a full heal for the pudding.) Once split, the puddings can no longer make full attack actions. Instead, they may only use make a single Pseudopod Smash each round as a standard action, though they retain their 10 feet of reach with this attack. This leaves each split pudding with a move action to move closer to their prey, if necessary. Note that, while the sheer quantity of split puddings makes flanks more likely, puddings, being mindless, will not seek these out.

Black Pudding

Black Puddings are the most commonly encountered of the oozes, and that alone makes them noteworthy. Black Puddings are extremely hard to kill completely, and after a battle with a swarm of puddings, baby puddings are usually spawned by the dozens over the next several weeks, as random spots and spatters scattered in the battle will slowly grow into more of the vile things.

Like all oozes, black puddings are horrifying things. They are not really alive, nor are they dead, nor are they even undead. They simply exist in an unquiet state of hungry growth. Puddings never sleep or rest or do anything else like an actually-living creature will do. Black puddings are a lot 'thicker' than many other oozes, although they are more runny than gelatinous cubes. Due to their heavy, gelid consistency, in their resting state they form a heaping mound of midnight semi-liquid matter about ten feet across and easily seven or eight feet high. They move with a eerie sucking flow and can cling to about anything that can resist their acid matter, which is very little indeed for a powerful-enough pudding.

Black puddings are incredibly dangerous, and will cause a strong response if sighted near any intelligent creatures' lairs. Puddings are to be found and eradicated as fast as possible, before they find their way into your house one dark night and eat you.

Combat Tactics

Black Puddings are utterly mindless. If they sense motion or warmth, they move toward it and attack. They will not use five-foot steps to attain extra opportunity attacks with their reach, nor will they bother with flanks except by accident. If they are able to use Portion Control, all four of the new oozes act independently, moving to the closest prey and attacking with vigor. If they detect a fow they cannot reach (inside their tremor sense range, but beyond their reach) they will hurl Acid Blobs at the target as they move in. There is a 50/50 (1-3 on a d6) chance they will use a five-foot step and a full ranged attack, or a (4-6 on a d6) standard move and a single ranged attack.

Out of Combat

In the absence of any prey to seek out, puddings will sometimes wander aimlessly, often in large circles or straight lines, until prey is detected. In other cases, puddings have been known to go completely dormant for years, until disturbed by motion or warmth in their vicinity.

It is not known how long a pudding can survive without food, but evidence seems to suggest it is measured in decades or centuries, depending on the power of the ooze in question. This begs the question of why they are so voracious when food is present, eagerly devouring anything they can catch, with limitless hunger.

One popular theory regarding the origin of the black pudding is that puddings aren't alive at all, merely magical weapons created for the sole purpose of destroying anything organic they encounter. However, their complete lack of anatomy makes it very difficult to determine their origins, whether manufactured or evolved.

Rewards

XP: 3,200

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 2,875 gp.

Weight: 70 lbs.     Volume: 2.8 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)