Black pudding

* 5e
* 4e
* 3e
* 2e
* 1e

A **black pudding** was an ooze resembling a bubbling, heaping pile of thick black goo.

## Description

The average black pudding measured 15 ft (4.6 m) across and 2 ft (0.6 m) thick and they weighed around 18,000 lb (8.2 mt). While most of these monsters were an inky black, some could be brown, grey, and even white. In underground locations, these creatures appeared as dark blobs.

## Behavior

These creatures were mindless underground-dwelling hunters and scavengers that wandered and absorbed whatever they found.
A black pudding would position itself in a dungeon hallway like a shadow and wait for unsuspecting prey.

## Combat

Black pudding attacked by grabbing, grappling, and constricting prey directly into their liquid-esque mass. Like other oozes, they also secreted a deadly acidic substance which strongly and quickly dissolved weapons, clothing, and organic tissue alike. When slashed at or pierced, the black pudding split into two smaller puddings, both of which would do the same; this continued until they were too small and weak to do so further. A black pudding would eat bone, metal, and wood leaving only stone behind.

## Ecology

Like other oozes, black pudding desire warmth and sense their prey through movement. While the creatures seek living and breathing targets, they will feast on animal guts, slime, and mushrooms.

Black puddings could be found inhabiting shrines and temples dedicated to Ghaunadaur, the drow deity of oozes. The worshippers of the deity cultivated alliances with black pudding for mutual defense.

## History

A black ooze could be found hiding on a statue in the Dungeon Level of Undermountain.

## Appendix

### See Also

* White pudding
* Ooze

### Appearances

Adventures
* *Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage*
* *City of the Spider Queen*

### Further reading

* Johnathan Richards (July 1995). “The Ecology of the Black Pudding”. In Wolfgang Baur ed. *Dragon* #219 (TSR, Inc.), pp. {{#regex:35–39|%(,)(\S)%|$1 $2}}.

### References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). *Monster Manual 5th edition*. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 241. ISBN 978-0786965614.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Rob Heinsoo, Stephen Schubert (May 19, 2009). *Monster Manual 2 4th edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 172. ISBN 0786995101.
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). *Monster Manual 3.5*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 201. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Doug Stewart (June 1993). *Monstrous Manual*. (TSR, Inc), p. 297. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Gary Gygax (December 1977). *Monster Manual, 1st edition*. (TSR, Inc), p. 10. ISBN 0-9356-9600-8.
6. ↑ Gary Gygax (1974). *Dungeons & Dragons (1974) (Monsters & Treasure)*. (TSR, Inc), p. 19.
7. ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). *Monster Manual 5th edition*. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 240. ISBN 978-0786965614.
8. ↑ James Wyatt (September 2002). *City of the Spider Queen*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 28. ISBN 0-7869-1212-X.
9. ↑ Christopher Perkins (November 2018). *Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage*. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 20. ISBN 978-0-7869-6626-4.

### Connections

Oozes
Aballin • Acid blob • **Black pudding** • Blood amniote • Bloodbloater • Brown pudding • Crystal ooze • Dense pudding • Dun pudding • Ethereal ooze • Fission slime • Flareater • Flotsam ooze • Gelatinous cube • Gray ooze • Gray pudding • Living muck • Mustard jelly • Oblex • Ochre jelly • Olive slime • Reekmurk • Shadow slime • Slithering hoard • Slithering tracker • Stone pudding • Venom ooze • White pudding