Home / Explore / Black Pudding
CR 4 ooze • D&D 5e Homebrew Creature
Created by @LightReign
Large ooze, Unaligned
A mindless, creeping dissolution. This CR 4 ooze ignores most damage, devours equipment on contact, and splits when struck — turning aggression into a bigger problem.
The Black Pudding can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch without expending extra movement to do so.
A creature that hits the Black Pudding with a melee attack roll takes 4 (1d8) Acid damage. Nonmagical ammunition is destroyed immediately after hitting the Black Pudding and dealing any damage. Any nonmagical weapon takes a cumulative −1 penalty to attack rolls immediately after dealing damage to the pudding and coming into contact with it. The weapon is destroyed if the penalty reaches −5. The penalty can be removed by casting the Mending spell on the weapon.
In 1 minute, the pudding can eat through 2 feet of nonmagical wood or metal.
The Black Pudding can climb difficult surfaces, including along ceilings, without needing to make an ability check
Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 10 ft.
Hit: 17 (4d6 + 3) Acid damage. Nonmagical armor worn by the target takes a −1 penalty to the AC it offers. The armor is destroyed if the penalty reduces its AC to 10. The penalty can be removed by casting the Mending spell on the armor.
Trigger: While the Black Pudding is Large or Medium and has 10+ Hit Points, it becomes Bloodied or is subjected to Lightning or Slashing damage.
Response: The Black Pudding splits into two new Black Puddings. Each new creature is one size smaller than the original Pudding and acts on its Initiative. The original creature's Hit Points are divided evenly between the new Puddings (round down).
Official D&D 5th Edition creature from the System Reference Document 5.2. Stats, abilities, and descriptions are faithful to the original SRD text.
The Black Pudding is less a combat encounter and more an environmental hazard with hit points. The key to running it well is making the players feel the threat before they understand it.
Lead with the equipment destruction. Most parties won't realise nonmagical weapons and armour are being degraded until it's too late. Don't announce it — just describe the sizzling, the pitting metal, and let them figure out what's happening. The moment a fighter's sword hits −3 is when the encounter becomes memorable.
The Split reaction is the defining feature and the most common DM mistake. Players who attack with Lightning or Slashing damage are making the fight worse for themselves. If your players figure this out mid-combat and switch tactics, reward that. If they don't, two Medium puddings eating through the party's gear is a hard lesson they won't forget.
It has no Intelligence, no tactics, no self-preservation. It moves toward warmth and organic material and that's it. Don't play it smart — play it inevitable. It doesn't chase, it spreads.
The Climb speed is easy to forget but changes the geometry of the encounter significantly. A pudding dropping from the ceiling onto an unsuspecting character is a strong opening image.
Works best in confined spaces — tunnels, vaults, sewers — where the party can't simply walk around it and the equipment attrition has time to matter.
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