FREQUENCY: Uncommon
FREQUENCY: Common ([Dungeon Level VII])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Wilderness Mountains])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Wilderness Mountains])

NO. APPEARING: 1 to 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 6"
HIT DICE: 10
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 10
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-24
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Dissolve wood & metal
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Blows, cold, lightning do not harm
INTELLIGENCE: Non-
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: S to L (5' dia. to 8' dia.)
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VII | 1350 + 14

SAVES: 11.12.13.13.14
(Poison & Death Magic: 8)

The black pudding is a monster composed of groups of single cells. It is a
scavenger/hunter found only in underground areas normally.

Movement: The body structure of a black pudding is such that it can pass (flow) through narrow
openings (such as a 1" crack under a door). The monster travels equally
well on walls or ceilings as well as floors.

Its tiny mouths and saliva do 3-24
hit points of damage per melee round to exposed flesh.

Dissolve wood & metal: If the monster needs to dissolve wood in order to obtain food, it can eat away about a
two inch thickness of wood equal in area to its diameter in 1 melee round.
Black puddings also eat away metal with their corrosive saliva: Chainmail
in 1 melee round, plate mail in 2, and an additional melee round for
magical armor at a rate of 1 melee round for each plus of armor. Thus, +1
magic (plate) armor would have to be in contact with a black pudding for
3 melee rounds before it dissolved.

Blows, cold, lightning do not harm: If chopped or struck, the monster is
broken into two or more parts, each able to attack. The same is true if it is
attacked by lightning. Cold does not affect it.

Fire causes normal damage
to this monster, and they avoid flames. Black puddings sometimes have
color variation, grey, brown, and white being not uncommon.

Black puddings with 10-20 hit points are about 5' diameter,
those of 21-40 hit points 6',
41-60 are 7',
and 61-80 are 8'.
Note that even those of the smallest size (or those as small as 1' diameter) are able to deliver normal damage.
This is due to the fact that larger puddings simply do not use all of their mouth openings as they are not exposed.

by Dave Arneson

Julian Grimm wrote:
Interesting. I could have swore they were Lovecraftian. So were black puddings inspired by Shoggoths or did I miss that one as well?

Dave Arneson evidentaly disliked English black pudding, made up an amoeboid monster of that name which I glommed onto..figuratively of course 

If he was thinking of Shoggoths when he envisaged the critter, only Dave knows...

Cheers,
Gary

Quote:
Originally posted by MerricB
Oh, Great Gygax, who we implore to not let the Black Puddings get our Bags of Holding...
 

Now there's a thought dear to my DMly heart!
Dave Arneson conceived the black pudding, and I confess it is one of my favorite critters for disconcerting PCs...