Combat: Oozes, Slimes, Puddings. Tactical advice

[Mystery Man]

I've never run an Ooze combat before and I have an encounter set up with a white pudding from Tome of Horrors. It plays like a black pudding with some subtle differences.

So anyway, how does one run these things?

 

[MerakSpielman]

They're fun but mindless. They move directly towards the closest prey and attack it.

Smart PCs realize how slow oozes move and stay back, pelting it with spells and missiles. To make the combat more interesting, put it in a small, enclosed space, like the bottom of a pit, a narrow tunnel where the PCs can only get at it one at a time, and then on their hands and knees, or something similar.

 

[Hand of Evil]

You can think about comboing your ooze, slime, pudding with another creature, that is imune to its' effects, example of this would be a black pudding and a stone golem.

 

[Mystery Man]

Hey good ideas, but let me ask; regarding the splitting. The hit points are reduced to half the but base attack/grapple stays the same?

 

[MarauderX]

Don't forget the muck that drops down from overhead, often missed by the all but the most observant PCs (Spot Checks). And also have the goo move into position to block a path or door, and if you are a RBDM (rat bastard) have it happen at a more critical time, like when they are trying to escape a flood or some other nasty critter. Also have it switch locations if the PCs are lost and just avoided it to save on resources.

Another is using it for mass combat. Load up a catapult with the stuff and heave it over (or into) the walls.