How to kill a black pudding

[Celtavian]

Re

Zephalon,

I don't like to change modules too much, but I am seriously having trouble justifying this encounter. The adventure designer really wasn't thinking when he combined a Black Pudding with the fiendish template. The designer should have known that such a creature would be nearly impossible for lvl 6 characters to kill considering its resistances and immunity to melee weapons.

Very bad adventure design IMO.

Let me know how your group does if possible. I would love to know how they manage to kill such a powerful creature at lvl 5.

 

[Zephalon]

Re: Re

Zephalon,

I don't like to change modules too much, but I am seriously having trouble justifying this encounter. The adventure designer really wasn't thinking when he combined a Black Pudding with the fiendish template. The designer should have known that such a creature would be nearly impossible for lvl 6 characters to kill considering its resistances and immunity to melee weapons.

Very bad adventure design IMO.

Let me know how your group does if possible. I would love to know how they manage to kill such a powerful creature at lvl 5.

I'll probably have them earn a few levels before I run them through this adventure. I think level 7 would be about right. By the way, the only spellcasters in the group are a gnome bard and an NPC dwarven cleric (Ex-PC). The rest is a human barbarian, a dwarven fighter/thief and an aasimar monk. Not quite the mix expected in this adventure.

 

[kengar]

I just ran a black pudding encounter night before last & was thoroughly confused by the rules as well. Imagine my surprise when I came to the boards to post a question and this thread was already up!

I had a party of 3 8th level characters (monk, rogue & cleric/barbarian) go up against a BP. They did some damage to it through ranged energy attacks (Bow of Shock), but mostly it just kept splitting. The whole encounter was a royal pain to run. It was from a module so I didn't place it there myself but it nigh convinced me to never use oozes again! ugh.

 

[Pielorinho]

A couple of module-changing options:
* Give the black pudding a vulnerability to holy water and/or blessed weapons.
* In the temple, there's a small shimmering crystal sphere, about 2' diameter; inside it, a black ooze undulates and writhes. It's the pudding's "heart"; destroying this sphere kills the pudding.
* An old legend says that the pudding will be killed if a hero pure of heart goes willingly into the pudding's embrace. Whoever does this faces certain death, but the pudding will die at the same time.

Daniel

 

[phillipjp]

Well, my suggestion is for the DM to stop trying to find a solution to the powerful NPC. That's the PC's job!

Let them scratch their heads about it and try their own solutions. For many of the "impossible" puzzles I've DM'd, I discretely listen to their brain-storming from behind the screen and get a feel for what they think the solution should be -- then I run with it. That way, they think you planned it that way, and they get a great feeling of having figured out the puzzle. (Never mind that both DM and players just made up the solution on the spot.)

 

[Steverooo]

Huh?

The thing has an acid attack, lives in water, and you want to kill it with acid? Aren't dragons always immune to their own breath weapons? Wouldn't a black pudding be immune to acid, since it uses it as an attack?

So, do the PCs know they're going to encounter it? If not, someone is doomed! I'd use the "puzzle" suggestion: The order of the day is Escape and Evasion. Get out, and get back to town!

If they do, then allow anyone with the skill an Alchemy check to realize that bases (such as lye) would cancel the acid. They could then search for a stronger base, which would not only neutralize the thing's acid, but also cause it harm.

As an aside from another game, I once had a character with a similar problem, fighting an acidic water-critter. He went looking for a base-bearing rock that, once it combined with the creature's acid, formed a salt which was poisonous to the critter. A few aerial bombardments with chunks of that did for the critter. Maybe your characters could encounter a barbarian, or hear a bard tell the tale of Orori Greyeyes and the Gorp?

 

[Zephalon]

I really appreciate your very creative plot ideas to give the players some help. I am not an inexperienced DM myself but it's always nice to get some input. The "true heroe sacrifice" really does it. By the way, the "base vs. acid" method of killing the beast would probably be their first try... one of the players studies biochemistry and she always tries something scientific (her gnomish bard has a decent Alchemy skill). BTW the monster is not resistant to acid, although it is made up of it. I really don't know if different acids can destroy each other or always make up a stronger acid when mixed together. But technically, you could hurt it with acid.

But... first I really don't like to modify "official" adventures. Thats why i buy them and why i expect some playtesting. Secondly, I really had some rules problems concerning the black puddings split ability and the resulting invulnerability to weapons, i.e. you just can't kill it with weapons, you need energy or elemental attacks (or a chemical expert).

I don't want to discuss a solution for the players, a method to circumvent or totally change the encounter, to turn it into a puzzle etc. but a (rules) correct way to run this encounter.

But I have to say that all of you really surprised me with a lot of good and interesting ideas. I posted the same question on the official wotc boards and you guess what? Not one answer even worth being posted here! EN World is the place to be!

I'll try and make up correct stats for the different black pudding sizes. I think the HD hint from Dash Dannigan
is the best way to do it and i noticed that the Monster Manual gives me all i need to figure out the creatures ability scores, natural armor, slam damage, attack bonus etc. for reduced size.

Have a happy new year!!

 

[AuraSeer]

Here's an interesting tidbit.

Oozes are immune to mind-influencing effects because they have no Intelligence score. However, all Fiendish creatures have at least Int 3, according to the template definition. So a DM could rule that a Fiendish Ooze should lose its mental immunity! Charm Monster, anyone?

 

[radferth]

I would point out to folks that the "acid" damage in D&D seems to refer to any caustic chemical (bases included). Being an old chem major myself, I like the lye vs. black pudding idea myself, but they have left it pretty much up to the DM as to how different chemical interact.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Just keep walking. It won't be able to keep up. Lead it into a room and run out, closing the door behind you. By the time it figures out to eat through the door (low-to-no INT, remember?) you'll be long gone.

I wonder what Blade Barrier would do to a Black Pudding.