Subterranean Pudding

These slimy, viscous lumps look barely alive, but each is a colony of hundreds of organisms. No eyes, ears or mouths show on them; their sense organs are tucked underneath. Gray to deep blue and usually 8 feet across, they constantly hunt along floors, walls and ceilings. A bigger mass is several puddings together, never more than four. Sages think all of them are magically altered black puddings, and they share some of that creature's traits.

Edged weapons cannot hurt them, and blunt weapons inflict only a quarter of their damage, whatever their enchantment. Poison, cold and acid leave them unharmed. Blows do not divide them as they do other puddings. Instead, being struck by chain lightning, fireball, wall of fire, lightning bolt, incendiary cloud, flaming sphere or flame strike halves one into two smaller puddings, each with full hit points.

Malleable but solid-looking and slow, this thick lump inches across any surface and likes to hide on ceilings to fall on prey. It is light to dark gray, darker when it has fed recently. Its poisonous secretions deal 3d6 per attack. After a kill it sits on the body for 1-10 rounds while absorbing the flesh, leaving behind metal, wood, leather and similar items it cannot digest. Its body, remains and slime can be made into poison and are a component of oil of acid resistance.

Often confused with a stone pudding from afar, this may be the most lethal of the cave puddings. Its deep gray color melts into shadow and stone, giving victims -4 on surprise rolls. Its acid, stronger than a black pudding's, deals 4d8 damage and eats through leather, wood and chain mail in one round and plate in two, with each magical plus buying an item one more round. It also deals an automatic 4d8 each round to anyone it engulfs, and a creature that reaches -10 hit points dissolves completely, bones and all.

Some spells hit it unusually hard if they get past its magic resistance: flesh to stone works on it as slow, and airy water alters its body so it drowns in its own fluids in 2d4 rounds.

This 10 HD variety always has its full 80 hit points. Slower than the gray, it has learned to hide in shadows and drop on prey, giving victims -2 on surprise rolls, but in the open its dark blue color and great bulk make it easy to see. Its secretions corrode only living flesh, dealing 2d10, and carry a crippling disease: anyone damaged must save vs. poison or contract it. Cure disease removes it if cast within 48 hours.