Fuming Sludge

The slurry from alchemical experiments is often as flammable as it is toxic. In especially volatile cases, a fuming sludge can form from ignited pools of unstable alchemical runoff. It resembles a charcoal-colored slurry studded with tiny embers, and it continually emits a thin haze of accelerant that amplifies the fires it starts.

A fuming sludge must consume the base chemicals of living creatures to survive and can instinctively identify the complex molecules found in most animate creatures. The first meal of many a fuming sludge is its accidental creator, but it soon moves on to hunt in lush forests or densely populated settlements. A fuming sludge can extrude a powerful pseudopod to strike its victims, but it can also eject portions of its body with peristaltic contractions. These rapidly-cooling globs of goo slow down fleeing prey, but the cold, crusty residue can also alert canny explorers to their presence.