So this came up in our game tonight (5 minutes ago, we're on break now)
Black Pudding attacks us. We get partially enveloped. Oracle casts water walk, attempting to escape the creature, since water walk propels you to the surface, is the Oracle standing on the ooze?
A) Argument: it's a creature, not a liquid.
B) Counterpoint: yes, but a liquid-like creature, with a similar consistency to lava, where it works.
What do you guys think?
No. Oozes are like jello, not even like lava.
Honestly, something that isn't modeled well is that technically people would float on lava. Lava is about 3 times more dense than water, and people (being made of water) would "float" on top. Very similar to how people float on mercury.
However, it's also worth noting that black puddings don't have the engulf ability (like a gelatinous cube does) so it can't actually do what you're talking about.
Enveloped how? It has a slam attack with grab, which if successful would grapple you. If you are grappled, you are adjacent to the ooze, so no, water walk would do nothing for you. Its not like you were swallowed whole.
Maybe you meant a gelatinous cube, which has the engulf ability. In that case, A) its a creature, not a liquid. B) Just because its liquid like, doesn't mean its free to move through it. There is some kind of force or connection or magic holding it in shape, so it doesn't just part willingly like the ocean would. I wouldn't let water walk just pop you to the surface, I would probably give you a +3 (level of spell) circumstance bonus to escape the engulf.
Can oozes and jellies be considered non-Newtonian fluids? So if you hit them hard enough with a wide enough object you can disperse the weight of a full grown man across the surface and run across them?
I saw it on Mythbusters.
I think Tarantula has the closest thing to an answer we're going to find. A Black Pudding doesn't have an Engulf ability so you wouldn't be significantly inside it unless special circumstances were involved, and if it did have one it is at the very most only sort of like the substances mentioned in Water Walk's description (especially since it's actually a creature) and the spell would not function in its full capacity, if at all. I agree that if it did grapple you, a fair GM would probably give you a small circumstance bonus on the escaping roll.