This bizarre creature is a small orb with reddish skin. Atop its round body are six eyestalks, each ending in a sapphire-colored eye. Dangling beneath its body are two stubby legs that end in claws.
The gorbel is a strange creature that may be distantly related to beholders, but its general lack of magical abilities lends little weight to this belief. A gorbel is approximately 3 feet in diameter. Its reddish skin is a thin but tough and rubbery membrane. The spherical body of a gorbel is highly elastic and filled to near bursting with a lighter-than air flammable gas that smells of rotten eggs (sulfur). A gorbel eats, breathes, and excretes through an aperture best described as a mouth. This mouth is lined with a ring of sharp teeth that face inward to help it force food into its gullet.
Gorbels primarily attack with their claws, only resorting to biting after they have latched onto their prey. They attack as a 2 HD creature. A gorbel will attack and try to eat whatever it thinks is edible — generally including anything that moves that is smaller than the gorbel. Its strange metabolic processes instill it with an almost insatiable hunger.
If a gorbel hits a single target with both claws, it will grab and hold onto the target. Each round thereafter, it will automatically hit with its bite for 1d6 damage. Once a gorbel grabs a target it will not let go. Creatures with a gorbel hanging upon them recieve no AC bonus for dexterity. Two or more attached gorbels may interfere with the use of weapons or shield. Spellcasting is impossible when a gorbel is attached.
Blunt weapons do no damage to gorbel, but slashing or piercing weapons will cause it to instantly burst and explode, killing the gorbel and dealing 1d6 damage to everyone within 5' (save for half).
| Gorbel | Special (see above) | ||
abomination | |||
| HD 2 (see above) | AC 3[16] | Atk 2 claws (1d4 each) or 1 bite (1d6) | Move 12 |
| Save 16 | MOR 7 | CL/XP 4/120 | Horde Class: None |
| Special: never surprised; grab attack; explodes | |||
| Gorbel reproduce through the use of spores. When a gorbel explodes, it sends thousands of spores into the area. These spores will settle in nooks and crannies in the dungeon walls. The slightest amount of moisture (even damp air) will cause them to germinate and grow. In 1d6 weeks, small baseball-sized gorbel will emerge to prey on insects and vermin. Within a month, they will grow to full size. Gorbel are sometimes cultivated and herded by clever humanoids like kobolds and goblins who use them as a trap/warning device. | |||
Thanks Jim!
ReplyDeleteOf course you're aware that goblins also use them as ... catapult ammo ... tetherballs ... space hoppers ... or just punted at the enemy.
To return the favor I have located some of the only existing footage of a genuine, live gorbel. Its fearsome claws, playful nature, and immunity to blunt weapons are all clear to see.