Gorbel

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.

Gorbel CR 1/2

XP 200
N Small aberration
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +8

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +4 natural, +1 size)
hp 11 (2d8+2)
Fort +1; Ref +2; Will +2
Defensive Abilities all-around vision; DR 5/slashing or piercing; Immune flanking
Weaknesses explosion

OFFENSE

Speed 5 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
Melee 2 claws +3 (1d4+1 plus grab), bite +3 (1d6+1)
Special Abilities grab and bite

STATISTICS

Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 9, Cha 8
Base Atk +1; CMB +1 (+5 grapple); CMD 13 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Flyby Attack
Skills Fly +9, Perception +8, Stealth +11; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception
Languages Aklo

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Explosion (Ex)

When a gorbel is hit with a weapon, spell, or effect that deals piercing or slashing damage, it must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage taken) or instantly explode, dealing 1d4 points of damage to all creatures within 5 feet. This instantly kills the gorbel. Creatures in the affected area can attempt a DC 12 Reflex save to reduce the damage by half. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Grab and Bite (Ex)

A gorbel can bite a grappled opponent as a swift action with a +4 attack bonus.

ECOLOGY

Environment warm forests
Organization solitary or swarm (2–10)
Treasure none

The gorbel is a strange creature 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. 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.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Gorbel from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Author Scott Greene, based on original material by Andrew Key.

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