D&D General Gargoyles need to be redone.

[the Jester]

Nobody ever uses them beyond a speed bump,

What gives you that idea?

I don't see the need to make yet another monster into a pc option. But I also don't see the need for flying pcs and don't want them.

I do like your variant gargoyle ideas though.

 

[Corinnguard]

Gargoyles: The Vigil

A couple years ago, I came across a homebrewer who was attempting to introduce Gargoyles to the World of Darkness setting. He based his gargoyles after the ones in Disney's Gargoyle series. The main foe his Gargoyles dealt with in the World of Darkness setting were the vampires because of their need to protect others within their territory. Vampires found them to be unappetizing. The Gargoyles had a means to destroy the vampires by grappling them just as the sun began to rise. The Gargoyle would then turn to stone, thus trapping the vampire long enough for the sun to burn them to ash.

 

[TheSword]

Weeping Angels Baby! Its all about the quantum.

 

[MarkB]

One of my coolest encounters was gargoyles. I had mentioned that one of the temples in town had become so rich they covered their large dome in sheets of gold and the party decided to go up there and heist it. Amazingly nobody reacted to the many gargoyles on the battlemap, presumably because they were in their natural habitat of a giant basilica roof, so they went right to heisting and the gargoyles only woke up when they were hanging down the side of the dome trying to pry off sheets of gold.

That does highlight one of the usual issues with gargoyles, though - usually nobody's fooled by them. One mention of statues in a location description and the players are just waiting for them to come to life (or turn out to be medusa victims). It rather ruins the "ambush" part of their ambush predators vibe.

Maybe find some alternate hiding options for them to deal with that? Like, maybe there's a subspecies that can flatten themselves out and become bas-relief carvings on a wall, or one that can look decrepit and broken-down to allay suspicions.

 

[Sorinth]

That does highlight one of the usual issues with gargoyles, though - usually nobody's fooled by them. One mention of statues in a location description and the players are just waiting for them to come to life (or turn out to be medusa victims). It rather ruins the "ambush" part of their ambush predators vibe.

Maybe find some alternate hiding options for them to deal with that? Like, maybe there's a subspecies that can flatten themselves out and become bas-relief carvings on a wall, or one that can look decrepit and broken-down to allay suspicions.

Sure but that's probably only a real issue if the only time the DM ever describes statues they are something. How many times will players investigate a normal statue and come up with nothing before they give up investigating every statue they come across?

Also worth noting if they think they are Medusa victim's then they probably don't expect them to come to life, so a little misdirection can also work.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

That does highlight one of the usual issues with gargoyles, though - usually nobody's fooled by them. One mention of statues in a location description and the players are just waiting for them to come to life (or turn out to be medusa victims). It rather ruins the "ambush" part of their ambush predators vibe.

Maybe find some alternate hiding options for them to deal with that? Like, maybe there's a subspecies that can flatten themselves out and become bas-relief carvings on a wall, or one that can look decrepit and broken-down to allay suspicions.

Yep. It only worked for me because I often brought in battlemaps, sometimes even when there was no battle, which meant that I could provide the visual clue of having the gargoyles as "room decor" without actually saying "you see gargoyles" and that the players didn't immediately assume as soon as they saw map that battle was ahead, or assumed it was coming from the guards they'd sneaked past in previous rooms. Also there was a motherlode of gold to distract them.

Another solution is to simply make sure to include statuary that doesn't come to life in your game reasonably often. But I do like the idea of weird, flat bas-relief gargoyles. Flee frieze!

 

[MarkB]

Sure but that's probably only a real issue if the only time the DM ever describes statues they are something. How many times will players investigate a normal statue and come up with nothing before they give up investigating every statue they come across?

Not all that many, because it's one of those details that rarely finds its way into a description unless it's significant.

Also worth noting if they think they are Medusa victim's then they probably don't expect them to come to life, so a little misdirection can also work.

Yeah, having some gargoyles posing in postures of terrified surprise would be a good bit of misdirection on their part, if a little meta.

EDIT: And now I'm wondering about the effects of using a Stone to Flesh scroll on a gargoyle.

 

[Tonguez]

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That does highlight one of the usual issues with gargoyles, though - usually nobody's fooled by them. One mention of statues in a location description and the players are just waiting for them to come to life (or turn out to be medusa victims). It rather ruins the "ambush" part of their ambush predators vibe.

Maybe find some alternate hiding options for them to deal with that? Like, maybe there's a subspecies that can flatten themselves out and become bas-relief carvings on a wall, or one that can look decrepit and broken-down to allay suspicions.

Using player knowledge is an issue but
1. Make sure the PCs come across statues that are just statues, so players dont build expectation

2. Use decoy statues that are just statues with the Gargoyles hidden in the shadows (stealth bonus) or amongst rubble (Ruins Lurkers)

3. give some Gargoyles the ability to meld with stone

 

[Sorinth]

Not all that many, because it's one of those details that rarely finds its way into a description unless it's significant.

I mean I get it, but that's something a DM might want to work on. Adding those "insignificant" details is what helps brings locations alive and can provide some historical footnotes/lore which may or may not be relevant down the line but make things seem more real.

Yeah, having some gargoyles posing in postures of terrified surprise would be a good bit of misdirection on their part, if a little meta.

EDIT: And now I'm wondering about the effects of using a Stone to Flesh scroll on a gargoyle.

It's one of the suggested options in the MM for them to hide.

 

[Brendan Byrd]

"You see a somewhat grotesque statue on a plinth, with a small but shiny brass plaque."
"..."
"Well, the plaque says: 'Aesoph the Gargoyle'."
"..."
"No, nothing unusual, but as you turn away, your peripheral vision catches a tiny bit of movement."
"..."
"You're not sure, but you think it may have winked at you."