D&D General Gargoyles need to be redone.

[Corinnguard]

Besides the standard Gargoyle, there are several other Gargoyle variants in the Forgotten Realms.

From the Forgotten Realms Wiki:

• Barovian gargoyle, a variant of gargoyles that were endemic to the land of Barovia
• Fire gargoyle, an artificially created variant, made by the villainous magic-user group Circle of Four through means of infusing gargoyles with the elemental fire of fire elementals.
• Four-armed gargoyle, a variant of gargoyles that were create by the Red Wizards of Thay within the Doomvault.
• Giant four-armed gargoyle, a similar, though distinctly larger variant of gargoyles that were created by the lich Acererak to guard his tombs.
• Guardian gargoyle, an umbrella term for variant gargoyles that were created by priests or wizards to act as guardians over a particular spot. This included such things as grandfather plaques and stone lions.
• Kapoacinth, gargoyles that lived underwater; their wings were used to aid in their swimming. Other than their habitat, they were the same as their land-dwelling kin, preferring shallow waters and undersea caves. Kapoacinths were known for loving torture, and a number of them lived in lairs beneath the city of Ascarle near the Purple Rocks.
• Margoyle, even more vicious than normal gargoyles, margoyles preferred living underground and were sometimes found leading a group of normal gargoyles. Their skin was much harder, and they were more difficult to spot against stone.
• Obsidian gargoyle, a variant of gargoyles originating from the Elemental Chaos, with jagged bodies of obsidian and selectively bred by cultists of the Elder Elemental Eye.

I think I just expanded the number of buildings that some of them could arise from.

Fire Gargoyles- A smithy.
Kapoacinths- buildings at a city's waterfront district.
Guardian Gargoyles- temples, merchant houses, a wizard's tower

 

[Shades of Eternity]

ty kindly
edited.

now doing two things

firstly the next section

Appearance​

Gargoyles share a common silhouette recognizable across cultures and continents, yet no two are ever truly alike. Their base anatomy reflects a blend of living stone biology, architectural design logic, and the emotional or mystical purpose that brought them into being. Every gargoyle begins with the same fundamental “template”—a hunched, winged, stone-bodied creature—but the details are sculpted by heritage, environment, and the stones that birthed them.

Base Gargoyle Form​

All gargoyles, regardless of origin, share the following traits:

Living Stone Physiology​

A gargoyle’s body is composed of stone strata arranged like muscles, with flexible seams that mimic tendons and joints. Their flesh-stone can be rough like volcanic basalt, polished like marble, or riddled with gravel inclusions. When they enter Stone Sleep, their bodies become denser, heavier, and indistinguishable from an architectural statue—even to magical detection unless specifically tuned.

Predator’s Silhouette​

Even benevolent gargoyles retain unmistakably predatory lines:

• Raptorial forelimbs capable of grasping or rending
• Digitigrade or taloned feet, depending on species
• Long tails for counterbalance while gliding or perched
• Wide, manta-like wings that fold flush along the back, appearing at rest like ornamental masonry

The Mask-Face​

A gargoyle’s face is its most expressive and variable feature. It generally resembles a hybrid of humanoid, beast, and structural motif:

• Heavy brow ridges
• Horns, spines, or crenellations
• Leering or mournful expressions
• Cracks or seams that channel emotional humors as faint light

Some resemble animals; some echo cherubs; others imitate figures from the structure that birthed them. Expressions tend to “reset” to a neutral grotesque during Stone Sleep.

Coloration​

Gargoyle color depends directly on the stone of their parent structure.
Common hues include:

• Granite greys and limestone creams
• Sandstone siennas
• Basalt blacks
• Stained-glass luminescence in cathedral-born
• Oxidized copper greens in medical-college grotesques due to alchemical patina

These pigments shift subtly as the gargoyle absorbs new experiences or environmental conditions.

Subspecies & Regional Variants​

Gargoyles do not merely come from a place—they inherit its purpose. Their forms, abilities, and personalities reflect the architecture (and its emotions) that shaped their metamorphosis.

Cathedral-Born (“Wardens”)​

Appearance:

• Tall, elegant, almost angelic silhouettes
• Veins of glowing stained glass or mica
• Wing membranes reminiscent of lead-framed church windows
• Faces shaped like saints, penitents, or mourning figures

Signature Details:

• Soft inner radiance
• Incense-like scent
• Halos formed from dust motes when emerging from Stone Sleep

Medical Grotesques (“Anatomists”)​

Appearance:

• Semi-translucent stone showing anatomical motifs
• Carved ribs, visible “organs,” spiraling humors under the surface
• Surgical-tool claws (scalpel-sharp)
• Faces sculpted in exaggerated medical illustration expressions

Signature Details:

• Copper-green oxidized veins
• Breathing vents that hiss like old bellows
• Alchemical runes or anatomical labels etched across limbs

Fortress-Born (“Bulwarks”)​

Appearance:

• Massive, overbuilt, blocky bodies resembling ramparts
• Angular, crenellated skulls
• Spiked, shield-like shoulders
• Wings resembling heavy buttresses or siege mantlet folds

Signature Details:

• Armored plating like layered stone blocks
• Eyes that burn like signal fires
• Their footsteps echo like distant artillery

Ruin-Born (“Ferals”)​

Appearance:

• Fragmented, asymmetrical, patchwork stone bodies
• Moss, creeping vines, fungal growth in their cracks
• Claws resembling shattered masonry
• Jagged, hyena-like faces

Signature Details:

• Dust clouds when they emerge from stone
• Stone fragments flaking constantly
• Eyes like glowing coals in cavernous sockets

Scholar-Carved (“Mnemonics”)​

Appearance:

• Surfaces engraved with scripture, arcane glyphs, or historical records
• Quill-shaped horns or stylus-like tails
• Facial features resembling monks, sages, or librarians

Signature Details:

• Ink-like humors that leak from joints
• Glowing runes when thinking, fighting, or reading memories
• Wings resembling book pages or architectural friezes

Amphitheater/Emotion-Born (“Masques”)​

(Inspired by the Iymrith examples from Storm King’s Thunder)

Appearance:

• Faces sculpted into exaggerated emotional masks (joy, rage, sorrow)
• Flexible stone expressions
• Limbs decorated with theatrical grotesques

Signature Details:

• Voices that echo as if in a vast chamber
• Masks shift depending on mood
• Wing membranes etched with comedy/tragedy iconography

Statue-Embodying​

These are the most dangerous.

Appearance:

• Perfectly still, mundane statues in Stone Sleep
• Smooth faces devoid of features or carved in sorrow
• Limbs proportioned subtly wrong—too long, too strong, joints too flexible
• Wings like shrouds

Signature Details:

• Movement only when unobserved
• Crackling whispers in photonic resonance
• Eyes entirely black or absent during Stone Sleep, but gleaming like obsidian razors when active

These are favored by liches, cursed temples, and places where grief curdles into something hungry.

Bestial Carvings​

Though most gargoyles resemble warped humanoids or architectural grotesques, scholars know that animal-shaped gargoyles are not merely decorative variants — they are a distinct and ancient inheritance.

Across castles, temples, colleges, and forgotten ruins, masons carved beasts not only for symbolism but for function: lions for courage, hounds for vigilance, owls for wisdom, boars for ferocity. When a structure becomes saturated with emotional or magical pressure, these carvings awaken first. They embody the purest, simplest instinct of the place.

These gargoyles are called Bestial Carvings, “Stonebeasts,” or simply the Animates.

Unlike their humanoid cousins:

• They rarely speak, though they understand perfectly.
• Their instincts are sharper and less conflicted.
• They act as sentinels, scouts, hunters, and companions for their clan.
• Their shapes may vary wildly — wolves with chiseled fangs, owls with stained-glass eyes, bulls with cathedral-ribbed horns, even fish-like guardians lurking by docks or fountains.

Every gargoyle clan claims at least one Totem Beast, the oldest of their kind, often a lion or dragon-shaped elder carved into the structure before the first gargoyle ever “precipitated.” Totem Beasts serve as:

• Rookery guardians
• Judges of disputes
• Memory-keepers, holding impressions far older than humanoid gargoyles
• Martial exemplars, teaching younglings how to stalk, pounce, soar, or defend
• Spiritual symbols, embodying the building’s purpose (a lion for a king’s hall, a stag for a druidic college, a serpent for a place of forbidden lore)

Some clans even believe that the first gargoyle of their lineage was an animal, and that humanoid gargoyles only develop later as the building’s emotional complexity grows.

The Animates also act as buffers between the physical and spiritual worlds. Their humours are more primal — thick, glowing, and filled with instinctive magic. They can sense:

• Bad omens
• Hidden corruption
• Distant intruders
• Shifts in the “pulse” of their parent structure

To adventurers, animal gargoyles are often the first warning that something deeper is watching. A pair of stone wolves tracking your footsteps, an impassive stone owl turning its head as you pass, or a fountain-lion quietly rumbling when you lie — these are all signs that the clan has noticed you.

Yet these Bestial Carvings can also bond with outsiders. A gargoyle hound may grow loyal to a party that defends its home. A gargoyle owl may perch on a wizard’s shoulder if their research aligns with the building’s purpose. And a lion gargoyle will fight to the last shard for a cleric who repairs its temple.

They are, in essence, stone instincts made flesh, the echoes of mythic animals reflected in the living rock.

Now the immature version for companion purposes.

Gargoyle Rookling

Small elemental (gargoyle), neutral

Armor Class: 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 10 (3d6)
Speed: 20 ft., climb 20 ft.; glide (see below)

STR 10 (+0)
DEX 12 (+1)
CON 12 (+1)
INT 6 (−2)
WIS 11 (+0)
CHA 7 (−2)

Saving Throws: Wis +2
Skills: Perception +2, Stealth +3
Damage Resistances: bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities: poison
Condition Immunities: exhaustion, petrified, poisoned
Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages: understands Terran and the language of its clan, but cannot speak
Challenge: 1/4 (50 XP)
Proficiency Bonus: +2

Traits

Stone Sleep.

During a short or long rest, the rookling becomes inert stone. While in this state it gains resistance to all damage except thunder and force. If attacked, it awakens instantly.

False Appearance (Statue).

While the rookling remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an inanimate stone statue or architectural ornament. Creatures have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) checks to discern its true nature. A character with Stonecunning automatically succeeds.

Glide.

The rookling cannot fly, but when it falls or jumps from a height of at least 10 feet, it can glide. For every 1 foot it descends, it can move up to 2 feet horizontally and takes no falling damage.

Rookery-Bound.

Rooklings imprint on the first creature or group that cares for them. A rookling will not willingly move more than 1 mile from its rookery unless bonded to a companion. If bonded to a PC (DM’s discretion), the rookling treats them as clan and follows simple commands.

Fragile Build.

Though made of stone, rooklings are still developing. They have vulnerability to thunder damage, which can crack their forming frames.

Actions

Stone Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage.

Shard Toss. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage.

The rookling breaks off a small, regrowable chip of stone to throw; this causes it no harm.

Reactions

Crag-Scuttle.

When a creature misses the rookling with a melee attack, the rookling may move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks by skittering along vertical surfaces.



Companion Rules (Optional)

A DM may allow a rookling to be a companion creature, similar to a homunculus or pseudodragon:

• It acts on the PC’s initiative
• PC uses a bonus action to command it
• Gains +1 HP per level the PC gains
• At level 5, it develops Winglets, granting a 30-ft gliding descent and short vertical leaps
• At level 9, it can begin learning Subspecies Traits (one minor ability from a template)

Role in the Gargoyle Ecology

Rooklings represent:

• The adolescent form of gargoyles
• Curious, impulsive scouts
• Messengers between clans
• Helpers to priests, archivists, or wizards who maintain the gargoyle’s parent structure
• A way to show players that gargoyles are more than monsters

And they give a gateway experience to PC gargoyles—players bond with the rookling, then later play a full gargoyle themselves.

 

[Brendan Byrd]

This post grants you permission to use the attached photo.

 

[Corinnguard]

There are the Gargoyles from the movie I, Frankenstein.

In the movie, these gargoyles were created by the archangel Michael. So, you could have gargoyles of a Celestial nature. Another neat thing about these gargoyles is that they are shapeshifters. There were scenes in the movie where they assumed a human form, their wings turning into cloaks and capes.

 

[Tonguez]

Here my version of Gargoyle Lineage
Stone-bound Guardian
Stone Skin AC 13 +Dex (stone skin) HD 8
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (cannot fly while wearing medium or heavy armour)
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception
Skills Stealth, Athletics (Climb)
Damage Resistances piercing, slashing
Condition Immunities petrified
Languages Common

TRAITS
Stone Sleep. During a short or long rest, a gargoyle can enter 1 to 4 hours of Stone Sleep, in which it is entirely stone: it is resistant to all damage but unable to move or take actions. While in Stone Sleep it retains passive Perception. In addition to the normal effects of a rest, a gargoyle removes one condition or one level of exhaustion for every hour spent in Stone Sleep.
Stealth Predator. The gargoyle has advantage on Stealth checks made when it starts its turn motionless perched on top of stone-built architecture. It can also use a bonus action to Hide while in dim light or darkness.
Unyielding Stance. While touching a wall or other vertical stone surface, the gargoyle can't be shoved or knocked prone.

ACTIONS
Claw (2). (1d8 + x) slashing damage. Bite. (1d6 + x) piercing damage.
Aerial Pounce. If the gargoyle drops at least 10 feet straight down and lands on a creature, that creature must succeed on a Strenght Save (DC 8+PB+ Str/Dex) or be knocked prone.
Ambush Rend The gargoyle's first attack made immediately after emerging from hiding deals extra bonus damage. At level1 =+1d6 level 5 = +2d6, level 11 = +3d6, and level 17 = +4d6


Then scaling Lineage Feats including
Snatch Dive (Prereq Str 15) If the gargoyle hits a Medium or smaller creature with both claw attacks on the same turn, it may automatically lift the target and fly upwards at half speed.
The target is restrained until it escapes (DC 12).

• Blindsight
• Flyby Attack
• Meld into Stone
• Water Spout 20 ft push back 1d6/2d6/3d6
• Sewer Spout (Acid)
• Thunderous Choir (Sonic)
• Fire Spout (Chimney)
• Sand Blast (Petrification)

 

[Shades of Eternity]

@Brendan Byrd ty kindly.

@Tonguez I like it, I particularly like the stone stance.

@Corinnguard, you just reminded me of one of my favorite "guilty pleasure" movies. Gargoyle angels really do have their own feel, and it would really add a fun option to the upper planes (which is sorely needed). Between these and the already-built monster manuals, expect both to be added.

and what the hey

Life Cycle of the Gargoyle​

Gargoyles do not adhere to the biological rhythms of fleshly creatures. Their existence is more akin to a metamorphic geologic process accelerated by magic, emotion, and intention. They are neither immortal nor strictly alive in the mortal sense—they are the living memory of a place, given form, wit, and teeth.

1. Ignition: The First Stirring​

A gargoyle begins as a still statue, but one under duress—social, emotional, arcane, or historic. A structure becomes a cradle for gargoyle genesis when:

• Strong emotions are repeatedly expressed nearby (fear, worship, grief, hope).
• Long-term magical seepage saturates the stone (ley lines, necromantic residue, divine blessing).
• A crisis or defining moment imprints itself upon the building (sieges, martyrdom, triumphs).

Scholars refer to this as the Stone Awakening Threshold: when a building has experienced enough life that a piece of it must move to bear witness.

This stage is silent. No cracks, no shifting. The statue remains inert—but the first awareness begins.

2. Quickening: Inward Heat, Outward Cold​

Over days or centuries, the nascent gargoyle begins to exhibit “micro-movements”—invisible shifts within its mineral matrix:

• Veins of quartz or colored stone subtly realign.
• Crystalline “humors” begin circulating in microscopic channels.
• Tiny shifts in the statue’s expression appear when unobserved.

During this phase, priests and mages sometimes report:

• A sense of being watched.
• Whispered stone-on-stone murmurs at dusk.
• The statue appearing in slightly different poses.

Observation collapses motion—a light, harmless echo of Weeping Angel logic. They never move while watched, but they always move.

At this point the gargoyle is alive in a larval sense, yet still rooted.

3. Emergence: The First Stone Breath​

A true birth occurs during one of three triggers:

• A dramatic shift in light (sunset, eclipse, lantern snuffed).
• A significant emotional event (a funeral, a riot, a wedding, a great fear).
• A direct touch from a living creature bearing strong sentiment.

Stone grain flexes like muscle. Wings unfurl in a slow, grinding scrape. A stone mouth takes its first breath—cold, dusty, and heavy with centuries.

A newly emerged gargoyle is clumsy, stiff, and intensely territorial. It has instincts but not yet a personality.

4. Rookery Period: Adolescent Anchoring​

Young gargoyles typically remain within 60–300 feet of their birthplace for months or years (sometimes decades). During this period they:

• Develop their unique voice, mannerisms, and humor‐cores (Fire/Glass/Mortar/Ink).
• Learn to glide, stalk, and read the emotional currents of their home.
• Form bonds with other local gargoyles, creating a clan around a structure.

They rarely leave their home for long; it is both nourishment and comfort.

A gargoyle separated from its rookery too early becomes emotionally stunted—brooding, feral, or dangerously literal.

5. Maturity: The Guardian’s Paradox​

A mature gargoyle lives in a paradox:

• They are protectors by instinct—of people, or of places.
• Yet they are feared, hunted, or misinterpreted by mortals.

This mix creates the classic gargoyle personality:
stern, proud, sarcastic, hungry for connection, deeply loyal, but somewhat isolated.

Some mature gargoyles wander, joining adventuring parties or becoming sages, mercenaries, or boundary wardens. These “Freewing” gargoyles become the source of PC gargoyle stories.

6. Dormancy and Stone Sleep​

Every gargoyle undergoes daily or cyclical Stone Sleep:

• Sun-triggered for cathedral and sky-born gargoyles.
• Moon-triggered for magical, arcane, or haunted ones.
• Voluntary for experienced gargoyles as a way to heal or avoid harm.

While in Stone Sleep:

• They heal at unnatural speeds.
• They absorb emotional imprints from their surroundings.
• They are nearly impossible to destroy without specialized tools.

Important ecological note:
During Stone Sleep, gargoyles can subtly alter their pose when unobserved—allowing them to reposition overnight like chess pieces.

7. Aging and Geological Drift​

Gargoyles do age, but not like mortals. Instead:

• Their bodies slow and densify.
• Their wings widen or become more ornate.
• Their humor-cores crystallize and purify.

A gargoyle of a thousand years may weigh three times its original mass, and its voice resonates like a cathedral bell.

Near the end of their life they become increasingly still. Their dreams grow deeper. They begin “sinking” magically into their birthplace.

8. Death: Returning to the Stone​

Gargoyle death is not destruction—it is reabsorption.

When a gargoyle feels its time approaching:

• It climbs to a meaningful height (roof, cliff, battlement).
• Enters a final permanent Stone Sleep.
• Its body slowly fuses back into the architecture, leaving behind a faint outline or impression.

This spot becomes fertile ground for the next gargoyle generation.

9. Legacy: Humors and Heirs​

Sometimes, before death, a gargoyle chooses to split off a shard:

• A fang, a talon, a piece of horn or wing.
• It is placed somewhere meaningful: under a cornerstone, atop a lintel, beside a grave.

This shard acts as a seed crystal for a new gargoyle centuries later.

Some clans trace their lineage through these relics, giving rise to gargoyle heraldry:

• “The Broken Horn Line”
• “The Quartz-Eye Brotherhood”
• “The Clutch of the Four Humors”

 

[Corinnguard]

Here my version of Gargoyle Lineage
Stone-bound Guardian
Stone Skin AC 13 +Dex (stone skin) HD 8
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (cannot fly while wearing medium or heavy armour)
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception
Skills Stealth, Athletics (Climb)
Damage Resistances piercing, slashing
Condition Immunities petrified
Languages Common

TRAITS
Stone Sleep. During a short or long rest, a gargoyle can enter 1 to 4 hours of Stone Sleep, in which it is entirely stone: it is resistant to all damage but unable to move or take actions. While in Stone Sleep it retains passive Perception. In addition to the normal effects of a rest, a gargoyle removes one condition or one level of exhaustion for every hour spent in Stone Sleep.
Stealth Predator. The gargoyle has advantage on Stealth checks made when it starts its turn motionless perched on top of stone-built architecture. It can also use a bonus action to Hide while in dim light or darkness.
Unyielding Stance. While touching a wall or other vertical stone surface, the gargoyle can't be shoved or knocked prone.

ACTIONS
Claw (2). (1d8 + x) slashing damage. Bite. (1d6 + x) piercing damage.
Aerial Pounce. If the gargoyle drops at least 10 feet straight down and lands on a creature, that creature must succeed on a Strenght Save (DC 8+PB+ Str/Dex) or be knocked prone.
Ambush Rend The gargoyle's first attack made immediately after emerging from hiding deals extra bonus damage. At level1 =+1d6 level 5 = +2d6, level 11 = +3d6, and level 17 = +4d6


Then scaling Lineage Feats including
Snatch Dive (Prereq Str 15) If the gargoyle hits a Medium or smaller creature with both claw attacks on the same turn, it may automatically lift the target and fly upwards at half speed.
The target is restrained until it escapes (DC 12).

• Blindsight
• Flyby Attack
• Meld into Stone
• Water Spout 20 ft push back 1d6/2d6/3d6
• Sewer Spout (Acid)
• Thunderous Choir (Sonic)
• Fire Spout (Chimney)
• Sand Blast (Petrification)

A Tales of the Valiant version for a Gargoyle PC?

 

[Corinnguard]

@Corinnguard, you just reminded me of one of my favorite "guilty pleasure" movies. Gargoyle angels really do have their own feel, and it would really add a fun option to the upper planes (which is sorely needed). Between these and the already-built monster manuals, expect both to be added.

There is a book that also has Gargoyle angels in it. St. Patrick's Gargoyle by Katherine Kurtz.

Here's an excerpt of the book:

The gargoyles of Dublin, Ireland, have a sacred duty to perform. Formerly God’s avenging angels, for centuries they have been entrusted with guarding the churches and cathedrals of the Irish capital while avoiding all contact with human beings. But once a month these loyal stone sentries must leave their posts to attend a conclave of their kind, and it is during one such absence that a sacrilege occurs.

The guardian of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the gargoyle Padraig, called “Paddy,” has returned to find violence and vandalism committed at his church and two silver artifacts stolen. Taking to Dublin’s night streets in search of a culprit, Paddy inadvertently reveals himself to an aged chauffeur in an ancient Rolls Royce, thereby dooming Francis Templeton to an impending premature death. But the grim reaper will have to wait, because old man Templeton is a member of the Knights of Malta, a secret order of defenders of the faith dating back to the Crusades, and as such is an ideal partner for the onetime angel in his quest for justice and revenge. Their hunt is about to take some sinister turns, however, leading the gargoyle and the knight to Clontarf Castle, where a major demon, an emissary of Satan, is preparing to make his reentrance into the world.

The book is an okay Urban Fantasy novel. I read it several years ago.

Slightly OT, if you are a Disney Gargoyles fan, who is your favorite Gargoyle character? curious

 

[Shades of Eternity]

There is a book that also has Gargoyle angels in it. St. Patrick's Gargoyle by Katherine Kurtz.

Here's an excerpt of the book:

The gargoyles of Dublin, Ireland, have a sacred duty to perform. Formerly God’s avenging angels, for centuries they have been entrusted with guarding the churches and cathedrals of the Irish capital while avoiding all contact with human beings. But once a month these loyal stone sentries must leave their posts to attend a conclave of their kind, and it is during one such absence that a sacrilege occurs.

The guardian of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the gargoyle Padraig, called “Paddy,” has returned to find violence and vandalism committed at his church and two silver artifacts stolen. Taking to Dublin’s night streets in search of a culprit, Paddy inadvertently reveals himself to an aged chauffeur in an ancient Rolls Royce, thereby dooming Francis Templeton to an impending premature death. But the grim reaper will have to wait, because old man Templeton is a member of the Knights of Malta, a secret order of defenders of the faith dating back to the Crusades, and as such is an ideal partner for the onetime angel in his quest for justice and revenge. Their hunt is about to take some sinister turns, however, leading the gargoyle and the knight to Clontarf Castle, where a major demon, an emissary of Satan, is preparing to make his reentrance into the world.

The book is an okay Urban Fantasy novel. I read it several years ago.

Slightly OT, if you are a Disney Gargoyles fan, who is your favorite Gargoyle character? curious

ooh new book potential, ty kindly.

As for gargoyles, I'm a pretty hard Keith David fan and this introduced me to him. I would say Goliath, but Hudson always amused me as well. It's fun having a lovable old-timer as the group's wisdom, especially with his pet "dog."

and now that Bronx has been remembered, here's a legally distinct version.

Bestial Carving - Stone Hound

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 34 (4d8 + 16)
Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft.

STR 16 (+3)
DEX 12 (+1)
CON 18 (+4)
INT 4 (–3)
WIS 12 (+1)
CHA 6 (–2)

Saving Throws Str +5, Wis +3
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +3
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks.
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 20 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages understands Terran and one language of its creator but cannot speak
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

Stone Sleep.

When the Stone Hound finishes a short or long rest, it may enter Stone Sleep until it next moves or takes an action. While motionless, it is indistinguishable from an inanimate statue, and creatures have disadvantage on Insight, Investigation, or Perception checks to identify it as alive. Stonecunning or spells affecting stone automatically detect it.

While in Stone Sleep, the Stone Hound gains resistance to all damage except psychic and thunder, and regains an additional 1d6 hit points.

Keen Senses.

The Stone Hound has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

Pack Guardian.

The Stone Hound has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one ally within 10 feet of the target isn’t incapacitated. It views its bonded clan (or designated charge) as a “pack.”

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 9 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage.

Bounding Pounce.
If the Stone Hound moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits with a bite attack on the same turn, the target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the Stone Hound may make one additional Bite attack against it as a bonus action.

Behavior & Lore

Living Guardians, Not Pets

Stone Hounds are not domesticated animals. They are semi-sapient gargoyles sculpted for vigilance and loyalty. Once bonded, they protect their clan or assigned ward with absolute devotion.

Role in Gargoyle Ecology

In a rookery, Stone Hounds serve as:

• early-warning scouts
• tunnel pursuers
• emotional anchors for young gargoyles
• loyal defenders of vulnerable sleepers during Stone Sleep

They lack wings but are athletic climbers and ambushers.

Bonding With Adventurers

Some clans allow trusted mortals to bond with a Stone Hound, especially:

• wardens
• paladins
• archivists or custodians
• adventurers who have protected gargoyle territory

In this role, Stone Hounds resemble magical companions, though they retain their independence and require respect.

Optional Feature: Adventuring Companion

For campaigns allowing magical companions, a Stone Hound can serve as a special ally for:

• Beast Master Rangers
• Pact of the Chain Warlocks (replacing other familiars, without flying)
• Artificers (as a “Stone Guardian” invention)

Companion Scaling

Increase HP by +5 per level of the PC, and their bite damage becomes:

• 1d10 at CR 2 form (default)
• 1d12 at Tier 2 play
• 2d8 at Tier 3+
• They never gain flight.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think gargoyles are a mess in that they need to be something that people would carve on buildings, for those of us who like spooky statues and Gothic architecture in our games, but the presence of said statue shouldn't automatically mean the presence of said monster.

So they probably shouldn't be free-willed monsters that look just like these statues, because why are non-evil churches putting them on their buildings? If they grow naturally, who wouldn't the owners of the building clean them off?

I think they should be constructs and exist because someone created them on purpose.

Their design should probably reflect another monster in the world, like they're demons, etc., meant to be imposing and scary, but also -- as in real life -- sometimes they can look like all sorts of other stuff instead, if a sculptor is feeling silly.

In The Monster Overhaul -- obligatory plug for the best monster book ever -- there's a table with a variety of appearances they can be made in, which instantly makes them less "oh, look, a winged demonic statue -- someone kill the gargoyle real quick." I also like the Discworld idea of them being exceptionally patient guards.

So I'd probably combine them with being constructs meant for being guards but also having a variety of appearances.