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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shades of Eternity" data-source="post: 9806589" data-attributes="member: 10869">I thought about how many gargoyles of a location were determined by the GM, and that while I have a mechanism to create a gargoyle, not every single statue becomes one?[USER=7033886]@Corinnguard[/USER]  , I will have to follow this up, but as for favourite character period, that's easy, it's Macbeth. I wish they could make that sequel series in the Gargoyle universe.Oh and can they put them in the MCU already?  *************************************<h2>Habitat & Distribution</h2>Though many think of gargoyles as guardians of ancient cathedrals and wizard towers, the truth is far broader and stranger. Gargoyles form wherever emotion, architecture, and ambient magic intersect, meaning that their habitats are defined less by climate and more by psychic and symbolic pressure. They are creatures of place before they are creatures of stone.Below are the primary environments where gargoyles appear, along with the reasons these sites generate living stone.<h3>Urban Strongholds</h3>Typical Sites:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">cathedrals & temples</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">civic halls & palaces</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">wizard towers</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">fortifications & city walls</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">historic plazas</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">universities & medical colleges</li> </ul>Why Gargoyles Form Here:Cities concentrate emotion, memory, and myth. The stone soaks up centuries of prayers, curses, triumphs, and tragedies. When these impressions ferment within a structure blessed by magical design, a gargoyle may precipitate like a mineral deposit in a sacred artery.Behavioral Notes:Urban gargoyles often develop a strong sense of territory or stewardship, patrolling rooftops, bell towers, or plazas. Many scholars claim gargoyles born in cities feel “responsible” for the community below—even if the locals have forgotten they exist.<h3>Ruins & Fallen Places</h3>Typical Sites:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">abandoned fortresses</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">toppled temples</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">cursed cities</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">battlefields strewn with shattered monuments</li> </ul>Why Gargoyles Form Here:When a place steeped in past purpose collapses, its emotional residues warp. Ruin-born gargoyles are shaped by unresolved grief, lingering fear, deliberate desecration, or collective memory of violence.They are the most common encounter type for adventurers.Behavioral Notes:Feral, silent hunters that blend seamlessly into rubble and broken statuary. They retain fragments of their old function—standing sentry over things long forgotten.<h3>Sacred or Haunted Landscapes</h3>Typical Sites:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">stone circles</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">sacred groves with ancient menhirs</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">mountain shrines</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">sites of miracles or tragedies</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">petrified forests</li> </ul>Why Gargoyles Form Here:Natural stone infused with divine, fey, or elemental forces can “remember” events strongly enough to sprout gargoyles without any built architecture. These gargoyles resemble rough-hewn idols or weather-carved effigies.Behavioral Notes:These gargoyles are often wise, oracular, or spiritually attuned. Some act as guardians of holy sites; others simply observe from perches no mortal dares reach.<h3>War-Torn Regions</h3>Typical Sites:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">siege walls</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">scorched battlements</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">craters and trenches lined with broken stone</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">mass graves marked by statuary</li> </ul>Why Gargoyles Form Here:Extreme emotional trauma—fear, rage, desperation—etches itself into stone. When reinforced by battlefield magic, this can give rise to War-Born Gargoyles, brutal constructs of sorrow and fury.Behavioral Notes:Aggressive and restless. They wander the ruins of war long after armies withdraw, seeking either an enemy or a purpose.<h3>Arcane Laboratories & Magical Colleges</h3>Typical Sites:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">wizard schools</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">alchemical facilities</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">medical academies with anatomical grotesques</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">laboratories filled with failed experiments</li> </ul>Why Gargoyles Form Here:Magical residue saturates the stone. Humors, arcane runoff, transmutation spells, and psychic echoes of study or suffering all contribute to gargoyle genesis.Behavioral Notes:Curious, esoteric, and sometimes unsettlingly articulate. Their forms may bear exaggerated organs, arcane runes, or symbolic features tied to medical or magical study.<h3>Remote Natural Formations</h3>Typical Sites:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">cliff faces shaped like beasts</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">mountain ranges with mythic reputations</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">caves with fossilized remains</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">stone shaped by wind into architecture-like shapes</li> </ul>Why Gargoyles Form Here:Natural stone can resonate with myth. When a mountain resembles a slumbering giant or a cliff face evokes a screaming skull, ambient belief alone may be enough to create a gargoyle.Behavioral Notes:Solitary, territorial, and difficult to distinguish from the landscape.<h3>Rarity</h3>Despite their fame, gargoyles are not common. Their formation requires:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">strong architectural identity or</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">intense emotional pressure or</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">concentrated magic or</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">powerful mythic symbolism</li> </ul>Thus, while any world may have gargoyles, only a handful typically exist in any given region—unless a magical disaster, divine intervention, or ancient architect created them deliberately.*********************Fountain-Born Gargoyle — CR 3Armor Class 16 (natural armor)Hit Points 60 (8d8+24)Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft., climb 20 ft.STR 14 (+2)DEX 14 (+2)CON 16 (+3)INT 7 (–2)WIS 12 (+1)CHA 8 (–1)Saving Throws Con +5Skills Stealth +4, Athletics +4Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks.Damage Immunities poison; acid (weathered stone)Condition Immunities poisonedSenses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11Languages Terran, Aquan; understands but rarely speaksChallenge 3 (700 XP)Proficiency Bonus +2TraitsFalse Appearance (Statue or Fountain)While the gargoyle remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an inanimate stone fountain ornament (spout, basin sculpture, decorative figure).Creatures have disadvantage on checks to identify it unless they have stonecunning, Wateraffinity, or similar features.Living FountainThe gargoyle’s body constantly circulates water. It can:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">breathe underwater</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">ignore difficult terrain caused by water</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">never dehydrate</li> </ul>Hydrojet ReservoirThe gargoyle holds a pressurized internal water chamber.It can use Hydrojet Spray twice before needing 1 minute submerged in water to recharge both uses.Aquatic CamouflageWhile partially submerged in a fountain, stream, pool, trough, or sewer outlet, the gargoyle has advantage on Stealth checks.ActionsMultiattackThe gargoyle makes two attacks: one with its Bite and one with its Claws.Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10+2) piercing damage.Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) slashing damage.Hydrojet Spray (Recharge by Soaking)Ranged Weapon Attack: 30-ft line, Dex save DC 13.Creatures in the line take 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage and must succeed on a DC 13 Strength save or be pushed 10 ft and knocked prone.This is the decanter-of-endless-water-inspired moment: a sudden torrent blasting foes off ledges or away from the gargoyle.Geyser Burst (Recharge 5–6)The gargoyle blasts the ground with a downward jet and launches itself 20 ft straight up or 30 ft horizontally without provoking opportunity attacks.It can make one Claw attack at any point along the jump.This gives it dynamic mobility and lets it behave like a living fountain spout.Bonus ActionsWater VeilThe gargoyle shrouds itself in a thin layer of mist and spray.Until the start of its next turn, attack rolls against it have disadvantage if the attacker is more than 10 ft away.ReactionsSplashbackWhen a creature misses the gargoyle with a melee attack, the gargoyle can spray its attacker with a burst of water.The attacker must succeed on a DC 13 Dex save or take 4 (1d6+1) acid damage (from mineral-laden water) and have their weapon or hands soaked, granting disadvantage on their next grapple attempt.Tactics & PersonalityBattlefield Role<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Controller/Skirmisher</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Pushes enemies into hazards, fountains, moat edges, pits</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Harasses groups with line attacks</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Retreats into water to recharge jets</li> </ul>Disposition<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Often guardians of holy sites, noble estates, or ancient bathhouses</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Regard adventurers disturbing water features, sacred pools, or decorative runoff as defilers</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Can be reasoned with if they believe intruders aren’t vandals</li> </ul></blockquote>

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