Gorgonites! Variesties for every occasion

fixed last gamelog post as id forgot to publish an earlier episode so I added it on end of the last posts text.

As I start my Theros dnd5 game I’ve been reading up on my classics. Plus I got the new MM. My advance order arrived weeks after in the shops. It’s pretty good but my main beef is Sphynxes being made not with human hybridisation and overly lion-like. I’d like to see hawk or ram-headed one or like the Theros book Chimaera entry, to make unique hybrids. Dropping all the old thirsty sphynx tropes I’m ok with but now more like my little pony versions.  

I really like that Theros book says the normal MM version should be made to be Hot looking and called sirens. They offer a nasty harpy hero and the Blood toll Harpy is a weaker foe and a great starter enemy.

The new MM lacks low-level monsters. Normal ppl have 4hp. Base bandit has 11.  Base Tough 32hp. 

Base pirate has 33 hp. Mostly, the alphabetisation and breaking up categories like devil and dragon is fine then they put plant and funds beings into groups. Cursed killer rug is a monster but not green slime. Mostly its easy to use and I like the initiative bonus and some of the tables. Overall I think its a better version and various other splatbooks are still usable from dnd5. Lizard folk get one page as presented with a base version with 33hp. They deserved 2 like gnolls. Base gnoll 27hp. I think they will have a book with lots of humanoid stat blocks. I prefer my ppl with levels to be rarer. But I do like extra tough goblins and basic monsters.

So Gorgons aka Medusa in myth and D&D.

In greek myth Medusa is one of the gorgons, she is the mortal killable one.

In old BX DnD they are women with snake hair ac12and HD4.
In old dnd a gorgon is a metal-plated bull and in 2025 they are constructs.
In post-classical myth the bull gorgon is confused with catoblepas and by 1600 bestiaries is believed to be a real scaled cow said to live in Libya. MM 2025 has a bronze gorgon varient which reminds me of the

 “brazen bull, also known as the bronze bull, Sicilian bull, Bellowing bull or bull of Phalaris, a torture and execution device designed in ancient Greece”.

Many games have increasingly used the Clash of the Titans snake-tailed medusa, even with an American rattlesnake tail. Plenty of ppl have racoons and other non-European animals. Theros uses snake-legged versions and upgrades them a bit. Some have a lesser and a greater medusa – one humanoid and one snake-legged.

Here I will try these two for my EMO retroclone and the more horrific one in greek pottery probably made to sell to Eutruscans who loved monster art (see their Romulus & Remus wolf and chimera statues). Chimera is another monster that d&d has flooded the modern mythscape with.

Medusan Gorgon (lesser)
Humanoid serpent-haired beings cursed by the gods CE
Medium Monstrous Humanoid 

AC 12 HD 4 Att 3 gaze, 

hair d4+poison and by weapon d6 and  Morale 8 Mov 12

🕀 Gaze: eye contact petrifies an enemy with eye-to-eye contact, Talent save to avoid

🕀 If avoiding meeting gaze in melee (save) -2 to hit the gorgon and +2 for the gorgon to hit
🕀 If avoiding meeting gaze at range (save) -4 to hit the gorgon
🕀 Hair Snake Poison causes death in 3d4 rounds if fail save 
🕀 Use staff, spear, sword, bow, dagger, axe, may use a shield

The most human-looking and harmless type of gorgonite, a type cursed by the gods 

Medusan Gorgon (major)
Humanoid serpent-haired beings cursed by the gods CE
Medium Monstrous Winger Humanoid 

AC 18 HD 8 Att 4 gaze, hair d6+poison and by weaponx2 d8 

Morale 9 Mov 12 Fly 24
🕀 Gaze: eye contact petrify an enemy with eye to eye contact, Talent save to avoid
🕀 If avoiding meeting gaze (save) -2 to hit the gorgon
🕀 If avoiding meeting gaze at range (save) -4 to hit the gorgon
🕀 Hair Snake Poison causes death in 2d4 rounds if fail save 

🕀 Use staff, spear, sword, bow, dagger, axe, may use a shield

🕀 Can assume human form for an hour each day

The more powerful humanoid gorgon has feathered or sometimes bat wings 

Serpentine Gorgon
Humanoid serpent-haired beings cursed by the gods CE
Medium Monstrous Snake-Humanoid 

AC 18 HD 8 Att 5 gaze, hair d6+poison and by weaponx2 d8, tail 3d4 

Morale 8 Mov 15 Swim 9 Climb 6
🕀 Gaze: eye contact petrify an enemy with eye to eye contact, Talent save to avoid
🕀 If avoiding meeting gaze (save) -2 to hit the gorgon
🕀 If avoiding meeting gaze at range (save) -4 to hit the gorgon
🕀  Hair Snake Poison causes death in d4 rounds if fail save 

🕀 Tail: constrict attack, first hit grapples one body part, then may crush or make a second attack to improve the hold and immobilise the target  
🕀 Use staff, spear, sword, bow, dagger, axe, may use a shield
 
They are serpentine from the waist down and embraced the underworld serpentine gods

Taurean Gorgon
Iron scaled bull with petrification breath NE
Large magical animal 

AC 20 HD 12 Att 1 gore 2d8 or trample 3d6 or Breath Morale 10 Mov 24

🕀 If charge at least 6m in a line, double charge damage, target save or fall prone
🕀 Trample can affect any target in a straight line, target save or fall prone 

🕀 Breath 9m cone 60% wide, targets vigour save or petrified

 
They are metallic monstrous bulls, monsters made by gods to punish and destroy

Immortal Gorgon (greater)
Humanoid serpent-haired demon CE
Large Monstrous Winged Humanoid 

AC 25 HD 16 Att 8 gaze, hair  x4 d8+poison, tusks 3d4, claws x2 2d6

Morale 9 Mov 15 Fly 18
🕀 Gaze: eye contact petrify an enemy with eye to eye contact, Talent save to avoid
🕀 If avoiding meeting gaze (save) -2 to hit the gorgon
🕀 If avoiding meeting gaze at range (save) -4 to hit the gorgon
🕀 Poison causes death in d4 rounds if fail save fails

🕀 Under 4HD creatures within 3 range save each round or flee in fear d4 rounds

🕀 Self-resurrection if not beheaded by a magic weapon  on a d4 days

Hulking, musclebound underworld horrors, children and love of underworld gods. Hideous, monstrous fanged faces with boar-like tusks. Four wings show they are of divine blood. Some people might worship them. They are bitter about their faces and to looks of mortals. More violent and savage, they scream in battle.

Varients
1in4 +1 extra snake attack
1in4 eyes glow (often green) and emit light when angered or at will, range 1 per HD
1in4 has a character class up to HD level also
1in6 spider climb
1in6 +2  extra snake attacks
1in8 range 2 snake hair
1in10 extra fanged bite attack equal to snake bite effect
1in10 have 3 rage snake hair
1in12 wears armour AC18
1in12 gaze in form of eye rays effect all in 60-degree cone, range = HD
1in20 assume human form form at will
1in20 regenerates 1hp per round per HD except from fire or acid damage