Maddened Gobbets

Maddened Gobbets (CR 12)

True Chaotic - Small - Vermin (Aberration)

Lore:	Know (Nature)
24		39
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

16

Perception:
29	+19
Passive	Active

Ambush:

7+

on a d20

• Ambush Notes: 'Note Dormant ability, below.'

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Low-Light Vision
• Scent 30 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 30 ft.
• Lesser Climb 30 ft.

Defense

AC

32

Man Def

31

Monster Health
289	144	22
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+9
Refl:	+14
Will:	+9

Strong Against:

• (Mindless) Immune (no effect): all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, fear, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)

Weak Against:

• Vulnerable (1.5x damage): to Fire (energy, common) and Interstice (physical, rare) damage

Offense

Size:	Small
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+19

Man Off

+19

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Breaking Clench +19 (3d8+9/19-20 x2)
  as ripping (physical, uncommon)
  , plus 'Horrid Bruise' (see below)

Full Attack (Melee):

• 3x Breaking Clench +19 (3d8+9/19-20 x2)
  as ripping (physical, uncommon)
  , plus 'Horrid Bruise' (see below)

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Ichor Squirt +19 (3d8+9/19-20 x2)
  as acid (energy, common)
  (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 90 ft.)

Full Attack (Ranged):

• 3x Ichor Squirt +19 (3d8+9/19-20 x2)
  as acid (energy, common)
  (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 90 ft.)

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

22

STR

24

DEX

12

CON

—

INT

6

WIS

16

CHA

Skills:

• Perception: 19
• All other skills: 14 (no ranks)

Languages: None

Feats:

Special Abilities

Horrid Bruise (Ex) Free Action After successful attack

Once per round per victim struck, upon a successful hit, the Breaking Clench attack can inflict 3d6+5 as crushing (physical, common) damage, and the Bruised condition, on one target the Gobbet chooses, the terrible grasping attack causing internal damage to their victims. Affected victims are allowed a Fort save against a DC of 22 to reduce the damage by half and negate the bruised condition. A victim that is already bruised due to this effect that fails a second save (due to two different successful attacks, which may come from one Gobbet, or several), has the Dazzled upgraded to the Bleed condition, inflicting 12 points of slashing (physical, common) damage each round until the condition is removed.

Dormancy (Ex) Swift Action

When dormant, a Maddened Gobbet is indistinguishable from a pile of gory offal. It takes a perception check of 35 to notice something is amiss. A Maddened Gobbet can activate or deactivate dormancy as a swift action, and this ability is frequently used by the mindless things to lay ambushes for the luckless.

Bruising Frenzy (Ex) Full Attack Action

As a full attack action, Maddened Gobbets may make two Breaking Clench melee attacks upon every enemy creature adjacent to their space. As mindless vermin, they will always use this ability if they threaten two or more enemies and have access to a full attack action. If the Maddened is subject to a flank, they may add the value of the flanking bonus levied against them to their own attack rolls made with this ability.

Maddened Gobbets

It is widely accepted among most intelligent creatures, at a very general level, that the world we all live in is balanced upon the surface of a much larger, darker, and far more terrible reality called the Outer Madness. Most people have little understanding of Planes, and in the minds of most people, Demons, Devils, Aberrations, and most 'weird' monsters are part of this terrifying background reality.

However, there are always those who think that 'larger and more terrible' means, 'a convenient way to get power'. As a result, all over the world, in every race, creed, and culture, civilized or not, there are those with far too much greed and far too little wisdom who seek out this Deep Darkness and pledge themselves to it. The Creeping Madness is easy to access, easy to draw upon...and insanely dangerous. A fair number of those who attempt this foolish act are consumed utterly by their very first sup of that dark well, their lives, essence, souls, and flesh consumed entire.

Many of those luckless fools do not quietly disappear, however. A fairly common side effect of this utter destruction is that Madness Minions who have been destroyed have a portion of their remnants trapped in a horrific state of non-quiet, non-dead, non-alive 'existence', the very flesh and fabric of their bodies torn apart into gory pieces and forced into unnatural existence. These grisly chunks of remains are horribly recognizable as body parts, corrupted with fleshy palps and teeth, animated by a simple maddened urge to ruin and despoil, the new form filled with the terrible hungry rage of the Outer Madness.

Some of these dreadful remnants are more potent than others, and this example of the disgusting breed is certainly vile indeed.

Awfully, in many cases these 'Maddened Gobbets', as they are known, are often recognizable as the beings they once were. A truly awful fate is to go to a friends home for an evening meal, and discovering the entire family has dabbled too deep, and are now horrifically mangled into utterly inimical madness machines, looking to kill and wreck everything they can reach.

Combat Tactics

Maddened Gobbets are simple mindless vermin which arise from those fools who were lucky enough to die when they attempted to tap into the Outer Madness for 'power'. After they have arisen spontaneously (rather then being used by their mightier brethren as meaty problem detectors), they will typically search briefly for enemies to destroy, then become dormant until a living creature approaches, using the gore of their 'birth' to hide within.

They will attempt to ambush, activate, and attack. Failing ambush, they scuttle close and attack, trying to pack in close to their enemies and use their Bruising Frenzy ability as often as possible, since it targets only enemies, turns flanks back upon their enemies, and they may apply their Horrid Bruise ability on every foe they manage to strike. If their enemies withdraw and begin to use ranged attacks, they flee out of line of sight, hide, and go dormant to wait.

It is possible that some (many) of these awful things are made things, in which case they will follow the simple instructions given them by their creators. Indeed, Maddened Gobbets are often found in the company of more intelligent Maddened, and serve the 'luckier' fiends as pets, guards, and attackers...rather like horrid cannibal zombie dogs made of peoples limbs and organs. Bleah.

Given their allegiance to Chaos, their mysterious creators or Maddened allies usually set them as guards or send them out to kill or kidnap whoever they encounter. They attack until they or their target is destroyed.

Out of Combat

As mindless vermin, Maddened Gobbets simply wait, dormant, until activated by a victim approaching, or they perform the simple duty they were ordered to fulfill by their maker.

Rewards

XP: 19,200

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 12,875 gp.

Weight: 120 lbs.     Volume: 4.8 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)