Gorgon

Born from the ire of Zasslic, Gorgon are a monstrous race with snakes for hair, scaled skin, and eyes able to turn anyone who looks into them into stone.

Monster Mechanics

Size/Type	Medium Monstrous Humanoid
HP	27=6(3)+9
AC	15 (+2 Dex, +3 Nat), Touch: 12. FF: 13
Speed	30ft
Abilities	Str 10, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 15
Skills	Deception +9 (+11 Acting), Persuasion +6, Perception +8, Sneak +8
Saves	Fort 5, Ref 7, Will 6
Special	Darkvision 60ft, Petrifying Gaze, Poison, Snake Hair
Treasure	Double Standard

Petrifying Gaze

When looking at a Gorgon from within 30ft, a character must make a DC 15 Fortitude or Will save (whichever is lower) to resist looking into a medusa's eyes. Upon failure the recipient is paralyzed as appropriate to the type of Gorgon. Gorgon will turn them to stone. Gergon turns them to statues made of salt. Finally, a Gerugon will simply paralyze the opponent until they pass the same save, rendering them unable to take actions. Gorgon and Gergons turn the viewer into statues permanently, unless affected by spells to combat this paralysis. This affect persists even through death, until the eye is completely decomposed after five days, is eaten by animals or vermin, or unless preserved in some fashion.

Characters can fight a Gorgon with their eyes closed, but treat the Gorgon as invisible unless they have an alternative form of sight, such as blindsight or tremorsense. Petrifying gaze does not work if the Gorgon does not have line of sight. Gorgons looking into a mirror can also be affected by their own gaze, and are also affected by all Gaze attacks.

Petrifying gaze does not work if a Gorgon is transformed into a different creature. Creatures must be able to see the eyes of a Gorgon to be affected, even if the Gorgon cannot see them, this still takes effect.

Poison

Applied on any wound inflicted by a Gorgon, as their weapons are all coated in this poison, including their arrows. On a failed fortitude save of dc 14, the injured takes 2 points of poison damage, and they feel a burning sensation whenever they close their eyes. They take a -1 cumulative penalty each round against gaze attacks, only stopping if they pass a DC 14 fortitude save. During this time, so long as they have the penalty against gaze attacks, the recipient gains a +4 bonus to perception as well. Each round they fail the fortitude save after the 1st, they take an additional 1 poison damage.

Actions

Gorgons can make either 2 attacks with either their short sword or longbow each round. In addition, during their turn a gorgon attacks each character within 5ft melee range with their snake hair.

Short Sword: +6 Melee, 1d6 piercing+poison, (19-20/x2)

Longbow: +8 Melee, 1d8 piercing+poison, (x3)

Gift of the Gorgon

Only applicable to Gorgons or Gergons. If they deem someone worthy, they may voluntarily give a lock of their hair, one of the many snakes upon their head, to someone. This snake, unlike ones forcefully cut off, retain its life, and follows their new master as if it was a familiar. This familiar is treated as if it were a familiar of 1 level higher than a normal familiar, and does not count as a normal familiar. However, this creature is treated as a familiar if it dies, giving the normal penalties for losing a familiar.

If the one who was given the gift dies before the gift itself, it transforms into a Gorgon of the opposite sex of its master. It retains all knowledge it learned while in its snake stage, and swears an undying vengence against the one who killed their master. This may usually lead to the death of the Gorgon, but if it lives, it lives on, as a normal Gorgon for all intents and purposes.

Gerugon Race Mechanics

• Str -2, Con+2
• Size/type: Medium Humanoid (Monstrous)
• Speed: 30ft
• Natural Armor: +1
• Petrifying Gaze: Upon looking into the eyes of a Gerugon, a creature may become paralyzed until they beat a fortitude save. The DC= Charisma Score
• +2 bonus on Disguise checks. This bonus turns to +4 when disguising as a human.
• +2 bonus on saves vs poison.
• Gerugons can always speak with snakes, understanding and speaking their language.
• Languages: Common

Basic Information

Anatomy

From a more casual side glanced observation, those who view a gorgon turn to stone. But should one survive this first glance, they find that a gorgon has a mostly human looking shape. Upon closer inspection, one would find everything about them to be off from a human. With scaled skin that can be one of numerous colors, usually more like the coloring of lizards in the area their family originates from. They also have slightly longer incisors for teeth, a forked tongue, and most monstrous of all, a head of hair made entirely of snakes. Gergons can also sometimes be found with a beard of snakes, though it never passes more than a slight bushel of a beard. Females also have breasts, using these to help raise newborns. For the Gerugon, they appear even more humanoid, with normal skin and features, no fangs, and hair appearing normally over their bodies, except for on their head. On their head a Geugon grows snakes from their head and from their face should they be prone to growing what one would consider a beard.

Genetics and Reproduction

Overall, there are three ways that a Gorgon is produced. First is from the curse of Mulor, divine of jealousy from Zasslic. It is his priests that can grant the curse, if not Mulor himself that directs the mortal form of a human, twisting and contorting it into the shape of a Gorgon. This will always produce a Gorgon if the recipient is a female, or a Gergon if the recipient is male. Seccond, a Gorgon, and a Gergon may breed with one another to produce clutches of eggs between 1-6, 6 months after conception, and hatch into a reduced and mortal form of the Medusa, which allthough they are called Gorgons and Gergons by their natural parantage, they instead form a separate intelligent race of creatures known as Gerugon. Finally, a Gorgon/Gergon are able to give away a lock of hair to a trusted ally once in their lifetime to give a great boon. This becomes a pupal egg that transforms into a Gorgon or Gergon based entirely upon the sex of the recipient, becoming a Gorgon if the recipient is male, or Gergon if the recipient is female. Currently, there is no other known process to create a Gorgon, outside of divine interference.

Growth Rate & Stages

As Gorgons and Gergons are created mostly through magical transformation, via a curse, they have little to no growth stages throughout their lives. However, a Gorgons Gift may become an adult Gorgon upon the death of the gifts recipient. This transformation happens almost instantaneously, and the new Gorgon will know everything it learned in life from its snake (or other) forms, including the ability to speak, read, and write thanks to gifts given to it. A Gerugon has a completely separate stage of growth from their mother and father however. Gerugons form from eggs, usually the size of an ostritch egg laid by their mother. Upon hatching, a Gerugon slowly grows throughout its life, with a lifespan equal to that of a demi-human, unlike their immortal parentage. When reaching the age of 16, the than bald headed Gerugon grows snakes on their head, the colors matching both the mother and fathers. Upon reaching adulthood, the petrifying gaze of a Gerugon becomes active, allowing them to paralyze foes when they make eye contact for a short time. This denotes the final stage in a Gerugons life before they start their slow march towards death. When a Gerugon starts to die of old age, it is belived that the snakes that make up their hair slowly start to whither and die out. But no Gerugon have lived to old age to prove this affect as of yet in recorded history.

Ecology and Habitats

Though not primarily residing within water, as Gorgons are not amphibious, most Gorgons and their likeness tend to spend the majority of their time near still water. It is said that this attraction to still water is a deep seated reminder in the spirit of a prideful sinner, reminding them of the days where they were able to look at their own beauty within the water, or any "mirrored" surface. Gorgons can also be found in the ruins of their old life and civilization. As Gorgons and Gergons are immortal, usually finding one is a great sign of a wealth of information being stored nearby, and the presence of a family could interpret a very rich deep history hidden nearby. Gerugons can be found in nearly any environment as well, but usually stay out of cold weather or near their families for the majority of their life. Both Gorgons and Gerugons find the cold weather chilling and uncomfortable for their hair. Usually Gorgons that live in cold environments live deep within caves, with a multitude of creatures, usually blind, to assist them.

Dietary Needs and Habits

As immortal creatures, Gorgons do not need to eat or sleep. However a Gorgon does need to be able to breathe, and can be drowned. Gerugons tend to prefer meat over forraging, but are overall omnivorous. Because of this, more often Gerugons prefer to smoke or dry their meats for storage, and other foods are treated as normal for their area.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Gorgon society appears to resemble a matriarchas society, and multiple gorgons rarely congregate together as they can afflict their gaze upon their own kind, or even themselves. Because of this, upon reaching adulthood, Gerugons split off from their parents to keep themselves safe

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Used in two different processes, a preserved Gorgon or Gergon's eye is an intensely useful product for spellcasters trying to add additional benefits to petrification spells, as a rare material component. Also, the poison from a Gorgon is used to help for non-human creatures looking for additional ways to protect their lair, or someone looking for a poison for a good distraction. Some scholars theorize that gorgon venom can be used to help cure permanent blindness, but this has not yet been proven.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Human

Lifespan

Immortal or 180 years.

Average Height

5'-6'