Gargoyle, Krothari (5e Race)

Gargoyles

"Hold there!" The voice rang out. Bormir looked about, but saw only the walls of the old castle, adorned with gargoyle statues. As he looked about, one of the statues moved to the edge of the wall. "What is your business here?" The statue's commanding voice rang out, and Bormir's mind recalled stories of Gargoyles, living statues that made their homes in castles like this.

—Endalmar Corvine, Krothari Legends and Encounters

Gargoyles resemble the statues they are named after, and when standing still the differences are very difficult to notice for the unobservant.

Tall and Chiseled

Gargoyles stand between 5 and 7 feet tall with skin hues ranging from stony grey to earthen brown. Gargoyles are capable warriors, sculptors, and architects, creating elaborate castles and lifelike statues in their homeland. Their loyalty and determination make them fierce protectors of their clans and families, as well as anyone that earns their respect and friendship.

Gargoyles are often bald, but their hair is usually black, brown, or red and their eyes are yellow and often seem reptilian. Gargoyles have a pair of wings and a tail, and their hands end in sharp claws. While they are fierce and undaunting warriors while awake, when they sleep Gargoyles become immobile and turn to stone. It is unclear even to the oldest Gargoyles if this is the result of a fell curse or a product of their ancient roots.

Etched in Stone

Gargoyles can live for more than 1000 years, so the older Gargoyles remember the world before The Collapse, when the Godbridge was destroyed and the Bridge Scar became the only remnant of the civilization that existed there. Their longevity allows the Gargoyles to view the world as it is in a unique way that younger races are incapable of. However, the older a Gargoyle becomes, the more time they spend as stone, so the Gargoyles that do remember the ancient world are almost never active.

Gargoyles are solid like stone, and once they reach a conclusion about something it can be almost impossible to change it. They are stoic and quiet, and slow to anger. However, once someone or something has gained the anger of a Gargoyle, that anger can stretch over generations for the more short-lived races. Gargoyles are slow to trust outsiders, but once a person has gained the friendship of a Gargoyle, they have an ally that will stand by them under any circumstances.

Gargoyles have an unwavering sense of justice and strict laws that no Gargoyle will willingly break, as the punishment is often exile from their clan and a mark that labels them to all other clans. This unwavering dedication stems from their worship of Tyr, God of Justice. Many Gargoyles are master architects and sculptors, creating beautiful buildings and lifelike sculptures in reverence to Gond, God of Craft. Their stonework often earns the respect of dwarven stonemasons, and the two peoples often forge lasting friendships and clan alliances that last centuries.

Community of Clans

Krothari Gargoyles live in clans, groups of families that live together in a common home. These clans take residence in the many castles and keeps across their homeland, maintaining the stone structures and forming communities with nearby clans to create a network of trade and mutual defense. These clans will rush to the aid of their neighbors whenever trouble arises, and they rarely fight one another physically, instead relying on their well-developed system of justice to mete out proper punishment.

Each clan has a patriarch that handles the defense of the keep and martial matters and a matriarch that handles trade with neighbors and teaching the younger Gargoyles. Every clan member has a duty and each role serves to aid the clan. Every Gargoyle represents their clan at all times, and an affront to one member is an affront to all members, which makes angering a single Gargoyle likely to result in the wrath of an entire clan. Clans that live outside of Krothar often settle in keeps and castles occupied by other races in order to provide mutual protection; the Gargoyles watch over the keep and the inhabitants watch over the Gargoyles when they sleep.

Serving a Purpose

Gargoyles turn to adventuring for several reasons. Some hear the call of Tyr demanding they act as His agent of justice, others seek answers to dilemmas faced by their clans, and some travel in hope of finding redemption for their misdeeds and a return to their clan. Occasionally, traveling is required for a Gargoyle or clan to deliver their wrath upon those that have wronged them. Regardless of why, Gargoyles almost never leave their homes without a clear purpose in mind and a goal to achieve.

The Soulless Ones

While many people of the other races assume all gargoyles to be of the same origin, it is understood by Gargoyles that some who are adept with magic animate statues and give them the name Gargoyle, despite the many pronounced differences between the true Gargoyles and the animated statues referred to as the "Soulless" by Krothari Gargoyles.

Some Gargoyles actively hunt down the Soulless in order to destroy them and erase the false image of Gargoyles that has become accepted fact.

Gargoyle Names

Gargoyle names exist more for the other races to identify and label them than for the Gargoyles’ need. To that end, Gargoyle names vary greatly as they often choose a name from a nearby object, stone, or building, or take the name given by another race to them upon meeting. Gargoyles have no surnames or clan names on their own, often taking the name of their clan’s home as their surname or clan name.

Gargoyle First Names: Armorstand, Azurestone, Beast, Berry, Broomcloset, Churchbell, Citrine, Cleaver, Cliff, Crowbar, Dirtroad, Doorknob, Eagle, Emerald, Epoch, Falcon, Fireopal, Flint, Gorge, Granite, Gravestone, Halberd, Limestone, Oaktree, Obsidian, Owlbear, Sandstone, Shale, Warhammer Gargoyle Clan Names: Brokentower, Churchspire, Citygate, Deepcave, Guardbarracks, Lighthouse, Mountainside, Noblehouse, Passwatch, Shipsmast, Stonekeep, Tallcastle

Gargoyle Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Age. Gargoyles reach physical maturity at around 60 years, but their unusually long lives mean that a Gargoyle is not considered an adult until they prove themselves capable of representing their clan respectably, often around their 120th year, and they can live up to 1,000 years before they become unable to interact with the outside world in a meaningful way.
Alignment. Gargoyles follow strict laws at all times and follow Tyr, the God of Justice. These traits are often counterbalanced by the worship of Gond, the God of Craft, which lends them slightly towards chaos.
Size. Gargoyles can range from roughly 5 feet tall to over 7 feet tall and their builds vary from slender to stocky, although Gargoyles weight between 200 to 300 lbs due to the stonelike nature of their forms. Your Size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. Your ancient ancestors’ preference of nocturnal activity has resulted in your species’ ability to see well in dim light and darkness. You can see up to 60ft in dim light as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of grey.
Flight. You have a pair of wings on your back that enable you to fly. You have a flying speed of 30ft.
Stone Talons. Your hands in in sharp stone-like claws that you can use as natural weapons. If you hit, they deal slashing damage equal to 1d4+ your Strength modifier in instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Stone Sleep. When you take a long rest, your body is transformed into stone. Until the end of the long rest, you are incapacitated and unable to take any actions.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write in Common and Primordial. Primordial is a harsh, grating language with hard consonants. It has no script of its own but is written in the dwarven script.
Subraces: Two subraces of Gargoyles exist in the world of Rhysium: Sunstone Gargoyles and Nightwing Gargoyles. Choose one of these subraces.

Sunstone Gargoyle

As a Sunstone Gargoyle, you are strong with thick, stone-like skin tougher than other Gargoyles. You are likely to be stockier than other Gargoyles, with lighter skin tones. You often prefer direct solutions to your problems and prefer daylight to nighttime. Most clan defenders and guardians are Sunstone Gargoyles, and they act as soldiers when multiple clans unite to defend their holdings.

Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 1.

Natural Armor: You have tough, stony skin. When you aren’t wearing armor, your AC is 14 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield’s benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor.

Nightwing Gargoyle

As a Nightwing Gargoyle, you are tall and lithe. You are less bulky than other Gargoyles, with darker skin tones and sharper talons. You prefer handling situations with finesse and prefer the cover of night over the glaring daylight. Nightwing Gargoyles often act as scouts and spies for their clans, defending their homes indirectly when possible.

Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Piercing Talons: Your talons have the Finesse property.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
5 ft.′ 4 in.''	+2D12 inches	220 lbs lb.	× (*(2D4) lbs) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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