Gambado

A dull white humanoid skull lies on the ground in a tangle of sticks, leaves, and twigs.

Gambado CR 3

XP 800
CN Medium aberration
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +8

DEFENSE

AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+1 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 26 (4d8+8)
Fort +3; Ref +2; Will +5

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +5 (1d8+2), 2 claws +5 (1d4+2)

STATISTICS

Str 14, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 8
Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 16
Feats Alertness, Skill Focus (Stealth)
Skills Acrobatics +6 (+14 jump), Perception +8, Sense Motive +5, Stealth +9; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics (jump)

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate plains
Organization solitary or gang (2–5)
Treasure standard coins or goods; no items

A gambado makes its lair in a 6-foot deep pit. It hides its body with rocks, leaves, and anything else in the surrounding area, allowing only its head to be seen. Thus, when viewing a hidden gambado, it appears to be nothing more than a humanoid skull resting on the ground. When living creatures approach the gambado, it strikes.

The gambado is a human-sized creature with a cylindrical torso topped by a humanoid skull-like head. Two long arms ending in razor-sharp claws protrude from the body. Its torso ends in three long, single-toed feet. Its body is gray in color and leathery and can be compressed like a spring. This is its primary means of locomotion. By compressing its body, the gambado can spring up or forward.

Gambado are solitary creatures by nature, and on the rare occasion that more than one is encountered, each will have its own lair and pit from which it attacks. The pits are usually close together to maximize their attacks on creatures within the area. Any treasure collected by a gambado is stored on its pit floor or in a small and well-hidden hole (DC 18 Perception to find) in the side of its pit.

Gambados speak no known languages, and it is unknown how they communicate among themselves.

A gambado springs to attack any time a living creature comes within 2 feet of its lair. It attacks relentlessly with its bite and claws, but does not fight to the death. If combat goes against it, it seeks the quickest possible means of escape.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Gambado from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Author Scott Greene, based on original material by Simon Shaw.