Fatal Encounters: Gorgimerae

There are days when I still get up early, go upstairs, and have the feeling that I need to start getting coffee and brown sugar maple Cream of Wheat and orange juice put out for someone who is no longer here. Or, that the creaking upstairs is from someone walking around and not just the wind. Yesterday was one of those days, and to alleviate the sad thoughts for a moment and keep my mind busy, let's do something easy that makes me feel accomplished for a little while: make monsters!

This time, my twist on the gorgimera, and encounters inspired by The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth.
  Design and balance note: I had some trouble making this "fatal encounter" less fatal and still impactful. Which, may or may not be a good thing depending on the person reading this. You'll see later that it uses a handful of d6 for its attacks, which used to be a lot more d6 plus a lot of d8. I found this set of stats and abilities to work well for me and the group I intended it for (five 5th-level PCs), and for some DMs/parties those could very well be reduced further to mostly d4 damage dice or increased slightly. Hopefully some of the encounter suggestions are helpful for fine tuning and improvising as well.
  If you missed them, check out my previous blog post and Matt Colville's "Action Oriented Monsters" video here for examples of "villain actions," or "elite actions" as I call them.

Gorgimera (GORR-geh-MAYR-uh)

• The offspring of terrifying chimerae and gorgons (the D&D gorgon, a metal-scaled bull monstrosity with petrifying green vapor breath), gorgimera are even more fearsome. This monster bears leonine and draconian features and has three heads, two of which (the lion and red dragon) are the same as it, but the third head is a fuming gorgon instead of a rabid goat.
• Gorgons and gorgimerae, having metallic bodies (or partly, in the latter's case) and lungs that create petrifying vapors, are immune to being petrified by their kin's vapor and are highly resistant to other petrification effects from basilisks, cockatrice, and medusae. The lion and dragon heads, however, are still susceptible to a degree. If turned to stone, the other two heads and all its limbs will slowly regenerate back to normal within a week to a month (longer for older gorgimerae), and the process is hastened by sunlight.
• Gorgimerae are more rampant and tenacious than chimerae thanks to the attitude their gorgon parents pass on to them, and can be stubborn and unyielding to the extreme. Instead of fleeing when wounded by a powerful foe, most gorgimera will choose go into a frenzy, even fighting to the death in their prideful stubborness. Although they are not as skilled at flying as chimera for their greater strength and ferocity, they can cover much more ground at the first sight of competition and when riled up.
    They rarely fight with their chimera and gorgon cousins, and more rarely with each other being so few and far between, but a gorgimera duel is a spectacular sight. Some try to petrify their opponent as quickly as possible, at which point it will break apart its stone body and eat it. Others opt to try headbutting and goring the goat or gorgon head like a hammer trying to hit and shatter another hammer, at which point the victor (not unlikely to win by the merit of the loser's stupidity against a bulkier foe) will devour the loser with its lion and dragon mouths.
• When the lion and dragon heads aren't craving fresh meat, aren't picking fights, and nothing is distracting or provoking the gorgon one, it spends that little time casually wandering and grazing plains and riverbanks. Occasionally, a gorgimera can be found pawing and bobbing (almost playfully) in a river or beach for fish with each of its heads (eating salmon, trout, sturgeon, catfish, and small sharks) and picking through rocks to chew on with its gorgon head. A rarer and more exceptional sight is a gorgimera playfully splashing in shallow water like a jovial pup—nothing deeper than its knees, though, as they struggle to swim.

Gorgimera
Large monstrosity, chaotic evilAC 16, HP 152 (16d10 + 64), Bloodied 76, Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft.
STR 19 (+4), DEX 11 (+0), CON 18 (+4), INT 5 (-3), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 10 (+0)
Skills: Intimidation +6, Perception +7
Condition Immunities: petrified
Senses: darkvision 90 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages: understands Draconic and Giant but can't speak
Challenge Rating: 9 (5,000 XP)
Traits
Three Heads. The gorgimera has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being blinded, deafened, frightened, stunned, and knocked unconscious. Additionally, each of its heads can be targeted individually and have the following properties:
  Lion Head. AC 15, HP 38. While this head is unconscious, its frightful roar and bite are disabled.
  Dragon Head. AC 17, HP 50. While this head is unconscious, its fire breath and meteor are disabled.
  Gorgon Head. AC 19, HP 64. While this head is unconscious, its gore and petrifying breath are disabled.
Trample. If the gorgimera moves at least 20 feet and then hits a creature with a melee attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If a target is prone, the gorgimera can make one stomp attack against it as a bonus action.
Lion Head: Frightful Roar. Each creature of the gorgimera's choice that is within 60 feet of the gorgimera and that can hear it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's save is successful or the effect ends for it, it is immune to the gorgimera's roar for 24 hours.
ActionsMultiattack. The gorgimera makes one of each of the following attacks:
  Lion Head: Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d6 + 6) piercing damage.
  Dragon Head: Fire Breath. Each creature in a 15-foot cone must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
  Gorgon Head: Gore. Melee Weapon Attack:  +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d6 + 6) piercing damage.
Stomp. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., up to four targets. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage.
Dragon Head: Meteor (2/day). Ranged Spell Attack: range 120 ft. Each creature in a 20-foot sphere must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 17 (5d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. Additionally on a failed save, a creature has disadvantage on saving throws against the gorgimera's fire breath until the end of its next turn.
Gorgon Head: Petrifying Breath (2/day). The gorgon head exhales green vapor all around it. Each creature in a 15-foot cone must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or begin to turn to stone and restrained. The restrained target must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn, ending the effect on itself on a success. On a failure, the target is petrified until freed by the greater restoration spell or other magic.
Elite ActionsFirestorm. As a free action at the start of the first round of combat, the gorgimera uses meteor.
Bull Rush. At the start of the first round of combat, the gorgimera uses its movement to fly up to its speed within 20 feet of a creature and then run at it and use gore and petrifying breath (see trample).
Tantrum. When the gorgimera becomes bloodied, it immediately runs around up to its speed in a straight line or circle, trampling creatures underfoot. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity. It uses stomp against each creature it moved past with a +10 to hit, dealing bludgeoning damage instead of slashing damage, and then it uses stomp against all prone creatures within reach (see trample).

The Rainbow Caverns

Recommended for a party of four to six 4th-6th level characters, intended for five 5th-level characters.

Patiently awaiting the next generation of spelunkers and thieves is a sprawling cavern-scape first discovered by a mage of old who quickly filled it with unimaginable wealth and unspeakable terrors.
  Overgrown, well-worn steps lie ahead, leading down into its twisting halls and absolute darkness. The caves sigh with cool, deep breaths, as if calling out to you.

Environment Features
Absolute Darkness. No light reaches the caves beyond the first few steps at the entrance. All creatures require a light source or special senses (such as blindsight or tremorsense) in order to see anything. Darkvision does not allow a creature to see in the caves unless it has a light source. A creature that can't see must succeed on a DC 17 Survival check to avoid getting lost.
Earthcancer. Much of the ground is covered in aberrant formations and corrupted, fungal growths. Random patches of ground count as difficult terrain (movement speed is reduced by 1/4th on average). A creature that comes in contact with earthcancer or ends its turn in the space must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or take 2 (1d4) poison damage. If it fails the save by 5 or more (DC 12), it becomes nauseated and unable to take any action until the end of their next turn.
  If the party is healthy when they enter the gorgimera lair, the more earthcancer there will be. Likewise, if the party is in worse shape, the less earthcancer there will be.

Part 1

As the party journeys deeper into the caves, down both winding natural paths and straight artificial stairways, they come to a flat area. The ground here has become earthcancer and has formed 1d4 shriekers. Swarms of bats and 1d4 stirges swirl around each character and move deftly through interconnected tunnels pocked with large insect (centipede) and stirge nests and little more, bothering the party only for a moment if they disturb the fungi or nests.
  Inside one small side cave lies a body, face-down, wearing loose brown, moldy, moth-eaten clothes and a bulky satchel. Something glints in light (the pommel of a longsword, a flying sword) and the sword and satchel both glow with an aura for anyone benefiting from detect magic. Earthcancer has spread in a 5-foot radius around the corpse, and a gas spore is growing under the clothers in the corpse (DC 14 Perception check to spot the spore). The flying sword (+7 to hit) will attack whoever touches it or the corpse; at 0 HP it falls to the ground and becomes a longsword +1 with 3 charges which can be spent to turn it into a dancing sword for 1 hour (it does not regain spent charges). Inside the satchel are two rings of protection, one of which appears to grant +3 AC if identified but actually curses whoever attunes to it and imparts a -3 penalty to AC (the ring cannot be removed while the wearer is cursed, and the curse can only be removed by separating the finger and ring from the wearer for 24 hours, or by casting remove curse at 5th level).

Part 2

Gem-crusted stalactites hang from the ceiling of a narrowing tunnel. Dirt and a few tiny rocks fall from one of the formations as the party moves through, and minute vibrations from an unseen source cause one stalactite to crack and fall (DC 16 Dexterity save or take 1d6 bludgeoning damage). Walking through the tunnel, each character must make a Perception check. The character with the highest roll spots another stalactite that looks like a crystal-coated piercer; if the roll is 18 or higher they also spot a ruby on it. If damaged, the stalactite will break, fall (dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage if someone is underneath it and doesn't move), and release a ruby worth 750 gp.
  Rumbling is heard and felt behind the party as a xorn moves through, paying no mind to the party, eating crystals in a wall behind them that causes part of it to collapse and a tight passage to open to another room with a wall full of crystals. In that room, the damp floor marked with patches of earthcancer (difficult terrain not including the walls and ceiling, DC 16 Athletics check to climb the walls) is littered with junk. On the far side of the room, a heavily scarred roper is munching on three dead troglodytes. 1 merrow is on the opposite side of the room sitting against a stalagmite, catching its breath and reading a scroll of stone to flesh written in aquan. It takes ten minutes to sort through the junk in the room and gather one explorer's pack worth of salvageable items (except with 5 rations total and the rope breaks if more than 50 pounds of weight is put on it).

Part 3

The main passageway continues winding onward and sloping down then abruptly starts to widen horizontally and vertically, eventually coming to a wider opening (50 ft in all dimensions) with a 15-foot-deep pool of clear water. A haze of magical darkness lingers in the area, obscuring everything from the surface of the pool to the ceiling. Marred stone statues and broken pieces of humanoids and beasts barely jut out of the darkness at the water's edge. Eight crumbling creatures are frozen solid in the middle of crawling back towards the tunnel, and many more have sunken and piled up beneath the surface, making the pool shallower at the near and far side. On the far side of the pool, some of the statues and limbs have returned to their natural, fleshy state, and dark blood stains the area. Also lurking underwater are 2 swarms of quippers and 3 ghasts. Earthcancer has spread in a 30-foot radius around the far edge of the pool.

For a stronger or more experienced party, replace 1 swarm of quippers with 1 giant zombie constrictor snake (a constrictor snake with the undead fortitude trait).

  Crossing the pool leads to a massive cave (60 ft wide, 100 ft high) covered with crystals and rippling streams and glossy bumps that all sparkle and shimmer with a rainbow of colors from the tiniest glint of light. A heap of treasure—gems, silver and gold and mithril coins and squares of chain maille, and steel and bronze weapons and helmets and armor the designs of which must span centuries—sits in the center of the chamber. Six stalactites at the very top of the cave ceiling twist and end in an elegant jeweled point, which give off sunlight that matches the natural light outside at the current time of day and gradually cure petrification over the course of 1d10 days. After their awe dissipates, characters will notice the broken, prone stone bodies and earthcancer covering the chamber floor. And beneath the mound of treasure lies a gorgimera starved of fresh meat.

For a stronger or fresh party, the gorgimera may push them into areas where earthcancer is festering, grounding the strongest or weakest link in the chain as it sees fit. For a much larger party or long encounter (or after the encounter ends), 1d4 of the statues start to animate every other round (use the ghoul stat block with a speed of 10 feet for the first round they are animated and 30 feet thereafter).

  The treasure hoard contains the following: 6 cp, 5,000 sp, 2,160 gp, 400 pp (enchanted to weigh twice as much and fall out of any pocket or bag they are placed in), 10 gems (each gem weighs 1d10 lbs and is worth 5d10 x 100 gp), fine clothes, costume clothes (goat costume), costume clothes (gorgon costume), a potion of fire breath, 3 vials of saffron (worth 150 gp each and can be used in food or potions to create a potion of clairvoyance that also grants truesight out to 60 feet for the duration), 2 vials of red dragon repellant oil, a scroll of protection from elementals written in draconic, a dagger +1, a mithril war maul head (4 lbs), a bag of holding (contains two diamond dice worth 750 gp each), a heavily-stained 6-page notebook (a cursed copied section of the book of vile darkness, swarms of leeches spawn when opened to the the flawed 5th and 6th pages), and a small vial of purple ooze (when poured out and left in a space with oxygen or water, it grows one size category every 1d8 hours until it becomes a moaning otyugh-shaped black pudding).
  A stairwell is hidden at the back of the chamber behind a towering wall of stalagmites, which leads to a squished tunnel that is flooded for a short length that then leads to a back entrance/exit covered in a mound of dirt and small shrubs and their tangled roots.

Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed any of this, check out more monsters in my Brash Brutes series and my first DMsGuild adventure, Disturbance at Dusk, set in the plane of Ravnica.