Gibbering mouthers were unnatural aberrations, nightmarish blobs of mouths and eyes.[3]
Description[]
These bizarre creatures appeared as large blobs composed entirely of mouths and eyes. When the eyes and mouths were closed, the gibbering mouther resembled a large lump of earth.[4]
Biology[]
Gibbering mouthers were not natural creatures. Usually, they were the creation of foul sorcery.[1] Some sages instead claimed that gibbering mouthers arose from sentient creatures that had died in places touched by the Far Realm.[2]
Gibbering mouthers reproduced by asexual fission. They would split their amorphous bodies down the middle whenever they had consumed enough nutrients to support two bodies. The mouther would hide in a secure area while performing this process, since it could take up to four hours. Once split, the two mouthers would move away from each other.[4]
Every victim consumed by a gibbering mouther added another mouth and pair of eyes to the mass of the beast's body. Only living prey would work for this.[4]
Some sages believed that bringing two gibbering mouthers together would cause them to join, creating a larger mouther.[4]
Combat[]
Gibbering mouthers liked to ambush prey by remaining still until their prey was within striking range.[4]
The most vulnerable area on a gibbering mouther was the brain, which was located near the center of its mass and could move around, making it difficult to strike.[4]
Gibbering mouthers could use a special babbling attack that had the same effect as the confusion spell. This attack assaulted potential prey every few moments, making it more difficult for them to resist.[4]
Spit from a gibbering mouther would explode with a bright flash once it struck any surface, easily blinding targets for several minutes.[4]
A gibbering mouther was able to attack with six different mouths at a time. Each mouth had a chance to latch on to the victim and begin draining their energy.[4]
The ground around a gibbering mouther was turned into a thick liquid state, making it extremely difficult to assault the mouther at a close range.[4]
History[]
In 1367 DR, during the Living Gem War, the wizard Shond Tharovin was cursed by the archmage Yoond Shalshymmyr and permanently changed into an immense (over twelve-miles-long[6]) gibbering mouther, sacrificing his life to do so. Shond vowed revenge and left his city of Schamedar to enter the ocean.[7][8] Shond eventually settled on the Singing Rocks in the Trackless Sea, where he planned the demise of his enemies.[6]
Ecology[]
These creatures were never found near others of their kind.[4]
Diet[]
Gibbering mouthers were omnivorous creatures.[4]
Habitats[]
Swamps were their preferred habitat in the wild.[4]
In Northwest Faerûn, they could be found dwelling within the Mere of Dead Men.[9] Beyond Faerûn, they were sometimes found in Zakhara.[4]
Relationships[]
Wizards and cults often used gibbering mouthers as guardians.[4]
They were a favored monster of the drow deity Ghaunadaur.[10]
Appendix[]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Card Games
- Dragonfire (Shadows Over Dragonspear Castle)
- Board Games
- Betrayal at Baldur's Gate
- Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
- Plague of Ancients (Burying the Past) • Dreams of the Red Wizards (When the Lights Went Out in Candlekeep)
Further Reading[]
- Nigel Findley (August 1990). “The Ecology of the Gibbering Mouther”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #160 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 55–57.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 157. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 126–127. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 126. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 Wolfgang Baur (1993). Assassin Mountain: Monstrous Compendium Pages. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 9-781560-765646.
- ↑ Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 69. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 89. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 110. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 38. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood and Sean K. Reynolds (May 1999). “Wyrms of the North: Voaraghamanthar, "the Black Death"”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #258 (TSR, Inc.).
- ↑ Sean K. Reynolds (2002-05-04). Deity Do's and Don'ts (Zipped PDF). Web Enhancement for Faiths and Pantheons. Wizards of the Coast. p. 11. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2018-09-08.