Monster of the Month – The Gibbering Mouther

Hullo, gentle readers. It may be November, but I’m still in a Halloween-ish mood, so here’s another of my favorite aberrations – the Gibbering Mouther. Thanks, as always, to Scott “K-9″ Fabianek for his take on this creepy creeper.

I’m pretty sure the Gibbering Mouther first appears in the infamous module the Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan, but it certainly seems to have an older and more…eldritch origin. In the works of H. P. Lovecraft, we find the amorphous shoggoths, which the GMs definitely resemble. Given the influence HPL had on early D&D, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that this was their original inspiration.

I love that the GM turns the ground all around it to mush by its very unnatural presence. While the rules as written call for a Strength saving throw for anyone who starts their turn in that area (putting them at risk of having their speed drop to 0), I would also be tempted to ask for a Dexterity saving throw of anyone who got that close, having them fall prone if they failed. This would represent the sudden, shocking encounter with the Aberrant Ground feature.

There are two easily overlooked bits of fun in the GMs arsenal. First, it is immune to the Prone condition. Keep this in mind, as players might try to knock it over with various spells or special attacks, and this just isn’t happening. Second, and potentially more deadly, it has a swim speed. This means it doesn’t suffer disadvantage on its attacks in water. I could easily see a GM lairing in an underwater tunnel, lurking out of sight, keeping an eye out for prey with its darkvision. When PCs enter the water to look for hidden treasures, cross a flooded room, move to an island with treasure on it, etc., the GM can make attacks in an area where it holds the upper hand…err…jaws.

Not shockingly, the Gibbering Mouther’s most distinctive feature is its gibbering. Low Wisdom characters are distinctly in danger of becoming confused and taking random actions, even possibly attacking its friends. Remember that this is an area of effect ability and not an attack the GM has to take actions to use. It makes the GM scarier when used like this.

I love monsters with multiattack that let them use very different attacks. The GM gets to make its bite attack AND its blinding spittle attack (if it has it available). I would imagine it spitting first, seeing who was blinded by the attack, then moving to bite (and hopefully devour) someone who is disadvantaged. Keep in mind that, if it hits with its bite, the target is knocked prone, too, making it easier prey on later turns…or perhaps for allies?

Given its tendency to try and devour anything in its path, what manner of creatures might ally with a Gibbering Mouther? There are two things that leap to mind. Firstly, constructs, such as warforged, are likely not going to register as food on the GM’s radar. They might use GMs as watchdogs, staying far enough away from the GM’s hunting territory to not be affected by its madness, but close enough to hear them when they start to babble.

Second, creatures with very potent Wisdoms, such as priests of Tharizdun, Mind Flayers, and the like, aren’t very susceptible to the effects of the gibbering. GMs are equal in Intelligence to a wolf, so I could see a temple of Tharizdun guarded by trained Gibbering Mouthers. Once they understand that their Masters will let them feed on any intruder, perhaps they leave anyone alone who presents a Symbol of Tharizdun. Mind Flayers might only want the victim’s brains, leaving me to imagine ravening Gibbering Mouthers waiting patiently for their Masters to feed, then munching on the remains.

If you want to introduce a Lovecraftian amorphous horror into your story, I would say the Gibbering Mouther is an excellent way to go. I hope you’ll give them all the love you can in your next campaign.