Gorbel

The gorbel looks like a red sphere of thin, see-through rubbery skin. Six small red eyes on short retractable stalks ring its upper half, and short clawed legs serve for walking and fighting. A single small opening handles eating, breathing and birth; lined with tiny teeth, this rubbery mouth slowly stretches to swallow food up to 18 inches across. Newborns measure 6 inches and reach their full 3-foot diameter within six months. Some think it a distant relative of the gazer tyrant; others blame a deranged wizard.

A gorbel tries to eat anything that moves, including trees swaying in the wind. It drifts quickly toward its target, apparently by magic similar to levitation, and grabs hold with its claws. Once attached it cannot be pried loose until it or its prey dies, and its claws then hit automatically every round for 1-6 damage. While clinging it loses any Dexterity bonus and its AC drops to 10.

Blunt weapons bounce off. A hit from a slashing or piercing weapon pops it, releasing pyrophoric gas that explodes for 1-4 damage to every creature within 5 feet. Any magical damage, magic missile included, also sets it off regardless of the amount. Neighboring gorbels are not immune, and whole herds have wiped themselves out in chain reactions from a single burst.

Herds are loose, shifting groups that graze lush tropical plants, jungle debris and carrion, moving on whenever they strip an area bare. Members wander in and out as instinct dictates, and food squabbles are mostly bouncing contests. Curious by nature, gorbels drift over to inspect anything unusual, such as a campsite, then snap at whatever stirs first. A curious gorbel mews frantically, much like a kitten.

The explosive gas comes from digesting greenery and bark along with a trace of metal or ore as a catalyst; fool's gold seems to be a favorite. Lighter than air, the gas keeps the creature aloft, but it seeps out steadily and must be constantly renewed. It smells of rotten eggs, which can warn of approaching gorbels. Otherwise they are no harder on plant life than any other grazing herd.

The gas can be distilled by wizards into potions of fire breath, and the eyes can serve as components for wizard eye and similar spells. An intact hide is said to make a peculiar lighter-than-air vessel, but harvesting one means killing the gorbel without rupturing its body sac.