Friday, July 5, 2019

Variations on the metal bull aka bovine basilisk

The metal bull "gorgon" is pretty boring as far as monsters go, so despite being a mainstay of D&D it has received almost no attention in monster manual additions. I previously wrote a post discussing ideas for the ecology of metal bulls, so this will be an expansion and revision to that.

As far as official and licensed publications went, the only gorgon variants we got were: iron gorgon (i.e. the default), storm gorgon, thessalgorgon, guardian gorgon (in single and three-headed variants), two favors of chimera/gorgon hybrids (gorgimera and “chimeric gorgon of legend”), and a “corrupted elder eidolon gorgon.”

A curious change introduced by 4e was the naming convention behind the "iron gorgon." This expanded the word "gorgon" itself to refer to a various of bull-like monsters. The storm gorgon was introduced as an example: it breathed lightning. They were the metal-clad cattle of the elemental planes, like how the stench kow is the evil smelly cattle of the lower planes. (Are the two related?)

Among third-party products, the only variants I could find were golden ram, sand gorgon, and a demigorgon template (with a demigorgon minotaur as the sample monster).

© Rudolf Freund; LIFE Apr 23, 1951

Alternate names

Like some other people, I don't like the use of the name "gorgon" because of the confusion with the mythological Greek gorgons. I prefer to call them something like "catoblepas," "metal bull," or "bovine basilisk" because that more accurately describes their nature. But the name "gorgon" is both stuck in tradition and short. Shortness is an advantage since it makes remembering and referring easier. Having to invented unique names for everything is a pain. Whatever happened to qualifiers, commas, and parentheses?

There are neologisms floating around like "khaulkotauroi" and "colchitaur," but that is grammatically nonsense. The correct terminology is tauroi khalkeoi, which translates to "bronze bulls." They may also be referred to as Colchian bulls, since they lived at Colchis. If I adopted that naming scheme, it would fit the 4e naming scheme excepting replacing "gorgon" with "bull" or "catoblepas": metal bull, iron bull, storm bull, sand bull, brass bull, bronze bull, brazen bull, stone bull, Thessaly bull, chimerical bull, etc. This is great! (Compare Mazes & Minotaurs variety of minotaurs. Is there a connection?)

I could take a page from Pokémon naming schemes or from the Gorgon Aex. The latter's name meant both "terrible goat" and "fierce storm", and lends his/her name to the aegis shield; a perfect pun for the iron bulls! I could call them the gorgon taurus or "gorgotaurs," a neologism deriving from the Ancient Greek gorgo ("gorgon") or gorgos ("terrible") plus taurus ("bull"). It retains the resemblance to "gorgon" while introducing the important bull part. Any confusion with centaur ("bull-slayer") or minotaur ("king's bull") is simply the result of ignorant readers not knowing their Greek, which isn't permissible in today's internet-connected world. There are few other monsters that could be called "terrible bulls," but that sort of confusion is more understandable than confusing the catoblepas with Medusa!

Maybe I could make a pun on "gore" or something. Maybe a "gore cow" or "gore bull"? Maybe call them Gorgonzola cattle instead and posit that their milk is made into Gorgonzola cheese?


Monster family and ecology

The terrible bulls are family of monsters resembling cattle, including the catoblepas ("down-looker") and iron bull. They come in multiple varieties, variously resembling ungulates like rams, oxen, etc. Given the metal armor of some varieties, you could easily draw a comparison to metallic dragons, earth elementals, and constructs. I think they can easily fit into one or all of these types depending on the GM's needs at the time.

What follows are a few examples and ideas:
  • Iron bull: Iron bulls are earthy elementals that common graze the plains of the elemental chaos and anywhere else they can find purchase, but they might arise by a number of other ways. They might result from crossbreeding of metallic dragons and cattle, or the constructions of dwarves. Maybe a blacksmith god constructed them out of metallic dragon scales and now they graze in the elemental earthy wilderness. Maybe the medusae train them as mounts, or transform into them as part of their curse (hence Gorgon Aex, "terrible goat"). Maybe they are the gorgon Medusa's curse as applied to cattle? Maybe they are raised for their milk to be made into Gorgonzola cheese?
  • Metal-clad bulls: Metal bulls come in many different metals: iron, brass, bronze, gold, lead, silver, etc. Each has different capabilities, some of them being breath weapons similar to dragons while others breathe gas that transmutes victims into their metal. For example: the iron bull breathes petrifying green gas, the storm bull breathes thunder and lightning, the bronze bull breathes either fire or a red-orange smoke that transmutes victims to bronze, the leaden bull breathes sweet smelling toxic gas, the rusty bull's breath causes metals to rust like the rust monster, the mercurial bull breathes mercury vapors, etc.
  • Haunted brazen bull: One metal bull, known variously as the bronze bull, brass bull and brazen bull, was used as a torture device. Victims would be placed inside, and the vessel heated over fire until they eventually died. The restless spirits of these poor people reanimated the brazen bull, turning it into a fire-breathing monster.
  • Colchian bulls: The dwarves are known to create themselves from stone, so it stands to reason they could create other creatures. For example, the azer or "fire dwarves" are known to animate fire-breathing brass bulls as beasts of burden and guardians of important things. Some variants, by contrast, breathe a red-orange smoke that transmutes their victims into bronze.
  • Golden ram: The mythical golden ram, from whence the mythical golden fleece originates, turns prey to gold with its breath. However, this is only temporary and victims return to normal after a day. Perhaps this was created as a practical joke on greedy adventurers, or maybe there is some arbitrary enforcement by the universe itself to make gold difficult to acquire.
  • Divine sandstorm: The sand bull lives in sandstorms, riding the winds across the deserts. It breathes a corrosive gas that turns victims into pillars of salt. Perhaps these creatures were the "angels" sent to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah?
  • Chimerical bull: Tripartite chimeras can include any creatures in their makeup, not just the stereotypical dragon, lion and goat seen in the mythical Lycian Chimera ("she-goat"). When the Lycian Chimera herself crossbred with the Gorgon Aex, the child resembled its mother Chimera except with its father's iron bull replacing its goat portion. This monster was named Gorgimera, perhaps shortened from Gorgon Chimera, perhaps meaning "terrible visage."
  • Snake-maned bull: The terrible bull of Thessaly is an iron bull with a mane of serpents and a long tail ending in pincers like an earwig. Its mouths drip with acid and it can spew acid as an attack. Perhaps it is some transitional state between medusa and iron bull?
  • Iron king's bull: In the plane of mazes, where all minotaur mazes connect, there is one maze claimed by an iron minotaur. This minotaur has the traits of an iron bull: metallic armor plates and a petrifying breath. The maze itself also hosts a herd of iron bulls.
  • Degenerate king's bulls: speaking of minotaurs, maybe the terrible bulls are the end result of the minotaur's curse? Bereft of intelligence, reduced to wild animals, useful only as beasts of burden. Truly, it seems a terrible curse. (Compare Mazes & Minotaurs use of "gorgotaur" for the most hideous, primordial and bestial minotaurs.)

Just for fun: the Gorgons of Gorgonzola

What follows is a little creation myth I decided to makeup to explain a few things and maybe be a bit funny:

The gorgons medusae are a tribe of amazons who were cursed into hideous snake-haired women after their sister queens Medusa, Stheno and Euryale spurned the advances of jealous gods. Their cattle were likewise cursed, so they raised the vicious iron catoblepae from the elemental underworlds as steeds and beasts of burden. They lived in the town of Gorgonzola, and became famous for making their Gorgonzola cheese from the iron cow's milk. Hence, the iron cattle of the gorgons became known as iron gorgons themselves.

Gorgimera is a grotesque hybrid, a child of the Lycian Chimera and the prized stud Gorgon Aex. She and her sisters forever prowl the lands surrounding Gorgonzola, defending it against any and all trespassers who refuse to acknowledge the authority of the amazons.

The demigorgon minotaur, or Gorgotaur, was once an ordinary iron catoblepas that contracted the minotaur's curse. Now he and his iron braves forever stalk the maze at Gorgonzola, bereft of the peace they had as cattle of the gorgons.

The thessalgorgons are bred by the amazons as warrior beasts, incorporating traits of some of the most famous monsters of Greek myth. Perhaps they owe their manes and tails to Cerberus himself?

Worst of all is the Thessalgorgotaur. Truly, it is a sight to behold!


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