Pit Howler
Image by Anthony Carpenter, © Kenzer and Co.
[The pit howler originally appeared in 1st (4th) edition Hackmaster, where it was their conversion of the gambado from the original 1e Fiend Folio. This version is different enough to be legally distinct from the gambado--it extends its body to attack, instead of bouncing straight up like a pogo stick. I imagine that fighting one of these would be like fighting an inflatable tube man outside of a car dealership.]
Pit Howler CR 3 NE Aberration This creature has a head like a fanged human skull, with sunken eyes and slits for nostrils. Its body is roughly humanoid, but oddly proportioned. Its arms and torso are long, the arms ending in an array of hooks and bone spurs, and the legs are short and squat. The thing’s body telescopes upward, its torso extending to unnerving proportions.
Pit howlers are subterranean ambush predators with a strange, collapsible physiology. A pit howler can stretch its torso up to three times its length, extending its height from six to twelve feet or so. They use this to hide in alcoves or shallow pits and then spring up to grab prey. They usually open combat with a stunning howl, grabbing a victim that succumbs and then dragging it back down to the bottom of the pit to feed on the still living creature. Pit howlers also hide at the bottom of deeper pits, springing on creatures unlucky or stupid enough to fall into them.
Pit howlers call themselves “gambadi”. They have slow metabolisms, and a man-sized prey item can keep them satiated for a month or so. Pit howlers do move throughout the subterranean world, seeking better ambush sites if traffic is low. When on the move, they travel on all fours, moving with an inchworm-like gait. Gambadis can be negotiated with, and some accept payment to act as guardians, associated with a particular tribe or location. Left to their own devices, they are usually solitary. Pit howlers do value treasure, but usually for its use as bait to catch sapient meals.
