Homebrew Gargoyle Species Details

Marvelous Minions

It stands to reason that the first man-made Gargoyles would serve as minions, and in most cases they were created for that very purpose.  Gargoyles often find it difficult to think for themselves outside of combat, and if given freedom they will feel at a loss for direction. A Gargoyle will usually follow any order it is given within reason, having little to no sense of selfish ambition. When a Gargoyle's master is slain they will quickly seek out another, usually the first person they encounter who seems to have a strong ambition they can apply themselves to. A Gargoyle will never serve the enemies of their former or current masters however, and will sometimes seek revenge against those whom have brought their master to harm.

In All Shapes and Sizes

Since most of the friendly Gargoyles are hand-crafted by their creator they can take the appearance of almost any living creature known to man, and while most are usually designed with wings there are others that forego such features in favor of others. If a Gargoyle's creator desires a small and agile assassin they might craft their minion in the appearance of a Gnome or Kobold, while a creator in need of protection might craft a gargoyle in the guise of a human, orc or other tall and burly creature. Some may have modifications made to their bodies for specific purposes, such as spiked tails for battering foes.  You can consider your size-bracket to be that of whichever creature you were modeled after, for example a Gnome-like Gargoyle would be considered small.  Your other racial bonuses are unaffected by the design.

Crafted With Purpose

Although many of these Gargoyles are designed to appear beautiful with similarities to Tieflings some are crafted to be frightening and hideous, depending on their purpose. Regardless of their apparent looks all Gargoyles are designed for combat, be it as soldiers or as mere bodyguards, and nearly every inch of them is beneficial in some way or another to attaining victory. Taloned feet and Clawed hands serve as natural weapons while the Gargoyle's flesh serves as a natural armor. Some have spiked, bladed or whip-like tails and others have large horns for ramming their targets. You should always consider the purpose for which your Gargoyle was built and design them with careful intent. You should always discuss with your DM what features and origins your Gargoyle has.

Preferred Classes

Most Gargoyles are designed to be devoid of magical prowess, although some do exist with the power to cast spells.  The Fighter and Barbarian are most preferred as they serve the usual purpose of protecting a Wizard the best, though some have been known to specialize in Rogue skills for stealth and assassination. Many a greedy wizard has tasked an agile gargoyle with hunting down and slaying a rival, or stealing their spellbooks to deliver yet more power to the wizard. It's highly unlikely that a Gargoyle would be gifted magical prowess but not completely impossible; after all a wizard could have any number of reasons for creating such an ally Sorcerers and Wizards are more likely than Clerics or Warlocks. Due to being constructed out of stone, marble or other minerals rather than metals, Gargoyles could be considered even for Druids. Anything is possible with the right reasons, but you should discuss your chass choice with your DM.

Suggested Backgrounds are Faction Agent, City Watch and Far Traveler.

Expert Bodyguards

Their design makes them masters of protection, and their loyalty gives them the courage to take a strike that was intended for another without hesitation. Gargoyles often seem fearless in battle but in truth they often fear for the safety of others - namely their masters and companions. Gargoyles may unwittingly comment about another person's frailty with a seemingly innocent comment from time to time out of concern and caring rather than disdain. A Gargoyle on the edge of death may attempt to just "Walk it off" without a concern for it's own health, but a mere scratch on one of it's companions could be enough to make it step forward to aid the 'injured' fellow. Gargoyles are also capable of providing excellent cover to their companions, and function as Three-Quarters cover instead of Half-Cover when standing between attacker and ally.

Gargoyle Traits

Size, Strength, Resistance, Flying

Ability Score Increase

Your sturdy design grants you a +2 in Constitution and a +1 in Strength.

Age

You were created at full maturity and you never age.

Alignment

A Gargoyle's alignment is usually True Neutral, as they have very few personal desires or motivations beyond assisting their masters or companions. Some might find themselves learning to branch out and develop such thoughts through interaction with people however, and may grow their opinions through their adventures.  Gargoyles are excellent characters to play if you desire Character Growth and Development throughout your campaign.

Size

Your height can be anywhere 3 feet to just over 7 depending on the creature you resemble most. Normally your size is Medium, but if you were modeled after a Kobold, Goblin, Gnome, Halfling, or other Small race your size is also Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Natural Armor

Your body is tough and you can call upon the power of stone to protect you in battle. You always have a +1 bonus to your AC.

Natural Weapons

Your feet are taloned, your hands are clawed, your horns may even be dangerous enough for a goring attack. You might even have a bladed, spiked or clubbed tail for dealing damage. You may choose to use any of these tools in place of an Unarmed Attack, if you hit with your claws or talons you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier. Your tail will deal the same amount of damage, but you can discuss with your DM what damage type it applies (Piercing, Slashing, Bludgeoning)

Living Stone

Even though you were constructed, you are a living creature. You are immune to disease. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 4 hours each day. You do not dream in this state; you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.

Wings

You may or may not have been constructed with these, and you should consider carefully which option you prefer. With Wings you can only equip customized suits of armor designed to fit your frame and may find the cost of customizing certain armor sets to be expensive.

At 1st level you can Glide with your wings, doing so allows you to move while falling. You can move as far as your Walking Speed allows on your turn while Gliding, and you descend 15 feet per turn. You can use this ability to prevent falling damage from harming you.

At 3rd level your wings grow in strength, they can now lift you off the ground with enough thrust to triple your standing jump height.

At 5th level you can finally use your wings to fly, your flying speed is the same as your Walking Speed but your wings are still too weak to keep you airborne forever. After flying one turn you must land and rest your wings a full turn before flying again. You may optionally fly upward on one turn and Glide to the ground on following turns, but you must still spend one turn resting your wings before you can use them again.

At 7th level your wings can keep you aloft for two turns instead of one before needing rest.

At 10th level your wings are finally sturdy enough for consistent flight, and you only need to let them rest if you spend an entire minute flying without pause.

Arcane Bodyguard

Having been crafted by a master mage you are considered Proficient in Arcana, your knowledge of magical spells and items should be impressive to the average Joe.

You also know the Absorb Elements spell and may use it a number of times a day equal to your Constitution modifier (Minimum 1)

Lastly, you are able to provide Three-Quarters cover to anyone standing directly behind you (If you are between them and the attack/effect trying to hit them) and half-cover to anyone standing within 5 feet to your left or right (Again; so long as you are somewhat between them and the attack/effect targeting them).  If the attack fails to hit the people you protect but still beats your AC you take the attack instead of them.

Languages

You know the language spoken by your creator, normally this is Common, and you may know one other of your choice.  You should work with your DM to figure out which languages these are and why.