ECOLOGY

Environment underground
Organization solitary
Treasure standard Gloom Crawler

The gloom crawler is a solitary creature resembling a giant squid with blackened skin and a large mass of writhing squid-like tentacles. It makes its lair in underground caves, dungeons, and other such subterranean complexes far away from the daylight of the surface world and spends most of its time dormant, waking every so often to eat.

The gloom crawler moves along its underground world using the suction cups on its tentacles to pull itself along. The average gloom crawler has anywhere from thirty to forty tentacles, each averaging 15 to 30 feet long. In addition, each tentacle has a small eye near the tip that allows it to see in any direction at any time if it wishes. When prey is encountered the gloom crawler brings as many tentacles to bear on a foe as it can, using its smaller tentacles to move around during combat.

Gloom crawlers are omnivorous creatures sustaining themselves on a diet of subterranean plants, mosses, rodents, and other subterranean fauna. They do not, however, turn down the chance for a larger meal, such as that offered by a foolhardy adventurer that stumbles into a gloom crawler lair.

When an opponent first approaches a gloom crawler, it lashes out with its tentacles attempting to grab a foe. If successful, it hangs on and constricts that opponent while fighting off other foes with its other tentacles. A held foe is also pulled in close so the gloom crawler can bite with its beak. A gloom crawler can bring up to five tentacles to bear on a single 5-foot space.