Pathfinder Second Edition
Compendium
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Gorgon
Though they may resemble constructs to the untrained eye due to their metallic, interlocking armor plates that look and feel like polished stone, gorgons are a creature of flesh and bone. These ill-tempered beasts greet interlopers with a charge or trample accompanied with belches of petrifying breath. Gorgons are Dangerous on their own, and when they band together in herds, they become especially Deadly.
Gorgons typically Subsist on petrified flesh or fossils. These supernatural beasts can gain sustenance from natural stone if they must, though they find raw stone flavorless, so it’s not a preferred food source. In battle, gorgons use their petrifying breath to turn their prey into stone. They break up the resulting statues with their hooves or horns and swallow the stony chunks with loud chewing bites. Gorgons cannot digest unpetrified organic Material, and if they try, they experience sickness and great gastrointestinal peril. Such discomforts are not life threatening to gorgons, but they do make the creatures even more ill tempered than usual—much to the chagrin of anyone they subsequently encounter.
Gorgon flesh tastes vaguely like beef, but with a gritty, earthy texture and aftertaste that most meat connoisseurs find off-putting. Creatures with a close association to earth and stone are more likely to find the flavor appetizing; stone giants in particular consider Gorgon steaks to be delicacies. Some cultures, notably dwarven cultures, consider the preparation of Gorgon for meals as both a physical and a culinary challenge. Chefs who work with Gorgon flesh can find renown for their skill in creating palatable dishes from such naturally unpalatable meat.