FREQUENCY: Rare

FREQUENCY: Rare ([Cold Wilderness Forest])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Wilderness Plains], [Cold Wilderness Desert])

FREQUENCY: Rare ([Temperate Wilderness Forest])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Wilderness Plains], [Temperate Wilderness Desert])

FREQUENCY: Rare ([Tropical Wilderness Forest])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Wilderness Plains], [Tropical Wilderness Desert])

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Dungeon Level III])

NO. APPEARING: 1-8
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: [SB]
HIT DICE: 4
% IN LAIR: 100%
TREASURE TYPE: [P], [R]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 ~ 15
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8/1-4/1-4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic neutral
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: III | 85 + 4

SAVES: 13.14.15.16.16

These extraordinary-looking creatures are man-sized, with a powerful
human torso and 2wo arms ending in very sharp claws.
Supported on the thin (but very strong) neck is the creature's head which is a skull
-- usu. of an animal but sometimes of primitive man.
The lower part of the creature's body consists of a cylinder of muscle and skin
which can be compressed spring-style and released, below which are
three long and thin single-toed feet. Its manner of locomotion -- since
it lacks legs as such -- it is a series of springs; if jumping vertically it can
just reach a 14' high ceiling with its head, and when moving horizontally
it has {SPEED}{SPEED} equivalent to a 12" movement rate.

A gambado's N.O.R.M.A.L. form of attack is to stand upright in its lair,
which is a pit some 6' deep, with its head just at ground level. By
shoring up the sides of the pit it can create a 'cover' of rock, wood,
rags and old bones, so that to an approaching adventurer the pit is
hidden and only the skull is seen, apparently simply lying on the
ground. If a living creature comes within 2' of the edge of the pit (i.e.
within 4' or so of the skull-head) the creature will spring out and
attack, in the first instance with bite only for 1-8 HP of damage
and thereafter with bite and its claws, each of which inflicts
1-4 HP of damage. If melee is going against it, it will FLEE
rather than fight to the death.

If a gambado kills a victim it will ignore all booty except coins, gems &&
small pieces of jewelry. These are taken into the pit and stored
either on the pit floor or hidden in a cache-hole in the pit side, packed
tightly with earth. Though essentially solitary creatures, a gambado
will often dig its pit nearby those of others of its kind; in places where
bones are common, as many as 8 of the creatures may be found to
have dug pits quite CLOSE together,
although they do not appear actually to communicate with each other.
 

    by Simon Shaw
 

<MEAT: gambado gumbo>