Gug

Gug
(Creature)
Common CE Large Aberration Level 10 Alignment LG NG CG LN N CN LE NE CE Adjective Gug Images of gugs Source: Bestiary, pg(s). 198 Type Aberration CR 10 Environment Any underground Alignment LG NG CG LN N CN LE NE CE Adjective Gug Images of gugs Source: Bestiary 2, pg(s). 151

For another meaning of "Gug", please see Gug (language).

Ancient and grotesque giants banished since time immemorial, the gug is as savage a foe as it is alien. Having been exiled beneath the earth for countless generations, the appearance and morphology of gugs marks them as clearly alien. Whatever they are, they clearly have no place on Golarion. This origin would be easier to overlook if it were not for the occasional sign of a far greater intelligence influencing the bestial gugs.

Appearance

Gugs at first glance resemble mangy, furred giants. However, even the briefest of glances reveals them to be far weirder than any sort of giant. Their most obvious difference is that they have four arms. Rather than four separate arms, gugs have their extra pair of arms growing out of what should be their elbows. Their eyes are pink, bloodshot, and are sheltered by unnatural bony protrusions. Instead of opening vertically, a gug's mouth opens horizontally across the top of the head, turning the gug's head into a single oversized abyss of teeth.

Ecology

Gugs are not native to Golarion, but came to this world ages ago from another reality tied to the Dimension of Dreams. They were lured here by the Rough Beast, Rovagug, who called to them through a magical portal located in the Orvian vault known as the Midnight Mountains. Once in this world, they fell under the god's influence and began to multiply.

Their flexible body structure allows them to crawl through spaces far smaller than their appearance would suggest. Gugs are both carnivorous and ravenous, and though they favor the flesh of sentient creatures, gugs can also survive on the subterranean flora of their homes. They are one of the few creatures that find nourishment in undead flesh, although they have an inherent fear of ghouls.

Habitat and society

Gugs live in the Darklands below Golarion's surface, particularly in Sekamina, and speak a gurgling language known simply as Gug. They normally dwell in small nomadic groups that wander the Darklands, hunting to feed their ravenous appetite. Occasionally gugs are found inhabiting huge underground cities that seem completely at odds with their bestial nature. There is no definite explanation for this behavior, and regardless of whomever built these cities, they belong to the gugs now.

Numerous gugs live in the Scales district of Ilvarandin, one of the vaults of Orv. They are sometimes taken as hosts by the xoarians of nearby High Ilvarandin.

Religion

Gugs revere Rovagug above all other gods, although they also pay tribute to a number of bizarre deities of their own.

On distant worlds

Gugs have also been spotted on the remote planet of Aucturn.

Gug hide

Their skin is sometimes used to make gug hide armor, which allows its wearer to split their arms in two at the elbow to gain four hands for short span of time.

References

Paizo published a major article on gugs in Darklands Revisited.

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.