Gargoyle
Game Apperances: Blood
Affiliation: Cabal
Difficulty Stats:
| Difficulty Level | Hit Points |
|---|---|
| Still Kicking | 300 |
| Pink on the Inside | 390 |
| Lightly Broiled | 592 |
| Well Done | 696 |
| Extra Crispy | 950 |
| Difficulty Level | Hit Points |
|---|---|
| Still Kicking | 2760 |
| Pink on the Inside | 3864 |
| Lightly Broiled | 6456 |
| Well Done | 6684 |
| Extra Crispy | 9696 |
Gargoyles are a race of creatures and enemies in Blood. Judging by descriptions in the manual, they are sentient and have a civilization, including a ruler. They have close ties with the Cabal, and work alongside other Cabalists. Whether this was just an alliance or they were servants of Tchernobog is unknown. Whether they are capable of speech or not is unknown, but they growl often.
Gargoyles are not present in Blood II: The Chosen, indicating something happened to them between 1928 and 2028. Possible theories include extinction due to either Caleb's intervention or the Cabal, or whatever connection to the Cabal having been broken and going into hiding.
Flesh Gargoyles[edit]
"Gargoyles often perch above open areas, waiting for unsuspecting prey to pass below them. They have also been known to disguise themselves as statues, a rather nasty habit that renders them even more difficult to detect. They are swift and cautious, and tend to hurl bones at their victims until they can get in close enough to bring their talons to bear. If you give them the chance, they'll wear your entrails as fashion accessories!" — Blood Beastiary
Gargoyles are common enemies in Blood. They have lean muscular builds, clawed-arms, and membraned wings, giving them the ability to fly. They perch around open areas for this reason, and also have the ability to disguise themselves as statues, whether sleeping or hiding. Approaching these statues will cause the gargoyle to awaken and attack.
They attack by flinging razor-sharp bones at long range or slashing with claws. Their ability to fly makes them quick and hard to target, and they can descend in a moment, surprising the player who's not looking. Heavy weapons like the Sawed-Off Shotgun and Tesla Cannon are good to use, as they stun the gargoyle. Caution should be taken with the Napalm Launcher, as these creatures can swoop down into your face, causing splash damage, but it is able to kill them quickly.
A great weapon against flesh gargoyles is also the Pitchfork. Every stab interrupts a gargoyle's attack, allowing the player to avoid damage this way. With enough skill it is possible to kill a group of gargoyles with just the Pitchfork without losing any HP. The key to success is keeping distance from their slashing attack and not moving too far away so that they can't use their bone-throwing attack (and from time the time stabbing one of them of course)
Note that Gargoyles cannot attack while they're in the air, only once they land. For this reason, while they are very annoying while they're flying around above you, they're harmless at that moment. It's also worth noting that Gargoyles cannot swim and drown quickly. Standing in or near water (big enough to fit a Gargoyle) can occasionally "convince" them to join you in swimming lessons, before subsequently dying.
"Your first encounter with a gargoyle will teach you to keep an eye turned skyward. They are as tough to kill as they are vicious. They hurl sharp bones at you from afar or swoop in to rake at you with their talons." — Blood Manual
Stone Gargoyles[edit]
"Like their lesser cousins, stone gargoyles are devilishly clever creatures. Their rugged hides provide natural armor, but they're thick-skinned in more ways than one. Once they take an interest in you, you've got a companion for life, though it will be a brief acquaintance. Check your arsenal carefully before engaging one of these guys in battle--unless you're interested in a "limited" engagement." — Blood Beastiary
Stone gargoyles (or "Cheoghs") behave like their flesh and blood counterparts, but their stone-tough skin makes them exponentially bigger and stronger. They are also difficult to escape from, and a stone gargoyle will pursue its enemy without surrender. In later levels and higher difficulties, they appear in pairs or with flesh gargoyles. As if that wasn't bad enough they also shoot blue fireballs from their eyes.
Firearms and explosives have little to no effect on them. Magic weapons like the Voodoo Doll and the Tesla Cannon work best. Tesla is probably the best conventional weapon that can take a stone gargoyle down most quickly.
The Stone gargoyles' weak point is if you crouch, because then they cannot attack you. This is a bug in the game that players usually exploit. In Episode 2, a single Stone Gargoyle appears at the end of a few levels, but they do not need to be killed in order to exit the level unless going for all kills.
A tactic you can use to slay the gargoyle is the following: you can get in melee range, and the gargoyle, instead of using his ranged attack, will use his melee one. By moving backwards, his attack will miss, and you can keep doing this back-and-forth dance until it dies.
"Stone gargoyles are nigh invulnerable. Bullets bounce off their brittle hides and flames find little purchase. You'll have to be resourceful to survive an encounter with one of these monstrosities." — Blood Manual
Cheogh[edit]
Main Article: Cheogh
Cheogh is a stone gargoyle and the first boss of Blood. He rules over all the gargoyles and yearns for a higher rank, holding jealousy towards the Chosen for their esteem in Tchernobog's eyes. This jealousy turned to hatred when the Chosen are cast down.
Despite his death at the end of episode one, gargoyles and stone gargoyles appear plentiful in later levels, indicating they may be under Tchernobog's power, or are seeking vengeance for the death of their leader.
