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Gibbering Mouther 5e: Stats, Madness and the 2024 Changes
A gibbering mouther is a CR 2 Medium aberration with AC 9 and 67 hit points (52 in 2024): a heap of eyes and mouths that crawls 10 feet a turn. It barely needs to attack. Its Gibbering makes every creature that starts a turn within 20 feet roll a DC 10 Wisdom save or lose control of that turn, and its Aberrant Ground turns the floor around it into dough. Its bite knocks targets prone and absorbs anyone it kills. The 2024 version moves twice as fast, spits a much bigger blinding blast, and its bite kills a character outright at 0 hit points.
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Gibbering Mouther Stat Block (2014)
The SRD 5.1 gibbering mouther, identical to the 2014 Monster Manual version.
Gibbering Mouther
Medium aberration, neutral
Armor Class 9
Hit Points 67 (9d8+27)
Speed 10 ft., swim 10 ft.
STR
10 (+0)
DEX
8 (−1)
CON
16 (+3)
INT
3 (−4)
WIS
10 (+0)
CHA
6 (−2)
Condition Immunities Prone
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages —
Challenge 2 (XP 450; PB +2)
Traits
Aberrant Ground.The ground in a 10-foot radius around the mouther is doughlike difficult terrain. Each creature that starts its turn in that area must succeed on a DC 10 Strength saving throw or have its speed reduced to 0 until the start of its next turn.
Gibbering.The mouther babbles incoherently while it can see any creature and isn't incapacitated. Each creature that starts its turn within 20 feet of the mouther and can hear the gibbering must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature can't take reactions until the start of its next turn and rolls a d8 to determine what it does during its turn. On a 1 to 4, the creature does nothing. On a 5 or 6, the creature takes no action or bonus action and uses all its movement to move in a randomly determined direction. On a 7 or 8, the creature makes a melee attack against a randomly determined creature within its reach or does nothing if it can't make such an attack.
Actions
Multiattack.The gibbering mouther makes one bite attack and, if it can, uses its Blinding Spittle.
Bites.Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 17 (5d6) piercing damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it must succeed on a DC 10 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is killed by this damage, it is absorbed into the mouther.
Blinding Spittle (Recharge 5–6).The mouther spits a chemical glob at a point it can see within 15 feet of it. The glob explodes in a blinding flash of light on impact. Each creature within 5 feet of the flash must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be blinded until the end of the mouther's next turn.
Stat block from the SRD 5.1 (2014 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
Three traits stack on each other:
•Gibbering. While the mouther can see any creature and isn't incapacitated, each creature that starts its turn within 20 feet and can hear it makes a DC 10 Wisdom save. On a failure it can't take reactions until its next turn and rolls a d8: 1 to 4, it does nothing; 5 or 6, it spends all its movement walking in a random direction and takes no action or bonus action; 7 or 8, it makes a melee attack against a random creature within reach, which can be an ally.
•Aberrant Ground. The ground within 10 feet is difficult terrain, and each creature that starts its turn there makes a DC 10 Strength save or has its speed reduced to 0 until its next turn.
•Bites. +2 to hit for 17 (5d6) piercing. A Medium or smaller target makes a DC 10 Strength save or falls prone. A creature killed by the bite is absorbed into the mouther.
Its Multiattack is one bite plus Blinding Spittle when that has recharged (5 or 6 on a d6): a glob that bursts at a point within 15 feet, and each creature within 5 feet of the burst makes a DC 13 Dex save or is blinded until the end of the mouther's next turn.
The +2 attack bonus looks harmless. The 5d6 damage is not: 17.5 on average, enough to drop most level 2 spellcasters in one bite.
The Gibbering Mouther in the 2024 Rules
The 2024 mouther (SRD 5.2.1) is the same CR 2, 450 XP creature with a reworked kit.
Gibbering Mouther
Medium Aberration, Chaotic Neutral
Armor Class 9
Initiative −1 (9)
Hit Points 52 (7d8 + 21)
Speed 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
STR
10 (+0)save +0
DEX
8 (−1)save −1
CON
16 (+3)save +3
INT
3 (−4)save −4
WIS
10 (+0)save +0
CHA
6 (−2)save −2
Immunities Prone
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 10
Languages None
Challenge 2 (XP 450; PB +2)
Traits
Aberrant Ground.The ground in a 10-foot Emanation originating from the mouther is Difficult Terrain.
Gibbering.The mouther babbles incoherently while it doesn’t have the Incapacitated condition. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 10, any creature that starts its turn within 20 feet of the mouther while it is babbling. Failure: The target rolls 1d8 to determine what it does during the current turn: 1–4. The target does nothing. 5–6. The target takes no action or Bonus Action and uses all its movement to move in a random direction. 7–8. The target makes a melee attack against a randomly determined creature within its reach or does nothing if it can’t make such an attack.
Actions
Bite.Melee Attack Roll: +2, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (2d6) Piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it has the Prone condition. The target dies if it is reduced to 0 Hit Points by this attack. Its body is then absorbed into the mouther, leaving only equipment behind.
Blinding Spittle (Recharge 5–6).Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 10, each creature in a 10-foot-radius Sphere centered on a point within 30 feet. Failure: 7 (2d6) Radiant damage, and the target has the Blinded condition until the end of the mouther’s next turn.
Stat block from the SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
2014 Gibbering Mouther
2024 Gibbering Mouther
HP
67
52
Speed
10 ft., swim 10 ft.
20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Bite
+2, 17 (5d6), DC 10 Str or prone
+2, 7 (2d6), Medium or smaller target is knocked prone (no save)
Death by bite
Absorbed if the bite kills
Dies outright if the bite drops it to 0 HP, then absorbed
Blinding Spittle
Part of Multiattack; DC 13 Dex, 5 ft. around a point within 15 ft.
Its whole action; DC 10 Dex, 10-ft.-radius Sphere within 30 ft., 7 (2d6) radiant + blinded
Gibbering
Needs to see a creature; targets must hear it; failure also blocks reactions
Works whenever not incapacitated; no hearing requirement; no reaction clause
Aberrant Ground
Difficult terrain + DC 10 Str save or speed 0
Difficult terrain only (10-ft. Emanation)
Alignment
Neutral
Chaotic neutral
What it means at the table:
•The bite trades burst for certainty. 2014 bites rarely hit but hurt. 2024 bites hit as rarely and deal 7, but they knock a Medium or smaller target prone with no save. A prone character who then loses its turn to Gibbering stays down, and the next bite has Advantage.
•The 2024 bite is a death sentence at low HP. A target dropped to 0 by the bite dies with no death saving throws. A level 3 character at 6 hit points can die to an average bite.
•Deafness no longer helps. The 2014 Gibbering needs targets to hear it. The 2024 version doesn't, so plugging ears or casting Silence stops working.
•It can chase you now. At 10 feet a turn, the 2014 mouther loses to anyone willing to walk away. At 20 feet, with a 30-foot spit, the 2024 one can keep a party in range.
How the Gibbering Mouther Fights
Let the gibbering work. Against a DC 10 Wisdom save, a character with +0 fails on 9 or lower (45%), and one with +2 fails 35% of the time. Of the failures, half lose their turn outright and a quarter swing at a random creature in reach. In a party of four starting turns within 20 feet, expect one or two lost turns every round and an occasional hit on a friend. The mouther does this for free, every round, without using its action.
2014: the prone trap. Here is the combination that kills level 2 and 3 characters. A creature inside Aberrant Ground that fails the Strength save has speed 0. A creature knocked prone needs half its speed to stand. Speed 0 means it can't stand up, and attacks from within 5 feet against a prone creature have Advantage. The mouther's +2 bite against AC 16 goes from 35% to about 58%, and each hit is 17.5 damage.
2024: spit first, bite second. With no Multiattack, the 2024 mouther chooses each turn. When Blinding Spittle is charged, spit: a 10-foot-radius sphere catches most of a clustered party, and a +1 Dex save fails DC 10 on 8 or lower, 40% of the time. Blinded characters have Disadvantage on attacks and grant Advantage to the mouther. When the spit is down, bite whoever is closest and keep biting the prone target.
Fight in water or mud. It swims as fast as it walks. Put it in a flooded cellar or sewer channel where characters wade through difficult terrain anyway and can't easily outpace it.
Don't give it friends inside 20 feet. Gibbering affects any creature that starts its turn nearby, not just the party. A mouther works best alone, or with allies that stay outside the babble, like archers on a ledge.
How Many Gibbering Mouthers for a Level 3 Party?
A gibbering mouther is 450 XP. With the 2024 budget for four characters:
Party (4 characters)
Low / Moderate / High budget
Example
Level 2
400 / 600 / 800
1 mouther (Moderate, just over the 400 Low budget)
Level 3
600 / 900 / 1,600
2 mouthers (Moderate)
Level 4
1,000 / 1,500 / 2,000
3 mouthers (1,350 XP, Moderate), or 1 mouther + a gelatinous cube (900 XP, Low)
Under the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines (used by our encounter calculator), two mouthers count as 1,350 XP after the ×1.5 group multiplier, a Hard fight for four level 3 characters (900 Hard, 1,600 Deadly). One mouther is Easy at that level.
The XP math undersells two overlapping Gibbering zones. A creature within 20 feet of both mouthers rolls two saves each turn. For two mouthers, place them far enough apart that the party can fight one at a time if it plays smart.
How Players Beat Gibbering Mouthers
•Stay out of 20 feet. This is the whole answer for the 2014 version. It moves 10 feet a turn and spits only 15 feet, so archers and casters at 35 feet can kill it without ever rolling a Wisdom save. Against the 2024 version, keep 50 feet away and keep moving.
•Hit it with anything. AC 9 means almost every attack hits. 67 hit points (52 in 2024) goes fast once three characters are attacking it from range.
•Deafen yourselves (2014 only). Gibbering requires hearing. Creatures inside a Silence spell are deafened. This does nothing against the 2024 mouther.
•Use its saves. Dex −1, Int −4, Cha −2. Burning Hands, Faerie Fire and Thunderwave (Con +3, its best save, so less reliable) all work. Faerie Fire is less useful than usual: everything already hits AC 9.
•Don't bother with prone tricks. It is immune to the prone condition, so shoves and trip attacks fail.
•Heal before the bite, not after (2024). A 2024 bite that drops a character to 0 kills it, so there is no stabilizing afterward. Top up anyone under 8 hit points before the mouther reaches them.
Gibbering Mouther Encounter Ideas
The well. A village well has started whispering at night, and two children who leaned over the edge to listen are missing. A gibbering mouther fills the bottom of the dry shaft. The party has to go down a 40-foot rope into a 15-foot-wide space where there is no way to stay out of 20 feet. Smart players will try to lure it up, or fill the shaft.
The failed summoning. A wizard's apprentice tried to call up a servant and got a mouther instead. It has absorbed the apprentice and is slowly filling the tower's basement laboratory. Among the clutter on the floor, the mouther's absorbed victims left their gear behind, including the apprentice's spellbook.
The swamp road. The causeway through a marsh has sunk, and travelers wade through hip-deep water. A 2024 mouther moves at full speed in water and the party doesn't. The fight is about who gets to the dry ground first, and an otyugh is already sitting on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is a gibbering mouther in 5e?
The gibbering mouther is CR 2 (450 XP) in both the 2014 and 2024 rules.
How does Gibbering work in 5e?
Each creature that starts its turn within 20 feet of the mouther makes a DC 10 Wisdom save. On a failure it rolls a d8: 1 to 4, it does nothing; 5 or 6, it moves in a random direction with no action or bonus action; 7 or 8, it attacks a random creature within reach. In 2014 the creature must be able to hear the mouther and also can't take reactions on a failure.
Is a gibbering mouther immune to prone?
Yes. It is immune to the prone condition in both editions, so shove and trip effects don't work on it.
What happens when a gibbering mouther kills someone?
In 2014, a creature killed by its bite is absorbed into the mouther. In 2024, a target reduced to 0 hit points by its bite dies outright, skipping death saving throws, and its body is absorbed, leaving only its equipment.
Does deafness protect against Gibbering?
Only in the 2014 rules, where Gibbering affects creatures that can hear it. The 2024 Gibbering has no hearing requirement.
Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.