Let’s Convert the Fiend Folio: Grell, Grimlock, and Gryph

Here we have three of the Fiend Folio classics, all of which I have used to great effect. When I was working on my own game system, the Grell was one of several monsters which inspired the tentacled brain. The Grell inspired the feral adult tentacled brain.  Not as smart as the standard adult tentacled brain, but absolutely necessary for their life cycle.  Feral adults paralyze humanoid creatures and implant tentacled brain eggs in their heads.  Tentacled brains that do not go feral eventually have smaller tentacles but more potent eyestalks, from which their psionic powers emanate. When the eggs sprout, the creature is at first a "zombie" controlled by the tentacled brain.  Sooner or later, though, a beak and tentacles force their way from the creature's mouth, and one or more eyestalks protrude from the body's empty eye sockets.  Because these adults are psionic, and band together for mutual aid and protection, juvenile tentacled brains are very much feared by adventurers.  The psionic blast of the juvenile tentacled brain is especially feared....giving rise to their better known nickname:  Brain Lashers! Thus I conflated two non-SRD monsters into a single creature.

Grimlocks are, obviously, at least partially inspired by the Morlocks of H.G. Wells’ masterpiece, The Time Machine. The novel itself was inspired by an encounter that the author had on the shores of Loch Ness in 1885. The Demon Serpent of Balmorphos, appearing in D.A.M.N. Spring/Summer 2018, included the Azith, which were reskinned Grimlocks granted sophistication, culture, and more than a little sadism.

The Gryph is yet another one of the “plant eggs in you” monsters, of which the Fiend Folio is very fond. My bet use of this creature was during my AD&D days. The PCs were exploring a ruined wizard’s tower. That the wizard had been fond of birds was obvious; there were taxidermied specimens everywhere. Or so it appeared. In fact, the specimens were in a form of temporal stasis, and eventually that stasis was broken. It was a chance to use the many avian and semi-avian monsters from various AD&D manuals, and it was a lot of fun. Some birds were more aggressive than others, and the gravid female Gryph was the most aggressive of all.

Needless to say, the PCs were in a room with the thing when the temporal stasis went away!

 

Grell

Grell: Init +0; Atk Tentacle +4 melee (1d4 plus constrict and paralysis) or beak +2 melee (1d6); AC 16; HD 5d8; MV fly 30’; Act 11d20; SP Blindsense 120’, constrict, paralysis (1d3 rounds, Fort DC 5), immune to electricity, tentacle vulnerability; SV Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +7; AL C.

The grell is a nightmare-inducing monstrosity – a floating brain 5 feet in diameter, with a squid-like beak and ten long tentacles. A successful hit with a tentacle allows the creature to hold its victim, automatically constricting for 1d4 damage each round, and requires the target to make a DC 5 Fort save or be paralyzed for 1d3 rounds. It can use all of its tentacles on the same target, and these effects stack. As long as a paralyzed creature is held, it requires a new save each round, or it may gain additional rounds of paralysis. A creature can break free with a Mighty Deed, an opposed Strength check vs. +2, or by severing the tentacles holding it. Each tentacle has 3 hp; these do not count against the creature’s normal hit points, and a severed tentacle regenerates in 1d3 days. Blunt weapons cannot be used to sever tentacles.

Grell do not have organs for sight or hearing; they are by some unknown means able to sense their surroundings regardless of this. These monsters are usually found underground, but will sometimes haunt ruins and abandoned buildings. Whenever circumstances permit, they seek to attack from surprise, dropping silently down from above their victims.

The venom sacs in a grell’s tentacles can yield 1d6 usable doses of mild paralytic poison with a successful Handle Poison check, and each tentacle (severed or not) can be milked of paralyzing agent. While this can be used through injection with the same effects as a grell achieves, it is too thin to coat a blade. Applied to the skin, it is a topical analgesic that effectively allows a creature to ignore 1d3 damage (or 1 point of Strength, Stamina, or Agility damage) for 1d6 hours. The damage is still there, and takes effect at the end of this period, which may be debilitating or even lethal. Some wizards have used grell analgesic to decrease the effects of spellburn, or to increase the amount of spellburn they are capable of. Such endeavors seldom end well.

Finally, alchemists and master poisoners can distill three doses of grell venom to a thick paste, capable of coating a weapon with a single dose of paralytic agent (Fort DC 15 or be paralyzed for 1d5 turns). This requires a DC 20 Handle Poison check and access to an alchemist’s laboratory.

 

 

Grimlock

Grimlock: Init +0; Atk By weapon +1 melee (by weapon+1) or bite +0 melee (1d3); AC 15; HD 2d6; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP Blindsight 30’, scent and sound vulnerability, camouflage (+10); SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4; AL C.

These fierce subterranean humanoids are blind, but have such highly developed senses of hearing and smell that they are not impaired at close range. They dwell in deep caverns, and emerge to raid the Lands We Know late at night, searching for humans to butcher and devour. Although immune to spells and effects targeting sight, they can be affected by loud noises or strong scents, effectively reducing their sensory range to 10’ or less.

Grimlocks are powerfully built, with thick, scaly grey skin. They are usually clad in dark rags. Their hair is long, black and usually unkempt. Their teeth are white and particularly sharp. If encountered in rocky terrain, grimlocks are able to blend with their surroundings; so long as they remain motionless, they gain a +10 bonus to any stealth-related checks.

 

 

Gryph

Gryph: Init +3; Atk beak +2 melee (1d4) or ovipositor +0 melee (inject eggs); AC 14; HD 2d5; MV 10’ or fly 60’; Act 1d20; SP Inject eggs; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +0; AL N.

The gryph is an eagle-sized avian with black plumage and a razor-sharp beak. It usually has four legs in addition to its wings, but specimens with six or even eight legs have been seen. It normally lurks high up in the shadows of underground caverns, from which it plummets in a thunderbolt-like dive (treat as a charge; +2 to hit and -2 to AC until its next action).

The multiplicity of legs is a clue that gryphs are not native to our world, as is the requirement for three genders to be present in order for successful mating to occur. For every three birds encountered together, one will be female and there is a 1 in 3 chance that she will be ready to lay her eggs. A gravid female attacks with her ovipositor, and if she hits her target, injects her tiny eggs into the victim’s bloodstream. The eggs hatch in 1d3 days later, killing the victim immediately and releasing 1d4 baby gryphs (the other eggs not having survived to hatching).

Between the time the eggs are injected and the time of the hatching, victims feel slight discomfort and swelling of the abdomen, increasing to an agonising intensity just prior to the end. Any magic that could cure a disease – including a cleric’s ability to Lay on Hands, can kill the eggs if administered prior to their hatching.