Grick
- Size: Medium
- Type: Aberration
- Alignment: Unaligned
- AC: 14
- Initiative: +2 (12)
- HP: 54 (12d8)
- Speed: 30 ft, Climb 30 ft.
| ATTR | VAL | MOD | SAVE |
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| DEX | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| CON | 11 | +0 | +0 |
| INT | 3 | -4 | -4 |
| WIS | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| CHA | 5 | -3 | -3 |
- Skills: Stealth +4
- Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 12
- Languages: None
- CR: 2 (XP 450; PB +2)
Actions
Multiattack. The grick makes one Beak attack and one Tentacles attack.
Beak. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) Piercing damage.
Tentacles. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) Slashing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it has the Grappled condition (escape DC 12) from all four tentacles.
Lore & Background
Gricks are aberrant predators that lurk in the dark corners of the world, particularly in underground caverns, ancient ruins, and other places where the boundaries between reality and the Far Realm have grown thin. These creatures appear as worm-like beings with rubbery hide and four tentacle-like appendages ending in razor-sharp talons. Their alien nature makes them particularly unsettling to encounter, as they seem to exist outside the natural order of things.
These creatures are patient hunters that can remain motionless for hours, waiting for prey to venture within striking distance. Gricks are drawn to areas with magical energy or dimensional instability, suggesting they may have originated from another plane of existence. Their alien intelligence allows them to set simple ambushes and learn from their hunting experiences, making them increasingly dangerous over time.
Combat Tactics
Gricks are ambush predators that rely on their Stone Camouflage ability to remain hidden until prey comes within reach of their tentacles. They prefer to attack from above or from concealed positions, using their Multiattack to strike with multiple tentacles simultaneously. Their Damage Resistance to nonmagical attacks makes them formidable opponents for low-level adventurers.
When fighting multiple enemies, gricks focus on isolating and overwhelming individual targets rather than spreading their attacks. They use their mobility to reposition themselves for optimal striking angles and will retreat to more defensible positions if the battle turns against them. Their alien nature makes their tactics unpredictable and difficult to counter.
Encounter Ideas
The Tunnel Stalker: A grick has taken up residence in a frequently used tunnel or passage, picking off travelers one by one. The party must navigate the creature's territory while avoiding its ambush tactics and finding a way to eliminate the threat.
Aberrant Infestation: Multiple gricks have appeared in an area following a magical catastrophe or dimensional breach. The party must investigate the source of the infestation while dealing with increasingly frequent encounters with these alien predators.
The Collector's Prize: A grick has been capturing victims alive and dragging them back to its lair for unknown purposes. The party must rescue the captives while confronting the creature in its chosen environment.
Underground Ecosystem: A grick has become the apex predator in an underground ecosystem, disrupting the natural balance and threatening other creatures that the party needs to interact with or protect.
Environmental Effects
Gricks subtly alter their environment through their alien presence. Stone surfaces near their lairs may show unusual wear patterns or develop strange textures. Temperature in their territory often feels unnaturally cool, and there may be a persistent sense of being watched.
Sound behaves strangely around gricks, with echoes arriving at odd intervals or sounds seeming to come from the wrong directions. Small animals instinctively avoid areas where gricks hunt, creating zones of unnatural quiet.
Treasure
Gricks don't actively collect treasure, but their lairs often contain the possessions of their victims. Coins and jewelry may be scattered throughout their territory, often partially dissolved by the creature's digestive processes. Weapons and armor are typically ignored unless they're particularly shiny or unusual.
Magical items may survive the grick's feeding habits, particularly those with protective enchantments. Personal effects from victims can provide clues about the creature's hunting patterns and the identities of those it has killed.
Plot Hooks
The Silent Mine: Miners have been disappearing from a profitable mine, with only strange claw marks and disturbed earth left behind. Investigation reveals a grick has been hunting in the tunnels, and the party must eliminate it without causing cave-ins that would destroy the mining operation.
Dimensional Breach: A grick's appearance signals a weakening in the barriers between planes, and more dangerous creatures may follow. The party must seal the breach while dealing with the immediate threat posed by the aberrant predator.
The Specimen: A scholar or wizard seeks to capture a grick alive for study, believing it holds clues to understanding the Far Realm. The party must find a way to subdue the creature without killing it, then transport it safely to the researcher's facility.
Territory War: A grick and another predatory creature are competing for the same hunting grounds, creating chaos and making an area extremely dangerous for travelers. The party must find a way to resolve the conflict or eliminate both threats.
Lore & Background
Gricks are aberrant predators that lurk in dark corners, particularly in underground caverns and ancient ruins where reality grows thin. These worm-like beings have rubbery hide and four tentacle-like appendages ending in razor-sharp talons. Their alien nature makes them particularly unsettling, as they exist outside the natural order of things.
These patient hunters remain motionless for hours, waiting for prey to venture within striking distance. Gricks are drawn to areas with magical energy or dimensional instability, suggesting they originated from another plane. Their alien intelligence allows them to set simple ambushes and learn from hunting experiences.
Combat Tactics
Gricks are ambush predators using Stone Camouflage to remain hidden until prey comes within tentacle reach. They attack from above or concealed positions, using Multiattack to strike with multiple tentacles simultaneously. Their Damage Resistance to nonmagical attacks makes them formidable for low-level adventurers.
When fighting multiple enemies, gricks focus on isolating individual targets rather than spreading attacks. They use mobility to reposition for optimal striking angles and retreat to defensible positions if battle turns against them.
Encounter Ideas
The Tunnel Stalker: A grick haunts a frequently used passage, picking off travelers. The party must navigate its territory while avoiding ambush tactics.
Aberrant Infestation: Multiple gricks appear following a magical catastrophe. The party investigates the source while dealing with increasing encounters.
The Collector's Prize: A grick captures victims alive for unknown purposes. The party must rescue captives in the creature's chosen environment.
Underground Ecosystem: A grick disrupts underground balance as apex predator, threatening creatures the party needs to interact with.
Environmental Effects
Gricks alter environments through alien presence. Stone surfaces show unusual wear patterns or strange textures. Temperature feels unnaturally cool with persistent sense of being watched.
Sound behaves strangely with odd echo intervals. Small animals instinctively avoid grick hunting zones, creating unnatural quiet.
Treasure
Gricks don't collect treasure but lairs contain victim possessions. Coins and jewelry scatter throughout territory, often partially dissolved. Magical items may survive, particularly those with protective enchantments.
Plot Hooks
The Silent Mine: Miners disappear with only claw marks left behind. Party must eliminate the grick without causing cave-ins.
Dimensional Breach: A grick's appearance signals weakening planar barriers. Party must seal the breach while dealing with the threat.
The Specimen: A scholar seeks to capture a grick alive for study. Party must subdue without killing and transport safely.
Territory War: A grick competes with another predator, creating chaos. Party must resolve conflict or eliminate both threats.