Page 112 - Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations

They exist for years as verminlike hunters, feeding on small voking attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it

rodents, insects, and reptiles. By the time they reach five years establishes a hold and can constrict.
in age, they are about half the size of an adult (2 Hit Dice, size Paralysis (Ex): Any creature hit by a juvenile grell’s tentacle
Small) and have gained self-awareness. Young grell spawned must make a DC 7 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d4+1
near colonies normally begin to join their fellows around this rounds. Each additional tentacle that hits the same creature
age, and reach their full growth at about ten years of age. that round increases the save DC by 1.
Grell grow throughout their lifetimes, and the oldest grell Sightless (Ex): A juvenile grell is immune to gaze attacks,

are significantly larger and more powerful than younger ones. visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on
It is risky for civilized grell to grow too large; the patriarch of sight.
a grell colony destroys and consumes any potential rivals long
before they become powerful enough to challenge it. Grell that GRELL VARIANTS

anticipate this danger abandon the colony to continue their Unlike beholders or mind flayers, grell show little physical THE EATERS CHAPTER 6
existence as feral grell, growing larger and stronger far from differentiation. A grell patriarch is little more than a grell
the suspicions of a patriarch. Only when the exile feels that it philosopher of great age and unusual physical power, while
is strong enough to mount a challenge to the patriarch does a grell philosopher is simply an intelligent but otherwise
it return. normal grell with an aptitude for magic.
Grell live about two hundred years in good health. At the
end of their lives, they undergo a fairly rapid degeneration, fail-
ing quickly in five to ten years after reaching their maximum GRELL SOCIETY

growth. Older grell ossify as their body tissues become dead and Grell lack the diversity of form and capability demonstrated
rigid. Finally, they lose the ability to feed themselves and digest by some other aberration races. While they vary in size and
their meals. Few grell reach the age of two hundred thirty. magical power, they all belong to the same species. The most

significant division in the race is cultural rather than physical:
Grell Hatchling: CR 1/3; Tiny aberration; HD 1d8–1; hp 3; Is the grell in question a feral grell or a civilized grell?

Init +2; Spd 5 ft., fly 20 ft. (perfect); AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed Feral grell are fearsome predators in the dark, lightless places
13; Base Atk +0; Grp –12; Atk or Full Atk +4 melee (1 plus of the world. They tend to be solitary ambushers that hunt a
paralyzation, tentacle); SA paralysis; SQ blindsight 60 ft., flight, broad swath of territory, preying upon any creature they can.

immunity to electricity, immunity to paralyzation, sightless; They are cruel and murderous, and delight in taking sentient
AL N; SV Fort –1, Ref +2, Will +2; Str 2, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 2, creatures for their prey. Feral grell sometimes gather into small
Wis 11, Cha 7. packs in places where the hunting is good. A pack of feral grell
Skills and Feats: Hide +14, Listen +2, Move Silently +4; is far more dangerous than a similarly sized group of predatory
Weapon Finesse. beasts or animals, since grell are intelligent enough to plan
Language: none. sophisticated ambushes and coordinate their attacks. Even
Paralysis (Ex): Any creature hit by a grell hatchling’s tentacle large and well-armed parties of adventurers can be rendered
must make a DC 5 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d4 helpless in the space of a round or two by the swift, silent
rounds. assault of a grell pack, and any party overcome in such an
Sightless (Ex): A grell hatchling is immune to gaze attacks, attack meets a very bad end indeed.
visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on Despite the name given to them by sages who study these
sight. monsters, feral grell are far more than wild beasts. They are as
intelligent as their civilized cousins; in fact, an individual grell
Grell Juvenile: CR 2; Small aberration; HD 2d8; hp 9; Init +2; can easily adjust to its circumstances by joining or abandoning

Spd 5 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect); AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 13; Base colonies several times in the course of its life, living as a solitary
Atk +1; Grp +6; Atk +4 melee (1d3–1 plus paralyzation, tentacle); hunter for a time before returning to the companionship of
Full Atk +4 melee (1d3–1 plus paralyzation, 10 tentacles); SA others of its kind. Feral grell rarely have access to the weapons

constrict, improved grab, paralysis; SQ blindsight 60 ft., flight, and magic with which philosophers arm the members of grell
immunity to electricity, immunity to paralyzation, sightless; colonies.
AL NE; SV Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +3; Str 8, Dex 15, Con 10, Int Civilized grell gather in colonies or nests of several dozen
8, Wis 11, Cha 9. individuals. They retain more of the alien science and knowl-
Skills and Feats: Hide +14, Listen +2, Move Silently +4; edge of wizardry their ancestors commanded. Civilized grell
Weapon Finesse. organize loosely into three castes: soldiers, philosophers,
Language: Grell. and patriarchs. The grell themselves make little distinction
Constrict (Ex): On a successful grapple check, a juvenile grell between individuals—soldiers defer to philosophers because
deals 1d4–1 points of damage. magical ability brings higher status in the colony. Only patri-
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a grell must hit an archs hold any real preeminence, and even then, grell colonies
opponent of its size or smaller with a tentacle attack. It can are ruled by a cold, pragmatic consensus of all adults, regardless
then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without pro- of caste.
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