Grimlocks, the sightless monsters of the deep earth, are a terrifying foe to face. Their rage knows no bounds, and their might is considerable.
Grimlocks usually dwell only in the deeper caverns of the Earth, but occasionally send raiding parties upwards to the lighted lands seeking slaves, resources, food, and entertainment. Most humanoids fulfill all four of these requirements. Grimlocks use sound to see, making them vulnerable to sonic attacks, but this is mostly unknown to surface-dwellers. Instead they are known only for their eyeless faces and their almost purr-like trill as they hunt in the utter darkness. Although they can sense light (it causes them discomfort and pain), they have no innate magical abilities to counter it, but will instead attempt to extinguish or cover any sources of light when they raid. Some Grimlocks, mutated from the underground magical radiation, have developed additional limbs or heads, making them even more dangerous. Much like the Bear Folk from Michael Crichton’s The 13th Warrior, these secretive and gruesome warriors strike in numbers, overwhelming defenders and leaving them startled and afraid. They try not to leave any sign of their presence, lest they be hunted in return. The very few who have ever escaped them barely retain any shred of sanity, describing only endless darkness and snuffling and screaming. How you can use Grimlocks in your game: • Grimlocks are a tough, dangerous foe to threaten your players with. If you want, wholesale lifting the ideas from The 13th Warrior works a treat- the violent and brutal Grimlocks strike without much warning or trail. • For a party who ventures into the Underdark, having foes who are smart, but unlikely to bargain in any way can be useful. Grimlocks are wise enough to pick off casters (perhaps by grappling them and carrying them off) before others can attempt to attack them again. • If you want to present Grimlocks in any kind of positive light (sure, but why?), painting them as being a long-ago-banished race who have mutated in the Dark works alright. You could have them warring against some kind of illusion-using race like Drow, making their brutal paranoia and xenophobia almost justified. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 2 February 2019) Comments are closed.
|
AuthorI'm Luke. He/him pronouns. Archives
May 2022
Categories
All
|