Grassling

[CaseyReeseKunst]

Grassling

Small Plant, Chaotic Neutral

Armor Class: 16.

Hit Points: 55; Hit Die: 10d6+20.

Speed: 30'; Initiative: +4.

Abilities: Str 10 (+0), Dex 18 (+4), Con 14 (+2), Int 10 (+0), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 16 (+3).

Saving Throws: Dexterity +6, Wisdom +3.

Senses: Greensight 60', Passive Perception: 13

Languages: Sylvan.

Proficiencies: Bonus +2; Skill: Acrobatics +6, Nature +2, Perception +3, Sleight of Hand +6, Stealth +6, Survival +3.

Special Traits: Resistances: bludgeoning, charm; Vulnerabilities: fire.

Aversion to Fire: If the grassling takes fire damage, it has Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks until the end of its next turn.

Cunning Action: On each of its turns, the grassling can use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.

Evasion: If the grassling is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, the grassling instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.

Grassland Camouflage: The grassling has Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in grasslands.

Greensight: The grassling can see up to 60 feet through thick plant matter as though it were transparent. Greenery, leaves, and vines -- even lichen, moss, and slime -- offer no concealment to the grassling's sight.

Pack Tactics: The grassling has Advantage on an attack roll against a creature if any one of the grassling's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.

Thicket Stride: Grasslings can move through any sort of undergrowth (such as briars, natural thorns, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment.

Actions:

Multiattack: The grassling makes four claws attacks.

Claws: +6 melee attack, reach 5', 7 (1d6+4) slashing damage.

Bleed: After any successful hit by the grassling, an opponent takes 2 (1d4) bleeding damage at the end of every round. Bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check or through the application of any spell that cures hit point damage.

Challenge: 3 X.P.: 700.

Description: Grasslings are sneaky, inquisitive plant creatures that populate wild grasslands. These child-sized plants are made of long green stalks of loosely woven grass and have four arms, each with fingers like long blades. Leaves circle their heads like a crown. Their excellent reflexes allow them to twist away from danger with great agility and reach hiding spots before an observer can blink. Grasslings prefer stealth and deception to direct combat. They may set simple traps or confound their opponents with trickery. Grasslings are capricious and delight in playing pranks, which range from harmless to mean spirited.

(Converted to 5e from the Pathfinder adventure "The Twilight Child," by Ron Lundeen, 2018.)

 

[aco175]

When first thinking about what a grassling would be, I thought something weak like a blight. I see these are much more powerful.

AC seems high at 18. No reason other than my thought that something made from grass would be like 11 plus DEX.

 

[Cleon]

When first thinking about what a grassling would be, I thought something weak like a blight. I see these are much more powerful.

AC seems high at 18. No reason other than my thought that something made from grass would be like 11 plus DEX.

Yeah, this seems a too literal conversion of Pathfinder stats for a Grassling.

Fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons has much flatter numbers than Pathfinder, especially First Edition Pathfinder.

Might have a shot at doing my own conversion sometime if I'm feeling energetic.

 

[CaseyReeseKunst]

AC seems high at 18. No reason other than my thought that something made from grass would be like 11 plus DEX.

I see what you mean. I think the idea was that grass doesn't take much damage when we stomp on it, but it is already resistant to bludgeoning damage. I lowered the A.C.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[aco175]

Greensight: The grassling can see up to 60 feet through thick plant matter as though it were transparent. Greenery, leaves, and vines -- even lichen, moss, and slime -- offer no concealment to the grassling's sight.

Do we need another sight? Could you just give it tremorsense and saw if feels things through its roots in outdoor environments. I can just imagine trying to explain to the players.

 

[Cleon]

Do we need another sight? Could you just give it tremorsense and saw if feels things through its roots in outdoor environments. I can just imagine trying to explain to the players.

Why explain it?

Mysteries can be intriguing.

 

[Cleon]

Yeah, this seems a too literal conversion of Pathfinder stats for a Grassling.

Fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons has much flatter numbers than Pathfinder, especially First Edition Pathfinder.

Might have a shot at doing my own conversion sometime if I'm feeling energetic.

So it wasn't so much as feeling energetic as I got bored and didn't have anything else to do, but I whipped up my own version of the Grassling.

Before doing so, I had a more thorough look through CaseyReeseKunst's version and noticed a few things:

Grassling

Small Fey, Chaotic Neutral

Armor Class: 16.

Hit Points: 65; Hit Die: 10d6+30.

Speed: 30'; Initiative: +4.

Abilities: Str 10 (+0), Dex 18 (+4), Con 14 (+2), Int 10 (+0), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 16 (+3).

Saving Throws: Dexterity +6, Wisdom +3.

Senses: Greensight 60', Darkvision 60', Passive Perception: 13

Languages: Sylvan.

Proficiencies: Bonus +2; Skill: Acrobatics +6, Nature +2, Perception +3, Sleight of Hand +6, Stealth +6, Survival +3.

Special Traits: Immunities: paralysis, poison; Resistances: bludgeoning, charm; Vulnerabilities: fire.

Aversion to Fire: If the grassling takes fire damage, it has Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks until the end of its next turn.

Claw Finesse: Grasslings use their Dexterity modifier instead of their Strength modifier on attack rolls.

Combat Reflexes: Grasslings make four additional attacks of opportunity per round.

Cunning Action: On each of its turns, the grassling can use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.

Evasion: If the grassling is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, the grassling instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.

Fey Ancestry: The grassling has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put the grassling to sleep.

Grassland Camouflage: The grassling has Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in grasslands.

Greensight: The grassling can see up to 60 feet through thick plant matter as though it were transparent. Greenery, leaves, and vines -- even lichen, moss, and slime -- offer no concealment to the grassling's sight.

Pack Tactics: The grassling has Advantage on an attack roll against a creature if any one of the grassling's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.

Thicket Stride: Grasslings can move through any sort of undergrowth (such as briars, natural thorns, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment.

Actions:

Claws: + 6 melee attack, four targets, reach 5', 4 (1d6+1) slashing damage.

Bleed: After a successful hit by the grassling, an opponent takes 2 (1d4) bleeding damage every round. Bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check or through the application of any spell that cures hit point damage.

Challenge: 3 X.P.: 700.

Description: Grasslings are sneaky, inquisitive fey creatures that populate wild grasslands. These child-sized creature are made of long green stalks of loosely woven grass and have four arms, each with fingers like long blades. Leaves circle their heads like a crown. Their excellent reflexes allow them to twist away from danger with great agility and reach hiding spots before an observer can blink. Grasslings prefer stealth and deception to direct combat. They may set simple traps or confound their opponents with trickery. Grasslings are capricious and delight in playing pranks, which range from harmless to mean spirited.

(Converted to 5e from the Pathfinder adventure "The Twilight Child," by Ron Lundeen, 2018.)

Firstly, it has multiple abilities the original Pathfinder version does not.

I'm wondering why a grassling would have Fey Ancestry when it's already is a fey and didn't have any special resistance to charm, and there's no mention of co-ordinated tactics in the flavour text that would support Pack Tactics. It's also had darkvision added despite being a surface-dweller.

It doesn't end there!

This version has a pile of rogue-style abililties like Evasion and Cunning Action the original monster lacks and has decent Damage Resistance despite the Pathfinder version not having any Damage Reduction.

One of the new abilities, Aversion to Fire, does make the grassling weaker but has no support in the original text, which says:

"Most grasslings have a keen fascination with fire. …the fairy stories about them that circulate among humanoids nearly always end with a grassling becoming entranced by fire, approaching it too closely, and burning up… these stories aren’t true—grasslings are too green to be particularly flammable and too clever to accidentally immolate themselves—grasslings do indeed enjoy watching the chaotic dance of open flames and aren’t above creeping near a traveler’s campfire or setting something ablaze just to watch the flames."​

Finally, a few of the abilities appear to be over literal copies of 3E Feats that I personally wouldn't have bothered with. Particularly Claw Finesse, which is pointless since in 5E D&D a monster can always just use DEX instead of STR for its natural attacks.

Look at the Fifth Edition Badger. It has a Bite with a +2 to hit since it uses its DEX 11 instead of its STR 4 with no need for a "Bite Finesse" trait.

Speaking of its claws, the actual Claws action is rather wonky. Firstly it has "four targets" meaning it can claw four different opponents but can't claw the same opponent four times.

The original just made four claw attacks distributed as it likes.

That's a Multiattack in 5E.

Secondly, its damage is off. CaseyReeseKunst has dropped the grassling's Strength lower than the Pathfinder version, so the damage should either be 3 (1d6) if based on its STR 10 (+0) or 7 (1d6 + 4) if it uses its DEX 18.

Anyhow, that's enough nit-picking.

My main objection is all of these abilities make the monster way more complicated to run than it needs to be, especially if you're running an encounter with a tuft of them.

 

[Cleon]

The Pathfinder SRD version of the Grassling has one issue I don't care for.

Basically, it doesn't look nasty enough to be CR 6 to me.

That's one CR higher than a Djinni or Troll in Pathfinder, which doesn't seem right to me.

Compared it to a common CR 6 monster like a Wyvern and the PFSRD Grassling looks even more feeble.

Anyhow, better bite the bullet and unveil my own version…

 

[Cleon]

Grassling
Small fey, chaotic neutral
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 45 (10d6 + 10)
Speed 30 ft.

STR​	DEX​	CON​	INT​	WIS​	CHA​
11 (+0)​	18 (+4)​	13 (+1)​	10 (+0)​	12 (+1)​	15 (+2)​

Skills Acrobatics +6, Stealth +6
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities paralyzed, poisoned
Senses greensight 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Sylvan
Challenge 2 (450 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

Greensight. The grassling can see through living plant matter up to 60 feet away as if the plants are transparent. Any greenery—even lichen, moss or slime—provides no concealment to the grassling's vision. Greensight is blocked by solid wood, such as trees or wooden structures.

Plant Camouflage. The grassling has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks while in natural vegetation.

Thicket Stride. The grassling can move through any sort of natural undergrowth (including thorn bushes, brambles, thick hedges and the like) at full speed without taking damage or suffering any other impairment from the vegetation. Undergrowth that has been magically manipulated still affects grasslings.

Actions

Multiattack. The grassling makes two claws attacks.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (1d4 + 4) slashing damage. If the target is a living creature they start bleeding, taking 3 (1d6) damage at the end of each of the wounded creature's turns. The wounded creature, or a creature within 5 feet of it, can use an action to make a DC 14 Wisdom (Medicine) check, ending the bleeding effect of such wounds on a success. The effect also ends if the wounded creature is magically healed of any amount of damage. If a creature has wounds from multiple claws attacks, they take 7 (2d6) damage at the start of each of their turns and have disadvantage on Wisdom (Medicine) checks to stop the bleeding.

Description

A grassling is a fey that resembles a crude four-armed doll woven from tough green grass. It is the size of a small child, about 3 feet tall. The grass strands that form the creature's hands are sharper than glass razors. These supernatural claws can inflict deep wounds that bleed copiously. Like many fey, grasslings are unpredictable creatures that love to play pranks. These pranks range be harmless fun to lethal traps, depending on the grassling's whims.
 Grasslings grow from a seed carefully planted by a parent (grasslings are hermaphrodites who fertilize each other's seeds via windblown pollen). The rootling is tended through a Spring and Summer then pulls its feet from the soil and is almost immediately abandoned. Most grasslings find the labor of cultivating children incredibly tedious so leave their offspring as soon as they are self-sufficient. An infant grassling often dies if pulled from the ground too early, so their parents will only relocate them in extreme emergencies.
 A grassling usually sustains itself with a diet of insects and dew, but they can root themselves in the ground to get nourishment like their young do. This plant-like method barely satisfies an adult grassling's appetite, leaving them lethargic and irritable. Grassling flesh is inedible to meat-eaters but tastes and smells delicious to numerous herbivores. Experienced grasslings are constantly alert to the risk of being nibbled by some plant-eating beast. Only the greenest of innocent young grasslings do not view grazing animals with fear and suspicion.
 These fey love the chaotic beauty of dancing flames, any sometimes set brush alight or sneak up to a campfire just to watch something burn. Common fairy tales portray grasslings as being highly flammable creatures who become so fascinated by a fire they burn themselves to ash, but this is groundless nonsense. A grassling is no more flammable than wet grass and quite cognizant of fire's dangers. They are keenly aware how quickly flames can spread across their prairie home when the grass is dry so are always careful to avoid risking a wildfire.

(Originally appeared in Pathfinder Adventure Path 129: The Twilight Child (War for the Crown 3 of 6) (May 2018) as part of a Bestiary credited to Ron Lundeen, Andrew Mullen, Richard Pett, and David Schwartz.)

 

[CaseyReeseKunst]

Tweaked further, based on feedback.