Kyramus said:
Don't be dissing my baby, the unofficial mascot of Dragonsfoot.org!
Thrit’ard, iconic grell monk
Grell rogue 1/monk 7
Hit Dice: 12d8+1d6+26 (83 hp)
Initiative: +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Imp. Init)
Speed: 25 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect)
AC: 19 (+3 Dex, +1 Wis, +1 monk, +4 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 16
Attacks: 10 tentacles +9 melee and 1 tentacle +4 melee and bite +4 melee (does not include
flurry of blows)
Damage: Tentacle 1d8+1 plus paralyzation, bite 2d4
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with tentacle)
Special Attacks: Improved grab (small or tiny creatures only), paralysis (DC 20), sneak attack +1d6, stunning attack (DC 14), flurry of blows
Special Qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., flight, immunities, evasion, tentacle regeneration, Still Mind, Slow Fall (30 ft.), Purity of Body, Wholeness of Body, Leap of the Clouds
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +10
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 9
Skills: Hide +21, Listen +13, Move Silently +21, Spot +11, Tumble +13
Feats: Flyby Attack, combat reflexes, ability focus (+2 to paralyzation DC), Improved Initiative, Deflect Arrows, Improved Trip
Challenge Rating: 11
Alignment: Lawful evil
Thrit’ard began his life as would any grell, inhabiting remote passages of the underdark and gleefully eating humanoids of all kinds. Competition for food was fierce, however; Thrit’ard’s brothers and sisters from the same clutch of eggs lived nearby, and there was no loss of brotherly affection as every member of the family tried to fight over the same potential prey. With time and practice, Thrit’ard grew craftier than his brethren. He eventually excelled at striking vulnerable spots of his prey, dropping them quickly and relatively quietly while seldom suffering any injuries at all.
His life of sullen hunger changed the day that he came across a group of Kuo-toa Monitors. These bulging-eyed dwellers of the sunless waters were looking for information, and thus parleyed with the grell instead of attacking him. Thrit’ard didn’t know what to think. At the kuo-toa’s invitation, he returned with them to their shrine and studied their art of unarmed attack. They fed him well, and he responded with what grudging affection he could muster.
The grell soon realized that he had found a group of kindred spirits. The kuo-toa treated Thrit’ard with respect, and the grell learned everything he could from them. His complacency and quiet life was shattered the day that surface worlders came to the Shrine of the Kuo-Toa, seeking vengeance on the drow but pleased to spill goggler blood as they passed through. Badly injured in the fighting, he was forced to retreat into the darkness of the twisting caverns, and by the time he was well enough to return he found that his city – and his fellow monitors – had been completely slain.
Now he has sworn vengeance on those members of the surface world who think that they can come idly into his domain, into the darkness. He carefully stalks them and kills them, one by one. His hatred seethes inside him, and Blibdoolpoolp pardons the soul of one fallen Monitor for every up-worlder Thrit’ard slays.
COMBAT
Thrit’ard uses his stealth to its full advantage. Like most grell, he waits in ambush, using fly-by attack to lower, attack, and rise all in the same turn. He only gets a single attack when he attacks in this way, but he uses his trip, stun, paralyzation and improved grab to quickly and quietly eliminate one enemy at a time. He also uses the 10 ft. reach of his tentacles to full advantage, and uses his combat reflexes to gain up to three attacks of opportunity on foes as they close within his reach. He's not much for out-and-out melee combat; Thrit'ard would much rather paralyze and spirit away one enemy at a time.
He is seldom without a vertical bolthole to retreat to when adventuring groups become aware of his existence. He currently lairs in an old beholder warren of
disintegrated tunnels, full of vertical and sloping passages that most land-bound creatures would have difficulty negotiating. This lair has exits onto the shadowed ceiling of several underdark trade routes, allowing him to eat heartily and escape cleanly.
Sneak Attack: Any time Thrit’ard’s target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks the target, the rogue's attack deals extra damage. The extra damage is +1d6. All normal rules for rogue sneak attacks apply.
Improved grab (Ex): If the grell hits small or tiny creature with a tentacle, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. No initial touch attack is required, and Tiny and Small creatures do not suffer a special size penalty. This follows normal rules for Improved Grabs.
Paralysis (Ex): A grell’s tentacles are lined with small, spiny barbs, much like a squid’s. Any creature hit by Thrit’ard’s tentacles must make a fortitude save (DC 20) or be paralyzed for 4 rounds.
Flurry of Blows: The grell may make one extra tentacle attack in a round at his highest base attack, but this attack and each other attack made that round suffer a –2 penalty apiece. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it affects attacks of opportunity the monk might make before his next action. The grell must use the full attack action to strike with a flurry of blows.
Usually, Thrit’ard's unarmed tentacle strikes deal normal damage rather than subdual damage. However, he can choose to deal his damage as subdual damage when grappling.
Stunning Attack (su): The monk can use this ability once per round, but no more than once per level per day. The monk must declare he is using a stun attack before making the attack roll (thus, a missed attack roll ruins the attempt). A foe struck by the monk is forced to make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 14). In addition to receiving normal damage, if the saving throw fails the opponent is stunned for 1 round.
Evasion (ex): If a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, the monk instead takes no damage.
Blindsight (Ex): He’s a giant brain with a beak! Who needs eyes? He uses scent and vibration to maneuver and fight as well as a sighted creature, and doesn’t normally need to make spot or listen skill checks to notice creatures within its 60 ft. blindsight range.
Flight (Ex): A grell’s body is naturally buoyant, and can fly at a 30 ft. speed with perfect maneuverability. If needed, he can also feather fall. And you think you have gas.
Immunities (Ex): A grell is immune to electricity and paralysis effects.
Tentacle regeneration (Ex): As per MM2; these can only be targeted when the grell is holding someone. They grow back within a day, have an AC of 22, and can withstand 10 points of damage before snapping. This damage doesn’t otherwise hurt Thrit’ard or come off of his normal hit points.
Deflect Arrows: At 2nd level, a monk gains the Deflect Arrows feat, even if he doesn't have the prerequisite Dexterity score. Apparently, Thrit’ard smacks away the arrows with his tentacles. Or something. Don’t ask me.
Fast Movement: At 3rd level and higher, a monk moves faster than normal. Thrit’ard still moves pretty damn slowly compared to most monks, but he’s a freakin’ speed demon compared to most grell, who think him creepy and freakish. It still doesn’t help him fly faster, a fact that makes him very sad.
Still Mind: At 3rd level, a monk gains a +2 bonus to saving throws against spells and effects from the Enchantment school. Charm this, bunky.
Slow Fall: The grell monk takes damage as if a fall were 30 feet shorter than it actually is. Who cares? He can already fly and automatically has feather fall, so this ability is fairly useless.
Purity of Body: At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases except for magical diseases. This is good. When you're a brain with a beak, you don't want a headache or the sniffles.
Improved Trip: At 6th level, a monk gains the Improved Trip feat. She need not have taken the Expertise feat, normally a prerequisite. This makes thrit’ard very happy, because nothing is more fun than tripping an enemy before stunning him, paralyzing him, and flying away with him into the darkness. Yum.
Wholeness of Body (su): At 7th level, a monk can cure his own wounds. He can cure up to twice his current level in hit points each day, and he can spread this healing out among several uses.
Leap of the Clouds: At 7th level or higher, a monk's jumping distance (vertical or horizontal) is not limited according to his height. Like anyone cares. You ever seen a grell jump? It’s pathetic, that’s what it is, and Thrit’ard would rather die than fail at this and be mocked by his peers. He’s very sensitive, you know. He is.
Skills: A grell gains +2 on hide and move silently checks. So there.
