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What to make Grendel?

Tsillanabor

First Post
The next Chronicle of Essenon will feature a fantasy-Norse setting with high powered baddies (enhanced Frost Giants) and high powered (14th level) mostly evil mercenary characters. For the first adventure I'm going to rip off the first half of Beowulf. I'm thinking of a half frost giant/half troll for Grendel (maybe with a couple of Frenzied Berserker levels), with his mom being a massive, bloated troll. I am, however, open to suggestions. What would you do?
 

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GRIMJIM

First Post
Tsillanabor said:
The next Chronicle of Essenon will feature a fantasy-Norse setting with high powered baddies (enhanced Frost Giants) and high powered (14th level) mostly evil mercenary characters. For the first adventure I'm going to rip off the first half of Beowulf. I'm thinking of a half frost giant/half troll for Grendel (maybe with a couple of Frenzied Berserker levels), with his mom being a massive, bloated troll. I am, however, open to suggestions. What would you do?

An infernal dire-ogre, up a size class, add claws and some levels of barbarian. Something like that.
 


Nyaricus

First Post
Feral (SS) and Fiendish (MM) Half-troll Ogre, just to kake it nasty. Maybe add some barbarian levels on it too (EDIT: going with the 4 level barb from the MM)

Lemme see If I can work somehting out here...
 
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Darthjaye

First Post
Well in some desciptions he is described as an "ettin". You could go literally with this. You could do something off the wall like make him a Dragon Shaman (if you have access to the PHB 2) of the frost dragon variety. Maybe something equally off the wall like a Ettin Favored Soul.
 



Nyaricus

First Post
Grendel CR 14
Feral Fiendish Half-Troll/Ogre Barbarian 4
CE Large Monstrous Humanoid (Extraplanar)
Initiative +0 Senses Darkvision 90ft, low-light vision, Scent; Listen +XX, Spot +XX
Languages Languages
---
AC 19, touch 9, flat-footed 19 (-1 size, +10 natural)
hp 4d10+32 plus 4d12+32 (116 HP); DR 5/magic
Resist trap sense +1, Fire and Cold 10, Fast Healing 5/round; SR 33
Fort +9, Ref +4, Will +5
---
Speed 60ft (12 squares)
Melee Bite +21 (1d8+13) or 2 Claws +22 (3d6+13)
Ranged
Space 10ft; Reach 10 ft.
Base Attack +8; Grapple +25
Attack Options Power Attack, Rend, Improved Grab, Pounce, Rake
Special Actions
Combat Gear
---
Abilities Str 36, Dex 11, Con 26, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 3
SQ Darkvision 60ft, low-light vision, Scent
Feats Power Attack, Weapon Focus (Claws), Improved Natural Attack (Claws, now 3d6)
Skills Climb +11, Hide -6, Jump +11, Listen +5, Spot +5, Swim +12
Possessions ½ coins, standard goods and items (including equipment)
---
Rage (Ex): When he rages, Grendel has the following changed statistics:
AC XX, touch XX, flat-footed XX
hp XX (XHD)
Fort +X, Will +X,
Melee weapon +X (1dXX)
Grapple +X
Abilities Str XX, Con XX
Skills Skill +XX
Ability (Su): Description

Rend(Ex): If Grendel hits with two or more claw attacks against the same opponent, he latches onto the opponents body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 2d6+19.

Fast Healing(Ex): Grendel heals 5 points of damage each round so long as he has at least 1 hit point. This doesn't allow Grendel to restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst or suffocation, and it does not allow him to regrow lost limbs or reattach body parts.

Improved Grab (Ex): If Grendel hits an opponent that is at least one size category smaller than itself with a claw attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it gets a hold, it can rake. Alternatively, Grendel has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use it's claw to hold the opponent (-20 on grapple check, but the feral creature is not considered grappled). In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during the consecutive rounds automatically deals claw damage.

Pounce (Ex): If Grendel leaps upon a foe during the first round of combat, it can make a full attack even if it has already moved.

Rake (Ex): If Grendel gets a hold can make two rake attacks at its full melee attack bonus with his hind legs. Each Successful attack deals 2d6+6.

Smite Good (Su): Once per day Grendel can make a normal melee attack to deal extra damage equal to its HD total (+8) against a good foe

Grendel's claws and bite are treated as being magical weapons fro overcoming DR.

------

This is with all the templates applied, but I don't know how to properly apply all the attacks here; I was thinking maybe Multiattack would be a great feat, rather than Weapon Focus, but like I said I'm not sure how to apply em together.

I also got lazy and didn't equip him, or make the rage changes, but these are easy enough, and generally pretty specific DM-to-DM (equipment-wise).

I think Grendel here'd be great for a first-round killa, with his Pounce, rake and redn abilities :D

Anyways, that's all I got for now, if you need an clarifications on anything, feel free to ask :) Hope this helped!
 

Nyaricus

First Post
If you want to change that to a half-scrag, reduce the land speed by 5 feet and give it a swim speed of 20. Fast Healing wil only work when immersed in water.

Cheers,
--N
 

spunky_mutters

First Post
Feral can't be applied to giants by the RAW, but don't let that stop you (this was pointed out to me quite a while after shredding the party with Feral Ogre Dire Werewolves). Of course you could just use war troll instead of troll, and that would fix it.
 

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