Cleon
Legend
looking interesting
...how about a Hold as a reaction on anyone who comes within melee range of it?
(this gives it more options - presumably is not automatically a pack creature, so some reactions help it if outnumbered if 1-2 encountered by party.)
Could add it as a Reaction if you like. Remember it can only grab one creature at a time, so if it has an opponent in its mitts when a Reaction is provoked it'd have to release them to use Hold.
The original adventure mentions four Gray Sqaargs: one in each of two pairs of mine entrances, but there might have been more around as the sqaargs are described as "the guardians of the mines who patrol the entrances and the surrounding river banks." That suggests there could be others on patrol that weren't visible.
It's worth mentioning the White Dwarf #21 stat block gives them "No. Appearing: 1" which conflicts with the 4+ Gray Sqaargs at the mine, but that's no big deal.
also when might it use hold over seize - if it is an automaton?
Hmm, guess I didn't make myself clear in earlier posts.
My idea was a Gray Sqaarg starts with non-damaging restraint (i.e. Hold) since it "will try to grapple with its foes in order to incapacitate them" but begins doing bludgeoning damage with its Crush and Seize attacks if they violently resist.
Hmm, since "It will use its strength to kill only as a last resort if sorely pressed" does it need a nonlethal attack to incapacitate intruders without killing them? How does nonlethal damage work in 5E again…
Oh yes, it's Knocking a Creature Out…
Knocking a Creature Out
Sometimes an attacker wants to incapacitate a foe, rather than deal a killing blow. When an attacker reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack, the attacker can knock the creature out. The attacker can make this choice the instant the damage is dealt. The creature falls unconscious and is stable
Sometimes an attacker wants to incapacitate a foe, rather than deal a killing blow. When an attacker reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack, the attacker can knock the creature out. The attacker can make this choice the instant the damage is dealt. The creature falls unconscious and is stable
Hmm, that's ridiculously simplistic but it makes it mechanically easy: a Gray Sqaarg can just sleeper hold its opponents into unconsciousness with Seize and Crush attacks.
So strictly speaking it doesn't really need a nondamaging Hold attack since it can automatically soften Seize so it knocks out instead of kill, but I like the idea of it harmlessly holding an intruder in its hands at first and only getting rough if that's necessary.
As to when it uses Seize or Crush instead of Hold, as a nonsapient automaton it'd faithfully follow whatever its operating orders are. So maybe if a Gray Sqaarg is damaged to a third of its hit points or less that flips a "last resort" flag and it starts breaking spines and pulverizing skulls instead of gently putting its opponents to sleep with nonlethal wrestling moves?
We can describe the sqaarg's standard tactics when we get to its Description.