D&D 5E Advanced Grimlocks for 5e?

[gfrobbin84]

Awesome CapnZapp sounds like a cool encounter. This will just be the second session for my guys they were 0 level last session but got recruited into a private monster hunter company and are being trained up to 3rd level between sessions. It is a modern game, think monster hunters international or men in black for magic and monsters, so they have firearms which will help them but no healing classes so a little concerned and hoping to recruit another player or 2 hopefully that will play bard or cleric, as druid and barbarian aren't allowed.

 

[Flamestrike]

Hey I am planning an adventure centered around Grimlocks for an upcoming session of my 5e game. The characters are going to be fresh 3rd levels. The thing is there are no stats for Grimlock Chieftains or Shamen or any advancements of the standard Grimlock. So I was wondering if anyone had homebrewed any or had any suggestions of abilities and what not to give them.

Thanks in advance.

Just use the Orc chieftan, Orog or Hobgoblin captain (or similar) and add:

Condition Immunities: blinded
Senses: blindsight 30 ft. or 10 ft. while deafened (blind beyond this radius)

Your players wont know the difference.

 

[ChrisCarlson]

My go-to transformation...

Speaking of transforming...

At some point they need to announce -- in unison -- to the PCs, "We grimlocks, SMASH!"

Just sayin'...

 

[Tormyr]

You can also look at the grimlocks in my conversion of The Three Faces of Evil, the second chapter of the Age of Worms AP. Part III is a grimlock dungeon. The basic grimlocks are beefed up to CR 1/2 just so you don't need as many. There are then examples of a grimlock kennel master, barbarian, shaman, and chief. Each is a minor change of a different creature in the monster manual.
http://www.enworld.org/forum/rpgdownloads.php?do=download&downloadid=1254

EDIT: Okay, I lied. The shaman got a full stat block.

 

[S'mon]

My go-to transformation for "Elite" creatures is:
- double hit points
- double attacks or double damage dice (or some combination, like go from 2 to 3 attacks and 2 to 3 damage dice)
- Legendary Resistance 1/day
- double XP

I like it because it can all be done on-the-fly pretty easily.

Should probably be more than double XP, I'd say treble - it looks about equal to 3 regular
critters.

 

[77IM]

Should probably be more than double XP, I'd say treble - it looks about equal to 3 regular
critters.

You are probably right. In theory, Double HP + Legendary Resistance 1/day, is roughly the equivalent of 2 creatures already (doubling damage is unnecessary because the Elite is already going to last twice as long as a regular creature, so over the course of the battle it'll wind up dealing twice the damage). So increasing the damage too should be worth more XP.

 

[S'mon]

You are probably right. In theory, Double HP + Legendary Resistance 1/day, is roughly the equivalent of 2 creatures already (doubling damage is unnecessary because the Elite is already going to last twice as long as a regular creature, so over the course of the battle it'll wind up dealing twice the damage). So increasing the damage too should be worth more XP.

Two creatures initially do twice as much damage as 1 creature, so they are a bigger threat than 1 creature with twice the hp. But then one dies, so they are not as threatening as 1 creature with twice hp & twice the DPR.

 

[rmcoen]

My party of level 9ish PCs are headed into some long-abandoned dwarven tunnels next session, which intersect an area of corruption/"taint" that mostly kills living things but occasionally "enhances" (mutates) them. My first thought was "troglodytes", but then the word "grimlock" popped into my head. And "5e grimlock adventure" + Google led me here... and I'm so glad it did! I will be happily stealing cough borrowing the upgraded grimlocks from @CapnZapp, the chieftain from @gfrobbin84, and eventually the falling shaft with the umberhulk and formorian again from CapnZapp! This'll be great, mixed up with some "throwaway" easy fights against some basic grimlocks and pet carrion crawlers...

Sorry for the necro, and thanks to everyone for great ideas almost ten years later!!!

 

[Tonguez]

Grimlock Chieftain CR 5
Humanoid, Savvy Pack Defender

AC 18 (plate scraps and shield) HP 68 (8d8 + 32) Speed 30 ft.

Saving Throws Strength +8, Wisdom +7 Skills Athletics +8, Perception +7, Stealth +5
Damage Resistances Psychic Senses Blindsight 60 ft. Passive Perception 17

TRAITS
Keen Tactical Instincts: The Grimlock Chieftain has advantage on any Wisdom (Survival) checks related to planning ambushes or tracking prey.

Blind Senses: The Grimlock can't use vision but has heightened sense of smell and hearing. It is immune to blindness and visual illusions.

Pack Tactics: The Grimlock Chieftain has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the Grimlock's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and isn't incapacitated.

Unyielding Defender: The Grimlock Chieftain has advantage on saving throws against being pushed, knocked prone, or restrained.

Tactical Retaliation: Once per turn, when a creature within 5 feet of the Grimlock hits one of its allies with an attack, the Grimlock can make one melee attack against that creature.

ACTIONS
Multiattack: The Grimlock makes three melee attacks: two with its Heavy Bone Mace and one with its Shield Bash.

Heavy Bone Mace:
Melee +8, reach 5 ft. Damage 12 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning

Shield Bash:
Melee Weapon Attack: + 8, reach 5 ft. Damage 8 (1d6+4) bludgeon. Knockdown or Pushback 10 ft. DC 16 Strength save.

Bash and Advance (Costs 2 attacks): The Grimlock makes one Shield Bash and moves up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Lockstep Formation (Recharge 5–6): The Grimlock and up to 2 allied Grimlocks within 10 feet can immediately move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.

Grimlock Squad
2 x Grimlock Warriors AC 16 HP 45 Attacks: 2 melee attacks
Pack Tactics: Advantage on attack rolls when an ally is within 5 feet of the target and isn't incapacitated.

3 x Grimlock Strikers AC 14 HP 45 Sneak Attack: 2d6 Stealth: +6
Lurks in the darkness, using stealth to gain sneak attacks on opponents.

1 x Grimlock Shaman AC 11 HP 20
Spells Hold Person, Blindness/Deafness, Dissonant Whispers