The Pseudonatural Grell - A Monstrous Smackdown

[Sparrowhawk]

I was just looking through someone else's MM2 and ELH, and I came up with this extremely nasty monster. Take a Grell from the MM2, and advance it to maximum HD. Give it the Combat Reflexes feat as one of its feats for advancement. Now apply the Epic version of the Pseudonatural template.

The relevant numbers: 255 HP, AC 50, 15 tentacle rakes at +40 meelee each (15' reach.) Each tentacle rake does 2d8+16 damage, and the monster gets an improved grab attack at an absolutely disgusting bonus. When (not if, when) it succeeds at the grapple check, the victim is automatically drained of 2d4 points of Con, and the Pseudogrell heals 10 HP. Then the poor sot must succeed at a DC 26 Fort save or be paralyzed for 4 rounds. The auto-con drain during those rounds will most likely kill the target.

The CR of this bad boy works out to be 20. When you take into account the asskicking a 20th level party is capable of, this doesn't seem too unreasonable. Still, this thing seems too lethal to me. All those attacks, that amazing improved grab, and the Con drain combine in a really scary way.

If someone with the right books would stat this thing out for me, I would be really grateful.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

That's why the advancement system of boosting CR is broken.
Also note that templates are loose, and hard to balance.

 

[dkilgo]

I really believe that you should check the CR on that creature. I have a hard time believing that a 20th level party would fare well against something of this magnitude. I honestly would put it at approximately CR 22-23. I might be wrong!

 

[Crothian]

Grell is 5HD, CR 3. So we advance it to 15HD that's what, +4 CR? I'm not sure. But the Pseudonatural Template does add +13 CR to a 15 HD creature, so I think it does become CR 20.

EDIT: Fixed CR problem

 

[Sparrowhawk]

No, you add 1 to the CR of a creature for every 50% increase in HD. This gives you +2 for doubling the HD, +4 for tripling it. That would make the fully advanced grell a CR 7 creature. Adding the (Epic) Psuedonatural template adds 13 to that for a total CR of 20.

And I do agree that it seems really powerful for its CR. That's why it's a smackdown.

 

[Crothian]

THanks, I wasn't sure. It's been awhile since I've needed to do that. I'll make the needed change.

 

[Elric]

The Pseudonatural template is horribly overpowered for anything with high Hit Dice. You didn't even mention the most powerful parts of the Pseudonatural Template: DR and SR. A Pseudonatural Creature with 50 HD has unbeatable (250) SR and unbeatable until well into epic levels (around 50/+10) DR.

Also, the increasing number of attacks makes high HD creatures broken with the Pseudonatural Template. The 64 HD Monstrous Scorpion (CR 11) is an example of how doubling a creature's hit dice is not really equal to CR +2. Doubling a creatures hit dice makes it much more powerful in melee, but does not give it any new special abilities. Normally, a party that simply flies or uses spells from a distance can easily take down the 400 HP creature. However, the Pseudonatural Template gives it DR 60/+12 (not sure on exact #s b/c I don't have the book on me) and 320 SR. Thus, it becomes immune to melee attacks and spells and is CR 21.

 

[0-hr]

This isn't the same "pseudonatural" that the Alienist (T&B) uses I assume...

 

[Cheiromancer]

This isn't the same "pseudonatural" that the Alienist (T&B) uses I assume...

Nope. The epic handbook version is orders of magnitude stronger.

 

[Archer]

That grell would go down like a ton of bricks against a hasted fighter with spring attack, a master archer, buffed cleric and an archmage. A rogue that wins initiative can zip in and lay on a bunch of sneak attacks or tumble in and flank with the spring attacking fighter.