The Return of the Grell?

[demiurge1138]

I got into D&D through the 2e Monstrous Manual. In it, the grell were wierd and alien creatures with a caste system; the average grell were warriors, psionically potent grell were philosophers, and there was a queen grell who was immobile but massively powerful. The grell had an advanced civilization and wierd weapons, like lightning lances.

In the 3e MMII, the grell were just wierd aberrations that lurked in dungeons. Boring. Basically just carrion crawlers that can fly.

But in the latest Miniatures preview, the author reveals that there will be an entire chapter devoted to grell in the Codex Anathema/ Lords of Madness. Is this a sign that the old grell society (I assume they are of Spelljammer pedigree) are returning? Any thoughts?

Demiurge out.

 

[Prince of Happiness]

I got into D&D through the 2e Monstrous Manual. In it, the grell were wierd and alien creatures with a caste system; the average grell were warriors, psionically potent grell were philosophers, and there was a queen grell who was immobile but massively powerful. The grell had an advanced civilization and wierd weapons, like lightning lances.

In the 3e MMII, the grell were just wierd aberrations that lurked in dungeons. Boring. Basically just carrion crawlers that can fly.

But in the latest Miniatures preview, the author reveals that there will be an entire chapter devoted to grell in the Codex Anathema/ Lords of Madness. Is this a sign that the old grell society (I assume they are of Spelljammer pedigree) are returning? Any thoughts?

Demiurge out.

Damn, this really makes my night! I loved the grell. That might be because when I read one of the adventures that came with the FR16 Shining South splat, it had a glabrezu in it. Well, not owning anything that described what a glabrezu was (my older brother's 1E DMG and MM were MIA), I drew a picture of what I imagined it to look like, and yes...it looked like a grell. A year later when I picked up the Greyhawk Monstrous Compendium supplement and saw a grell...big fave of a monster for me!

I also remember that the Elminster's Ecologies boxed set (which really, really, really did not need to be a boxed set) had some stuff on the grell in it too, which included the whole of grell society in one of the Cormyrean swamps.

Edit: Damn, I must really like grell...this is the most verbiage I've crammed into a post without cutting and pasting something from somewhere else in a loooong time.

Also, I think the grell were 1E Fiend Folio additions...I don't know where the society evolved from though.

 

[MerricB]

The next set of miniatures, Deathknell (click for list so far) is looking interesting.

Cheers!

 

[diaglo]

looks like Pkitty's Grell monk now has a mini.

 

[drnuncheon]

I got into D&D through the 2e Monstrous Manual.

In the 3e MMII, the grell were just wierd aberrations that lurked in dungeons.

I got into AD&D through the Fiend Folio (the first one). In it, the grell were just weird floating brains with tentacles and a beak. Never heard of this caste system.

J

 

[MrFilthyIke]

looks like Pkitty's Grell monk now has a mini.

And isn't that the happiest day in the life of a gamer? When he finds a mini for his obscure, oddball character.

 

[CsonTep]

Grells got their caste system from a Spelljammer product (an MC I think). It was ported into the Monstrous Manual later.

 

[Alzrius]

The grell deserve their own section in the upcoming aberrations book. It's time they stopped being the proverbial "little brothers" to the other brain-monsters, such as illithids. I think giving these under-represented monsters their own space in the book is a great idea.

Maybe we'll even get some mentions of SJ-related goodness.

 

[Li Shenron]

In it, the grell were just weird floating brains with tentacles and a beak.

Bleah...

 

[Tonguez]

Grells got their caste system from a Spelljammer product (an MC I think). It was ported into the Monstrous Manual later.

Patriarch - Philosopher-Warrior-Worker

Patriarchs were huge and immobile however they could imbed their tentacles into object (including ships) and animate them - hence Grell Spell Jammers

Patriarchs communicated with Philosphers (spellcasters and Psionics) who then gave orders to Warriors and Workers

Rumours spoke of an Uber Emporer Grell somewhere who directed all the Patriarchs