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View Full Version : The Grix - my attempt at a Fine-sized Giant



Baron Corm
2007-04-03, 08:19 PM
Grix
Fine Giant
Hit Dice: 8d8-8 (28 hp)
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square), burrow 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect)
Initiative: 12
Armor Class: 27 (+8 size, +8 Dex, +1 padded armor); touch 26; flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+9
Attack: +2 axiomatic feybane cold iron heavy flail +27 (1d3+18, 19-20/x2) or bite +25 melee (1d4+11, 18-20/x3) or claw +25 melee (1d4+11, 18-20/x3)
Full-Attack: +2 axiomatic feybane cold iron heavy flail +27 (1d3+18, 19-20/x2) and bite +23 melee (1d4+11, 18-20/x3) or 2 claws +25 melee (1d4+11, 18-20/x3) and bite +23 melee (1d4+11, 18-20/x3)
Space/Reach: 1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Command fey
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, damage reduction 10/silver, spell resistance 14, augmented critical, grix rage, tiny but still awesome, fey police, fey hunter
Saves: Fort +5 Ref +10 Will +1
Abilities: Str 32, Dex 26, Con 8, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 8
Skills: Intimidate +11, Escape Artist +20, Tumble +20, Survival +8, Sense Motive +11, Craft (tiny buildings) +4, Hide +25, Move Silently +25
Feats: Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Improved Bull Rush, Multiattack, Flyby Attack, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Improved Natural Attack (claw), Awesome Blow
Environment: Meadows or anywhere fey congregate
Organization: Solitary, Cardinal (2-3), or Swarm (10,000)
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: No coins; 50% goods; Standard magical items (sized for a Fine creature)
Alignment: Always lawful (any)
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: -


Grixes are a race of ant-sized creatures with extraordinary strength. They are humanoid in shape and sport insect-like gossamer wings. The claws and teeth of a grix are wickedly curved, enabling them to stay near the top of the food chain despite their size. They only bring out their heavy flails when dealing with fey. When wielding their potent weapons, grixes retract their claws.

Grixes find a meadow they like and thereafter call it their kingdom. They lord over the ladybugs and butterflies, thinking very highly of themselves because they never face a real challenge. They will often build themselves a tiny fortress out of dirt and twigs, even including a complex underground labyrinth, furnished with their tiny treasures. Their incredible strength, scoop-shaped claws, and propelling wings allow them to tunnel faster than they can walk.

Grixes call out any intelligent creature who happens into their meadow as a trespasser, and will often begin a fight to the death if the trespasser will not leave. Meadows inhabited by grixes are commonly called "cursed" by nearby villages. Grixes never stray very far from the meadow they call home, though; the wise adventurer will simply leave.

The grix were created when their (apparantly vain) patron god, Grix, was commissioned by Ao to keep the mischievous fey of the world in line. One to three will appear when a large group of fey begin to cause a substantial ruckus, such as a troop of satyrs charming an entire village. Because they were created in the image of their patron god, grixes are always male.

Both Grix and grixes have severe Napoleon complexes; a grix will attack at the slightest provocation, on the off chance that you find one in the wild. Grix himself will occasionally call upon a swarm of grixes to lay waste to the settlements of races who worship gods such as Corellon Larethian, Gruumsh, or Garl Glittergold, just to prove that his race is not inferior due to their (and his) height. Oddly enough, Grix feels an affinity with Kurtulmak because Kurtulmak was slighted by one of the "loftier" races, and grixes similarly get along well with kobolds, due to the fact that they both have a strong work ethic.

Grixes speak Giant, Sylvan, and Common.


Combat

A grix will typically start combat off with a bull rush on the strongest-looking in the party. If he doesn't have the advantage of surprise, he will instead target the slowest-looking with his bite attack, or his full attack if he can. When given the option to only make a single attack, such as with his flyby attack, he generally chooses his bite. The grix will power attack for 6 unless he seems to be missing often, in which case he will not power attack. He will use Awesome Blow often just to showcase his might, though he does have 16 Intelligence and he puts it to good use.

Against fey, the grix is all business. He will not attack unless the fey is openly hostile and cannot be calmed by Intimidate or command fey.

Bonus Feat

A grix has the Multiattack, Flyby Attack, Improved Natural Attack (bite), Improved Natural Attack (claw), and Awesome Blow feats as racial bonus feats.

Augmented Critical (Ex)

A grix's bite and claw attacks threaten a critical hit on a natural attack roll of 18-20, dealing triple damage on a successful critical hit.

Grix Rage (Su)

Grix gave his creatures an ability that he himself does not have (perhaps due to his insecurity?); when a grix is damaged in combat, it has a 1% chance of shooting up to Colossal size until the end of the encounter (its equipment scales with it). This grants it the normal bonuses and penalties in addition to a +80 ft. bonus to all move speeds.

Tiny But Still Awesome (Ex)

A grix may use the feat Awesome Blow against any creature up to Large size. If he is currently Colossal, it may be used against any creature. In addition, the grix has a racial +8 bonus on any Strength-based check (other than, of course, attack and damage rolls).

Command Fey (Sp)

This spell-like ability enables a grix to force a fey to release all creatures from its current enchantments, such as charm person, lesser confusion, irresistable dance, and similar. It has a range of Close (45 ft.). The fey is allowed a DC 25 Will saving throw (strength-based). If it fails, it also returns to wherever it might call home and does not harass that particular location again for 1d8 weeks. It feels no particular desire for revenge against the location afterwards.

Fey Police (Su)

A grix can sense if there is a fey within 800 miles of it, where the fey is, and what it is currently doing. If they are doing something overtly bad on a large scale, the 1-3 grixes closest to the commotion may telepathically inform the others within 800 miles that they are handling it. If the fey move out of range of the closest grixes before they get there and are still causing havoc, those grixes may send a warning to the next closest grixes. Grixes do not otherwise have any form of telepathic communication with each other, although they may relay similar messages regarding hostile swarms of fey.

Fey Hunter (Su)

Grixes are immune to spells and spell-like abilities of the enchantment school and are permanently affected by the spell see invisibility. They recieve a +4 bonus to save against the other abilities of fey.





The following monster is a grix swarm. Grix swarms are sent by Grix to take revenge on the taller races, as noted above.


Grix Swarm
Fine Giant (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 128d8-8 (568 hp)
Speed: 10 ft. (1 square); 40 ft. fly (perfect)
Initiative: 12
Armor Class: 27 (+8 size, +8 Dex, +1 padded armor); touch 26; flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +69/-
Attack: Swarm (18d6)
Full-Attack: Swarm (18d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, immune to weapon damage, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +65 Ref +50 Will +41
Abilities: Str 32, Dex 26, Con 8, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 8
Skills: Intimidate +131, Escape Artist +140, Tumble +140, Survival +131, Sense Motive +131
Feats: Improved Initiative
Environment: Conjured when Grix is in a bad mood
Organization: Solitary, cloud (2-7 swarms), plague (11-20 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 20
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful (any)
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: -


Combat

Grix swarms are mostly mindless, driven only by the will of their god. They take down temples dedicated to the gods Grix is currently hating, and then the swarms disband and the grixes go back to their homes.

Mewtarthio
2007-04-03, 08:28 PM
Since Bull Rushing has the same limitations as Grappling, I think the grix will have a bit of trouble "start combat off with a Bull Rush on the strongest-looking in the party," unless you include such a quality in one of its special abilities (such as adding it to [i]Tiny But Still Awesome).

alchemy.freak
2007-04-03, 08:57 PM
this seems to be very.........counterintuitive

Kyace
2007-04-03, 10:12 PM
Fine Giant (Swarm)
A swarm of giants? Of very little giants? Whats next, a giant dwarf? I can't wait to see the first time the grix grows. Hilarity all around.

Baron Corm
2007-04-03, 10:47 PM
Ahh I do love the SRD... "A giant is a humanoid-shaped creature of great strength, usually of at least Large size."

Demented
2007-04-03, 10:52 PM
Two things:
8 hit dice. Fine-sized creature. Whoa.

One more thing:
64 hitpoints. From... 8d8-8? Funky calculations.

Recompense:
The idea of an ant sized creature more difficult to destroy than most horses makes for a very amusing mental image.

Vaynor
2007-04-19, 09:56 PM
The skills for the Grix swarm seem kinda out there, +30-40 I can see, but +140 on Tumble?

Demented
2007-04-19, 10:31 PM
Well, yeah.

Did you see that it has 128 hitdice? 131 maxed-out skill, +8 for Dex mod, and a +1 Typo bonus gives you +140.

Person Named Bo
2007-04-19, 11:43 PM
I find it hilarious.

Eleven
2007-04-22, 09:54 AM
WOW!!! I love it.

Realms of Chaos
2007-04-22, 02:27 PM
I could picture it now.

Player: It's the size of an ant, right?
DM: yeah, just about.
Player: I kick it out of the way.
DM: Really?
Player: Yup.
DM: *rolls percentile dice* That "ant" has just enlarged to the point where it considers you an ant.
Player: I immediately regret my decision and run for the hills.
DM: Don't bother. It could catch you with a charge if you ran at full speed, and you're a monk. Not to mention the attack of opportunity.
Player: *starts crying*
DM: are you going to do anything else?
Player: lay on the ground and cover my eyes.
DM: too bad, that giant only had around 60 hit points. Not that it matters now. *squish*. Roll up a new character sheet.
Player: I hate you.

jlousivy
2007-04-23, 01:49 AM
indeed, i love the grix rage ability. i'd be great if their bite gave a % chance to give my character that ability...