Grell

(From 5th Edition Monster Manual - 1994):

A grell resembles a bulbous floating brain with a wide, sharp beak. Its ten long tentacles are made of hundreds of ring-shaped muscles sheathed in tough fibrous hide. Sharp barbs line the tip each tentacle and inject paralytic venom. The grell can partially retract its barbs into its tentacles to handle or manipulate objects it doesn’t want to pierce or tear.

Grells have no eyes and floats by means of a sort of levitation. They have keen hearing, however, and their skin is sensitive to vibrations and electrical fields, allowing them to detect the presence of creatures and objects in their immediate vicinity. The creature’s ability to manipulate electricity to sense and move also allow it to absorb lightning without harm.

Although solitary by nature, grells sometimes gather in small groups called covens.

Floating Ambushers. A grell prefers to ambush lone creatures or stragglers, hovering silently near the ceiling of a passage or cavern until a suitable target passes below, whereupon it descends quickly and wraps its tentacles around its prey. It then floats away to its lair with the paralyzed creature in its clutches.

Alien Devourers. Grell are alien predators that group other creatures into three categories: edibles, inedibles, and Great Eaters (those rare creatures that might prey on a grell). Grells have no compunction about attacking creatures they classify as edible, including humanoids. They tend to avoid bigger creatures that they have little hope of carrying away.

A grell will sometimes allow adventurers to wage war on the other monstrous inhabitants of the dungeon complex it calls home, staying out of the adventurers’ way as they dispose of larger threats while waiting for the right time to strike.

(From Monster Manual II 3rd Edition - 2002):

These horrible, misshapen creatures resemble giant, floating brains with tentacles. They inhabit dungeons, underground passages, remote caves, and other places where light never reaches. Humanoids of all kinds are their favorite prey. This vicious predator has a large, bulbous body composed of wrinkled, light gray flesh that seems to float in the air of its own volition. Ten long, spiny tentacles hang from the bottom of its body, twisting in the air like ropes. A grell has a sharp beak that it uses for tearing the flesh of its prey, but no other visible facial features. 

Combat: A grell prefers to wait in ambush for potential prey. When a suitable target passes, the monster attempts to paralyze it with its tentacles, then escape to its lair with its helpless prey. Grells are cunning enough to avoid direct confrontations with large groups, since they are aware of the dangers that foes capable of teamwork can present. 

A grell occasionally shadows a group that is too large to attack directly, following along inconspicuously and using its Hide skill to stay out of sight. When a member of the target group lags behind, or the group is distracted by some other hazard, the grell attacks a straggler and tries to drag away its meal unnoticed. Grells also sometimes lurk near dangerous areas, such as pit traps, quicksand, or the lairs of other monsters, hoping to prey upon trapped, helpless, or wounded creatures. 

In melee combat, a grell can attack as many foes as it can reach, using as many of its tentacles as it wishes against any single opponent. It uses its bite only against paralyzed prey or as a last resort. 

Improved Grab (Ex): If a grell hits an opponent that is at least one size category smaller than itself with a tentacle attack, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +20, including a +16 racial bonus on grapple checks). If it gets a hold, it has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use a single tentacle to hold the opponent (–20 penalty on grapple check, but the grell is not considered grappled). In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals tentacle damage. 

Paralysis (Ex): A grell’s tentacles are lined with small spiny barbs, much like a squid’s. (This is clearly a classic case of convergent evolution, since the two creatures are completely unrelated.) Any creature hit by a grell’s tentacle must make a Fortitude save (DC 14) or be paralyzed for 4 rounds. 

Blindsight (Ex): A grell is blind, but it maneuvers and fights as well as a sighted creature by using scent and vibration to ascertain its surroundings. This ability enables it to discern objects and creatures within 60 feet. The grell usually does not need to make Spot or Listen checks to notice creatures within range of its blindsight. 

Flight (Ex): A grell’s body is unusually buoyant. The creature continuously produces an effect like that of the flyspell, which it can use to move at a speed of 30 feet (perfect maneuverability). This buoyancy also grants the grell a permanent feather fall effect with personal range. 

Immunities (Ex): A grell is immune to electricity and paralysis effects. 

Tentacle Regeneration (Ex): Foes can attack a grell’s tentacles, but only when those appendages are actually holding an opponent. A tentacle has an AC of 19 (touch 12) and can withstand 10 points of damage. The loss of a tentacle does not harm the creature (that is, the damage does not apply against its hit point total), and it regrows the limb within a day. 

Skills: A grell gains a +2 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks.

(From Monstrous Manual - 1993):

The grell is a fearsome carnivore that looks like a giant brain with a vicious beak and 10 dangling tentacles, each 6 feet long. Some grell are rogues, while others live in family units. The "civilized” grell is a hive or colony creature, much like an ant or a bee. but far more intelligent, arrogant and dangerous.

Grell have a weird language composed of bird-like squawks and chirps, combined with tentacular motion and a limited telep¬ athy with other grell. Other creatures cannot learn the grell lan¬ guage, and they would not deign to learn the language of "lesser beings" (a synonym for "food" in their language).

Combat: The grell's most common strategy is to use its natural levitation ability to hide in the upper reaches of large chambers, it can then drop silently on a victim, who suffers a “3 penalty to surprise rolls when attacked in this way.

A worker grell attacks with all 10 tentacles; each one that hits grips the opponent (the grip can be broken with a successful bend bars lift gates roll). For each hit. the victim must roll a saving throw vs. paralysis, with a +4 bonus, or be paralyzed for 5d4 rounds. With two tentacles gripping the prey the grell can lift it up toward the ceiling and devour the prey when desired, A grell automatically hits paralyzed prey each round.

Soldier grell often use weapons, including the tip-spear and the lightning lance* The tip-spear is an edged metal head which fits on the tip of a tentacle and is held there by suction; the weapon causes ld6 damage if used to slash, 2d6 if used to impale. Victims hit by a tip-spear must make a saving throw vs. paralysis, as if hit by a tentacle. The lightning lance delivers 3d6 points of electrical damage to those hit with it, though a successful saving throw vs. spells halves the damage A lightning lance starts with 36 charges: it can use one per round.

Any hit against a tentacle (AC 4) renders it unusable, but sub¬ tracts no hit points from the grell s total. Grell regenerate lost or damaged tentacles in 1-2 days, and are immune to electrical at¬ tacks.

Grell use strategy and tactics in their battles, and can attack more than one opponent each round. They are intelligent enough to allocate their tentacle attacks in an advantageous way. They use their beaks only against paralyzed prey.

Habitat/Sodety: Grell have a distinct hierarchy. Each hive is led by a patriarch, who gives orders to the philosophers, who direct the soldiers and workers in their every day tasks. A hive occupies an underground complex, or travels by ship.

Supposedly, all grell answer to a mysterious Imperator, a grell of great power who can unite all the grell for a common cause; to conquer a realm, a territory, or even a world.

A grell mates but once in its 30-40 year life span. The female later lays a dutch of 2d4 eggs. Young are bom active and selfsufficient, but with only 1 Hit Die. They gain 1 Hit Die every two months until they reach adulthood.

Ecology: Arrogant and vicious, grell hunt their territories to ex¬ haustion, then move on to more fertile places.

A grell’s paralytic poison cannot be extracted from the crea¬ tures body, but parts of the monster s body can be used for spells or items relating to levitation or electricity.

SoIdier/Worker: These are the common grell that form the bulk of a hive or a raiding party Occasionally a grell will become separated bom its fellows; these become rogues. Rogues carry no weapons, collect no treasure, and avoid sunlight.

Philosopher: These grell serve as intermediaries between patri¬ archs and workers /soldiers. Some lead lesser grell in combat, and there is one philosopher for every 10 lesser grell encountered. Some philosophers (20%) wear powerful rings of protection, giv¬ ing them AC 0, About 10% of philosophers can cast spells as 2nd level wizards.

Patriarch: Each hive has a patriarch, a huge, sedentary mass of flesh that directs the lesser grell. If the patriarch is taken to a ship, it can dig its many tentacles into the ship and animate it, even make it fly to other worlds.