Grick Alpha (/ɡrɪk ˈæl.fə/)
The Alpha Grick
The wormlike creature ends in a head with a tiny pair of eyes and four barbed tentacles unfurling to reveal a hungry, snapping beak. The main body is about 6 feet long, 8 feet with the tentacles.The wormlike grick waits unseen, blending in with the rock of the caves and caverns it haunts. Only when prey comes near does it rear up, its four barbed tentacles unfurling to reveal its hungry, snapping beak. Passive Predators. Gricks rarely hunt. Instead, they drag their rubbery bodies to places where creatures regularly pass, lurking out of sight amid rocky rubble and debris, squeezing into burrows, holes, or crevices, climbing up to ledges, or coiling around stalactites to drop on unwary prey. A grick consumes virtually anything that moves except for other gricks. It targets the nearest prey, grabbing a fallen creature with its tentacles and dragging it off to eat alone. Roving Ambushers. Gricks remain in an area until the food supply dwindles, often because sentient creatures become aware of their presence and plot alternate routes around their lairs. When prey is scarce in the Underdark, gricks venture aboveground to hunt in the wilderness, lurking in trees or on cliff-side ledges. A grick pack is often led by a single well-fed, oversized alpha around which the others congregate. Spoils of Slaughter. Over time, grick lairs accumulate the cast-off possessions of intelligent prey, and expert guides know to look out for these tell-tale signs. Underdark explorers sometimes seal off the routes leading to and from a grick lair to starve them, then claim the wealth of the foul creatures' victims.
The Mighty Menagerie fought one in Jacoby's Eushia Home houpetor skatuch'
Basic Information
Anatomy
Gricks were large worm-like creatures that lived away from sunlight. Their head was composed of a sharp beak surrounded by four tentacles.
Description
The main body of an adult grick was about 6 ft (1.8 m) long. Including the length of the tentacles, this made a grick about 8 ft (2.4 m) long. A grick's head featured a pair of tiny eyes and a snapping beak surrounded by large barbed tentacles. The tentacles would cover the beak unless the grick was attacking or eating. Grick skin was rubbery and uniformly dark with with pale underbellies. Colouration varied from dark greens to blues .Their skin would camouflage well in rocky terrain and shadows.Ecology and Habitats
Ecology
Gricks laid oblong blue/green eggs about the size of a human fist. Young gricks were known as grick wormlings. Grick wormlings were edible and were known to be served in the Dalelands stuffed with rice pilaf and diced celery. Cured and spiced grick tentacles were also eaten. Gricks could be made to serve abberrant creatures like grells. Due to the grick's constant need to eat, some explorers consider the best way to kill a grick is to seal it inside its nest and wait for it to starve to death.Behaviour
Behavior
Gricks were almost always hungry and would seek to hunt anything that moves (except other gricks). Gricks would also immediately attack whenever their nest was threatened. Gricks were adept at climbing and could slither up walls with little difficulty. Although they prefer to stay underground or indoors, gricks would venture into the open if food was scarce. Even then, gricks would only do so at night to avoid burning their small and sensitive eyes.Combat
Gricks preferred to hunt in packs but could also be found hunting alone. Gricks hunted by waiting in busy areas and ambushing their prey. Gricks used their natural camoflage to remain hidden in rocky terrain. If hunting in a pack, gricks would manoeuvre to outflank their pray wherever possible.. Due to their relatively small beaks, gricks could only take small bites of food. As a result gricks preferred to drag prey back to their nest once it was unconscious or dead.Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Harvesting
Instructions
Instructions: Because this creature is an Monstrosity, the player should roll a Nature Check using the DCs in the table below. On a success, the player is able to harvest the item. On a failure, the item cannot be harvested (either because the character is not skilled enough, or because the item is ruined). The DM should note that many of the items have an expiration, and can not be sold or used after the expiration has passed.
| DC | Item | Description | Value | Weight | Expiration | Crafting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Grick Tentacle (x4) | The grick has 4 thick, rubbery tentacles with sharp barbs near the end. Some Underdark societies hunt gricks for the tentacle meat. When cooked, its texture resembles large calamari, but the meat is much oilier with a sharp acidic taste. An expert craftsman can stretch the tentacles and carefully comb them into long, thin fibers. These fibers are then soaked and treated with oils, making them useful filaments for creating ropes and whips. | 2 gp | 8 lb. | 2 day | - |
| 15 | Grick Skin | A grick has a thick, snake-like skin. The skin can be used to create all kinds of aparrel and accessories. | 7 gp | 6 lb. | 10 day | Grick Hide Cloak (HHH) |
| 20 | Grick Pearl | Larger, older and bigger gricks sometimes swallow the jewelry and gems of their prey. In some cases, these items get caught in a gricks digestive system. Over time, the gricks natural enzymes coat the item, which hardens. This process happens over-and-over again, layer-after-layer. In rare cases, a shiny pink pearl forms. | 200 gp | 3 lb. | ∞ | Gem of the Underdark (HHH) |
This kind of creature does not normally carry treasure. This kind of creature does not normally have or collect treasure. However, the creature may have a lair full of bodies, or reside somewhere that treasure already exists.
This creature produces 6-36 pieces of Harvested Meat, weight of 4 lb each. DC: 5, Expire: 1 day, Value: 2 sp each. The meat of many monsters is considered vile and distasteful. Monstrosities and aberrations, in particular, may have tainted blood or rancid tasting meat. Dungeon Master's discretion.
Civilization and Culture
History
In -8170 DR the settlement of Alatorin was defended by gricks.
At some point after 1372 DR the sewers of Waterdeep were home to a small population of gricks.
One of the circle of fangs rings was found on a chain around the neck of a drowned grick.
At some point prior to 1479 DR, the ruins of Harpshield Castle were infested with numerous gricks.
In 1491 DR, a goblin named Lhupo kept a pet grick in Cragmaw Castle.
Sources
Source(s):
- Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 173. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 145. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 139. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- Robert J. Schwalb (December 2008). “Touch of Madness”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dungeon #161 (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 72–113.
- Tito Leati, Matthew Sernett and Chris Sims (February 2014). Scourge of the Sword Coast. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 43.
- Brian Cortijo and Christopher Perkins (January 2013). “The Vulture's Feast”. In Kim Mohan, Miranda Horner eds. Dungeon #210 (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 2–20.
- Tito Leati, Matthew Sernett and Chris Sims (February 2014). Scourge of the Sword Coast. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 41.
- Eric L. Boyd, Ed Greenwood, Christopher Lindsay, Sean K. Reynolds (June 2007). Expedition to Undermountain. Edited by Bill Slavicsek. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 128. ISBN 978-0-7869-4157-5.
- Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 20. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 125. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2.
- Ed Greenwood (August 2010). “Eye on the Realms: The Circle of Fangs”. In Steve Winter ed. Dungeon #181 (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 74–76.
- Tito Leati, Matthew Sernett and Chris Sims (February 2014). Scourge of the Sword Coast. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 41–44.
- Wizards RPG Team (July 2014). “Lost Mine of Phandelver”. Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set (Wizards of the Coast), p. 38. ISBN 978-0-7869-6559-5.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Animalia, Monstra, Bestial, Imposter (Natural), Grick Alpha
Origin/Ancestry
Monstrosity (Beast Imposter | Grick: Alpha)
Lifespan
unknown
Conservation Status
There is no protection for such creatures, and are often hunted when discovered.
Average Height
14'
Average Weight
550 lbs.
Average Length
18'
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
5E Statistics
Basilisk
| Size | Standard (Medium) Alpha (Large) |
| Type | Monstrosity |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| Challenge Rating | Standard (2) Alpha (7) |
General Information
| Movement | Climbing |
| Vision | Darkvision |
| Language(s) | None |
| Favored Terrain | Underground |
Appearance
| Average length | 8' |
See Also: Grick on Forgotten Realms Wiki