Buy me a coffeeGrick — The Silent Terror of the Deep
A Grick is a stealthy, tentacled ambush predator that lurks in the lightless caverns, ruins, and tunnels of the world. With a serpentine body, razor-edged beak, and stone-colored hide, it is the perfect subterranean hunter—able to vanish into the rock until it moves to strike. Feared by adventurers and Underdark dwellers alike, the Grick embodies the lurking horror of the unseen, a living echo of the darkness that waits beyond torchlight.
Appearance
The Grick appears as a grim fusion of serpent and cephalopod, its rubbery, slate-gray body coiling with eerie fluidity. From its blunt head emerge four powerful tentacles, each lined with hooked ridges and fibrous muscle that twist and seize prey with crushing strength. At their center gapes a hard, chitinous beak, sharp enough to rend through bone and steel. Its coloration—mottled hues of stone and shadow—renders it nearly indistinguishable from the cavern walls it inhabits. When still, it seems a part of the rock itself, waiting for life to come too close.
Behaviour
Gricks are patient, methodical predators, guided by instinct honed through endless ages of subterranean survival. They lie motionless in the dark, clinging to ceilings or hiding among rubble until vibrations or scent reveal potential prey. Once the moment comes, they strike with sudden, silent ferocity, coiling and constricting with their tentacles before delivering a lethal bite.
They avoid bright light and retreat when wounded, vanishing into crevices only to return when the danger fades. While solitary by nature, they sometimes hunt in packs led by an Alpha, demonstrating an eerie, animal cunning that borders on strategy.
Habitat
The Grick’s domain lies in the deepest shadows of the world—from the lightless Underdark to forgotten catacombs and collapsed mines. They make their lairs amid crumbling stone, broken pillars, and echoing caverns, often marked by gnawed bones and the remnants of armor.
An Alpha Grick may dominate a territory spanning entire tunnel networks, driving off weaker predators and establishing a feeding ground that no creature enters unchallenged. These areas become silent zones, where even the sound of dripping water feels like a warning.
Modus Operandi
The Grick’s hunting style is built on silence, surprise, and terrain mastery. It blends into its surroundings, waiting for prey to wander within reach, then strikes with terrifying speed—tentacles binding, beak piercing. If prey resists, it withdraws into the labyrinthine dark, only to circle back unseen.
Its camouflage, agility, and endurance make it almost impossible to track in its native environment. To those who descend unprepared, a Grick attack feels less like an encounter and more like the dungeon itself turning hostile.
Motivation
Driven by primal hunger and territorial instinct, the Grick seeks only to feed and endure. Yet scholars note that Alpha Gricks display unnerving intelligence—testing defenses, coordinating ambushes, and even laying traps. Some theorize they descend from an ancient subterranean species, remnants of a forgotten age when the world above was still forming.
To face a Grick is to confront the raw will of the dark beneath the earth—cold, patient, and eternal.
Grick 5e 2024
Alpha Grick 5e 2024
Grick 5e
Grick, Pathfinder
Grick
Medium monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 45 (6d8 + 18)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) | 3 (−4) | 14 (+2) | 5 (−3) |
Saving Throws Dex +4, Con +5
Skills Stealth +6, Perception +4
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages —
Challenge 3 (700 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Lore
Deep beneath the surface world, where light has never fallen, the Grick slithers through the shadows of forgotten empires. Neither beast nor aberration, it is an ancient subterranean predator, adapted perfectly to stone, silence, and hunger.
Its rubbery serpentine body and hooked tentacles allow it to glide across walls and ceilings as if born of the rock itself. When still, its mottled gray hide is indistinguishable from the cavern stone—a nightmare waiting for motion. Many Underdark travelers whisper that Gricks are remnants of a pre-surface age, the “original hunters” of the world’s dark underbelly.
Those who delve too deep often find the evidence too late: a half-eaten corpse, a cracked helmet, or an ominous tunnel that ends abruptly in clawed stone.
Role in the World
Gricks embody the predatory patience of the Underdark. They serve as a mid-level encounter for adventurers exploring ancient ruins or subterranean environments—threats that punish noise, complacency, and bright light.
They are also an ecological warning: wherever Gricks thrive, larger horrors are not far behind. Their presence marks food-rich but perilous ground. Alpha Gricks, in particular, are apex ambushers that can hold sway over whole tunnel systems, driving lesser creatures before them like cattle.
Though unaligned, Gricks are sometimes used as guardians by drow, duergar, or illithids, trained through pain and hunger to defend key passages.
Traits
Stone Camouflage.
The Grick has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in rocky terrain.
Ambusher.
If the Grick surprises a creature and hits it with an attack on the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) damage from the attack.
Light Sensitivity.
While in bright light, the Grick has disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Subterranean Predator.
The Grick can move along walls and ceilings as though they were the floor. It can squeeze through gaps as narrow as 4 inches without penalty.
Actions
Multiattack.
The Grick makes two attacks: one with its Tentacles and one with its Beak.
Tentacles.
Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) slashing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 12) if it is Medium or smaller. Until this grapple ends, the Grick can’t use its tentacles on another creature.
Beak.
Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) piercing damage. The attack has advantage if the target is grappled by the Grick.
Bonus Actions
Blend into Stone (Recharge 5–6).
The Grick flattens and melds into its surroundings. Until the start of its next turn, it gains total cover while motionless and advantage on its next attack made from hiding.
Reactions
Slip Away.
When a creature misses the Grick with a melee attack, the Grick can move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Tactics and Combat Style
Gricks rely entirely on stealth and ambush. They strike from above or below, targeting isolated or lightly armored prey. A typical ambush follows this pattern:
- Before combat: The Grick remains motionless on a ceiling, ledge, or among rubble, hidden by Stone Camouflage.
- First round: It drops upon the nearest creature, using its Tentacles to grapple, then follows with a Beak strike.
- During battle: If cornered or injured, it uses Slip Away to vanish into the dark, circling back to attack from a new direction.
- Against light sources: It may prioritize extinguishing torches or attacking spellcasters using light spells.
Gricks prefer narrow tunnels where prey cannot surround them. They are cunning enough to feign retreat, only to strike again from above moments later.
Grick
This pallid, slimy, worm-like creature is the size of a human, its mouth a sickening tangle of tentacles and hooked jaws.
Medium monstrosity, neutral
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 27 (6d8)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 11 (+0) | 3 (-4) | 14 (+2) | 5 (-3) |
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages –
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Special Traits
- Stone Camouflage: The grick has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in rocky terrain.
Actions
- Multiattack: The grick makes one attack with its tentacles. If that attack hits, the grick can make one beak attack against the same target.
- Tentacles: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) slashing damage.
- Beak: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
This pallid, slimy, worm-like creature is the size of a human, its mouth a sickening tangle of tentacles and hooked jaws.
Grick CR 3
XP 800
N Medium aberration
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Perception +12
DEFENSE
AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 27 (5d8+5)
Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +6
DR 10/magic
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee bite +4 (1d4+1), 4 tentacles –1 (1d4)
STATISTICS
Str 12, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 5
Base Atk +3; CMB +4; CMD 16 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Combat Reflexes, Skill Focus (Perception), Stand Still
Skills Climb +9, Perception +12, Stealth +6 (+14 in rocky terrain); Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in rocky terrain
Languages Aklo (cannot speak)
ECOLOGY
Environment any underground
Organization solitary or cluster (2–5)
Treasure incidental
The worm-like grick is a terror of the caverns and tunnels in which it dwells, lying in wait near heavily traveled underground passages or subterranean cities for the chance to reach forth from the darkness and take its prey. Those laid low by a grick are rarely consumed on the spot. Instead, fresh food is hauled back to the grick’s lair in a tight burrow or high on a cavern ledge, where it is consumed in small bites at the grick’s leisure.
The origins of the grick are not known. Even though the grick has a rudimentary intelligence, it does not have any society to speak of, and most are encountered alone. On those occasions when unfortunate travelers meet multiple specimens, groups of gricks do not appear to communicate or work together; each instead attacks individual targets and retreats with its prize as soon as it manages to bring down an opponent.
Capable predators, gricks also have a strangely weapon-resistant hide that makes them especially dangerous. Many novice adventurers have fallen to grick attacks merely because they were unable to damage the creature with their nonmagical weapons. Those that are familiar with gricks (especially dwarves, morlocks, and troglodytes) know the best strategy for dealing with them is to fall back and wait for more powerful or magical reinforcements.
Gricks rely on their dark coloration and ability to climb walls to keep them out of sight until they’re ready to spring an ambush. On occasions when food is scarce in a given region, gricks have been known to travel to the surface and roam the wilderness in search of prey, but these sojourns are almost always out of necessity, and end as soon as the gricks find entrances to new subterranean lairs. They prefer darkness and the comfort of a ceiling overhead, avoiding the open sky and going to great lengths to keep the cover of trees, low clouds, or buildings between them and the empty gulf overhead.
Section 15: Copyright Notice
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2, © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Graeme Davis, Crystal Frasier, Joshua J. Frost, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, James Jacobs, Steve Kenson, Hal MacLean, Martin Mason, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, and Greg A. Vaughan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.
Alpha Grick
Large monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 115 (14d10 + 35)
Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 14 (+2) | 18 (+4) | 6 (−2) | 14 (+2) | 7 (−2) |
Saving Throws Dex +5, Con +7
Skills Stealth +6, Perception +5
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages —
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Lore
The Alpha Grick is the apex of its species, a massive predator ruling the deepest tunnels and caverns. Unlike ordinary Gricks, the Alpha demonstrates rudimentary intelligence, using ambush tactics, coordinating lesser Gricks, and manipulating its environment to trap prey.
Its hide is thick and ridged like basalt, and its four muscular tentacles, tipped with hooked ridges, strike with terrifying precision. Scholars speculate that Alphas may be remnants of a primordial subterranean lineage, surviving from a time before surface life dominated.
Encounters with an Alpha Grick are nearly always fatal for unprepared adventurers. Its presence transforms a dungeon from a simple maze into a hunting ground where stone itself seems to strike.
Role in the Game
- Serves as a mid-to-high level ambush predator in underground or ruinous environments.
- Functions as a solo or elite boss encounter when paired with lesser Gricks or other environmental hazards.
- Represents the danger of subterranean ecosystems, emphasizing stealth, patience, and territorial intelligence over brute force.
Traits
Stone Camouflage.
The Alpha Grick has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in rocky terrain.
Ambusher.
If the Alpha Grick surprises a creature and hits it with an attack on the first round, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) damage.
Light Sensitivity.
While in bright light, the Alpha Grick has disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Subterranean Apex.
The Alpha Grick can telepathically command lesser Gricks within 120 feet, issuing simple instinctual commands such as attack, hide, retreat, or surround.
Echo Sense.
The Alpha Grick can detect creatures through solid stone within 60 feet, provided it and the target share a continuous surface.
Actions
Multiattack.
The Alpha Grick makes three attacks: two with its Tentacles and one with its Beak.
Tentacles.
Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target.
Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) slashing damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 15) if Large or smaller. Until the grapple ends, the Alpha Grick cannot use its tentacles on another target.
Beak.
Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 11 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage. Has advantage if the target is grappled.
Crushing Coil (Recharge 5–6).
Each creature grappled by the Alpha Grick must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or take 18 (4d8) bludgeoning damage and be restrained. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and is not restrained.
Bonus Actions
Blend into Stone (Recharge 5–6).
The Alpha Grick flattens against the rock, becoming nearly invisible. Until the start of its next turn, it gains total cover if motionless and advantage on its next attack made from hiding.
Reactions
Slip Away.
When a creature misses the Alpha Grick with a melee attack, it can move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Legendary Actions
The Alpha Grick can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. It regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Detect. The Grick makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
- Tentacle Lash. The Grick makes one Tentacle attack.
- Burrow Retreat (Costs 2 Actions). The Grick moves up to its full movement through natural stone, leaving no trace.
Tactics
- Positioning: The Alpha lurks in dark corners, on ceilings, or in narrow tunnels.
- Engagement: Signals lesser Gricks to harry intruders while striking with tentacle grapples and beak attacks.
- Adaptation: Uses Crushing Coil, Slip Away, and Blend into Stone to control combat flow.
- Environmental Manipulation: May collapse tunnels, extinguish lights, or herd prey into chokepoints.
The Alpha Grick fights to maximize advantage and minimize risk, retreating when necessary to strike again from a hidden position.
Environment
Underdark, Subterranean Ruins, Collapsed Mines, Deep Caverns
Adventure Hooks
- The Brood Pit: Explorers stumble upon an Alpha Grick guarding a lair filled with lesser Gricks and treasures from fallen adventurers.
- The Silent Hunter: A mining town experiences vanishings; the Alpha Grick stalks the tunnels below.
- Chamber of Echoes: An ancient ruin has become a death trap where the Alpha Grick uses its echo sense to hunt intruders before they even enter its lair.