By Alan McCoy from Dungeons & Dragons: Fundamentals
How to build challenging encounters against a Grick
Note: This has been prepared utilizing only the 5E Core Rules. The Grick can be found in the Monster Manual page 173.
A Grick has the appearance of a large snake massing as much as a man, the front section of the Grick can open, revealing an octopus like beak surrounded by four tentacled and suction cupped appendages. The Alpha Grick is even larger massing as much as some cattle.
A real-world search for comparative snake size produced examples of 17- and 18-foot pythons weighing in at 150 lbs. I think it would be reasonable, given the altered anatomy, to assign a probable length of a Grick to twenty or so feet, it would also be able to enter and egress from an area through a whole of at least one foot in diameter.
The Alpha Grick, assuming a mass of 600 lbs. would probably be longer and have a larger diameter. It would be reasonable to assign a probable length of an Alpha Grick at 30 feet and require an egress diameter of 2 feet.
Gricks are passive predators that lurk in subterranean areas, unless in transit from a depleted hunting territory, they will never be found in the open, their preferred habitat has a large amount of debris, burrows, holes or other crevices that will provide it with cover and protection against intrusion while it consumes its captured prey.
Gricks have been known to venture from their comfort zone and establish a hunting area above ground. So far, this phenomenon has only been observed in isolated wilderness areas, but it does indicate that these creatures are versatile enough to adapt to new environments.
Gricks are semi-intelligent monstrosities that have no interest in treasure or the possessions of the victim. The former possessions of the victim will tend to be centralized in the Grick lair, but that is incidental, the placement is simply the location where the Grick fed.While the MM does not state it, I believe that the Grick is capable of reproducing and is an egg-layer, but not much of a parent.
Step 1) Let’s Review what we know about the Grick/Grick Alpha
Physically the Grick is Strong (+2/+4), Nimble (+2/+3) and Tough (+0/+2)Mentally the Grick is of low intelligence (-4/-3), has a strong will (+2/+2) and have a strong presence that most people would try to forget (-3/-1).
Grick move well and can easily climb as fast as they slither (30 feet).
Grick are resistant to damage from non-magical Bludgeoning, Piercing or Slashing attacks.Grick have Darkvision (60 feet).
Grick are difficult to see when in rocky terrain gaining advantage on all stealth checks to hide there.
Step 2) Determine the probable Strategy
As opportunistic predators, Grick will wait patiently for prey to come to them. They will set up a hunting area as near to an area that prey animals pass as possible to ensure a ready food supply.
Grick are intelligent enough to be selective about their targets, choosing ones that they can attack and eat with the least possible bother.
A pack animal or a dog is more likely to be attacked than a person, though a hungry Grick will attack those too.
Grick have learned that the ones that walk on two legs struggle harder and fight back harder (weapons and magic), thus are less likely to be on the menu.
Grick pick lairs that have many tunnels and other burrows that they can navigate very easily, while enemies will have great trouble following.
At least ONE tunnel will be large enough to accommodate the Grick prey. This tunnel will usually require a climb to reach.
Once a Grick has captured a meal, it will usually cease hostilities, retreating into its lair to eat.
Step 3) Determine Tactics
A Grick will wait near an established prey route, using its camouflage and relative motionlessness to avoid detection.When a prey animal is in an optimal position for attack, it will spring forward, opening its maw to make it more likely to get a good grip on the prey.
A Grick will use its body mass supported by its tentacles to grapple a target, attempting to take the target into its lair to feed. While a Grick can carry without penalty a 210 lb. target, it can push, pull, or drag to double that capacity; for the Grick Alpha (Large) this increases to 540/1080 lbs.
The Grick mutli-attack consists of a single attack utilizing all its tentacles against a target followed by a beak attack if the tentacle attack hits.
Grick Alpha gain a tail strike that it can use as one of its attacks.
Step 4) DM Tips and Observations
The AC of the Grick and Grick Alpha are both lower than I would like to see in a creature of this size, I would personally bring the Grick to 15 and the Alpha to 20.
The damage resistance of the Grick is a hard one to fathom, there doesn’t seem to be a magical basis for awarding it, but I think I’ve worked out a justification for it. Grick fight in and around stone, this effectively gives them areas of ‘micro-cover’.
Mechanically “micro-cover” is exceedingly difficult to handle, so rather than try, the designers choose to represent this by using a damage resistance mechanic.
The speed of the Grick is itself is okay, though I’d like to see something that reflected the snake-like quality of the body.
The Grick Alpha should have a minimum speed of 40 in keeping with the large size. Given that the Grick spend so much of their lives in rocky terrain, I would double their speed while inside rocky terrain.
Darkvision just doesn’t seem right for the Grick, based on their physical description, I’d substitute BLINDSIGHT with an understanding that it uses Scents and Air Current Vibrations to locate prey.
Multi-Attack: Tentacles with a beak attack if… Yuck!
This is what I feel that it should look like; this:
Multi-Attack: The Grick attack by using its tail and by making one attack with each of its tentacles (4), in addition of any of the tentacle attacks is successful it may choose to utilize a bonus attack – beak on that target. The tentacle targets can be directed against any creature within range.
A Grick may choose to grapple with any tentacle once it has successfully hit the target.
Grick Tail — +4, Reach 5 ft., One Target; Hit 1d4 +2 Bludgeoning
Tentacles – +4. Reach 5 ft., One target per; Hit 1d4+2 Slashing
Beak — +4, Reach 5 ft; One Target; Hit 1d6+2
Alpha Grick Tail — +7, Reach 10 ft., One Target; Hit 2d6 +4 Bludgeoning
Tentacles – +7. Reach 10 ft., One target per; Hit 1d8 + 4 Slashing
Beak — +7, Reach 10 ft; One Target; Hit 2d6+4