AC 12
HP 13 (2d8 + 4; bloodied 6)
Speed 30 ft.
Proficiency +2; Maneuver DC 12
Skills Athletics +4, Engineering +4, Perception +2 (+1d4), Stealth +4
Condition Immunities blinded
Senses blindsight 30 ft., or 10 ft. while deafened (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 14
Languages Undercommon
Camouflage. The grimlock has advantage on Stealth checks made to hide in rocky terrain.
Keen Hearing and Smell. The grimlock has advantage on Perception checks that rely on hearing or smell.
ACTIONS
Lightning Stick. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) lightning damage.
Throttle. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 12) and can’t breathe . Until this grapple ends, the grimlock can’t use any attack other than throttle and only against the grappled target, and it makes this attack with advantage .
Sling. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Silenced Blunderbuss. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) piercing damage. The blunderbuss fires with a cloud of smoke and a quiet pop that can be heard from 30 feet away. It requires an action to reload the blunderbuss.
Smoke Bomb (3/Day). The grimlock throws a vial at a point up to 20 feet away. The area within 30 feet of that point is heavily obscured for 1 minute or until cleared by a strong wind.
Combat
Grimlocks stealthily approach a group of foes, throttling and dragging them off one at a time. In a pitched battle, grimlocks are adept at determining which creatures are moving hesitantly ( blinded by darkness or other effects) and attacking those targets. After two rounds of face-to-face combat, grimlocks retreat, tracking their foes from a distance and attacking again when surprise is on their side.
Legends and Lore
With a Culture or History check, characters can learn the following:
DC 10: Grimlocks are blind, but their senses of hearing and smell are extremely keen.
DC 15: Grimlocks build massive underground machines that prevent volcanoes and earthquakes. They are very protective of these machines, and tampering with them can have dire consequences.
DC 20: Grimlocks are actually a subtype of human that have adapted to life in lightless conditions.
Grimlock Gadgets and Traps
1 Rotating wheels that remotely open and close passages
2 Torch sconces enchanted with permanent darkness effects
3 Tubes that emit puffs of air strong enough to extinguish unprotected flame
4 Banks of humming devices that deal 9 (2d8) lightning damage to anyone that touches them
5 Acrid fumes: a creature that starts its turn in the gas makes a DC 13 Constitution saving throw , becoming blinded for 1 minute on a failure
6 Basilisks in cages
Some grimlocks are stewards of ancient engineering knowledge. They know how to create and operate complex traps and devices, including a blunderbuss, which is similar to a primitive musket, and a lightning stick, which is a two-handed martial weapon that deals lightning damage.
1 Hiding in ambush
2 With a blindfolded captive
3 Trailing you by sense of smell
4 Squatting around a human corpse
5 In a workshop, tinkering with some strange mechanical device
6 At the controls of a machine, adjusting dials and levers or listening to rhythmic clacks
1 DC 13 Perception check: bare footprints
2 DC 13 Investigation check: a secret trapdoor
3 A distant rumble, like a stone door being opened
4 A crossbreeze that extinguishes unprotected flames at a crucial time
Grimlocks inhabit the depths of the earth, coming up to the surface only for rare raids.
CR 0–2 1d4 grimlocks ; 1 or 2 grimlocks with cockatrice , darkmantle , or grimlock technical ; revilock
Treasure alchemist’s supplies (50 gp), 2 potions of climbing , potion of healing
CR 3–4 1d4 + 4 grimlocks ; 1d4 + 2 grimlock technicals ; revilock with 1d4 grimlocks ; 2 grimlocks with basilisk or 2 darkmantles
Treasure small idol of purple stone (125 gp), 20 blue quartz gemstones (10 gp each, hum slightly when a certain note is sung), 3 potions of healing
CR 5–10 1d10 + 10 grimlocks ; 1d8 + 8 grimlocks with aboleth thrall , revilock , or 2 grimlock technicals ; 1d6 + 4 grimlocks with roper
Treasure 2 marble busts (250 gp each), 3 rare books written in grimlock letters (100 gp each), collection of electrum wires and gears (125 gp), eversmoking bottle
Humanoids include a number of different intelligent, language-using bipeds of Small or Medium size. Humans and elves are humanoids, and so are orcs and goblins. Humanoids may employ magic but are not fundamentally magical—a characteristic that distinguishes them from bipedal, language-using fey, fiends, and other monsters. Humanoids have no inherent alignment, meaning that no humanoid ancestry is naturally good or evil, lawful or chaotic.