Monster Geographica - Marsh & Aquatic.pdf - The Secrets of the ...

Grumpet
Medium Aberration
Hit Dice: 5d8+5 (27 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square), fly 30 ft. (good) (6
squares)
Armor Class: 19 (+4 Dex, +5 natural), touch
14, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+2
Attack: Slap +2 melee (1d3-1)
Full Attack: 4 slaps +2 melee (1d3-1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spells, stench
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immunity
to poison and nausea, spell resistance 18
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 18, Wis
8, Cha 15
Colloquially called as “gasbags,” grumpets are
4-foot-wide leathery bags formed around a broad
human-like face, comical with its droopy eyes and
colossal nose. Their hair is a hue of golden yellow,
and their skin an azure blue. Two pairs of limbs
sprout from behind their face, and their underside are
a pair of hollow stumps which serve as regulatory
vents. They float off the ground about 2 to 5 feet.
Grumpets live in fetid bogs and fens, where
methane-rich air is plentiful. They store the gas in
their bloated bulbous bodies, whereby it is used to
generate the hot air that allows the gasbags to float.
They propel themselves forward by ejecting surplus
gas through their vents. Should a gasbag deflate itself
for whatever reason, it can still move by pulling itself
around with its four arms. It takes an empty grumpet
at least 5 minutes to reinflate and float.
Grumpets are highly intelligent beings that
love ancient lore and magic. They often discover
such knowledge when exploring the partially
submerged ruins of lost civilizations commonly
found within their remote homelands. Grumpets
sometimes amass a fortune of magic and treasure,
and establish a rather impressive knowledge of both
the magic and history of the area. These creatures
are equally known—quite infamously—for their
incessant talking. As they are always alone,
constantly avoiding their kin, they seek and
enjoy the company of other races. They use such
opportunities to discuss their vast knowledge and
express their opinions and thoughts. They can
almost talk one to death, never running out of steam,
and rarely giving an opportunity to reply.
All grumpets speak Grump and Common.
They also speak any other four additional languages,
usually those common to the area in which they live.
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Skills: Appraise +10, Concentration +7,
Disguise -6, Hide -4, Knowledge (arcana) +10,
Knowledge (history) +10, Listen +5, Perform
(oratory) +8, Search +10, Spellcraft +12,
Survival –1 (+1 following tracks)
Feats: Empower Spell, Eschew Materials,
Hover B
Environment: Warm marsh
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 6-10 HD (Medium); 11-15 HD
(Large)
Level Adjustment: —
Combat
Grumpets do not like fighting. They prefer
talking things over when they can, and fleeing when
they cannot. However, when pressed and cornered,
grumpets turn to their magic to defend themselves.
Spells: A grumpet can cast arcane spells as a
7th-level wizard. A typical grumpet has access to
the following spells: 0—acid splash, arcane mark,
dancing lights, daze, detect magic, detect poison,
disrupt undead, flare, ghost sound, light, mage hand,
mending, message, open/close, prestidigitation, ray
of frost, read magic, resistance, touch of fatigue;
1st—comprehend languages, expeditious retreat,
identify, magic missile, shield, shocking grasp, silent
image, sleep; 2nd—acid arrow, cat’s grace, detect
thoughts, invisibility, resist energy, summon monster
II, web; 3rd—blink, dispel magic, displacement,
fireball, slow, stinking cloud; 4th—charm monster,
ice storm, lesser globe of invulnerability, solid fog,
summon monster IV.
Typical Spells Prepared (4/5/4/3/2; save DC
14 + spell level): 0—detect magic, light, mage
hand, read magic; 1st—identify, magic missile,
shield, shocking grasp, sleep; 2nd—acid arrow,
invisibility, summon monster II, web; 3rd—dispel
magic, fireball, stinking cloud; 4th—ice storm,
summon monster IV.
Stench (Ex): Grumpets depend on natural gas
to fuel the biological processes that allow them to
float, which has the side effect of surrounding them
with an unpleasant odor. A gasbag seems unaffected
by the smell, but the same cannot be said for those
around them. Any creature that comes within 20 feet
of a gasbag must succeed on a DC 13 Fortitude save
or be sickened until leaving the area. The save DC is
Constitution-based.
Skills: A grumpet’s stench precedes it,
imposing a –8 racial penalty on all Disguise and
Hide checks.
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