Friends of the player characters contact them, saying they are worried about a young human boy named Machal. When asked what’s wrong with the boy, the friends reply that he’s dead—but that’s not the problem. There have been graveyard defilements in the area recently, and they don’t want Machal’s grave disturbed. The locals fear ghouls or necro- mancers, although some tell of seeing an undead serpent wandering the fields at night. If the PCs keep a vigil in the cemetery, a ghoul worm attacks. Although the beast came looking for corpses, it will certainly settle for a living humanoid it can kill and drag away.
Grynloc
Medium Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 3d8+6 (19 hp), dying/dead –2/–12 Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 feet
AC: 15 (+1 Dexterity, +2 natural, +2 enhancement), touch 11,
flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+3
Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d4) or staff +3 melee (1d6) Full Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d4) or staff +3 melee (1d6) Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet (Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet) Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, spells, charm sets Special Qualities: Magic sight
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +7
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 13, Cha 12 Skills: Alchemy* +12, Concentration +5, Knowledge (magic)*
+12, Knowledge (runes)* +12, Spellcraft* +12, Spot +7
Feats: Attune to Magic Item, Create Charm Set†B, Iron
Will, Power of the Name
Environment: Any land
Organization: Solitary, pair, band (3–6 and 1 nystra),
or clan (7–18 and 1–2 nystra and 1 milnystra)
Challenge Rating: 2 Treasure: Standard
Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: +2
Grynlocs (also called gryhnlocks or even drynlocs in some older texts) sense magic the way other creatures sense light. In other words, where there is magic, they can see. Fortunately for them, the magic of the land extends almost everywhere.
In ancient times, grynlocs were allies and companions of the mysterious crystal weavers (see Chapter Two of The
Diamond Throne). A few, it is said, still retain the crystal
weaving ability they learned from their long-lost compan- ions. If true, they keep this secret to themselves. Nevertheless, the grynlocs are some of the best links that remain to the time when the crystal weavers roamed the land, and thus they know much about those ancient days.
Most people look at grynlocs as the source for potent magical lore and, truth be told, this assumption is rarely wrong. Still, these creatures usually like to keep to them- selves and avoid other peoples’ cities except in groups, and then only for short periods. Grynloc caravans are known to cross the land collecting and selling minor magical items and bits of lore. The grynlocs find themselves welcome in most places, although they never remain long enough to truly engender any trust from the locals.
Grynlocs are only vaguely humanoid. Their tall, lanky bodies stand just short of 7 feet. Their oddly angled legs are positioned well for speed. The flesh on a grynloc’s body runs from ivory to a dark, creamy brown. They have no hair, and their heads are long and angular. A typical individual weighs about 250 lbs. They cover themselves with magical charms and various fetish items (see “Charm Sets,” page 48).
Despite their somewhat fierce appearance and strange manner of dress, grynlocs are gentle, peaceful creatures. They do not eat meat. They dislike fighting and those who make war, but they do what they must to defend themselves, their possessions, and their secrets. Rarely, a certain magic item or morsel of magical knowledge will corrupt a grynloc. Corrupted individuals become more aggressive, selfish, and belligerent. They are cast out from the clan and live their lives stealing magic items, books, and secrets wherever they can find them.
Grynlocs live to be more than 200 years old, and some, enhanced by magic, enjoy far longer life spans. Their young are rare and are very fragile as well—most do not survive to adulthood. This keeps the grynloc population at a flat level. Chorrim (see Chapter Four of The Diamond Throne) hate grynlocs, and the feeling is quite mutual. Grynlocs still do not really know what to make of the faradians (see page 42), once their close allies. Grynlocs revere arcane rune manifests (see page 78) as near demigods and worship Vekik the Runegod in a very formal but secretive way—usually in hidden chapels or ancient stone circles atop lonely hills or in concealed caves. Traditionally, they enjoy the company of faen more than that the other major races. They like verrik the least, and sibeccai usually seem far too bestial and unpre- dictable for their tastes.
Grynlocs speak their own extremely complex language (it is similar to Faradian, but not the same). Even though they “see” magic, they hear, feel, smell, and taste normally.
The stats for the above grynloc assume it has a warding
charm set activated. Grynlocs are never Unbound.
Combat
Grynlocs retain a fairly powerful bite—a vestige of a much earlier time when they lived more primitive and savage lives. Many carry staves or daggers as weapons. However, in combat, they prefer to rely on their spell-like abilities and their charm sets. A common tactic is to use distraction, then animate their staff or dagger to fight for them while they back away. Most grynlocs would prefer not to fight; they always consider flight a viable option. They see no shame in prudence.
*Skills (Ex): All grynlocs gain a +4 racial bonus to
Alchemy, Knowledge (magic), Knowledge (runes), and Spellcraft.
Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): A grynloc can cast the following
spells as a 2nd-level magister 1/day—analyze, animate weapon,
distraction, and read magic. The save DC against these spells
is DC 13 + spell level.
Spells (Sp): In addition to the above spell-like abilities, all
grynlocs can ready and cast three simple or complex cantrips each day as a 2nd-level magister. The save DC against these cantrips is DC 13 + spell level.
Charm Sets (Sp): See separate section, page 48. Magic Sight (Su): Grynlocs see magic, viewing objects
and creatures only as the ambient magic of the land reflects off them (in the way that normal creatures see objects only as light reflects off them). They see active spells as brilliant halos and can tell a magic item from a mundane one without a second glance. In almost every way, this functions as blind- sight. This means, then, that a grynloc can see creatures that are invisible—in fact, if they are magically invisible, their glowing magical aura actually makes them easier to see.
Likewise, a creature with a magic item that grants a bonus to Sneak actually suffers the bonus as a penalty to Sneak rolls opposed by a grynloc’s Spot check. Grynlocs are never fooled into thinking that illusions are real, and they can even track creatures with magic items or active spells.
Grynlocs can tell a spellcaster from a nonspellcaster and can even gauge a spellcaster’s level just by looking. Similarly, they can tell the level of an active (or residual) spell and sense the potency of a magic item. They can determine spell schools by the color and shape of the auras they see.
Grynlocs are blind in a null magic zone and stunned the first round they spend within it (no save). A dispel magic spell cast on them stuns them for 1d3 rounds, unless they succeed at a Fortitude save to resist it.
Shape Magic (Su): Grynlocs can create an aura of magical
energy around themselves or other objects. The aura lasts a number of days equal to the grynloc’s Hit Dice. This ability has two main uses. First, the grynlocs create beautifully shaped, often amazingly elaborate magical raiment for them- selves that only members of their race can see. They use these auras to identify themselves to one another. The other use allows them to leave brief symbolic messages for others of their kind to see. While their precision is not such that they can spell out words, they can leave magical symbols of warning or welcome, or convey similar, simplistic meanings for one another.
A detect magic spell, a see invisibility spell, or similar magic can perceive the auras the grynlocs create. Someone who speaks Grynloc or makes a Knowledge (runes) check (DC 15) can understand them.