G is for Grend

I was going to talk about the Gleaming River, but after two consecutive geographical entries, I decided to switch things up a bit. Besides, I haven't introduced any of the creatures of Meterra. So, here are the grends.

When the Europeans first arrived in Meterra, they believed they were back in Europe; the landscape certainly didn't match the Holy Land, although no one was able to place just where they were. Their first indication that they weren't in Europe either was their encounter with the grends.

Grends are humanoids with gray skin, black greasy hair, and slightly elongated arms. Their beady green eyes glow with an eerie light, and their faces are drawn and thin. They could pass for human in only the dimmest light, or with their faces covered. Their voices are sibilant, almost snake-like, although they bear no other reptilian qualities to speak of. They are tool users, reasonably intelligent, and eagerly vicious in battle.

Grends travel in tribal bands, ravaging and pillaging when they can, fighting amongst themselves when they can't. Their social structure is barbaric, with the strongest leading the tribe and the weakest reduced to menial work, or killed outright for the amusement of their betters. In battle, tribes disintegrate into wild pockets of fighters, every one focused on his own fight, even to the detriment of other grends. Even with other tribes, they make temporary alliances at best, with both sides seeking advantage over the other. When a greater threat appears, such as an army of crusading knights, grend tribes won't even consider working together to face the threat.

Despite their chaotic and unruly nature, grends are hardy and fearsome fighters, easily a match for any soldier, or even a knight. And while they will fight on their own with no consideration for their fellows, they will rally to their tribal leaders if hard-pressed. If a leader falls, however, the tribe is just as likely to withdraw from the battle to select a new leader from the survivors as they are to continue the original battle.

Grends worship tribal spirits, and some have been granted semi-divine abilities, including some minor spellcasting ability. These grends are tribal shamans, well-respected amongst their fellows. And while they cannot match the power of Ramai wizards or the divine power of the Christian priests, they are cunning and deadly in battle, with absolutely no mercy or sense of fair play.

Grends are omnivorous, willing to eat just about anything, although fresh meat is their dish of choice. They are not cannibals, however; grends will never eat their own even in the most dire of circumstances.

For gaming purposes, grends are effectively my replacement humanoids for orcs; orcs are too Tolkien for my taste, and I wanted something a bit different. Grends are able to crossbreed with humans, although it is exceedingly rare for it to be a voluntary pairing; the resulting child is basically equivalent to a half-orc but with less pig-like features and instead having an aura of 'unrightness'. It's not something easily defined, but those who are fully human sense the taint on their souls, and tend to shun them; hence, half-grends have a lower maximum charisma (just like half-orcs in the original AD&D game).

And I'm going to include 1st edition stats for the creatures of Meterra, in case some old-school gamers want to use them in their own campaigns. Here are the grends:

FREQUENCY: Common

NO. APPEARING: 30-300

ARMOR CLASS: 6

MOVE: 9”

HIT DICE: 1+1

% IN LAIR: 35%

TREASURE TYPE: Individuals L; C, O, Q (x10), S in lair

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8 or by weapon type

SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard

INTELLIGENCE: Average (low)

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil

SIZE: M (6’+ tall)

LEVEL/XP VALUE: I/20+2/hp

Grend leaders range from 2 to 5 hit dice, fighting as well as human fighters of equivalent level. Any magic items owned by a tribe will be in the possession of either the chief or the shaman (if the chief is incapable of using it, such as a scroll or wand). Shamans can use magic items restricted to clerics and magic-users without any penalties, although they have the same restrictions as human characters do (command words, proficiency, etc.).

In other respects, grends are similar to orcs as described in the Monster Manual, including choices of weapons and how their lairs are set up. Including their occasional partnership with ogres.