Grimgillet

Planar

Eldritch Burst

The creatures that lurk at the edges of the Far Realm are formless and terrible. On the rare occasion that one of these creatures finds its way to the Material Plane, it must assume physical form so that it may draw power. Some of these Far Realm beings are known as grimgillets — creatures who take form on the Material Plane from the stories and myths of the mortal races, particularly stories that inspire fear in their listeners. Grimgillets, like most of the Far Realm, do not have minds and personalities as the mortal races would understand them. They are more akin to metaphysical forces of eldritch energies. 

Grimgillets most often take their shape and motivations from fairytales. The longer they spend on the Material Plane, the further the grimgillets become entrenched in the stories that they have attached themselves to. Grimgillets have no comprehensible motivation beyond this instinctual manifestation. They soon start to behave as the subject of these fairtayles would — signature murders, kidnapping naughty children, or stealing from the rich, as applicable to whatever story they have attached themselves to. 

Grimgillets assume the identity of a specific character or creature in a story, though their forms can never be a perfect physical representation of what they depict. Faces are warped, colors are shifting and mismatched, and any voices are garbled and piercing. No matter their form, grimgillets always leave a strong smell of ozone in their wake. 

Those who are familiar with the story a grimgillet has attached itself to can use its contents to their advantage by assuming certain roles or carrying out certain actions consistent with the story to either draw the grimgillet’s attention or identify weaknesses. Those who have written out said story, and then burned the paper it was written on in a low-burning fire at midnight, will have resistance against the grimgillet’s attacks. 

The lair of a grimgillet on the Material Plane is dependent on the role it has assumed. A grimgillet with similarities to the big bad wolf or a well-known witch might lair in an abandoned cottage.  One that assumes the role of a great beast might lair in a foreboding cavern. Any grimgillet lair is twisted by its presence, gradually becoming filled with small rifts in space, time, and planar fabric. 

The strategy of a grimgillet and how willing it is to engage in direct combat will depend on the character it has assumed on the Material Plane. Generally, it uses its Sculpted Illusion ability as often as it can. It prioritises its Illusory Attack against most targets to take advantage of the saving throw which is difficult for most characters. It falls back to its Eldritch Burst attack if there are no enemies within 15 feet of it. 

If the correct corresponding rituals are carried out, the essence of a grimgillet can be captured in gems that confer benefits to the user. Some gems confer the benefits of limited telepathic abilities. Others can be used to temporarily enhance the strength of spells. A PC can spend one minute channeling the spiritual energy of the famish geist and making a DC 11 Intelligence (Arcana) check, or Intelligence (Religion) check. On a successful check, the PC compresses the energy into a gem and the GM chooses one piece of loot, or has the PC roll a d4 to determine what they get. On a failed check, the PC gets flawed black spindles. A PC can choose to have another make their skill check if they so choose.

Grimgillet

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