#Grippli

[clockwaysarts]

@HobiIsTheSunFiteMe's darling Soup!

[time-left-to-kill]

a little token for my grippli grenadier💣

[kazunekomori]

Been doing these chibi sketches over on my twitter

Opening more slots for a final round, DM me if interested!

[dailycharacteroption]

Mantella (Druid Archetype)

(art by Hyarion-art on DeviantArt)

As much as we’re all very familiar with physical trauma being the “default” way to damage something, toxins are perhaps just as old when it comes to ways to harm or even kill other living foes. Life is, after all, the product of a complicated series of delicate curated chemical reactions, so it only makes sense to destroy life by disrupting a creature’s ability to continue those chemical reactions.

Toxins are subdivided into poisons, which the creature delivers passively when another creature interacts with them (touching, swallowing, injuring), and venoms, which the creature delivers actively as an attack (bites, stings).

It only makes sense then, with so many toxins being weaponized in nature, that there would be druids using their primal magic to draw upon said poisons, and we’ve had three of those: the toxicologist, which specializes in poisonous spells, making use of real poisons, and shapeshifting into giant vermin (Though only higher level versions get the ability to poison in those forms); second is the urushiol, which sweats poison from their skin like certain frogs and works to refine the poison to become more and more deadly; and third is today’s subject, the mantella!

The lore of the matella archetype suggests that it was invented by grippli to improve or replicate the poisons possessed by some of their kind, but the archetype doesn’t actually interact directly with the toxic skin racial trait, meaning that in theory anyone can take it.

What sets the mantella apart is that they seem in some ways to honor the creatures that specifically use venom or poison, which is true of the former two true, but while the toxicologist uses toxins in all forms they take (plus transforming only into vermin), and the urushiol generates it’s own poison, the mantella focuses on wild shaping to recreate venomous creatures as well as delivering their own venoms through their own natural attacks, as we’ll see.

Or maybe you just want a poisonous druid that doesn’t give up nature bond or a bunch of the druid’s passive abilities.

Either way, we’ll soon see what the mantella is all about.

The mantella’s primary difference is how they handle wild shape. Namely, while they cannot take elemental forms, they always gain the ability to replicate the poison of their plant or animal forms. This means that their animals forms prior to early mid-levels can be venomous, allowing them to get poisoning much sooner than other druids.

Their other ability allows them to take a dose of poison they’ve been inflicted with and store it in their bodies, secreting it again through the natural weapons they either normally possess or gain later either through wild shape or some spell. This consequently also makes then and any animal companion they have immune to poison as well, making for a nasty surprise when a foe’s own venom (or that of their allies or other monstrous neighbors) is suddenly used against them.

This archetype is much simpler than other poison-themed archetypes for the druid class, but that’s part of it’s charm, offering accelerated poisoning in the early levels when poison is at it’s most effective and a fun reversal effect later on. This can be especially fun for a druid that moonlights as a magical assassin, or one that just enjoys focusing on debuffing foes.

Since toxins are such a common adaptation in the natural world, it’s likely many druids, and especially mantellas, find the idea of poison being “dishonorable” or “evil” to be patently absurd. Even the most painful and unpleasant venoms exist purely to ensure the survival of the creature that wields it, and poisonous animals and plants ensure the survival of their species by either killing the one that eats them (or at least giving them a very strong Pavlovian aversion to eating another one).

Taking an ambitious bite of a plant, falling on an ant nest, reaching into a viper’s den… Baju the Rougarou has an intimate history with poison, but despite this, it hasn’t deterred him. Quite the opposite, as he has developed a great interest in the natural toxins of the world, which carried over when he became a druid. The fact he is now immune has only made him bolder, much to the chagrin of his packmates.

Rumors of the presence of a fachen, a misshapen parody of a humanoid with only one leg, arm, and eye, can only mean the influence of the deity known as the Hateful Sculptor. The local druid circle  contemplates evacuating the area, knowing that the beast and other creations of the monstrous divinity are terribly strong despite their malformed nature. However, Ghilis has no intention of running, for as monstrous as the fachen is, it can still bow to venom’s agonizing kiss.

Claiming that they must be warding their morality against his divine senses, a paladin working with a colony of settlers has declared the grippli of the nearby rainforest dishonorable and evil for their use of poison. The longer he goes on, the more support he gains and the more unhinged he becomes. The fact that he hasn’t been able to feel the divine power flow through him is of no consequence, as surely it is just a divine test of character, one that he aims to pass by wiping out the “wicked frogs”

[druzysaur]

my guy for an upcoming Bloodlords campaign. he is a royal pain and the most toxic boy you will ever meet 🩸

[keadane]

The party in the ultimate armor

[oldschoolfrp]

"The grippli appear to be small, intelligent humanoid tree frogs. They have 700-year lifespans and produce few offspring. They defend themselves with snares, nets, poisoned darts and bolts, and occasionally a sword or dagger." The grippli first appeared with this card in AD&D Monster Cards Set 1 (1982), with Erol Otus giving them an alien look in his art. Their stats were reprinted without change in the 1983 Monster Manual II, but Jim Holloway drew his grippli resembling an ordinary frog wearing a shirt, and added one to the contents page enjoying a toasted marshmallow with the aid of a happy magman.

[lady-rosie]

[chronivore]

[glowstickverse]

made another new guy his name is pwyll & he’s a weird little creature

[jerichoe]

One of four custom adoptable commissions done for Diseenith on Twitter, of various characters from a Pathfinder game they are DMing! 

This fella is a grippli paladin who favors blue colors. :D 

[amummy]

I haven’t drawn much lately but whenever i play a game irl i tend to draw my character. This is Sir (Pending) Cinth. His full name is Hyacinth Amber-eye and he’s a Grippli. His mount is Frowain.

[brinkmage]

Takt the Poison Dart, grippli alchemist (toxicologist), waiting for a safe moment to leave the alley.

[businesswolfstudios]

Art Fight 2023 [Part 2]

Read more for text explaining the pieces~

Website  [18+] | FurAffinity [18+] | DeviantArt

"Sunny Bunny" I came across this character by chance and I got such a clear idea in my head for her, I decided to do something I don't tend to as far as subject matter goes. But I love this, I love how she turned out and I think she's adorable.

"Strawberry Sweetfrog" This person also had cute characters to choose from, but having a soft spot for strawberries myself, I had to take a swing back and pick Santhiya for my revenge. Where I live, when frozen yogurt was a popular thing, most of the locations were Sweetfrog Frozen Yogurts, and this character's species and design reminded me a lot of them. They are indeed a pretty sweet frog.

"Magical Merman" I got attacked by a fellow fighter who was participating in Art Fight for the first time, so to thank them for the awesome work they did I draw their merman character Bay. I kinda want to do more portraits like this, with an element like the shark jaws in the background.

[dailycharacteroption]

Lastwall Sentry (Pathfinder Second Edition Archetype)

(art by GeorgeVostrikov on DeviantArt)

So, two weeks ago we covered both the Knight Reclaimant and Knight Vigilant archetypes, both of which require and are extensions of the Lastwall Sentry archetype. Well, guess what we’re finally covering today?

At the end of the life cycle of 1st edition and the advent of 2nd, the nation of Lastwall, a long-time bastion against not just The Worldwound but also the remnants of the Whispering Tyrant’s forces and the threat of his return was destroyed by the superweapon developed by the returned lich ruler and his resurgent armies.

However, while their bastions have been destroyed and their nation turned into a twisted wasteland of undeath and corrupted life known as the Gravelands, the defenders of Lastwall have not abandoned their post. Instead, those who remained renewed their vows and swore to hold the line and one day be victorious over the forces of darkness.

Whether they join one of the two divinely-empowered factions among their number or stick with their role as guardians and defenders, these warriors remain resolute against evil. Today, in this entry, we’ll see exactly how they do so!

The base dedication of this archetype requires the trainee to first learn how to properly use a shield to block incoming blows, but once they take the dedication, they can do so reflexively. In addition, they train to become more physically fit and learn more about their hated enemy: the undead.

Many also learn to always be ready against the undead, almost never being caught off guard by the classic ambushes and attacks of unquiet souls and necromantic abominations. However, they might be fooled by undead disguised as the living, or vice versa.

Incorporeal undead are the bane of any shieldbearer, but some learn to utter a prayer of protection to instilling their shield, as well as any shield boss or spikes, with just enough power to reach into the ether and block or strike foes with said shield for a few seconds.

For many, the title of sentry isn’t an empty role, and many are especially good at spotting danger or distant threats.

Others become so familiar with undead foes they almost always have a decent chance of recognizing their nature and abilities.

The guardians of Lastwall would rather face total oblivion that rise again as an undead monstrosity and become a threat to the very people they fight for. As such, some learn divine or occult methods of suffusing their bodies with trace amounts of positive energy that lingers after death, preventing all but the most powerful forces from raising them as undead, and making their corpse actually toxic to the unliving.

Similarly, many train to inure themselves to negative energy and harmful necromancy.

Though sometimes others may have differences of opinion or goals that run counter to these sentries, most will not slay the living if they can help it, learning how to better deal nonlethal blows against them when a peaceful resolution cannot be reached.

When one is part of a shield wall, it is often important to know how to push foes back with one’s shield, and so these warriors do, especially if they are also champions with a knack for using both hands to strike with a shield.

Some have fought they undead so long the can sense their presence, giving them an early warning against unseen foes.

The undead hoards just keep coming, and one must often adapt to the quirks of different undead types on the fly, and so these sentries do, recalling their weaknesses and how to pierce them in the same motion as they strike.

Like any foe, the undead are capable of mistakes and poor luck despite their relentlessness, and many of these warriors train to capitalize on that, punishing such fumbles with a mighty shove driving them back.

Rather it be by personal prayer, the blessings of a priest, or sheer willpower-driven occult power, more experienced soldiers of lastwall find their weapons able to strike true against spectral foes.

Some that revere a goodly deity sometimes channel a bit of their god’s blessing into their shield, causing it to flare with positive energy and light to harm and drive back the wicked undead.

Even negative energy is not exempt from their shields, giving them a new way to absorb the harm caused by the undead.

Necromancy is an insidious school of magic on the offense, and as they continue to inure themselves, they learn to better resist such spells which would have a partial effect even when they would succeed.

Those that have honed their senses against undeath can refine them further into a more precise sense, letting them better root them out.

True to their part as members of a shield wall, these warriors can protect others with their shields, not just themselves, and they often reflexively move to interpose the shield if it is an undead assailant.

Death and corruption are old companions of these warriors, and they not only better resist such effects but also try their best to ignore feelings of nausea and unwellness.

Whether it be divine intervention or a spot of uncanny luck in the face of doom, but these guardians sometimes find their shield holding out against one more attack when others would splinter and shatter.

It’s a simple lesson, if evil magic is being cast or manifested nearby, you disrupt it however you can, and some learn to do this with their raw spiritual power alone.

Some of the most powerful sentries are so resolute that they don’t just resist the life-sucking power of the void, but all forms of harm that undead would do to them, standing firmer against the deathly tide.

This archetype is one half improving your shield usage, and one half resisting and retaliating against the undead. As such, it really is meant primarily to be used by champions, fighters, rangers, as well as any sort of class build that makes heavy use of a shield in one hand and a weapon in the other. I will say, however, that a lot of the feats available to the class really are “you resist the deathly effects of undead, but in a different mechanical way”, which gives the homebrewer in me a headache. Even still, if you’re planning on building a shield-based character that fights a lot of undead, and this archetype is available, go for it, and remember it can also be a stepping stone for two other specific archetypes!

It really is inspiring to see heroes emerge from tragedy, to see people be subjected to the absolute worst that life has to offer and say “You will break before I do.” I suppose that’s why such characters are so popular across media.

Long has the Shining Legion stood firm against the horrors of the armies of Kados. However, when the necromancer king recruits a cadre of summoners, the legion will find itself against an unfamiliar foe in the form of hordes of elementals, including massive crystal striders and the like.

Though stout of heart, Pebbo the grippli is an odd choice indeed for a member of the Holy Phalanx, but he insisted he could be of use despite his small size, and he meant it, offering to train his very own underfoot brigade of smaller peoples to supplement the main shieldwall.

With the prestige of both the knights reclaimant and the knights vigilant, it’s often easy to assume that the sentry legion is full of those that couldn’t hack it in either of those groups, but that couldn’t be further from the truth, as most are proud of their role as defenders. However, there are rarely those that live up to the stereotype, and though some learn to move on from those feelings of bitterness, others do not, forming a festering cyst in the unbreakable shell of the legion.

[suparalaur]

F'hribbit.

My partner's backup character should his fragile wizard fail him this campaign.

I love him already 10/10 would squish face.