Looking for a Monster in the Old 3.5 Books - The Grell (Also Looking For Good Lovecraft Monsters)


3.5/d20/OGL


I've been running a Kingmaker campaign that changes up the fey elements of it for a more Lovecraftian/aberrant feel. Aside from the three bestiaries and Wake of the Watcher, I've been trying to find more Lovecraft monsters as well as more aberrations to fit in. I've been looking for the Grell (aka Beaktopus) but have found out it is not OGL. Does anyone know what book the Grell is in? I have too many older 3.5 books and it'd take forever to sort through them all. I'd also be okay with more Lovecraft monster ideas from existing books.


I know they get a pretty big writeup in Lords of Madness. Trying to find them in one of the MM's though.

EDIT: They're also in MM 2, but that's 3.0. If you want 3.5, Lords of Madness is the way to go.

Shadow Lodge

MM1 or MM2, I'm pretty sure. I'm leaning toward MM1, I just think that WotC owns the name, so it's not open content, like Beholder and Mind Flayer.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

The grell were detailed in Monster Manual 2. If they were in MM1, they would likely have been in the SRD and thus open content. If they were NOT in the MM2 (or Monsters of Faerun), they would likely have been in Tome of Horrors.

Alas... the grell fell in between the MM and the Tome of Horrors; it, like the hook horror (the other one that folks always seem to assume/hope is open content) is closed content as a result.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber

If you can find a copy and don't mind a little conversion work, the D20 Call of Cthulhu book has dozens of Lovecraftian monsters written up for 3.0 rules.


Wonderful write up in Lords of Madness with a big section on 'The Eaters' as they are termed there. Good stuff if you can get your hands on a copy.

Master Arminas


James Jacobs wrote:

The grell were detailed in Monster Manual 2. If they were in MM1, they would likely have been in the SRD and thus open content. If they were NOT in the MM2 (or Monsters of Faerun), they would likely have been in Tome of Horrors.

Alas... the grell fell in between the MM and the Tome of Horrors; it, like the hook horror (the other one that folks always seem to assume/hope is open content) is closed content as a result.

Yeah of the Aberrations, I loved the Grell and Aboleths the most. I'm at least glad you guys got the aboleth.

Thanks for the help. I know I have MM2 and I THINK I have Lords of Madness. I can do some conversion work. I'll have to look at the d20 CoC game for other stuff. Is it OGL?

I'm looking a bit more into the Dreamland stuff, especially for later in the game. I've pretty much replaced the bad guy from Kingmaker with the equivalent of the King in Yellow where the PCs have to travel to the Dreamlands to fight him in his Impossible Bastion.


Odraude wrote:
I've been running a Kingmaker campaign that changes up the fey elements of it for a more Lovecraftian/aberrant feel. Aside from the three bestiaries and Wake of the Watcher, I've been trying to find more Lovecraft monsters as well as more aberrations to fit in. I've been looking for the Grell (aka Beaktopus) but have found out it is not OGL. Does anyone know what book the Grell is in? I have too many older 3.5 books and it'd take forever to sort through them all. I'd also be okay with more Lovecraft monster ideas from existing books.

Ok you can find it in THE MONSTERS OF FAERUN if you have it in 3.0

Paizo Employee Creative Director

Odraude wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:

The grell were detailed in Monster Manual 2. If they were in MM1, they would likely have been in the SRD and thus open content. If they were NOT in the MM2 (or Monsters of Faerun), they would likely have been in Tome of Horrors.

Alas... the grell fell in between the MM and the Tome of Horrors; it, like the hook horror (the other one that folks always seem to assume/hope is open content) is closed content as a result.

Yeah of the Aberrations, I loved the Grell and Aboleths the most. I'm at least glad you guys got the aboleth.

Thanks for the help. I know I have MM2 and I THINK I have Lords of Madness. I can do some conversion work. I'll have to look at the d20 CoC game for other stuff. Is it OGL?

I'm looking a bit more into the Dreamland stuff, especially for later in the game. I've pretty much replaced the bad guy from Kingmaker with the equivalent of the King in Yellow where the PCs have to travel to the Dreamlands to fight him in his Impossible Bastion.

If you're looking for dreamland Lovecraftian monsters... don't forget there are gugs and leng spiders an denizens of Leng in Bestiary 2, and moonbeasts and vooniths and zoogs in Bestiary 3!

And there's a lot of Lovecraftian monsters statted up in Pathfinder #46 as well.

(The d20 Call of Cthluhu stuff isn't OGL, alas.)


On the subject of Lovecraftian horrors, I cannot recommend Lords of Madness enough. The Elder Eidolon (no relation to the summoner eidolon--I hope, otherwise a terrible fate awaits us all) is just nasty. So are a lot of the minor aberrations. Chull (can't remember what book, but I know Dragon had an 'Ecology of' article on them) are another great horrific race.

And, of course, if you can find a copy of the d20 Call of Cthulu, all of the traditional critters are laid out there in stats for either 3.0 or 3.5, can't remember.

Master Arminas

Paizo Employee Creative Director

master arminas wrote:

On the subject of Lovecraftian horrors, I cannot recommend Lords of Madness enough. The Elder Eidolon (no relation to the summoner eidolon--I hope, otherwise a terrible fate awaits us all) is just nasty. So are a lot of the minor aberrations. Chull (can't remember what book, but I know Dragon had an 'Ecology of' article on them) are another great horrific race.

And, of course, if you can find a copy of the d20 Call of Cthulu, all of the traditional critters are laid out there in stats for either 3.0 or 3.5, can't remember.

Master Arminas

Heh... nope. The elder eidolon has no relation to the summoner pet. Back in my 3rd edition design days, I was quite a fan of the word "eidolon" and used it several times for monsters. The elder eidolon from Lords of Madness is one of at least three I invented (the other two being the rogue eidolon from MM2 and the rimefire eidolon from Frostburn).


James Jacobs wrote:
Odraude wrote:
James Jacobs wrote:

The grell were detailed in Monster Manual 2. If they were in MM1, they would likely have been in the SRD and thus open content. If they were NOT in the MM2 (or Monsters of Faerun), they would likely have been in Tome of Horrors.

Alas... the grell fell in between the MM and the Tome of Horrors; it, like the hook horror (the other one that folks always seem to assume/hope is open content) is closed content as a result.

Yeah of the Aberrations, I loved the Grell and Aboleths the most. I'm at least glad you guys got the aboleth.

Thanks for the help. I know I have MM2 and I THINK I have Lords of Madness. I can do some conversion work. I'll have to look at the d20 CoC game for other stuff. Is it OGL?

I'm looking a bit more into the Dreamland stuff, especially for later in the game. I've pretty much replaced the bad guy from Kingmaker with the equivalent of the King in Yellow where the PCs have to travel to the Dreamlands to fight him in his Impossible Bastion.

If you're looking for dreamland Lovecraftian monsters... don't forget there are gugs and leng spiders an denizens of Leng in Bestiary 2, and moonbeasts and vooniths and zoogs in Bestiary 3!

And there's a lot of Lovecraftian monsters statted up in Pathfinder #46 as well.

(The d20 Call of Cthluhu stuff isn't OGL, alas.)

Yeah that's a shame. But I did catalouge all the monsters you guys have (including Shantaks in the B2).

Now if only you guys had Nightgaunts :)


Btw, are the CoC books 3.5 or 3.0


master arminas wrote:
On the subject of Lovecraftian horrors, I cannot recommend Lords of Madness enough. The Elder Eidolon (no relation to the summoner eidolon--I hope, otherwise a terrible fate awaits us all) is just nasty. So are a lot of the minor aberrations. Chull (can't remember what book, but I know Dragon had an 'Ecology of' article on them) are another great horrific race.

Chuuls were in MM1 and their Pathfinder version is just in Bestiary I. Which reminds me that may party is coming close to level when I will be able to send one against them... or three.


I'm really glad you guys pointed me to the Lords of Madness. I had forgotten about Tsochar and how awesome they looked. Also, since my players will be coming up to an ancient ziggurat, the elder eidolon (with some tweaking) will make for a great encounter.


James Jacobs wrote:

The grell were detailed in Monster Manual 2. If they were in MM1, they would likely have been in the SRD and thus open content. If they were NOT in the MM2 (or Monsters of Faerun), they would likely have been in Tome of Horrors.

Alas... the grell fell in between the MM and the Tome of Horrors; it, like the hook horror (the other one that folks always seem to assume/hope is open content) is closed content as a result.

Did Tome of HOrror get all the monsters they asked for or did D&D said no to some of them?

I can't imagen TOME OF HORRORS didn't asked for Zorbo's... but zorbo's are not in Tome of Horrors or in 3rd or 4th edition of D&D materials... the maker of TOME OF HORRORS must have disliked the creature or D&D must have plans with it at that time that they never got to...

Anyway I think both Hook Horror and Grell would have been on the list with the Mind Flayers and Beholders as closed content would they have been in MM1 3.5.

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