(TFT) Griefs

[srydzews@ix.netcom.com]

Here's a creature that I thought someone might find useful.  They
worked out fairly well in a city adventure I ran last year.


Griefs
Griefs are small (3.5-4 feet) humanoid creatures that are produced
through alchemy.  Originally created by the alchemist/wizard Erzbikhan 
as servants, the creatures proved a good deal less obediant than he had
hoped and many escaped before he shut his experiments down.  

Erzbikhan was not overly concerned, as Griefs are rather rudimentary
creatures having minimal internal organs and no capability to reproduce.
He assumed they would quickly die off in the "wild".  Unfortunately, while
Griefs are only minimally intelligent (IQ 7) they have an intuitive grasp
of alchemy, especially of the process that created them.  A group of them 
acting in concert is able to recreate that process, provided they can obtain
even the most rudimentary of equipment.  They are thus able to reproduce 
themselves after a fashion.  In certain cities Griefs have become quite a
plague, living in the sewers or abandoned buildings where they cobble 
together their primitive "laboratories".

This is doubly unfortunate because the process that creates Griefs
requires that sentient beings (IQ 7+) be rendered down in vats and
reconstituted into these abominations.  One grief is created per four
ST points of the victim.  The process requires two weeks, although the
victim is slain on the third day of the process.  The semi-solid Grief
material is given rough shape by stuffing it into sacks slashed and 
sewn for the purpose and wrapping burlap or other cloth around the 
limbs to give them form.  The cloth is actually incorporated into
the finished creature, which is why griefs appear to be dressed in a
motley assortment of burlap and sackcloth--in actuality the coarse,
ragged, half-unravelling fabric is their skin.

Each grief requires about a pound of meat each per day to survive. This
can be of any sort, they have no qualms about eating maggot-ridden 
offal. Most of their time is divided between pilfering junk for their 
"laboratories", hunting rats, and abducting victims to increase their 
numbers.  They can not speak, but their actions are highly co-ordinated;
apparently they communicate with each other in some non-verbal form.  
Griefs view humans with hatred and fear.  Nothing of their social lives
(if any) is known.  Only the most utilitarian of artifacts (weapons and
alchemy gear) has ever been found in their lairs.

As previously mentioned, griefs are humanoid, and range between three
and four feet tall.  They have ST 8-10  DX 12  and IQ 7.  They are 
immune to all known poisons, as their bodily functions are more alchemical
than biological in nature.  As well as their innate skil with alchemy, 
they are capable of learning IQ7 weapon talents.  Often, though, they 
resort to clubs, HtH combat, and superior numbers when fighting.  A 
typical enclave of these creatures numbers 20-40.

   Advanced Communities 
If a group of these creatures exists for long enough (about a year),
their knowledge/intuition of alchemy appears to increase to the point
where they can produce things other than themselves. Griefs from these 
"advanced" communities may have fear gas bombs and other such devices.  
Additionally, the IQ of the members will tend to be a bit higher, 8
instead of 7.  Fortunately, only about one enclave in six has existed 
long enough to become advanced.

   Augmented Griefs
Advanced Grief communities appear to have discovered that if potions 
are "added to the mix" when producing a batch of griefs the resulting
creatures will have the abilities of the potion on a permanent basis.
The following are the sorts of "augmented" Griefs that have been
encountered:

Invisibility potion - able to become invisible for 1 hour/day
Flight potion - - - - able to fly at a cost of 1 fatigue/turn
Speed potion - - - - -MA of 14.
Contact poison - - - -able to exude contact poison at will.
Dark Vision potion - -permanent Dark Vision.
Pyrotic Ability - - - may attempt firesetting, one fST per attempt.
Fireproofing potion - permanently immune to fire (useful when combined
                      with Pyrotic Ability).

Obviously, Grief communities that include such augmented individuals are
MUCH more dangerous to humans.  Enough components to produce a single 
potion of the aforementioned types will suffice to produce 1-3 griefs with
that ability.  A finished potion will produce 1-6.  Fortunately, most of 
these components are difficult for Griefs to get ahold of.


(BTW, the wizard responsible for creating griefs is in government custody,
 trying to develop a poison to kill the damn things.)




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