Creature Codex — Grimm, Beowolf

Image © Rooster Teeth, accessed at the RWBY Wiki here

[Commissioned by @glarnboudin​. I knew RWBY was a thing, an animated web series thing, but the size of the franchise completely passed me by. There are comic books, manga, multiple video games. And its monsters, the grimm, appear in all of them. The beowolf is an entry-level monster, capable of being slain in large numbers by our heroes in splash pages and the like, but I still wanted them to be tougher than mundane wolves. I’ve also included my (derived solely from browsing wikis) take on the grimm as a whole here, as a subtype.

And yes, RWBY purists, the canon beowolves don’t have a wind breath ability. Given the fairy tale nature of their premise, I wanted to give them some sort of reference to the Big Bad Wolf.]

GrimmThe kytons and sahkils are united in their affection for fear and pain, and in their flouting of both morality and mortality. Unlike many other groupings of fiends, they sometimes collaborate, uniting their forces in order to change the cosmos for the worse. One of their most fecund creations are the grimm—foul parodies of animals that feed on negative emotional states. These form in pits of tarry liquid that congeal on the Plane of Shadow, and they can bleed over into the Material Plane where the borders between worlds are thin. On some worlds, they have all but replaced mundane animals. Both kytons and sahkils may keep grimms as guard animals, living torture equipment, and general pets.

All grimm appear as caricatures of the animal form, black with bony spurs and jagged claws. Their heads are skull-like and marked with red lines, and these glow along with their eyes when the creatures are riled. Grimms are as much of shadow as flesh, and when slain dissolve completely, leaving no physical remains. Unlike many other shadowy beings, they have no trouble with bright light, although they prefer the darkness. Grimms are immortal, and some are quite ancient. Although most grimms are barely more intelligent than the animals they resemble, as they age they gain both intelligence and power, and elder grimms can achieve human levels of intellect.

“Grimm” is a subtype of outsider with the following racial traits:Immune to emotion effectsResist acid 10 and cold 10Negative energy affinityIntimidating Prowess as a bonus featAnimalistic (Ex) A grimm is not proficient with any manufactured weapons.Grimms understand Infernal but cannot speak

Grimm, BeowolfCR 2 NE Outsider (extraplanar)This creature is a vaguely humanoid wolf, its posture stooped and its hands more like paws. It has black fur marked by white bone spurs, and its head is a skull-like mask.

Beowolves are the most common grimms, as wolves are found as figures of fear in many cultures. They are pack hunters, traveling in large groups to sniff out and take down prey. Beowolves are nimble creatures, and often make use of terrain in order to slow down less agile enemies. Their combat strategies are relatively simple, although they can generate gusts of supernatural wind simply by exhaling. Most beowolves use this ability to knock down temporary shelters to feast on the cowering creatures inside.

A beowolf that survives for an extended period of time may grow into an alpha beowolf. Such creatures are Large in size, with 6 HD. An alpha beowolf is a CR 4 creature. Beowolves instinctively follow alpha beowolves and will fight to the death to protect one. Beowolf paws are dexterous enough to grasp rocks and clubs, and some beowolves take Catch Off-Guard or Throw Anything as feats. It would take a very patient instructor to teach a beowolf how to use more complicated weaponry.

Beowolf CR 2XP 600NE Medium outsider (extraplanar, evil, grimm)Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +5, scentDefenseAC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 natural)hp 16 (3d10)Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +1Immune emotion effects; Resist acid 10, cold 10Defensive Abilities negative energy affinityOffenseSpeed 30 ft.Melee bite +5 (1d6+1), 2 claws +4 (1d4+1)Special Attacks huff and puffStatisticsStr 13, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 3, Wis 11, Cha 12Base Atk +3; CMB +4; CMD 15Feats Intimidating Prowess (B), Nimble Moves, Weapon Focus (bite)Skills Acrobatics +6, Climb +5, Intimidate +7, Perception +4, Stealth +6, Survival +4 (+8 tracking by scent); Racial Modifiers +4 Survival when tracking by scentLanguages Infernal (cannot speak)SQ animalisticEcologyEnvironment any land and underground (Plane of Shadow)Organization solitary, pair, pack (3-12) or horde (13-36)Treasure noneSpecial AbilitiesAnimalistic (Ex) A beowolf is not proficient in any manufactured weapons.Huff and Puff (Su) As a standard action, a beowolf can exhale a thirty foot line of wind that acts as a gust of wind spell. It may use this ability three times per day, but must wait 1d4 rounds between uses.