Grotesque sounds of chewing and slurping emerge from the ajar door ahead and the monk looks warily to her companions, all armed and ready for a fight, before she slides ahead. Cat-like tread makes no more sound than the faintest of whispers as she crosses the stone floor of the once-abandoned keep and presses against the wall, peering inside. She is treated to a sight of gruesome and hideous extravagance within the dimly lit room bathed in flickering light from the torches upon the wall. A sturdy table overflows with foodstuffs and body parts alike though the beast at the head of the table makes no distinction between the two. Instead, the obese creature shovels giant handfuls of anything it can grab into its mouths – the one upon its rotted face and the fearsome, jagged tooth maw splitting its sagging, jiggling belly. The monk fights back a gag at the sight of it, stifling it by placing a hand over her mouth but in her haste, she bumps the door. Her blood runs cold as the odious creature looks towards the doorway with pallid eyes before it throws the table aside and unleashes a delighted shriek.
“Fresh MEATTTTTT!!!”
This is another older creation that I finally got art for thanks to the amazing Daniel Larios! The grim maw is a burly beast that, while not difficult to hit, has a sizable pool of hit points and damage mitigation, making it a tanky threat for unprepared adventurers. Its hunger drives it into a fearsome rage that can only be satiated by the devouring of another creature though that never lasts long. While the grim maw prefers being in melee with its foes, it can use its rotted intestines to grapple creatures at range and pull them towards it. Most of its feats are focused on increasing its combat power or giving its swallow whole ability additional effects. I did give it Lightning Reflexes to shore up its low save as much as I could, and took Skill Focus (Stealth) because I want them to be ambush predators.
Pathfinder 1e:
The 2e grim maw has a few differences though its core is still there as a beefy undead with a lower AC. Its jaws use its lowest attack bonus but provide it with the greatest benefits while its fists and intestines have higher accuracy but less damage or effects. As usual, I wanted to give the grim maw a unique reaction with Snaptrap, his furious attempt to stop a potential meal from getting away from him. Greedy Gobble was a fun ability in my head involving the grim maw just charging forth with all haste and attempting to just scoop a creature into its jaws. I based its Reel In ability off of the Pull Filament ability of the cave fisher, giving it a means of snatching up foes trying to keep their distance while remaining engaged with their allies.
Pathfinder 2e:
Blue's D&D 5e:
ENCOUNTER HOOKS
Ghoulish Gluttony: Following the death of a cruel and gluttonous noble, the heroes attend a banquet hosted by his successor to try to gain an audience with him and get some information vital to their greater mission. After an evening of social intrigue as the heroes navigate their way through the court, they are interrupted by the arrival of an uninvited guest – the previous noble returned from the grave as a grim maw though his burial clothes may disguise the extent of his change at first. He descends upon the banquet table but when that food isn’t enough to sate him, he turns upon the guests and his successor, looking to make a meal of them. The heroes must step up to put a stop to the gruesome gourmand before they, or their contact, end up as his next meal.
Lambs to the Slaughter: In their travels, the heroes happen upon a frontier town that has achieved surprising affluence. Food is plentiful, the work is strangely easy, and the people have grown plump from the land’s bounty. Every now and then, one or two of them goes missing, but that’s not exactly unusual for a frontier town, so people don’t pay it too much mind. Unfortunately, the reality is far more insidious – a grim maw in an alliance with a hag and possibly some other dark creatures of the wilds have been fattening the town up, intent on turning it into a smorgasbord for them to descend upon. They’ve sated themselves with snacks here and there, but by the time that the heroes arrive, their patience has reached its limit. The heroes may receive an inkling of the oncoming onslaught as a few of the weaker willed horde break ranks to feed more wantonly or they may be thrust into the midst of the havoc as the ravenous band descends upon the village.
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Until next time, have a Monstrous Monday!
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