one grung above pdf

The ‘One Grung Above’ PDF, a 2017 release, emerged from Wizards of the Coast’s Extra Life fundraising efforts. This four-page document focuses on providing stat blocks for characters used in a streamed game session, and includes playable race traits.

Overview of the 2017 PDF

The ‘One Grung Above’ PDF, released in 2017, is a concise four-page document primarily dedicated to stat blocks of characters used in a streamed D&D game. Created by Christopher Lindsay, it serves as a resource for those specific game sessions. It concludes with a brief section detailing the Grung’s traits as a playable race, making it a unique and focused supplement for D&D players and fans interested in grung characters.

‘One Grung Above’ Content

The ‘One Grung Above’ PDF primarily features stat blocks for grung characters used in a streamed game, and also includes a section detailing their traits as a playable race.

Focus on Stat Blocks

The ‘One Grung Above’ PDF dedicates most of its content to presenting various stat blocks for grung characters. These stat blocks are designed to represent different grung roles and castes, such as standard warriors, wildlings, and elite warriors. These details are useful for DMs looking to incorporate grungs into their campaigns, or for players interested in using them. The PDF also provides updated stat blocks for different types of grungs.

Playable Race Traits

The ‘One Grung Above’ PDF concludes with a brief section outlining traits for the grung as a playable race. These traits include an increase to Dexterity and Constitution scores. The document also specifies that grungs reach maturity quickly. It also explains the water dependency and poisonous skin, unique abilities of the grung. However, it’s important to note that this PDF does not make grung a legal playable race in the D&D Adventurers League.

Grung Society and Caste System

Grung society operates under a strict caste system. Each caste lays eggs in separate pools. Juvenile grungs join their caste upon hatching. This system dictates their roles and status within the community.

Grung Caste Colors and Roles

Grung society is visually defined by caste colors. Green, blue, and purple grungs form the base, serving as warriors and hunters. Orange grungs are elite warriors with authority over lower castes. Red grungs are scholars and magic users, holding a superior position. Gold grungs occupy the highest leadership roles, with the tribe’s sovereign always being a gold grung, such as Groak.

Hierarchical Structure

The Grung society operates under a strict hierarchical structure determined by caste. At the bottom are the green, blue, and purple grungs. Above them are the orange elite warriors, commanding the lower castes. Red grungs, the scholars and magic users, are held in high regard. The gold grungs reign supreme at the top, with the sovereign of the tribe always a gold grung, leading through strength.

Grung Abilities and Traits

Grungs possess amphibious nature, needing water immersion, and have poisonous skin. They are capable of impressive jumps and climbs. Their traits vary by caste, influencing their roles in their society.

Amphibious Nature and Water Dependency

Grungs are amphibious, meaning they can breathe both air and water. However, they have a crucial water dependency; they must immerse themselves in water for at least one hour during a long rest to gain its benefits. Failure to do so results in no rest, and a full day without immersion leads to a level of exhaustion, requiring magic or water immersion to recover.

Poisonous Skin and its Effects

Grungs possess a poisonous skin, which poses a threat to any creature that grapples them or comes into direct contact with it. This contact forces the creature to make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw. Failure results in poison damage, and the specific effects can vary depending on the grung’s skin color, with some colors causing movement impairments or other debilitating conditions.

Movement Abilities⁚ Jump and Climb

Grungs exhibit remarkable agility, possessing both impressive jump and climb abilities. They can long jump up to 25 feet and high jump 15 feet, with or without a running start. Additionally, grungs are adept climbers, boasting a climb speed of 25 feet, which enables them to navigate their jungle habitats with ease, showcasing their natural prowess in vertical movement.

Grung Combat and Stat Blocks

Grung combat prowess is defined by their stat blocks, showcasing variations in strength. Standard warriors utilize daggers, while elite members have additional abilities, such as the Mesmerizing Chirr;

Standard Grung Warrior Stat Block

The standard Grung warrior stat block reveals a small, lawful evil humanoid with an armor class of 12 and 11 hit points. They wield a dagger, dealing piercing and poison damage. Their saving throws are Dexterity-focused, with skills in Athletics, Perception, Stealth, and Survival. They are immune to poison and have the Amphibious trait, allowing them to breathe both air and water.

Grung Wildling and Elite Warrior Stat Blocks

The Grung Wildling stat block presents a more formidable foe with 27 hit points and an armor class of 13. The Grung Elite Warrior, representing higher castes like orange and gold, boasts a stronger stat block. These elite warriors also possess a Mesmerizing Chirr ability that can stun nearby creatures. Both variants retain the poisonous skin and amphibious traits, making them dangerous adversaries.

Mesmerizing Chirr Ability

The Mesmerizing Chirr is a special ability possessed by Grung Elite Warriors, typically of the orange or gold caste. This ability allows the grung to emit a chirring sound that can stun nearby creatures. Humanoids and beasts within a 15-foot radius must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become stunned until the end of the grung’s next turn. Grungs themselves are immune to this effect.

Grung Reproduction and Development

Grungs reproduce by laying eggs, with each caste using a separate hatching pool. Their skin color develops within months, identifying their caste. They are known for rapid reproduction, with some leaders having many offspring.

Egg Laying and Caste Identification

Grung reproduction involves egg-laying, with each caste utilizing distinct hatching pools. Juvenile grungs join their respective caste after hatching. The color of a grung’s skin develops within a few months, which is a key factor in determining their caste. This color-based identification is a crucial aspect of their societal structure. The process is swift, contributing to their rapid population growth, as each caste has their own breeding area.

Rapid Reproduction Rates

Grungs are known for their rapid reproduction rates, a consequence of their egg-laying habits and caste system. A single chieftain can father a large number of offspring, sometimes over a hundred, contributing to the fast growth of their population. This rapid rate is supported by each caste’s breeding pools and the quick maturation of the young grungs, enabling their society to expand quickly and efficiently, which is one of their primary traits.

Grung Language and Communication

Grungs possess a unique language, which they use to communicate. This language is exclusive to them, complicating interactions with other races. They can speak, read, and write in Grung, their native tongue.

Unique Grung Language

The Grung language is a complex system of chirps, croaks, and other vocalizations, making it very difficult for non-Grungs to understand or learn. This exclusivity often leads to communication barriers and misunderstandings when dealing with other creatures. Their language is a key part of their culture and a contributing factor to their isolationist tendencies. They speak, read, and write only in Grung.

Grung in D&D Lore

Grungs are featured in ‘Tomb of Annihilation’, which significantly increased their popularity. This led to the creation of ‘One Grung Above’ PDF, which expands on their lore and provides playable race options for D&D.

Appearance in ‘Tomb of Annihilation’

The grung’s appearance in ‘Tomb of Annihilation’ significantly boosted their recognition within the D&D community. Their inclusion in this adventure module, as aggressive frog-like humanoids residing in rain forests and tropical jungles, provided players with their first major encounter with this unique race. This initial exposure helped lay the groundwork for their later expansion in supplemental materials such as ‘One Grung Above’, increasing their overall popularity.

Grung’s Perception of other creatures

Grung possess a strong sense of superiority, viewing themselves as above most other creatures. This perception stems from their fierce territoriality and caste-based society, where each grung knows its place and role within the hierarchy. They consider other races inferior, often leading to aggressive interactions and a general distrust of outsiders. This ingrained arrogance greatly influences how they behave and interact with non-grung individuals or groups.

Where to Find Grung Information

Information about Grung can be found in the ‘One Grung Above’ PDF, which details their stat blocks and playable race traits, and in ‘Volo’s Guide to Monsters’, offering additional lore.

‘One Grung Above’ PDF

The ‘One Grung Above’ PDF, a four-page document, was released in 2017 as part of Wizards of the Coast’s Extra Life fundraising campaign. It primarily features stat blocks for Grung characters used in a streamed game session. This PDF also includes a section detailing traits for the Grung as a playable race, making it a key resource for players interested in this unique species.

‘Volo’s Guide to Monsters’

‘Volo’s Guide to Monsters’ also provides information on Grung, offering three distinct stat blocks for them. This book presents the standard Grung with a basic stat block, along with the Grung Wildling and Grung Elite Warrior variants. While ‘One Grung Above’ focuses on playable race traits, ‘Volo’s Guide’ gives a broader look at Grung as monsters, detailing their combat abilities and variations.

Additional Grung Information

Grung poison varies in effect based on skin color, with green causing immobility, and gold causing the target to be charmed and able to speak Grung. Grung are also playable in D&D.

Grung Poison Variation

A creature poisoned by a Grung can suffer additional effects depending on the Grung’s skin color. This effect persists as long as the creature remains poisoned. Green Grung poison causes immobility. Gold Grung poison causes the target to become charmed and able to speak Grung. These variations add a layer of complexity to encounters with different Grung castes.

Grung as a playable race

The ‘One Grung Above’ PDF includes traits for playing a Grung character. Grungs gain a +2 Dexterity and +1 Constitution. They reach maturity quickly. They speak, read, and write Grung. However, they suffer exhaustion if they don’t immerse themselves in water for at least an hour daily. These traits allow players to explore the unique aspects of this frog-like species.