I've never really seen a Rot Grubs that I've ever liked. Wait, that's a joke, son.
JoeTheLawyer left me a voicemail over on the Tavern Chat podcast (and I'll be putting that episode up later tonight) about, specifically out Tim (Gothridge Manor) using rot grubs to cut down on Joe digging through every piece of garbage in a session looking for loot. And therein lies my issue with rot grubs. They aren't really an adversary. Much like Green Slime, they are more trap or poison than predator.
Here's their description:
Rot grubs are occasionally found in heaps of offal or dung. They are rarelyYep the cure can kill you. I've changed my mind. They are worse than poison...
found in ceilings, walls, or floors. These small creatures will viciously burrow
into any living flesh which touches them, for they greatly enjoy such fare to
dine upon. The victim must immediately apply flame to the wound (1-6 hit
points damage per application) or have a cure disease spell cast upon him.
Otherwise, the rot grubs will burrow to the heart and kill their host in
1-3 turns.
I don't really see much difference between they do 1d6 damage but you can burn them off without hurting yourself and they do no damage, but you do 1d6 burning them off. I guess the latter can also be fixed with a cure disease and then you suffer no damage...
ReplyDeleteI'm ok with rot grubs, because they kind of make sense and encourage the behavior people ought to be taking without going into all kinds of details about disease and contamination. Rooting around in garbage isn't my idea of adventure anyway. Now ear-seekers I think are a terrible, because I do think listening at doors ought to be a thing you do...
They are morbidly hilarious and very D&D. Another fallen PC is another win for Team Rot Grub!
ReplyDeleteWhat you need is a Rot Grub tracker:
ReplyDeletehttps://goblinshenchman.wordpress.com/hex-power-flower/
I don't have a "moral" objection to things like rot grubs and ear seekers, but I basically never bother with them. I DO like to fill 10' pits with green slime though.
ReplyDeleteI love them. You have to be careful digging and investigating corpses. That's just how it is in a "Save or Die" world.
ReplyDeleteBest. Monster. Ever.
ReplyDeleteJoe is just a crybaby. I should not have told him about the fire cure, then he would have really been upset!
There is an error in your post. The rot grubs were there before Joe ever showed up. It was not a reaction. I don't GM that way. But I do use insects somewhat frequently in my game. It makes sense to. Now I need to do a podcast.
ReplyDelete