I just recently picked up my paintbrushes again in a desperate attempt to find something else to do one weekend that wasn’t what my usual routine was becoming. I got into the hobby a few years ago and really enjoyed it, but after I moved apartments and Covid became a thing, I just kind of stopped – there were no in person games or conventions to prepare for. I did paint up a couple of the gargantuan dragons that I had sitting around, but that was about it. And so some figures that I had bought on a whim but hadn’t put away with the rest of my collection just sat on my desk, taunting me in all their unpainted glory with visions of what they could become.
Finally, I had it and marched myself down to my nearby craft store (literally, it’s like a 10 minute walk it was really nice out) to pick up some fresh palettes and brushes. And then I dove into painting my first mini in some time. And within a couple of sessions I had it done – base coat, some highlights, a shade. It wasn’t perfect, but that was never the goal – it was to remind myself that I enjoyed the process of painting (though I was happy that the skills I had picked up previously hadn’t been lost). It was something that was relaxing for me. It was something that I could do while also watching a stream or a TV show. It was a great hobby to engage in for my own mental health.
And with the mini completed, I started to think about how it could be used to terrify some PCs. And so this stat block came into existence. It’s admittedly nothing fancy – a dangerous melee combatant with the bite of a giant crocodile. But I wanted to add something a little bit different. Something that would make engaging with this creature something that you would want to do as a last resort. Something that could make casters extra worried if it got up in their face – a variation on the “death roll” that crocodiles are famous for. Knocking the creature prone and dealing additional damage as long as the grapple is maintained felt positively ghoulish, so of course I wrote up and gave it this ability. Paired with a very good swim speed and the ability to hold their breath for a long period of time, this makes them even deadlier than their CR would imply if encountered in say… a deep river or lake by an unprepared party.
Ben Erickson
