There are anomalies and special creatures born of every race and species. It is what drives some of them to become adventurers and heroes. But this is not strictly the purview of the heroes – there are monsters and other creatures out there that buck the traditions of their kin and rise to become more. Graalbeck is just one of these creatures.
Graalbeck was born to a small clan of bugbears deep in the borderlands. Like the rest of his kind, he was sent off with the raiding parties from the time he could hold a weapon in order to earn his keep within the clan. Early on, however, he was discovered early on to possess a keener intellect and an almost preternatural understanding of the world. His tongue was also sharper and more eloquent than any other bugbear. His clan leader recognized the boy’s potential as having been touched by Hrubbek. When this was discovered, he was led to a small cabal of similar bugbears for additional testing. And when he passed their tests satisfactorily, he was given leave to study with them. It was a long, arduous and grueling process, but when he emerged years later, Graalbeck was ready to lead his people. He possessed powerful magic gifted to him by the bugbear deity, a body trained for war, and a mind ready to conduct and lead his people in that endeavor. He took over the leadership of his birth clan and began to put his plans into motion. Over the years he has amassed quite a following, absorbing several smaller war tribes under his banner. While he has made no overtures or threats towards the various cities on the borderlands, the local nobles aren’t going to be able to ignore him for long. And no one knows just what his ultimate goal might be.
Graalbeck works great as the enemy of the first act of a larger campaign against goblinoids and other monstrous humanoids. The force that he has amassed is terrifying to behold, and it doesn’t have to be his kind. He could have orcs and goblins sworn to his service along with mercenaries or forces from any other number of monster species. Graalbeck is duplicitous in all of his endeavors, and there is no telling what he may have promised these people for serving in his armies. Whether or not he can make good on those promises is another matter entirely. And when the PCs finally vanquish the bugbear warlord, what of the beings who trained him? What secrets do they possess? And what danger could they still possess? Was Graalbeck simply a puppet of some higher power?
If you wish to turn Graalbeck into an even more formidable opponent, granting him additional magical items that he has come into possession of seems to be the easiest way. He isn’t much of aN outright damage dealer, and his spell selection veers more towards utility and making his already sneaky troops even better. But magical items that grant him a better armor class and saving throws can help make him harder to hit and help him to stay in the fight longer. Potions or a staff of healing are worthy contenders as well, helping him to stay up and keep his own minions in the fight. At most Graalbeck will probably top out at a CR 5 without piling on more cleric levels, although that certainly is a viable strategy if you so choose – his stats present him as a 6th level cleric. Speaking of which, click on through to the game stats and let me know what you think below!
Ben Erickson
