Savage Menagerie: Grindhog

No. Enc.: 1d2 (1d4)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90' (30'),

Hyperburrowing: 150' (50')
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 5
Attacks: 3 (claw/claw/bite)
Damage: 1d8/1d8/1d12
Save: F3
Morale: 9
Hoard Class: None

The Grindhog is a vicious enlarged decedent of the Ancient species of groundhog. However, unlike the intelligent benevolent Wuudchak, Grindhogs are destructive, carnivorous, animalistic, burrowing machines.

The Grindhog moves through the earth using its hyperburrowing mutation. This allows it to travel through loose dirt and sand faster than it would move above ground on foot. When hyperburrowing, treat the Grindhog as moving through the soil as a fish would travel through water. The Grindhog uses this ability to explode up out of the ground from underneath to attack its prey. A Grindhog gains a +1 surprise bonus when attacking in this manner.

While underground, the Grindhog can use its seismic tremor mutation to cause a small localized earthquake within 50' of its location. This tremor's strength is such that victims will be thrown to the ground for 1d4 HP of damage unless a successful DEX save is made. The Grindhog usually uses this moment to attack. Also, the seismic tremor can cause the collapse of unsafe or crumbling ruins. The Grindhog may cause such a collapse to flush its prey out from indoors and out into the open where it can better attack.

Grindhogs cannot dig through stone, so survivors residing in a Grindhog-infested area may relocate to a cave or concrete-reinforced underground shelter for protection. Once the food source dries up, the Grindhogs will move on. Grindhogs often hunt in pairs, so if one is spotted, another will be lurking nearby. When travelling, if a party finds the nearby ground littered with many holes 3 feet in diameter, they may want to pick up the pace as they may have stumbled through a Grindhog warren.

Mutations: hyperburrowing, seismic tremor