FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Wilderness Hills], [Cold Wilderness Forest])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Wilderness Hills], [Temperate Wilderness Forest])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Wilderness Forest])

NO. APPEARING: 20-80
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 15"
HIT DICE: 1+1
% IN LAIR: 50%
TREASURE TYPE: Individuals [N], [Q]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type
SPECIAL ATTACKS: +1 with bow or spear
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Traps (see below)
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 90% to sleep and charm only
INTELLIGENCE: Average and up
ALIGNMENT: Neutral (chaotic)
SIZE: S (4 1/2' tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil*
    Attack/Defense Modes: Nil*
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: III | 65 + 2

* Possible in unusual characters

SAVES: 14.15.16.17.17

The grugach are "wild" elves akin to sylvan ones, but smaller, thinner, and very fair.
They are completely xenophobic, distrusting even other sorts of elves.
Thus, they are seldom, if ever, encountered outside their tribal bands.

Except as noted, grugach conform to the specifics of wood elves and elfkind in general.
Despite their small stature, grugach have broad shoulders and great strength (add +2 on strength dice roll, treating 19 or 20 as 18).

Grugach are not magic-users, but multi-classed individuals will be
fighter/druids. The grugach are on good terms with all animals of the forest, save
those of evil nature. They will often (70%) have stags for mounts.

About 20% of random contacts made supposedly with wood elves will actually <note at MM>
be with grugach.

All adult grugach are able to set traps. These
consist primarily of pits and snares in and around their home territory.
All such traps will be concealed, and there is almost a 90% probability
that creatures passing near one will be caught in it. If characters passing
through a trapped AREA examine it carefully, likelihood of being caught in a
trap is reduced to 30%. Pits are normally 10 feet deep and spiked, so
damage is 1-4 (fall into earth-floored pit), plus 1-6 per spike, plus poison
(50% chance). Snares are usually set to encircle and jerk creatures off
their feet and suspend them 5 feet or more above the ground. Some
snares can be deadfalls, where a heavy log crashes down for 5d6-8d6 of
damage and pins the victim as well.

<perhaps, add these trap notes to the traps chapter of the DMG>
 

OUT ON A LIMB

Exceptional Elf

Dear Editor: 
In issue #67, Mr. Gygax stated that grugach 
elves (in Featured Creatures) were not magic-users, 
but fighter/druids.  I can understand 
why they aren't magic-users, but my Players 
Handbook says in the Character Race Table II <(updated)>
on page 14 that elves, even NPCs, can't be 
druids. Please clarify. 

Ned Zimmerman
Summit, N.J.
(Dragon #69)


According to resident AD&D rule authority 
Frank Mentzer, speaking on behalf of Mr.
Gygax, this is another example of how the
“latest published” principle applies. (See the
letter printed earlier in this column about the
Read Illusionist Magic spell.)

Grugach are exceptional elves who can
operate as dual-classed fighter/druids but at
the same time are prohibited from being
magic-users. Since the Players Handbook
was published several years ago, when the
new elves described in issue #67 didn’t “exist”
officially, that rule book obviously could not
have made note of this exception.

Players and DMs should be aware that this
exception applies only to grugach and not to
other types of elves — and certainly not to
player-character elves, since only high elves
can be player characters. That’s one rule that
hasn’t been “overruled.” 

— KM
(Dragon #69)