Sovereign Gribbitz, a Grung Cleric — D&D 5e NPC portrait
#0325

Sovereign Gribbitz

"The Unblinking Lord of the Still Puddle"

Grung Cleric (Order Domain) CE Lvl 5 Noble (Self-Proclaimed)

Male (He/Him) · Adult, 12 years

Ability Scores

STR
14
+2
DEX
12
+1
CON
14
+2
INT
10
+0
WIS
18
+4
CHA
16
+3

Combat

Armor Class
18
Beetle Carapace Plate
Hit Points
38
Hit Dice: 5d8
Initiative
+1
Speed
25 ft., climb 25 ft.
Proficiency
+3
Passive Perception
14

Attacks

Amber-Fly Scepter (Mace)+51d6 + 2 bludgeoning
Poisonous Touch+52d4 poison

Personality

Personality

Gribbitz speaks with a slow, vibrating resonance that feels far too large for his body. He never blinks during conversation and refers to himself in the third person as 'The Sovereign' or 'The Weight.'

Ideal

Order. The world is a mess of moving parts; I am the stone that holds them still.

Bond

The Amber-Fly Scepter is the literal axis upon which Gribbitz believes his kingdom—and the world—rotates.

Flaw

He is utterly convinced that he is the most dangerous being in the swamp and will not acknowledge any threat as greater than a 'mild discourtesy.'

Backstory

Sovereign Gribbitz was born into the humid hierarchy of the Grung, but he quickly found the frantic hopping and desperate climbing of his kin to be 'undignified.' While other Grungs hunted dragonflies, Gribbitz sat upon a rotting stump for three days, staring at a single dewdrop until it evaporated. In that silence, he claims he heard the 'Grumbling of the Great Toad,' a divine realization that the multiverse was a leaking bucket of chaos that required his specific, unmoving presence to seal. He didn't climb the social ladder; he simply declared himself the top of it and waited for the world to notice.

His rise to power began when he 'conquered' a local tribe of bullfrogs by staring at their leader until the creature simply hopped away in confusion. Gribbitz interpreted this as a formal abdication. He soon fashioned armor from the iridescent carapaces of giant stag beetles he claimed to have wrestled in a 'clash of titans'—though witnesses suggest he merely found a dead hive. He now rules a three-meter patch of marsh with the absolute authority of a tyrant-god, convinced that if he were to blink, the stars themselves would fall into the mud. His greatest weapon is not his bite, but his monologue; he has perfected the art of paralyzing travelers just so they are forced to hear the seventeenth verse of his 'Epic of the Leviathan-Slayer.'

Abilities & Actions

The Sovereign’s Audience (Channel Divinity)

As an action, Gribbitz presents the Amber-Fly Scepter. Each creature of his choice within 30 feet that can see him must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by him until the end of his next turn or until the target takes any damage. A charmed creature is also incapacitated as they are compelled to listen to his droning croak.

Mandate of Stillness

When Gribbitz casts a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points or restrains a creature, he can invoke the Amber-Fly Scepter's power. One creature affected by the spell must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained by spectral swamp vines until the end of Gribbitz's next turn.

The Leviathan’s Breath (Signature Item)

While holding the Amber-Fly Scepter, Gribbitz can cast the Hold Person spell (save DC 15) without expending a spell slot. If the target fails the save, Gribbitz immediately begins a 'Legendary Tale.' For as long as the target is paralyzed, they also have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to notice anything other than Gribbitz.

DM Notes

Voice: Deep, chesty, and incredibly slow. Imagine a cello being dragged over gravel. Gesture: He never moves his head; he rotates his entire body to face someone. Reaction: If interrupted, he doesn't get angry; he simply starts his story over from the very beginning. Deal-breaker: Stepping onto his 'throne' stone or laughing at the bullfrogs' walnut helmets results in an immediate casting of Spirit Guardians flavored as swirling, vengeful tadpoles.