Grimwhisp
Grimwhisp — The Encounter
The Reaching Hush, a grasping horror of the fallen cities · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Grimwhisp
In the grimoires of the drowned cities, the Grimwhisp is named among the things that were once men and chose instead to become hunger wearing armor. It does not march and it does not roar. It comes as a draft through a sealed door, as the sensation of being watched from a corner you have already searched. The faithful of the fallen towns spoke of a hush that walked the ash-streets after the burning, and of sentries found cold at their posts without a wound to show, their lanterns still lit. Those who study such spirits hold that the Grimwhisp is drawn to grief and to those who linger alone, and that its long arms can reach across a room before the eye registers movement. Banish it and the silence it brought lingers for three nights; only then do the dogs bark again, and the survivors say the city has finally stopped listening.
Run Grimwhisp in Sixty Seconds
- Hold it hidden. Start the Grimwhisp obscured and unseen; spend the surprise round on the isolated PC, not the tank.
- Open with the grab. Lead with Clutching Talon to grapple, then Drag Into the Dark to yank the target away and blind them.
- Kill-priority: the loner. It hunts whoever strays from the group, backline casters and stragglers above all.
- When bloodied, use Sinking Hush to peel off, re-Hide as a bonus action, and reset the ambush from a new angle.
- Three ways to run it: a hit-and-run abductor that splits the party, a lair guardian that picks off scouts, or a tag-team that drags PCs into a bigger boss's reach.
Grimwhisp
Medium fiend (demon), neutral evil
CR 6 · 2,300 XP · GUIDELINEWhisper-Step. Signature. The Grimwhisp is heavily obscured to itself in dim light or darkness and can take the Hide action as a bonus action. While hovering and obscured it leaves no trace and makes no sound; a creature that has not detected it has disadvantage on the first attack roll against it each round.
Magic Resistance. The Grimwhisp has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The Grimwhisp makes two Clutching Talon attacks. It can replace one with a use of Drag Into the Dark if a target is grappled by it.
Clutching Talon. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8+4) slashing damage, and if the target is Large or smaller it is grappled (escape DC 15). The Grimwhisp has two long arms and can grapple two creatures at once.
Drag Into the Dark. The Grimwhisp pulls one creature it is grappling up to 15 feet toward it and into its mantle. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 16 (3d6+5) necrotic damage and be blinded until the end of its next turn as the gloom smothers it.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Sinking Hush. Reaction. When a creature the Grimwhisp can see ends its turn within 15 feet, the Grimwhisp may make one Clutching Talon attack against it, then move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.
A lean horror sheathed in blackened plate hovers above the rubble, a single red eye burning in its crested helm while two impossibly long arms unfurl, their red-tipped talons opening to seize.
Grimwhisp, Bound
Companion · acts on your initiative
Bound · GUIDELINEHush Cloak (signature). As a bonus action, the bound Grimwhisp wraps an ally within 5 feet in shadow; until the start of its next turn that ally is lightly obscured and has advantage on Stealth checks.
Actions
Clutching Talon. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) slashing damage, and a Medium or smaller target is grappled (escape DC 13).
Reactions
Pull to Safety. When an ally within 15 feet is hit by an attack, the Grimwhisp may drag that ally 10 feet away from the attacker, ending the line of effect if it can break it.
Leashed by a binding circle, the Reaching Hush stalks beside its keeper, an unseen hand that snatches enemies from the dark and spirits friends out of harm.
Guideline numbers — formula-tuned and read from the miniature's design, not yet table-proven. Tell us how it ran in the comments.
How It Fights — by Tier
Same creature, scaled threat. The traits never change; only the numbers move.
Open from the dark with a Clutching Talon to grapple the squishiest PC, then drag them out of the formation. Kill-priority: the lone, isolated character. Pair it with skirmishers or cultists so the party cannot mob it.
Open hidden; let the party advance, then seize two flanks at once with both arms and Drag Into the Dark on the higher-value catch. Kill-priority: backline casters and anyone who strayed alone. Use Sinking Hush to punish enders-of-turn and reposition; it is an ambusher, not a wall, so keep it moving and pair it with a frontline brute.
Run as a lair stalker beside a bigger threat: it abducts a key PC while the flagship pressures the rest. Open from concealment, grapple and Drag, then vanish with Sinking Hush before retaliation lands. Not a solo at this tier; deploy it with minions or a boss to split the party.
Put Grimwhisp on the table
Download the presupported STL and run the fight tonight — the model, and the encounter that comes with it.
Get the STL on MyMiniFactory →Clay Cyanide Companion Rules v1
How a bound creature acts
- A companion acts on its owner's initiative, immediately after the owner.
- It uses the Companion block above — roughly ×0.6 HP and damage, no recharge abilities, and at most one reaction trait.
- It moves freely; it takes its Action only while its owner is conscious.
- At 0 HP a companion is broken, not dead — restored on a long rest unless your table rules otherwise.
Original Clay Cyanide material © Clay Cyanide LLC — explicitly not the non-SRD official sidekick rules.
Questions, Asked at the Table
What CR is Grimwhisp?
Its home tier is CR 6 (Tier 2, levels 5-10): AC 16, 123 HP, +7 to hit, save DC 15. Scale it to CR 2 for Tier 1 or roughly CR 11 for Tier 3 using the tier table; traits stay the same, only the numbers move.
Can Grimwhisp be a companion or ally?
Yes. Bound by a circle, it serves as a skirmishing guardian (AC 15, 74 HP) that cloaks allies in shadow, grapples enemies at 15 feet, and can drag a wounded friend out of danger. It is best at controlling space, not trading blows toe-to-toe.
Is Grimwhisp a solo boss?
No. It has no legendary actions and only a single reaction, so a full party will out-act it. Use it as an add-on: an ambusher that splits the group or abducts a key character while a larger threat applies pressure.
Tell Us How It Ran
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD 5.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Clay Cyanide Miniatures is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. This content is compatible with the fifth edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. Companion rules, lore, names, and original mechanics © Clay Cyanide LLC.
Technical Specifications
32mm, 75mm
STL, Pre-supported STL
Standard or ABS-like resin, 0.05mm layer height
Yes — ready to print, optimized supports included
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