g. campestris is a species of cricket found throughout western europe in dry, sunny, grassy plains.
even though g. campestris is a species of insect displaying hemimetabolism, it is flightless and exclusively uses its wings to make that iconic cricket noise that we all know and love. due to the flightlessness of g. campestris, it cannot migrate long distances (unlike a lot of its fellow orthopteran peers).
even though the IUCN red list lists g. campestris as least concern, its population is decreasing, especially in great britain.
pic 1 and pic. 2 both showcase an adult g. campestris. (credit: roberto zanon)
In einer kleinen Stadt in Süddeutschland wurde eine Konzerthalle eröffnet, die speziell für Konzerte zum Zirpen der Grillen gedacht ist. Das Publikum sitzt auf bequemen Holzbänken unter einer offenen Decke, während das Zirpen der Grillen die Luft erfüllt. Diese Konzerte sind eine große Attraktion für Touristen und Einheimische gleichermaßen und locken Menschen aus dem ganzen Land an, um diese einzigartige Naturschönheit zu genießen.
Incredible mid Victorian cameo brooch featuring a Gryllus comprising the heads of Athena/Minerva and Heracles/Hercules, as well as the lion's head famously worn by the latter. The Grylli (essentially referring to any group of conjoined heads) was thought to ward off the evil eye, and protect the wearer from demonic spirits. They were often a combination of beasts and humans with mythical associations. This example is stunning, an excellent combination of classical deities, and featuring the most superbly detailed carving, mounted in an Etruscan revival 15 karat gold brooch mount with fine ropework and beading. With concealed bail for wear as pendant
@sleepysnek submitted: A jet black cricket i found last night! Little dude got scared by me and jumped towards my cat so I spent a good coulple of minutes trying to catch them before the cat ate them. Found in southern Illinois
Glad they were (I assume) rescued from the cat! Crickets make very nice little friends. This one is likely a field cricket in the genus Gryllus :)
[The word “gryllus” means cricket, and was also the name of a character in a dialogue by Plutarch, one of Odysseus’ crewmen who argues that he’d rather stay a pig after being transformed by Circe. The name was applied to medieval-style grotesques by Marina Warner in her book No Go the Bogeyman, which draws some rather spurious conclusions about these creatures and their purpose. She claimed, for example, that they almost always had two faces to represent the duality of them as figures of fun/fear. The original was two-faced by default, but now I’ve added it as an option on a random table of weird features. Because everyone likes monsters with random tables, right?]
Gryllus
CR 1 CN Monstrous Humanoid
This stunted little creature is somehow simultaneously pitiful, comical and unnerving. Its body is a disproportionate mishmash of animal and human parts with a leering, monstrous face.
The victims of a potent curse, the grylli are embodiments of vice and folly. Not exactly evil, grylli are instead short-sighted, foolish and selfish creatures prone to fits of greed and gluttony. In some communities, lone grylli are seen as mascots to be pitied and cared for, but a mass of the little creatures is still cause for alarm. In groups, grylli wander the countryside attempting to prove to each other which among them is capable of the greatest feats of strength and cunning, neither of which are qualities grylli have in any amount. Bumbles of grylli entering a settlement are prone to mischief such as raiding henhouses, stealing clothes off of clotheslines and pinching the bottoms of farmer’s daughters.
Violence is not a gryllus’ first instinct, but if harassed or in a foul mood they attack with needle-sharp teeth. a gryllus’ whining voice is capable of giving cry to ear-piercing wails, unsettling all who hear them. The most feared ability of the gryllus is their contagious nature—one attacked by a gryllus becomes more fool-hardy, reckless and prone to indulge their worst natures. The least fortunate of these victims are rendered insensible and slowly shrink and warp into the form of a gryllus over the course of a day. Only magic capable of relieving curses is effective at transforming a gryllus into the man he once was. Grylli remember only scattered memories of their former lives, which they may relate if properly motivated (with shiny objects or rich food).
A gryllus stands about three feet tall and weighs fifty pounds. No two grylli look exactly alike—one may have three hoofed legs and a face growing out of his belly, whereas another might be little more than an oversized head on feet. All, however, freely mix humanoid and animal features. Grylli do not age and do not die except by disease or violence. Although most are free-wheeling and wild creatures, some are the servants of the spellcasters that transformed them.
Greater Grylli
When an especially powerful or noble individual is the subject of a create gryllus spell (see below) or succumbs to a gryllus’ create spawn, they may transform instead into a greater gryllus. A greater gryllus retains more of its reason than its lesser brethren as well as all of its memories of its former life. As such, most tend to be brooding and bitter creatures that turn their back on the world that cursed them. A greater gryllus has a more symmetrical shape, appearing as some sort of chimeric humanoid. A greater gryllus is a gryllus with the advanced and giant simple templates and is a CR 3 creature.
Gryllus CR 1
XP 400
CN Small monstrous humanoid
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +2
Defense
AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 13 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 14 (2d10+3)
Fort +3, Ref +4, Will -2
Weakness cursed
Offense
Speed 20 ft.
Melee bite +2 (1d4 plus 1 Wis damage), 2 claws +2 (1d3)
Special Attacks create spawn, wail
Statistics
Str 10, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 6, Wis 6, Cha 13
Base Attack +1; CMB +0; CMD 11
Feats Toughness
Skills Climb +4, Intimidate +5, Perception +2, Stealth +9
Languages Common
SQ motley
Ecology
Environment any temperate land
Organization solitary, pair, bumble (3-6) or riot (6-36)
Treasure half standard
Special Abilities
Create Spawn (Su) Any humanoid reduced to 0 Wisdom by a gryllus falls into a coma and awakes 24 hours later transformed into a gryllus. The newly created gryllus is not under the control of its creator, and has rudimentary memories of its former life.
Cursed (Su) Grylli are vulnerable to spells that can remove curses. If a remove curse or break enchantment spell is cast on a gryllus and succeeds a DC 21 caster level check, the gryllus transforms into the humanoid it was before it was transformed. The race, class and level of these humanoids are up to the GM, but many grylli were once 1st level human warriors.
Motley (Ex) All grylli are a strange combination of features and have random characteristics. Roll on the table below to determine the ability:
1. clawed: the gryllus gains two claw attacks that deal 1d3 damage
2. keen senses: the gryllus gains a +4 racial bonus on Perception checks and scent
3. martial: the gryllus gains proficiency in all simple and martial weapons
4. shelled: the gryllus gains an additional +2 natural armor bonus
5. wheeled: the gryllus’s land speed increases by +20 feet, but it takes a -4 penalty to Climb and Swim checks
6. two-faced: the gryllus gains a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks and all-around vision
7. longneck: the gryllus gains +5 foot reach with its bite attack
8. stench: the gryllus gains the stench special attack with a radius of 10 feet (Fort DC 11 negates)
Wail (Su) As a standard action, a gryllus can wail in an unsettling manner, causing all non-gryllus within 30 feet to succeed a DC 12 Will save or take a -1 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws and skill checks for 1 minute thereafter. The wails of multiple grylli accumulate—each additional failed save increases the penalty suffered by 1, to a maximum of a -4 penalty. A creature that successfully saves against the wail of a gryllus cannot be affected by the same gryllus’ wail for the next 24 hours. This is a sonic mind-influencing fear effect. The save DC is Charisma based.
Wisdom Damage (Su) Any creature struck by the bite of a gryllus must succeed a DC 11 Fortitude save or take 1 point of Wisdom damage. The save DC is Constitution based.
New Spell: Create Gryllus
School transmutation (curse)
Level sorcerer/wizard 6, witch 6
Casting Time 10 minutes
Components V, S, M (oils and rare herbs costing 250 gp)
Range touch
Target one helpless or willing humanoid
Duration permanent
Saving Throw Fortitude negates; Spell Resistance yes
This spell transforms a willing or helpless humanoid into a strange creature known as a gryllus (see above). The transformed creature is restored to full hit points if it was rendered helpless via injury. The newly created gryllus is dazed for 1 minute, after which time it can act normally. The gryllus is not under control of the caster and has an initial attitude of unfriendly—this can be influenced via skill use or magic as normal.
@lord-pilot submitted: I think this is a cricket, but I'm not sure. It was definitely way bigger than a cricket, like as big as my pinkie. Like, this is the kind of cricket that would eat other crickets.
It is indeed a cricket! In the genus Gryllus. Species depends on location, but they can be fairly big!
