Murder Crow 5E Tactics

My current mashup "In Media Requiem" campaign has a very strong crow theme, so I already have a lot of plague-doctor-esque humanoids running around, but I like these grymkin in terms of thematic elements even though they are newer additions to the bestiary. They also appear in one of the new 5E Pendrake Encounters: "Grym Tidings" so as promised they need to be covered.

A Murder Crow, waiting in jdugement...

Unlike a lot of the brutes I seem to have detailed to date, murder crows are a refreshing change -  shock attackers with high DEX but only average STR and CON in their ability contour. Above-average INT and high WIS mean a flock (or is it a *murder* of murder crows?) of these creatures coordinates attacks and chooses only fights they can collectively win, which fits their vengeance of corrupt bureaucrats lore.

Again, they have a high CHA without either spellcasting or languages / social skills to parely with, which I take to represent "force of personality" like a feralgeist given the lack of need for CHA saves in general in 5E other than a few select spells that are probably not that applicable given their low CR1 status - I really do need to write a separate post on my thoughts ono high CHA for these mute, socially inept, non-spellcaster creatures sometime...

Immunity to being charmed or frightened is consistent with their fey origin but only relevant if the party containers spellcasters that favour spells that create these conditions. 

Given Multiattack is set two their two Talon attacks, there aren't many choices of note here, it's more about how the grymkin maneouvers and make use of its other traits. They are standard Medium sized, with slightly above average AC, low Hit Dice, and not a lot in the way of utility passive traits. 

These fey of course have Sneak Attack, which they are always going to try and employ whenever they can, even if it only affects one of the two possible hits per turn. This added damage potential effect in turn drives them to use their Pack Tactics to gain advantage whenever possible - when murder crows attack, they attack as a *group* to support each other, potentially using the optional Flanking rules, which Keith has a good article on.

Let's see: darkvision, Shadow Stealth, plus proficiencies in Stealth and Perception - this fits an ambusher well, and one that operates from the cover of night or other darkness. 

Add in climb as an alternate movement option and mix with an urban setting favoured by bureaucrats and officials across Immoren and you get the image of the iconic figure above hiding as a group in the shadows or pale moonlight above an outnumbered opponent... lamp posts, church steeples, towers, and other tall buildings, descending creepily by crawling down the vertical surfaces to attack.

Although they lack a means to avoid opportunity attacks when retreating, they can scamper out of reach by climbing, using Disengage as needed if near a convenient wall but don't have spider climb to move onto the ceiling completely out of reach.  

A flock of these creatures can be very creepy, cunning, and unexpected. Use them to evoke that atmosphere, riffing from Hitchcock's classi "the Birds" as much as possible...

Grym Tidings Variant

There's an interesting effect invoked in "Grym Tidings" against the man marked by the grymkin - the murder crows can only be seen by their intended victim and no one else initially, until it seems they make thier attack. In addition, they confer the following on their target:

• Disadvantage on checks made to resist the frightened condition
• Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage made by nonmagical attacks that are *not* caused by murder crows. The crows have chosen him as one of their own and mystically protect him from harm they do not inflict.

This is a pretty cool effect to add in the context of the scenario, although I note they don't actually have an effect that provokes the frightened condition. These additional effects could be readily adapted. 

In addition, playing on the corvidae theme, the murder crows may be accompanied one or more swarms of ravens (MM5E, page 339). Ravens don't have a lot in the way of tactics other than being a flying swarm, able to attack and move out of reach (while provoking an opportunity attack mind you), but their inherent immunities to most conditions and non-magcial weapons can make them soak up charatcer resources and distract them while their larger comrades focus on their mark. Yes, I know there's a difference between crows and ravens, but lets invoke poetic licence here and use them together more foten for dramatic effect. 

Other Variations

Although actually unrelated, being a Devourer aligned celestial rather than a Grymkin fey, there's some corvidae elements to the Lord of Feasts (MN5E, page 118-119) that could be used for an "alpha" murder crow to really emphasise their ravenlike nature:

• Crow’s Flight (Recharge 5–6). The murder crow's body dissolves into a flock of ravens and flies to a point within 120 feet of it, where it reforms. It doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks during this movement.

• Slashing Swarm. The murder crow polymorphs into a swarm of ravens. It can return to its original form during its turn as a bonus action. If the swarm drops to 0 hit points before the murder crow  rreforms, the murder crow returns to its original form immediately. 

Yes these are very Snow White and the Huntsman effects visually. 

Go on, watch it I won't tell LOL.

Note: one of the encounters in the swamp my players came across "the Tree of Crows", riffed on the murder crow motifs and a scylla flock - I ran it for atmosphere and it creeped them out as intended (they loved it they said), and although the latter creature isn't exactly corvidae (or swamp based in lore to be fair), I think I'll rework it with some of these elemnts. I'll be doing a scylla flock post in due course as it is the subject of an older 3.5E Pendrake Encounter article found in NQ #16,