Giant Fire Beetle

Small beast, unaligned

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 4 (1d6 + 1)
Speed 30 ft.

Senses blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 8
Languages --
Challenge 0 (10 XP)

Illumination. The beetle sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d6 − 1) slashing damage.

Description

A giant fire beetle is a nocturnal creature that takes its name from a pair of glowing glands that give off light. Miners and adventurers prize these creatures, for a giant fire beetle's glands continue to shed light for 1d6 days after the beetle dies. Giant fire beetles are most commonly found underground and in dark forests.

Aspis

2107

Aspis are a race of insectoid creatures that dwell in underground nests not far beneath the surface. The majority of encounters with these unique beings are with the adult male drones; contact with or sightings of the larvae and cows are all but unheard of.

Aspis drones look much like giant weevils. They have hard, chitinous bodies that are gray or off-white in color and provide excellent protection from harm. Their heads have two multifaceted eyes, a pair of short, blunt antennae, and a long proboscis. Drones have six legs, each of which terminates in a cluster of fine manipulatory claws.

Aspis do not speak in the way that humanoid races do, although roughly 5% of them have been able to master a rough form of the common tongue. Among themselves, they have no spoken or written language; they communicate via a unique language of scents. The human olfactory system is wholly unable to detect the subtle changes of odor used by aspis in their conversations.

Combat: Almost all combat situations are dealt with by the drones, who are charged with protecting the nest and defending the larvae. If fighting to defend their cow, aspis warriors never check morale and fight to the death against any odds.

When an aspis drone does battle, it rises up on its rear two legs, leaving the other four limbs free to wield two weapons and hold two shields. When an aspis does this, its Armor Class is improved to AC 2.

The most common weapons employed by aspis in combat are short swords and hand axes. Although the structure of their bodies prevents them from using bows, they have been know to employ an unusual form of light crossbow in missile combat and are sometimes found with javelins and other throwing weapons.

The aspis is a very hardy creature, immune to attacks that use cold or electricity to inflict damage. In addition fire-based attacks cause only half damage to an aspis.

When called upon to defend their nests, aspis drones place numerous traps in any area they are forced to withdraw from. Even if they are caught off guard, the regions of the hive that surround the cow’s chamber and the larvae rooms are always trapped as a precaution against trespassers. As a rule, aspis traps involve rockfalls, pits, and other crude devices. Delicate traps, like poisoned needles, are not encountered in aspis lairs.

Habitat/Society: Aspis drones have no sense of individuality, lacking even unique names or personalities. They are nothing more than cogs in the machine that is the hive itself. Despite their high intelligence they take no actions on their own unless instructions from the cow are impossible to obtain.

An aspis nest is a collection of underground chambers connected by low tunnels bored out of soft rock or earth. A lair or nest always contains one to three egg chambers and as many as six grub hatcheries, which are inhabited by 1d10 larvae each. In order to feed the hive, there are also two to four granaries.

At the heart of each aspis lair is a huge central chamber in which the cow lives. The walls and floor of this room are covered with a thick, white liquid that is highly acidic and eats through metal or wood in a single round. If it comes into contact with living flesh, it inflicts 1d8 points of damage each round until washed off, As might be expected, all types of aspis are immune to this fluid.

The aspis knowledge of scents, musks, and perfumes is second to none. They are able to formulate and mix concoctions that simulate almost any odor: they use these compounds for many purposes. For example, a town that has taken action against a nearby aspis hive may find that its walls have been splashed with liberal doses of a sticky, yellow liquid that smells somewhat like chlorine. Imagine the surprise of the watch when they find that this substance not only attracts giant rats and similar rodents, but it also drives them into a wild fury. such examples of aspis vengeance are not common, but they are numerous enough to be taken seriously by those who would molest the aspis.

Ecology: Because of the ferocity with which aspis drones defend thier nest and its cow, this race has few natural enemies. They generally prefer to keep to themsleves as much as possible. Most encounters with the aspis occur when hard times force a colony to begin raiding nearby human settlements for food and other supplies.

The acid that is secreted by the cow is highly prized by alchemists. In addition to its obvious uses as a corrosive agent, it is important in the preparation of magical inks and potions that relate to acids and corrosion.

Aspis are true omnivores as they eat almost anything. Their digestive systems are very efficient and they can derive nourishment from virtually any organic matter.

Aspis are able to domesticate other forms of giant insects via chemical cues and scents. The most common creatures they take as guardians are giant ants. In the average aspis lair, there are 1d10 such creatures, while on occasion (10%) there are ten times that many ants. It is not know for sure if the aspis are able to acquire control over other semi-intelligent insectoid races (like the cave fisher or giant hornet), but current wisdom speaks against this.

Larvae

All aspis begin their lives as larvae. In this state, they resemble giant maggots or grubs, being white or pale pink in color. Their soft skin is easily cut through by swords and similar edged weapons. Aspis larvae are blind and deaf, but they sense potential food by vibrations in the ground and scents in the air. Aspis larvae can attack only with their jaws.

Aspis larvae have incredible appetites and are always eating. As a rule, they are kept only in the grub hatcheries of the nest, which resemble nothing more than vast sewage pits. Food scraps and other waste products are dumped into these chambers and form a sort of soup in which the larvae swim and feed. The stench of a grub chamber is so vile that non-aspis who enter it must roll successful saving throws vs. poison or become violently ill until removed from the odor.

Cows

Once in a great while, an aspis larva is selected by the drones of a nest and separated from its siblings. Fed a special diet and nurtured carefully, this larva does not mature into an adult drone, but instead becomes a cow.

Aspis cows look like huge larvae, reaching lengths of 15 feet when fully mature. They exude a dangerous corrosive that coats their bodies and adheres to the walls and floor of their chambers. Although they are slow and not at all agile, their great size makes their bite very dangerous.

Beetle, Giant

2103 • 2140

Giant beetles are similar to their more ordinary counterparts, but thousands of times larger – with chewing mandibles and hard wings that provide substantial armor protection.

Beetles have two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs. Fortunately, the wings of a giant beetle cannot be used to fly, and in most cases, its six bristly legs do not enable it to move as fast as a fleeing man. The hard, chitinous shell of several varieties of these beetles are brightly colored, and sometimes have value to art collectors. While their shells protect beetles as well as plate mail armor, it is difficult to craft armor from them, and a skilled alchemist would need to be brought in on the job.

All beetles are basically unintelligent and always hungry. They will feed on virtually any form of organic material, including other sorts of beetles. They taste matter with their antennae, or feelers; if a substance tasted is organic, the beetle grasps it with its mandibles, crushes it, and eats it. Because of the thorough grinding of the mandibles, nothing eaten by giant beetles can be revived by anything short of a wish. Beetles do not hear or see well, and rely primarily on taste and feel.

Except as noted below, giant beetles are not really social animals; those that are found near each other are competitors for the same biological niche, not part of any family unit.

Bombardier Beetle

The bombardier beetle is usually found above ground in wooded areas. It primarily feeds on offal and carrion, gathering huge heaps of the stuff in which to lay its eggs.

Combat: If it is attacked or disturbed, there is a 50% chance each round that it will turn its rear toward its attacker and fire off an 8-foot, spherical cloud of reeking, reddish, acidic vapor from its abdomen. This cloud causes 3d4 points of damage per round to any creature within range. Furthermore, the sound caused by the release of the vapor has a 20% chance of stunning any creature with a sense of hearing within a 15-foot radius, and a like chance for deafening any creature that was not stunned. Stunning lasts for 2d4 rounds, plus an additional 2d4 rounds of deafness afterwards. Deafening lasts 2d6 rounds. The giant bombardier can fire its vapor cloud every third round, but no more than twice in eight hours.

Ecology: The bombardier action of this beetle is caused by the explosive mixture of two substances that are produced internally and combined in a third organ. If a bombardier is killed before it has the opportunity to fire off both blasts, it is possible to cut the creature open and retrieve the chemicals. These chemicals can then be combined to produce a small explosive, or fire a projectile, with the proper equipment.

The chemicals are also of value to alchemists, who can use them in various preparations. They are worth 50 gp per dose.

Boring Beetle

Boring beetles feed on rotting wood and similar organic material, so they are usually found individually inside huge trees or massed in underground tunnel complexes.

Combat: The large mandibles of the boring beetle have a powerful bite and will inflict up to 20 points on damage to the victim.

Habitat/Society: Individually, these creatures are not much more intelligent than other giant beetles, but it is rumored that nests of them can develop a communal intelligence with a level of consciousness and reasoning that approximates the human brain. This does not mean that each beetle has the intelligence of a human, but rather that, collectively, the entire nest has attained that level. In these cases, the beetles are likely to collect treasure and magical items from their victims.

Ecology: In tunnel complexes, boring beetles grow molds, slimes, and fungi for food, beginning their cultures on various forms of decaying vegetable and animal matter and wastes.

One frequent fungi grown is the shrieker, which serves a dual role. Not only is the shrieker a tasty treat for the boring beetle, but it also functions as an alarm when visitors have entered the fungi farm. Boring beetles are quick to react to these alarms, dispatching the invaders, sometimes eating them, but in any case gaining fresh organic matter on which to raise shrieker and other saprophytic plants.

Fire Beetle

The smallest of the giant beetles, fire beetles are nevertheless capable of delivering serious damage with their powerful mandibles. They are found both above and below ground, and are primarily nocturnal.

Combat: Despite its name, the fire beetle has no fire attacks, relying instead on its huge mandibles to inflict up to three times the damage of a dagger in a single attack.

Ecology: Fire beetles have two special glands above their eyes and one near the back of their abdomens. These glands produce a luminous red glow, and for this reason they are highly prized by miners and adventurers. This luminosity persists for ld6 days after the glands are removed from the beetle, and the light shed will illuminate a radius of 10 feet.

The light from these glands is cold – it produces no heat. Many mages and alchemists are eager to discover the secret of this cold light, which could be not only safe, but economical, with no parts to heat up and burn out. In theory, they say, such a light source could last forever.

Rhinoceros Beetle

This uncommon monster inhabits tropical and subtropical jungles. They roam the rain forests searching for fruits and vegetation, and crushing anything in their path. The horn of a giant rhinoceros beetle extends about 6 feet.

Combat: The mandibles of this giant beetle inflict 3d6 points of damage on anyone unfortunate enough to be caught by them; the tremendous horn is capable of causing 2d8 points of damage by itself.

Ecology: The shell of this jungle dweller is often brightly colored or iridescent. If retrieved in one piece, these shells are valuable to clerics of the Egyptian pantheon, who use them as giant scarabs to decorate temples and other areas of worship. It is a representation of this, the largest of all beetles, that serves as the holy symbol for clerics of Apshai, the Egyptian god whose sphere of influence is said to include all insects.

Stag Beetle

These woodland beetles are very fond of grains and similar growing crops, and they sometimes become great nuisances when they raid cultivated lands.

Combat: Like other beetles, they have poor sight and hearing, but they will fight if attacked or attack if they encounter organic material they consider food. The giant stag beetle’s two horns are usually not less than 8 feet long; they inflict up to 10 points of damage each.

Ecology: The worst damage from a stag beetle raid is that done to crops; they will strip an entire farm in short order. Livestock suffers too, stampeding in fear and wreaking more havoc. The beetles may even devour livestock, if they are hungry enough.

Water Beetle

The giant water beetle is found only in fresh water no less than 30 feet deep.

Combat: Voracious eaters, these beetles prey upon virtually any form of animal, but will eat almost anything. Slow and ponderous on land, they move very quickly in water. Giant water beetles hunt food by scent and by feeling vibrations.

Habitat/Society: Water beetles sometimes inhabit navigable rivers and lakes, in which case they can cause considerable damage to shipping, often attacking and sinking craft to get at the tasty morsels inside.

Ecology: Although they are air breathers, water beetles manage to stay underwater for extended periods of time by catching and holding a bubble of air beneath their giant wings. They will carry the bubble underwater, where it can be placed in a cave or some other cavity capable of holding an air supply.

Insect, Giant

2140

Insects are the heartiest and the most numerous of creatures. Normal insects are found almost everywhere. The giant variety, many of which are listed here, with added brawn and power, make tough opponents.

Ant, Giant
Both worker and warrior ants fight. If a warrior manages to bite, it also tries to sting for 3d4 points damage. A successful save reduces damage to 1d4. The queen has 10 HD but does not move or fight.

Ant Lion, Giant
The ant lion builds tapering pits in loose sand and waits for prey to fall in. Once the ant lion hits, all additional attacks are automatic.

Aratha
Aratha grasp and hold prey with their 8-foot clawed tentacles that can lash out 20 feet. An aratha does not bite opponents, but chews flesh torn from prey by its tentacles.

Psionics Summary

Psychokinesis – Sciences: nil; Devotion: molecular agitation.

Psychometabolism – Sciences: nil; Devotions: body equilibrium, suspend animation.

Telepathy – Science: psionic crush; Devotions: attraction, empower, mind thrust, .

Aspis, Cow
Aspis cows exude a dangerous corrosive that coats the body and adheres to the walls and floor of the chambers. This corrosive causes damage every round her opponents stay in her chamber.

Aspis, Drone
Most combat situations are handled by aspis drones. They rise on two rear legs, leaving the other four limbs to wield two weapons and two shields, increasing its AC to 2. All aspis are immune to cold and electrical damage; fire-based attacks cause only half damage.

Aspis, Larva
Aspis larvae attack with their perpetually ravenous jaws.

Assassin Bug
The male assassin bug attacks first with the female close to the battle. Those bitten must save vs. poison or that part of the body is paralyzed for one hour. The female attacks that same location the following round to inject 1d6+6 eggs. In 1d12+12 hours, the eggs hatch, and each larva causes 1 point of damage per hour. After two weeks, the larva emerge as adults. Only powerful spells like wish and limited wish will erase the infestation.

Bee, Worker
Worker bees use their stinger in combat. The victim must save vs. poison or suffer and additional 1d4 points of damage. Bees lose their stinger after one use and die in an hour. If encountered at the hive, there will be 20 times the normal number of bees.

Bee, Soldier
Soldier bees are identical to worker bees, except their sting causes more damage, and the victim must save with a -1 penalty.

Bumblebee
Bumblebee poison causes an additional 1d6 points of damage unless a save vs. poison (with a -1 penalty) is made. If encountered at or near the nest, there will be 1d6+6 bumblebees, and a combative queen. The queen has 8d4 HD and a sting that causes 1d8 points of damage. The poison from her sting causes an additional 2-8 points of damage if a save vs. poison at a -2 penalty is failed. Bumblebees do not lose their stingers after use.

Cave Cricket
If a group of people are within 20 feet of a chirping cave cricket, the noise drowns out all speech and vocal spell casting. The noise inhibits the victim's ability to hear approaching predators and enemies.

Dragonfly
Giant dragonflies gain a -3 bonus to initiative rolls and a +4 Armor Class bonus against missile weapons. A dragonfly scoops tiny- and small-sized creatures into its leg basket and devours them in midair. When captured, its victim is attacked automatically. When attacking man- or large-sized creatures, the dragonfly darts in to bite with its mandibles, and backs up, always facing its opponent.

Dragonfly, Larva
These larva surprise their prey 50% of the time. Their mandibles are covered with a rubbery organ when not in use; so even before the attack, they appear to be inoffensive, toothless creatures.

Ear Seeker
The ear seeker needs warm places to lay its eggs, favoring locations like ears. The creature lays 8+1d8 eggs that hatch in 4d6 hours. The larva eat the surrounding tissue, deafening the victim. Constantly burrowing deeper into the victim's head where food and warmth are plentiful, the host has a 90% chance of dying in 1d4 days. After this time, the ear seekers emerge from the infested ear as adults. A cure disease removes the infestation but does not return the loss of hearing.

Firefriend (Giant Firefly)
In addition to its mandibles, the giant firefly can brighten its abdomen once every turn, creating a beam of greenish light that causes 5d4 points of damage; one-half damage if a save vs. wands is successful.

Fly, Giant Bluebottle
This breed of giant fly prefers carrion, offal, and the like. They are, however, attracted to sweet odors, and creatures covered with blood or open wounds.

Fly, Giant Horsefly
The largest of all giant flies, the giant horsefly alights on any creature to attack for blood with its tuberous mouth. After biting, the giant horsefly causes an equal amount of damage the next round by drawing blood, unless driven off.

Fyrefly
When a fyrefly contacts flammable objects, these items must save vs. normal fire or be consumed. Persons in burning clothing suffer 1d6 points of damage. Hits that do not strike burnable material, cause 1 point of damage to the victim.

Horax
Horax attack in packs, gaining a -1 bonus to initiative rolls. Once a horax scores a hit, it maintains its hold, causing damage every round.

Hornet, Giant
The solitary giant hornet swoops down on its prey, holding with its legs while its stinger repeatedly stabs the victim. A failed save vs. poison causes an additional 5d6 points of damage and 2d6 hours of paralyzation. Hornets do not lose their stingers when they attacks.

Pernicon
Pernicons attack by swarming victims and tearing at exposed flesh with their huge mandibles. Able to worm their way under clothing and armor, no one is completely safe from these creatures. When the swarm hits, the victim suffers 1d10 points of damage and 1 point of Constitution. If the Constitution dips below 3, the victim falls unconscious; below 1 and the victim dies. One point of Constitution is recovered per day, regardless of healing methods.

Praying Mantis, Gargantuan
The gargantuan praying mantis grabs prey, that inadvertently comes too close, with its front spiny arms. Besides its two claws, it bites with its strong mandibles, removing and chewing flesh with each unerring strike.

Termite, Giant Harvester
Groups of 30 or more worker termites are accompanied by soldiers. Soldier termites can spit an irritating liquid like kerosene once per turn at a range of 10 feet. This flammable liquid blinds creatures, for 5d4 rounds, that do not save vs. poison. If ignited, termite spittle causes 4d4 points of damage. King termites have double range spittle and can use this attack every other round, but the queen lacks this ability. Both the queen and king (and the eggs) are guarded by twice the number of workers and soldiers encountered normally, and who attack with a +1 to hit and a +5 bonus to morale rolls.

Tick, Giant
These creatures drop on victims from trees, stalactites, or rock formations. After the initial hit, the tick drains 1d6 hit points of blood every round until its drain total equals its hit point total. A victim has a 50% chance of contracting a fatal disease that kills the host in 2d4 days unless a cure disease is cast.

Wasp, Giant
These cooperative insects attack with both their bite and stinger. The venom carried by wasps is identical to that held by the giant hornet. Wasps do not lose their stingers when they attack.