Cleon
Legend
The Earthquake Beetle?
Sure, you may suggest it!
I've mainly been focusing on oversized versions of normal arthropods but we're open to including bugs from fantasy & myths like the Mystaran Dragonflies we converted.
5E: Monstrous Arthropods for Fifth Edition
- Thread starter Cleon
- Start date
The Earthquake Beetle?
Sure, you may suggest it!
I've mainly been focusing on oversized versions of normal arthropods but we're open to including bugs from fantasy & myths like the Mystaran Dragonflies we converted.
Casimir Liber
Adventurer
Cleon
Legend
I'm game to have a stab at the beetle once the Mozzies are finished.
We've still got the Tiny version to stat up.
Cleon
Legend
Here's the original text for the Tiny sized but still Giant Mosquitoes:
Mosquitoes, giant (20 + 4d6 per swarm): INT non; AL N; AC 5; MV 1, fly 18 (A); HD ½; hp 1-4 each; THAC0 15; #AT 1 per 10 mosquitoes; Dmg see below; SA attacks as 5-HD monster, see below; SZ T (6″-8″ wingspan); ML 18; XP 35; new monster.
Giant mosquitoes, like their smaller cousins, gather into swarms to travel and attack. The buzzing of mosquito wings becomes clearly audible as a low-pitched humming noise when the mosquitoes are within 50 yards. A swarm typically takes the shape of a roughly spherical ball with a diameter of about 40′. Giant mosquitoes are therefore very vulnerable to area-affect spells such as fireball.
All creatures within range of the swarm (40′ diameter circle) can be attacked by the mosquitoes. The swarm does 1-6 hp damage (using blood drain) to each creature that it successfully attacks. The swarm ceases to attack once it has drained 2 hp worth of blood for each mosquito in the swarm. For example, a swarm consisting of 35 mosquitoes will drain 70 hp worth of blood before it ceases to attack. The swarm will be sated for 1d8 + 4 hours after an attack. There is a 5% chance per wound of contracting a serious disease from the mosquitoes.
For game purposes, there are an unlimited number of giant mosquito swarms in the Glitchegumee Swamp, so this encounter can be used repeatedly. Most such encounters should occur in the hours just before and after sunset.
An extract from one of the Encounters is also relevant:
4. Giant Mosquito Fens. The PCs should not be allowed to find the bogs where the mosquitoes are breeding without help from the Bog Monster. The breeding bogs are just like any of the hundreds of other pools of stagnant water that dot the swamp.
Once the PCs find the breeding bogs, there are several ways to destroy the threat of the giant mosquitoes forever. Possible methods include draining away the water, sifting out all the mosquito larvae and destroying them, or poisoning the bogs. The bogs are all at least 50′ in diameter and about 6″ deep, so options like draining away the water might take several days to accomplish.
Here’s an example of how to judge the PCs efforts: Suppose that the PCs decide to drain the bogs. This solution requires that one of the PCs have the engineering nonweapon proficiency. That PC will supply the knowledge to allow the group to construct appropriate ditches, culverts, drain points, etc. Roll 1d6 to determine the number of days taken up by the effort. At the end of this time, make an engineering nonweapon proficiency check. If the check succeeds, the PCs successfully destroy all the mosquito larvae. If the check fails, a few larvae survive, and the mosquitoes will gradually rebuild their numbers. They will become a threat again in about 12 months.
Originally appeared in Dungeon Magazine #41 (“Old Man Katan and the Incredible, Edible, Dancing Mushroom Band” by Ted James and Thomas Zuvich, May/June 1993).
Mosquitoes, giant (20 + 4d6 per swarm): INT non; AL N; AC 5; MV 1, fly 18 (A); HD ½; hp 1-4 each; THAC0 15; #AT 1 per 10 mosquitoes; Dmg see below; SA attacks as 5-HD monster, see below; SZ T (6″-8″ wingspan); ML 18; XP 35; new monster.
Giant mosquitoes, like their smaller cousins, gather into swarms to travel and attack. The buzzing of mosquito wings becomes clearly audible as a low-pitched humming noise when the mosquitoes are within 50 yards. A swarm typically takes the shape of a roughly spherical ball with a diameter of about 40′. Giant mosquitoes are therefore very vulnerable to area-affect spells such as fireball.
All creatures within range of the swarm (40′ diameter circle) can be attacked by the mosquitoes. The swarm does 1-6 hp damage (using blood drain) to each creature that it successfully attacks. The swarm ceases to attack once it has drained 2 hp worth of blood for each mosquito in the swarm. For example, a swarm consisting of 35 mosquitoes will drain 70 hp worth of blood before it ceases to attack. The swarm will be sated for 1d8 + 4 hours after an attack. There is a 5% chance per wound of contracting a serious disease from the mosquitoes.
For game purposes, there are an unlimited number of giant mosquito swarms in the Glitchegumee Swamp, so this encounter can be used repeatedly. Most such encounters should occur in the hours just before and after sunset.
4. Giant Mosquito Fens. The PCs should not be allowed to find the bogs where the mosquitoes are breeding without help from the Bog Monster. The breeding bogs are just like any of the hundreds of other pools of stagnant water that dot the swamp.
Once the PCs find the breeding bogs, there are several ways to destroy the threat of the giant mosquitoes forever. Possible methods include draining away the water, sifting out all the mosquito larvae and destroying them, or poisoning the bogs. The bogs are all at least 50′ in diameter and about 6″ deep, so options like draining away the water might take several days to accomplish.
Here’s an example of how to judge the PCs efforts: Suppose that the PCs decide to drain the bogs. This solution requires that one of the PCs have the engineering nonweapon proficiency. That PC will supply the knowledge to allow the group to construct appropriate ditches, culverts, drain points, etc. Roll 1d6 to determine the number of days taken up by the effort. At the end of this time, make an engineering nonweapon proficiency check. If the check succeeds, the PCs successfully destroy all the mosquito larvae. If the check fails, a few larvae survive, and the mosquitoes will gradually rebuild their numbers. They will become a threat again in about 12 months.
Cleon
Legend
Okay, these Giant Mosquitoes are only the size of a very small bird like a Robin* or Wren.
* I mean proper Robin Rebreasts (Erithacus rubecula) like we have over here, not those Thrushes with a makeover they call Robins (Turdus migratorius) in America.
Both Eurasian Wrens (Troglodytes troglodytes) and Pacific Wrens (Troglodytes pacificus) have wingspans about six inches, suggesting they're a comparable size to these mozzies.
For such a tiny animal to have 1-4 hit points suggests it's absurdly tough, plus if it's sated by drinking 2 hit points of blood it'd have to turn into a swollen blood balloon to hold that much fluid if it drinks from a regular creature.
A normal 1 HD humanoid has, like eight pints of blood and four or five hitpoints, so you'd have to get three or four pints in each mosquito to satisfy it. A bird that size weighs a fraction of an ounce: according to Wikipedia a Robin is 16–22 g (0.56–0.78 oz). So a sated mozzie would be flying around with up to a hundred times its own bodyweight in blood. That seems a bit off!
It makes more sense to assume the wingspan is wrong and they're actually closer to the size of a Stirge (2 foot wingspan) than a small passerine.
* I mean proper Robin Rebreasts (Erithacus rubecula) like we have over here, not those Thrushes with a makeover they call Robins (Turdus migratorius) in America.
Both Eurasian Wrens (Troglodytes troglodytes) and Pacific Wrens (Troglodytes pacificus) have wingspans about six inches, suggesting they're a comparable size to these mozzies.
For such a tiny animal to have 1-4 hit points suggests it's absurdly tough, plus if it's sated by drinking 2 hit points of blood it'd have to turn into a swollen blood balloon to hold that much fluid if it drinks from a regular creature.
A normal 1 HD humanoid has, like eight pints of blood and four or five hitpoints, so you'd have to get three or four pints in each mosquito to satisfy it. A bird that size weighs a fraction of an ounce: according to Wikipedia a Robin is 16–22 g (0.56–0.78 oz). So a sated mozzie would be flying around with up to a hundred times its own bodyweight in blood. That seems a bit off!
It makes more sense to assume the wingspan is wrong and they're actually closer to the size of a Stirge (2 foot wingspan) than a small passerine.
