Part 9 – Giant Insects

BEETLE, GIANT

In troll lands, there are a great number of species of giant beetle. Like most giant insects, they are unintelligent, and indeed, are normally too stupid to appreciate most threats with which they are faced. Unlike normal-sized beetles, they are too heavy to fly. Many types are domesticated by trolls for various purposes. Giant beetles are too unintelligent to employ more than the simplest of tactics. They rush at prey and viciously bite with their mandibles until either they or the prey are rendered helpless. They will drag any captured food off to a sheltered area to consume in privacy.

Babeester Beetle

(Cicindela babeester)

Bite 12W+2, Chitin +4, Dodge Attack 2W, Fearless 10W, Large 2W, Run Fast 8W, Strong 12W, Tough 2W, Track by Scent 12W

Distribution: Troll areas

Habitat: Open terrain

These fierce beetles are green with white spots, and eat other beetles as well as small to medium sized mammals and reptiles. They are clumsy fliers, and prefer to stay on the ground. They are generally too vicious to be domesticated, although it is common for troll shamans to bind spirits into them. The larvae resemble stingworms.

Image: Babeester Beetle

Bombardier Beetle

(Brachinus fragor)

Bite 5W, Blast 5W^3, Stun 18, Chitin +1, Fly Fast 2W, Forage 10W, Small 12

Distribution: Guhan, Halikiv

Habitat: Forests, hills

These beetles have copper-coloured bodies and bluish-black wing-casings. They are carnivores, although too small to be particularly fearsome to humanoids. These creatures are most notable for the fact that, when alarmed, they fire a volatile liquid from their rear end which explodes violently, and produces a noisy bang and a cloud of smoke. The sound of the bang may also stun any creatures within ten feet of the beetle; while this stun effect lasts only a few secnds, it is usually long enough for the beetle to attempt to make its escape. Bombardier beetles are sometimes used as perimeter guard animals, because the noise they make can alert more effective guards closer to base.

Image: Bombardier Beetle

Diving Beetle

(Dysticus caelcadere)

Bite 8W+2, Chitin +3, Dive 10W, Fearless 8W, Large 15, Spot Prey 5W, Strong 10W, Swim Fast 12W

Distribution: Dagori Inkarth

Habitat: Fresh water

These large black beetles are commonly found in Skyfall Lake, and similar species are known in some other troll lands. Like watch beetles, they are fierce carnivores, subsisting primarily on medium-sized fish; they will attack creatures considerably larger than themselves as well. They breathe air, but can stay submerged for long periods when necessary. The larvae are water-breathing bottom-dwellers similar to stingworms, but lacking the venom.

Image: Diving Beetle

Ham Beetle

(Bothynus pernae)

Bite 18, Chitin +1, Forage 10W, Small 12

Distribution: Troll areas

Habitat: Domesticated

These small herbivorous beetles are about the size of a large ham. They eat leaves and grass, and are raised by trolls as a food source. Ham beetles fly in flocks, and can be herded by the awakened beetles employed by troll followers of Gorakiki. They are harmless, and flee from confrontation. The larvae feed on water plants.

Image: Ham Beetle

Helmet Weevil

(Durocuculia galeo)

Bite 18, Chitin +3, Forage 10W, Small 12

Distribution: Kethaela

Habitat: Domesticated

These dull green beetles are commonly bred by the trolls of the Kingdom of Night. They are about a foot long and are distinguished by their tough armour and their long snouts, which bear the small jaws at the tip. The wing-casing of these beetles is fused into a single piece, and is often made into helmets for use by trolls, hence the name. The trolls place the eggs of these beetles in piles of nuts, which the legless maggots eat. The adults are herbivores, and can drill their snouts into tough bark to get at the sap beneath.

Image: Helmet Weevil

Longhorn Beetle

(Monochamus arborphagus)

Bite 5W+1, Chitin +2, Forage 10W, Run Fast 8W, Scent Predator 10W

Distribution: Troll areas

Habitat: Forests, domesticated

This is one of many species of beetle intermediate in size between ham beetles and watch beetles, and are typical for their kind. Longhorn beetles are greyish-brown with pale mottling, and have exceptionally long antennae. Like most giant beetles, they are herbivores, and can be herded for their meat. The larvae are maggot-like and largely harmless.

Image: Longhorn Beetle

BLUEBOTTLE, GIANT

(Calliphora enlobaiulus)

Vomit Acid 18+3, Chitin +1, Aerobatics 15W, Dodge Attack 10W, Fly Fast 12W, Spot Food 12W, Strong 5W

Distribution: Dagori Inkarth

Habitat: Open terrain

There are a number of species of giant fly, but the only one to be domesticated is the giant bluebottle, used as an aerial riding animal by local trollkin. Dung flies, flesh flies, warble flies and hover flies are all common in troll lands as well, but are quite harmless to humans. Giant bluebottles eat rotting organic matter or the nectar from giant flowers, and lack any biting mouthparts. Instead, they vomit their stomach acids directly onto the food and lap up the resulting effluent. Females normally lay their eggs in the carcases of large animals such as dinosaurs, but any suitable pile of dead organic matter will suffice; trolls who breed the animals use middens full of troll and giant beetle dung.

Unless trained to do otherwise, a giant bluebottle will instinctively flee from any attack. If unable to flee, it might try to vomit on an opponent, but can do this only once per hour, and with no great accuracy.

Image: Bluebottle

Giant Maggot

Bite 5W+2, Leathery Chitin +1, Large 12

The larvae of giant flies are leathery white maggots that are actually larger than the adults. They usually hatch inside giant corpses or piles of refuse, and remain there until they pupate. They strike out blindly against anything which disturbs them, but are not active hunters. The conditions in which they live are usually so foul-smelling, that opponents with a sense of smell are likely to suffer a large handicap to most of their abilities to reflect their nausea.

CHANGA

(Gryllotalpa megamplus)

Bite 15^2, Chitin ^4, Hear Intruder 18, Large 2W, Strong 10W

Distribution: Troll areas

Habitat: Subterreanean

Changas are dark-brown, streamlined, cricket-like creatures with massive digging forelimbs. They spend most of their life in underground burrows up to three feet across, and primarily feed off large plant roots and burrowing giant maggots. They also eat most creatures that invade their burrows. They are occasionally domesticated by trolls and used to dig tunnels under fortifications or into dwarven complexes.

The females lay their eggs in underground nests; unusually for an insect, she then stands guard over the eggs until they hatch. Young changa are miniature versions of the adults. Changa only commonly come to the surface to breed, in Fireseason, when the males loudly stridulate to attract a mate.

DRAGONFLY, GIANT

(Anax draco)

Grapple & Bite 12W+2, Chitin +3, Aerobatics 15W, Ambush 10W, Dodge Attack 10W, Fly Fast 18W, Large 2W, Spot Prey 12W, Strong 10W

Distribution: Troll areas

Habitat: Lakes, swamp

These fearsome predators are among the fastest and most manoeuvrable of flying insects. They are known to hunt prey in the air, on water and on land, and will even attack solitary humans. They rarely walk, and use their legs mainly to perch while at rest and to grab prey. They occasionally gather in great swarms to migrate or when food is particularly plentiful, but are otherwise solitary as adults. Dragonflies lay their eggs in the water, which hatch to produce vicious carnivorous larvae (use the abilities for stingworms but without venom and with Move Fast 5W).

PRAYING MANTIS, GIANT

(Mantis immanis)

Claws & Bite 15W+4, Chitin +4, Agile 12W, Hide in Forest 15W, Large 8W, Move Silently 12W, Spot Prey 10W, Strong 15W, Tough 10W

Distribution: Errinoru, Tarmo

Habitat: Jungle, highland forest

These deadly insects are naturally camouflaged for their wooded habitat, and have a skinny body with long legs and a small, triangular head. A few of the jungle trolls have successfully tamed these creatures as riding animals, but for the most part, they are wild predators, which eat almost any fresh meat. Female mantises lay their eggs in a tough spongy nest of bodily secretions which they hide under rocks or logs. The eggs hatch to produce worm-like young, which moult within a few days to reveal miniature versions of the adult.

TERMITE, GIANT

(Termopsis extravagansis)

Bite (Soldier) 5W+1, Bite (Worker) 18, Squirt (Nasute) 2W, Build Mound 10W, Navigate Colony Tunnels 2W2, Small 10

Distribution: Errinoru

Habitat: Jungle

Giant termites are social insects about the size of a dog, which live in vast colonies constructed from tough cement. They rarely leave their nests, and flee from bright light. They grow fungus farms within the nests to supply their need for food, but if they must leave the nest to obtain some other source of food, they will construct and underground tunnel to do so. The gardens often contain magical fungi, with various effects such as increasing or decreasing abilities, granting one-use magical talents or even transport to the Other World. Not all such fungi are magical however (although some are potent hallucinogens) and there is no simple way to determine what type of fungus might be found in a colony until it is actually sampled.

Combat Tactics: Most of the giant termites in a colony will be workers, which will fight only if attacked and will normally help to repel attackers simply by repairing any damage to the nest, as well as carrying away eggs, grubs or pupae. Around one in four of a colony’s members, however, will be soldiers, with the higher combat abilities stated above. They can be distinguished from workers by their larger heads and powerful jaws, and will rush out to attack anyone who assaults the colony.

If the attackers penetrate far enough, the soldiers will lead them into blind alleys which can be sealed off by workers, and otherwise employ their knowledge of the colony’s complex tunnel system (augment the soldier’s bite ability with their Navigate Tunnels ability). Soldiers usually attack in large groups, which are best treated as a single opponent.