Otherwise known as "bugs," insects are invertebrates that typically have a hardened exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), several pairs of legs and compound eyes. Many insects are capable of biting or poisoning and some can grow to truly monstrous sizes:
- Armor Class: 18
- Hit Dice: 5
- Attacks:
- Bite (2d6)
- Acid Spit (5 HD)
- Special Defenses:
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 7
- Experience Points: 405
Description: Ankhegs are burrowing insect-like monsters with six legs and a nasty disposition. They are about ten feet long and weigh about 800 pounds, and usually lie five to ten feet underground awaiting prey to rise up and pounce upon. In addition to their bite, ankhegs can also spray acid upon their opponents (save vs. Dragon Breath for half damage).
- Armor Class: 18
- Hit Dice: 5
- Attacks:
- Special Defenses:
- Immune to Poison
- Immune to Disease
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 9
- Experience Points: 450
Description: The balroach is a variety of giant cockroach larger than a horse and immune to all poisons and diseases. In addition to its bite, balroaches also exude a horrible smell, requiring anyone fighting the creature to save vs. Poison or become nauseous (-4 to attack rolls and armor class) for ten minutes.
- Armor Class: 16
- Hit Dice: 4
- Attacks:
- Special Defenses:
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 8
- Experience Points: 240
Description: Giant ant lions are a humungous predatory beetle about the size of a herd animal. They build networks of underground tunnels with multiple trapdoors; when a victim reaches one of these trapdoors, everything suddenly swirls downward like a drain, dragging the victim below (typically a drop of 10-20 feet) where the ant lion can then pounce and attack.
- Armor Class: 13
- Hit Dice: 1
- Attacks:
- Stinger (1d4) + Weak Poison
- Special Defenses:
- Immune to Charm Person
- Immune to Hold Person
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 9
- Experience Points: 13
Description: Although many times larger (growing to a length of about a foot), giant bees behave generally the same as their smaller cousins. Giant bees are usually not aggressive except when defending themselves or their hive.
- Armor Class: 14
- Hit Dice: 3
- Attacks:
- Special Defenses:
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 8
- Experience Points: 175
Description: The giant black widow spider is a much enlarged version of the ordinary black widow with a leg-span of two to three feet and an orange "hourglass" on its abdomen. The venom of these spiders is strong; those failing a saving throw vs. Poison are immediately rendered unconscious.
- Armor Class: 11
- Hit Dice: 1
- Attacks:
- Special Defenses:
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 7
- Experience Points: 13
Description: Larger versions of the normal sort, giant centipedes are two to three feet long and fast-moving predatory, venomous arthropods, having long segmented bodies with exoskeletons. They prefer to live in underground areas, shadowy forested areas and other places out of direct sunlight (although there are desert-dwelling varieties that hide under the sand). Giant centipedes tend to attack anything that resembles food, biting with their jaws and injecting a weaker poison.
- Armor Class: 14
- Hit Dice: 2
- Attacks:
- Special Defenses:
- Immune to Charm Person
- Immune to Hold Person
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 8
- Experience Points: 75
Description: Giant flies look much like ordinary houseflies but are about three feet long. Some are banded yellow and black, and can thus be mistaken for giant bees. Giant flies are predators; after killing their prey, they will sometimes lay eggs in the remains.
- Armor Class: 11
- Hit Dice: 4
- Attacks:
- Special Defenses:
- Immune to Charm Person
- Immune to Hold Person
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 9
- Experience Points: 50
Description: Giant mosquitos swarm victims by the dozen and thus are challenging when encountered. A successful attack not only causes damage but attaches the insect to the victim, draining an additional 1d4 points of damage each round until the mosquito is defeated.
- Armor Class: 16
- Hit Dice: 5
- Attacks:
- Special Defenses:
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 8
- Experience Points: 360
Description: Giant praying mantises are greatly camouflaged, moving slowly and waiting motionless for hours to attack and devour their prey. The mandibles of these large beasts are quite sharp, doing 1d12 points of damage per successful bite.
- Armor Class: 15
- Hit Dice: 4
- Attacks:
- Claws (1d10)
- Claws (1d10)
- Stinger (1d6) + Deadly Poison
- Special Defenses:
- Immune to Charm Person
- Immune to Hold Person
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 11
- Experience Points: 280
Description: Giant scorpions are quite large, sometimes as large as a donkey. They are aggressive predators and generally attack on sight. If a claw attack hits, the giant scorpion receives a +2 attack bonus with its stinger (but two claw hits do not give a double bonus). Giant scorpions are most commonly found in desert areas or caverns.
- Armor Class: 18
- Hit Dice: 7
- Attacks:
- Bite (1d8) + Unconscious
- Paralysis Shriek
- Special Defenses:
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 9
- Experience Points: 735
Description: Like their smaller cousins, giant shrieking tarantulas are huge, hairy spiders, about the size of a horse that are semi-intelligent and run down their prey much as wolves do. The bite of the giant shrieking tarantula is quite poisonous, causing its victim to lose all its hit points if a saving throw vs. Poison is failed. It's the shriek of the spider that is just as fearsome, however, as all who hear it must save vs. Paralysis to avoid becoming incapacitated for three rounds.
- Armor Class: 15
- Hit Dice: 4
- Attacks:
- Special Defenses:
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 8
- Experience Points: 280
Description: Giant tarantulas are huge, hairy spiders, about the size of a pony that run down their prey much as wolves do. The bite of the giant tarantula is quite poisonous, causing its victim to lose all its hit points if a saving throw vs. Poison is failed.
- Armor Class: 13
- Hit Dice: 4
- Attacks:
- Pincers (1d1) + Paralysis
- Special Defenses:
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 10
- Experience Points: 240
Description: Giant termites vary from three to five feet in length and attack using a noxious spray with a range of five feet that stuns its target for about ten minutes (a save vs. Poison negates this effect). While a nominal threat to adventuring parties, the real threat imposed by giant termites is to wooden structures such as buildings, sailing ships, etc.
- Armor Class: 15
- Hit Dice: 4 + 1
- Attacks:
- Stinger (1d6) + Unconscious
- Special Defenses:
- Immune to Charm Person
- Immune to Hold Person
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 10
- Experience Points: 280
Description: Giant wasps attack when hungry or threatened, stinging its prey; stung victims must make a saving throw vs. Poison or be rendered unconscious (immediately losing all hit points).
- Armor Class: 13
- Hit Dice: 4
- Attacks:
- Special Defenses:
- Immune to Charm Person
- Immune to Hold Person
- Near-Immunity to ALL Weapons
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 11
- Experience Points: 280
Description: Insect swarms are not a single creature but rather a large group of ordinary flying, crawling and biting insects moving as a unit. Any living creature attacked by such a swarm automatically suffers a small amount of damage each round exposed. Further, weapons (even magical ones) only cause a single hit point of damage per hit, so insect swarms can be challenging when encountered.
- Armor Class: 12
- Hit Dice: 1
- Attacks:
- Special Defenses:
- Save As: Fighter
- Morale: 8
- Experience Points: 37
Description: Only about the size of a human fist, this quick-attacking arachnid still delivers a weak poison to anyone it bites.