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Beetle, Giant Death Watch

This creature appears as a giant beetle with a dark green carapace and wing-covers. Its body is covered in leaves and sticks. Its mandibles are silver and its legs are black.

GIANT DEATH WATCH BEETLE CR 6

XP 2,400
N Medium vermin
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0

DEFENSE

AC 19, touch 10, flat-footed 19 (+9 natural)
hp 67 (9d8+27)
Fort +9; Ref +3; Will +3
Immune death effects, mind-affecting effects

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee bite +11 (2d6+7)
Special Attacks death rattle

STATISTICS

Str 21, Dex 10, Con 16, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 9
Base Atk +6; CMB +11; CMD 21 (29 vs. trip)
Skills Stealth +0 (+8 in forests); Racial Modifier +8 Stealth in forests

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Death Rattle (Ex)

Once every 1d4 rounds as a standard action, a death watch beetle can vibrate its carapace to produce a clicking noise that sets up vibrations in all creatures within 30 feet. Creatures that fail a DC 17 Fortitude save take 3d6 damage. Since the effect stems from the vibrations set up in a victim’s body and not from the clicking noise itself, silence offers no protection against this attack. Likewise, a creature that cannot hear can still be affected. A successful save renders the target immune to that death watch beetle’s death rattle for 24 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Immunity to Death Effects (Ex)

Death watch beetles are immune to any effect that instantly slays it, such as finger of death, slay living, and so on.

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate forests
Organization solitary
Treasure none

The death watch beetle makes its lair in forests and uses a mixture of saliva and earth to stick rubbish (leaves and twigs, for instance) to itself in order to attack by surprise.

The death watch beetle begins combat using its death rattle ability. Any creatures that survive are bitten by the beetle’s mandibles and devoured.

Section 15: Copyright Notice - Tome of Horrors Complete

Giant Death Watch Beetle from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Authors Scott Greene and Clark Peterson, based on original material by Gary Gygax.