Beetle, Vyderac
Swarming acid-spitting blood-drinking beetles that live in colonies. Each form of vyderac has a specific role, with Seekers being usually encountered first. A beast.
Vyderac
Imagine a grapefruit-sized scarab with a deep red shell and strong, oversized hind legs. Swarming predators.
| HD: 0 | Armor: as leather |
| Hit it: normal | Dodge it: normal |
| Move: slow |
It can detect vyderac pheromones up to a mile away, walk on any surface, even upside down and jump 10’ without momentum. It can’t see well.
Attacks (1/round)
Attach. The Vyderac jumps on a target. Unless the target successfully dodges the beetle, it is attached to it. A creature can attempt to remove an attached Vyderac twice per round. Until detached, attack rolls below 10 hit the attached target instead of the beetle.
Probe. The Vyderac injects acid inside its victim with its probe (1D4).
Vyderac Swarm
| HD: 0 +4D4HP | Armor: as leather |
| Hit it: easy | Dodge it: special |
| Move: slow |
It can detect vyderac pheromones up to a mile away, walk on any surface, even upside down and jump 10’ without momentum. It can’t see well.
In a swarm, creatures are immune to being grappled or attacked by single target spells, and resist mind and weapon damage. However, they take double damage from area of effect attacks.
When there is a Vyderac Swarm, there is a Vyderac Feeder 1D4 rounds away.
Attacks (1/round)
Swarm. To dodge a swarm’s attack, the roll has to beat 10 + the swarm’s HP. On a hit the target takes damage (1D6) and the same amount of Vyderac is attached to the victim (see vyderac above).
Vyderac Seeker
Imagine a cat-sized deep red scarab with atrophied elytra and protruding, oversized abdomen and eyes. It zips quickly and loudly across the sky.
| HD: 1 | Armor: none |
| Hit it: hard | Dodge it: normal |
| Move: slow, fly fast |
It can detect heat, especially mammal body temperature.
Attacks (1/round)
Pheromone Spray. The Vyderac sprays a cone of fine yellow powder on one or two adjacent targets. If they fail to dodge, they are covered in Vyderac pheromones which cause urticaria. 1D4 Vyderac swarms will arrive in 1D6 hours.
Vyderac Pheromones. On skin: So itchy, you must save each round until you succeed 3 times or are washed. Until then, you cannot focus on any task that requires more than one gesture. If you fail 3 times, you sstart bleeding from your scratching and the poison has entered your body. In wound: In 10 minutes, you will be completely stunned for 8 hours.
Vyderac Feeder
Imagine a cat-sized deep red scarab with two hooked forelegs and a huge protruding, oversized abdomen dangling like an empty balloon. It flies and hops slowly across the forest.
| HD: 1 | Armor: none |
| Hit it: normal | Dodge it: normal |
| Move: slow, fly slow |
It can detect heat, especially mammal body temperature, and vyderac pheromones up to a mile away.
Attacks (1/round)
Hook. The Vyderac makes a grapple attempt, extending its hooked claws and attaching itself to a creature and pierces it with its proboscis (1 damage). Until detached, attack rolls below 10 hit the attached target instead of the beetle.
Drain Blood. The Vydrac inflicts strength damage (1) to a creature it is attached to and has pierced with its proboscis. If the target’s strength is 0, the target dies.
Vyderac Maggot
Imagine a semi-translucent, foot-long lumpy worm with sharp teeth all around its circular mouth and sphincter.
| HD: 0 | Armor: none |
| Hit it: easy | Dodge it: easy |
| Move: slow |
It is immune to acid. It can detect heat, especially mammal body temperature. It can’t see well.
Attacks (1/round)
Spit Acid. The Vyderac makes a short ranged attack inflicting acid damage (1).
Bite. The Vyderac makes a melee attack (1).
Vyderac Maggot Swarm
| HD: 0 +3D4HP | Armor: none |
| Hit it: easy | Dodge it: special |
| Move: slow |
It is immune to acid. It can detect heat, especially mammal body temperature. It can’t see well.
In a swarm, creatures are immune to being grappled or attacked by single target spells, and resist mind and weapon damage. However, they take double damage from area of effect attacks.
Attacks (1/round)
Acidic Bites. To dodge a swarm’s attack, the roll has to beat 10 + the swarm’s HP. On a hit the target takes damage (1D4). The target can choose to lose a non-magical item to the acid instead of taking damage.
Vyderac Queen
Imagine a humongous scarab with a bloated abdomen anchored to a tree with pulsing red veins. It’s heavily armored with chitinous plates except in the bulging egg sacks that dangle from it. Every unprotected bit of her body is writhing with big maggots.
| HD: 6 | Armor: as plate* |
| Hit it: easy | Dodge it: normal |
| Move: static |
It is immune to acid. Also, at the beginning of each combat round, a swarm of Vyderac Maggots crawls out of its abdomen-nest. This abdomen-nest is not as armored as the rest of the Queen, but, for each point of damage it takes, a maggot comes out.
Attacks (1/round)
Acidic Bile (Recharge 1/4). The Vyderac Queen covers a large area with acidic bile, inflicting damage (3D6) to each creature and object in range. A saving throw halves the damage, and sacrificing an item does the same. This attack releases a huge quantity of Vyderac Pheromones, and attracts 1D4 Vyderac Swarms which will arrive in 1D4 rounds.
Self Destruction. The Vyderac Queen bloats herself in a grotesque way, releasing an acrid, acidic smell. On her next turn, she’ll explode and die, inflicting 4D6 damage to all creatures in a large area. A saving throw halves the damage. One of the surviving maggots will become a new queen in a month.
Random Encounter
- Monster: 1 Vyderac Seeker.
- Lair: A Vyderac Queen.
OR
Omen: The buzzing of a giant fly. - Spoor: The area is covered in sprays of Vyderac pheromones.
- Tracks: Blood drips.
- Trace: A lone Vyderac.
- Trace: The melted and dried mush of an animal drained of its blood and bones.
Salvaging the body
The elitrae of the Vyderac can be used to make a beautiful blood-red dye. The pheromone powder sack of a seeker can be used to attract swarms at your own risk. It also is a powerful skin irritant. If you are lucky, the acid sacks of Vyderacs, Maggots and Queens can be salvaged into doses of acid.
D6 Symbolism
In local cultures the aqraseth is a symbol of …
- Motherhood
- Drunkenness
- Dancing
- Teamwork
- Blood
- Sacred
Credits
Vyderacs are a creation of Jacob Hurst, Evan Peterson, and Donnie Garcia found in Hot Springs Island. The creatures are not statted in the book, so I made my own version. — SaltyGoo