#spore beetle

[thecreaturecodex]

Spore Beetle

“Spore-laden Cavern Beetle” © Kenzer and Co., by Brian and Brendom Fraim.

[As a retroclone, Hackmaster was written relatively recently, with Rustlers of the Night coming out in 2008. Which makes me wonder. Was someone associated with this book familiar with Pokemon? ]

Spore Beetle CR 2 N Aberration This creature looks like an oversized stag beetle the size of a small dog, with a mottled grey and brown carapace. Lichen-like growths cover its body and seep into the cracks in its exoskeleton.

Spore beetles are a subterranean fusion of animal and fungal life. The association is a mutualistic one—neither partner can survive long without the other. They are grisly gardeners, as their preferred food is fungal and bacterial colonies that grow on well rotted animal and plant tissue. These repulsive-smelling galleries attract curious Darklands creatures, which are often killed and fed into the garden. The preferred attack strategy of a spore beetle is from ambush, releasing a cloud of toxic spores that cause unconsciousness. The insensate victims are then killed with the beetles’ mandibles before they can rouse and defend themselves. Creatures that to not succumb are driven away by jets of acid, produced by glands in the spore beetle’s throat.

Spore beetles are typically social, and a group of up to eight will cooperate to build a fungal garden. Eggs are laid nestled deep within the fungal structure, ensuring that the larva are saturated with spores and grows into a proper hybrid creature. Each generation, some of the juveniles disperse in search of new territory, carrying a load of fungal hyphae with them.

A spore beetle is about three feet long.

Spore Beetle        CR 2 XP 600 N Small aberration Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +5 Defense AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural) hp 14 (2d8+5) Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +4 Defensive Abilities plant defenses; Immune acid, mind-influencing effects, paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep, stunning Offense Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft. Melee bite +3 (1d4+1) Special Attacks breath weapon (15 ft. line, 1d6 acid, DC 12, 1d4 rounds), poison burst Statistics Str 13, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 7 Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 13 (21 vs. trip) Feats Great Fortitude, Toughness (B) Skills Climb +9, Perception +5, Stealth +10 (+18 in rocky terrain); Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in rocky terrain Ecology Environment underground Organization solitary, pair or cluster (3-8) Treasure none Special Abilities Plant Defenses (Ex) A spore beetle is part plant and shares many of the immunities that plant creatures possess. A spore beetle is immune to mind-affecting effects, paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep, and stunning. Poison Burst (Ex) Once per day as a standard action, a spore beetle can create a burst of toxic spores in a 20 foot radius. All creatures in the area are exposed to the poison below: Sleep Spore—inhaled; save Fort DC 12; duration 1/minute for 4 minutes; effect unconsciousness 1 minute; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution based.

[rustybottlecap]

My favorite monster from Kong: Skull Island was the Spore Mantis (wich for the longest time I thought was a beetle).

I still lament that (spoiler) the guy that encounters it gets killed off by a Skullcrawler inmediatly after, because the movie seemed to be building up to some theme as the guy realized the spore mantis was docile and seemed to feel bad about hurting it.

I’m actually glad they didn’t really do anything with the monster plot-wise. Having a creature like this just existing around helped make the setting feel alive. The movie really captured the sense of wonder and adventure that people back in the day must have felt when the original King Kong came out.