Megapedes are fifteen-foot-long insects that roam underground areas in search of ore to devour. They are particularly fond of softer precious metals.
Mine Destroyers. Megapedes invade active mines, forcing miners to retreat from their acid-spitting mouths. Ousting an invading megapede becomes a top priority, since the insect eats every vein of ore available. Dwarves train special squads that wear hide armor and wield glass weapons to fight the beasts.
Taste for Gold. Megapedes prefer the taste of copper, silver, gold, and platinum to other metals. If a morsel of such a metal is nearby, the insect tastes it in the air and abandons all other meals until it can find and consume the treat. Adventurers venturing into megapede lairs should be careful what they carry.
Megapedes are enormous centipedes that can be as much as 150 feet long, though most specimens top out at between 100 and 120 feet. Their dozens of legs are each 5 feet long and tipped with flexible claws, and they have fur-covered carapaces. A megapede that lives in a sandy environment often buries itself in the sand and waits for prey to wander nearby, but megapedes also nest in cavernous underground chambers.
A megapede's bite is poisonous. In addition, the creature has magical abilities that make it a superior predator. It can exude an invisible aura of life-draining energy, or it can fix its gaze on one creature and implant a psychic bomb in that creature's mind.
After a megapede lays eggs, it attaches the eggs to its body using sticky saliva and carries them on its back until the eggs hatch. Newly hatched megapedes grow to full size within weeks by consuming as much as they can, possibly including one another if food is scarce.
Megapedes are fifteen-foot-long insects that roam underground areas in search of ore to devour. They are particularly fond of softer precious metals.
Mine Destroyers. Megapedes invade active mines, forcing miners to retreat from their acid-spitting mouths. Ousting an invading megapede becomes a top priority, since the insect eats every vein of ore available. Dwarves train special squads that wear hide armor and wield glass weapons to fight the beasts.
Taste for Gold. Megapedes prefer the taste of copper, silver, gold, and platinum to other metals. If a morsel of such a metal is nearby, the insect tastes it in the air and abandons all other meals until it can find and consume the treat. Adventurers venturing into megapede lairs should be careful what they carry.
Megapedes are enormous centipedes that can be as much as 150 feet long, though most specimens top out at between 100 and 120 feet. Their dozens of legs are each 5 feet long and tipped with flexible claws, and they have fur-covered carapaces. A megapede that lives in a sandy environment often buries itself in the sand and waits for prey to wander nearby, but megapedes also nest in cavernous underground chambers.
A megapede's bite is poisonous. In addition, the creature has magical abilities that make it a superior predator. It can exude an invisible aura of life-draining energy, or it can fix its gaze on one creature and implant a psychic bomb in that creature's mind.
After a megapede lays eggs, it attaches the eggs to its body using sticky saliva and carries them on its back until the eggs hatch. Newly hatched megapedes grow to full size within weeks by consuming as much as they can, possibly including one another if food is scarce.
