Antloid A species of giant ant, this creature has six legs and a segmented exoskeleton. It has sharp mandibles and moves with a rapid, scuttling motion. Antloids are giant colonial insects resembling ants that inhabit warrens in the Athasian desert. They have evolved through adaptive specialization, which gives some certain powers, and others great Strength. There are four types of antloids: dynamis, soldiers, workers, and the queens, each having their own tasks in antloid society. Antloids frequently come into conflict with the other colonizing insects of the Athasian desert, namely wild kanks, giant ants and giant termites. These conflicts almost always end up as wars of attrition – whoever has the most soldiers wins (although the psionic powers of the dynamis breed gives the antloids a bit of an edge). All antloid warrens share one characteristic: a water source, usually located at or near the bottom of the warren. Should this water source dry up, a mass antloid exodus will result and the entire warren will move elsewhere. Giants are known for their passionate hatred of antloids and will almost never pass up a chance to throw boulders at an antloid warren. Antloid warrens can reach 25 ft. in height and 250 ft. in width. All antloids have six legs, and segmented bodies. They also have an exoskeleton that protects from weapons and dehydration, and sharp mandibles used for cutting, carrying, or combat. They have 180 degree vision and darkvision up to 60 feet. Their antennae are used for communication purposes and allow them to sense any vibration within 30 feet. Beetle, Dragon A foot-long beetle with a red and black spiky carapace and three tiny horns jutting from its head, this creature also sports a long, slender stinger at the tip of its abdomen. The dragon beetle is a largely inoffensive insect that dwells primarily in the caverns beneath Giustenal. It has a sharp bite that is more painful than dangerous and possesses a venomous stinger. It is this venom that gives the creature its name, for it is only effective against dragons, drakes and the dray. Creatures of all other species are completely unaffected. The beetles subsist principally on carrion but are capable of bringing down large targets if they act in sufficient numbers. Carcasses are also used for egg-laying purposes, and dragon beetles will attempt to drag bodies of suitable size back to their nest for use in this way. Young beetles eat their way out of their nursery when they are large enough to join the rest of the nest. Dragon beetle nests are usually led by a single 3 HD member of the species. The dray have learned methods of hunting and dealing with dragon beetle nests and are also reputed to be able to harvest the creatures’ venom. Dragon beetle carapaces are also woven together to produce armor, but this is a painstaking process and its art has become rare amongst the younger dray. Beetle, Giant An enormous beetle comes shuffling out of the mound of earth, its thick mandibles clicking dangerously as it probes the air. Boring beetles are a species of burrowing beetle that feeds upon rotting wood, mulch and other organic matter. Usually found within immense rotted trees or underground tunnel networks, they instinctively husband slimes, molds and other fungal plants as foodstuffs and guards. Boring beetles have a hive mind that allows them to cooperate on levels unparalleled amongst other species of beetle. Beetle, Screamer This hard-shelled, larger-than-normal insect has a multicolored shell. However, once it sees you, it lets out an ear-piercing screech, letting you know where it got its name. Screamer beetles are beautiful but deadly giant insects. Their multi-colored chitinous shells are greatly prized by art collectors and alchemists. Whole packs of them are usually found deep within caverns and rocky areas. Screamer beetles earned their name from their earpiercing blasts of sound that they generate from their abdomen when hunting, thus making them deadly combatants. Beetle, Shaqat Only six inches across, this beetle nevertheless grips you with surprising tenacity. It extends a slender proboscis from beneath its black and orange-striped shell and starts nosing about for soft flesh to pierce. Shaqat beetles would be little more than annoying pests, were it not for their bite and the fact that the beetle can be frustratingly hard to remove once it has attached itself and begun to feed. The beetle dwells in the grasslands and mudflats of Athas, lurking near game trails or watering holes. It seeks to attach itself to warm-blooded prey and feed as quickly as possible. Shaqat beetles are also used as delivery systems for parasites or disease. The beetle is infected and allowed to bite the intended target, who then runs a risk of catching the infection or parasite. Hurrum A tiny beetle with a beautifully colored shell, this insect produces a mellifluous humming noise as it beats its translucent wings. These brightly colored beetles are prized for their pleasant humming sounds. Although flightless, hurrums can change their shell color along with the harmony they produce from their wing beats. Halflings find hurrums extremely pleasing, though when hungry they also find them delicious. Jalath'gak An enormous wasp more than a dozen feet long fills the air with the humming drone of its wings. The creature’s legs end in long, sharp talons, and a pair of grasping mandibles snaps and chatters at the front of its head. Its body bulges with blood, and its carapace is patterned with light blue and dull black. The jalath’gak is a strain of blood-drinking wasp domesticated by various kreen tribes and other enterprising groups. A terror in the wild, it is used as a beast of burden when trained, and the largest of the species can be used as mounts, albeit clumsy ones. When domesticated, most jalath’gak are earthbound and used to drag heavy cargoes for their masters. They are rarely put to work when flying, as they pull and carry much less weight, and harnessing runs the risk of damaging the wings when these are in use. Only the very largest of the species are used as flying mounts, as they possess the hardiness and Strength to support heavy loads over long periods and the size to make harnessing a safe possibility. The abdomen of the jalath’gak is used for storing blood or nectar and swells when full, taking on coloration appropriate to the fluid being stored. If rendered for drinking, the abdomen will yield up to 16 gallons of water and enough plasma to feed 32 Medium sized creatures, should they choose to stomach the stuff. Their transparent wings are much sought after by the artists of Raam and Draj as canvas material, and an undamaged set can fetch as much as 50 Cp in one of those cities. Jalath’gaks are 13 feet long, but their brittle exoskeletons only weigh about 500 pounds. The average jalath’gak has a 20 foot wingspan. Kank, Domestic This creature is a large insect with a black, chitinous exoskeleton and long, waving antennae. Its body is divided into a head, thorax and abdomen, and it has a pair of curved mandibles with which it produces a curious clicking noise. Many kanks roam wild across the Tablelands, as well as being herded. These large, docile insects have black chitinous exoskeletons, which are divided into three sections: head, thorax, and abdomen. They can carry objects with their multi-jointed pincers, or use them in combat. Kanks are used as herd animals by the elves and others, as they thrive in any type of environment. Kanks require little attention, being natural hive creatures and, if left to their own devices, will automatically organize themselves into a hive, with workers, soldiers and a queen. Worker Workers are the hive’s laborers, drones and principal food producers. They secrete nectar in melon-sized globules along their workers’ abdomens and provide this to other members of the hive when needed. Kank honey is very sweet and fetches a high price. It can sustain the food (but not water) requirements for a Medium creature for up to three weeks before requiring more substantial nourishment. Workers can weigh as much as 200-300 pounds, and are three feet in height and six to seven feet in length. Soldier With powerful mandibles and a poisonous bite, soldier kanks are the warriors of their hive. When domesticated, soldier kanks are often used as caravan mounts, as they can travel for a full day at top speed while carrying a tremendous amount of weight for their size. Soldiers can weigh as much as 400 pounds, are four feet in height and eight feet in length. Brood Queen The leader of the hive, a kank brood queen is loyally defended by her subjects at all times. Brood queens lay the hive’s eggs, usually 20 to 50 at a time, and the soldiers will then fiercely defend the area until the eggs hatch. Kanks choose an area for egg laying that is near abundant amounts of vegetation for food. Brood queens can weigh as much as 500 pounds, and are five feet in height and nine feet in length. Rubbish Slug A four-foot-long slug slips from a nearby garbage heap, paying little heed to passersby. Rubbish slugs inhabit the garbage that inevitably collects in the poorer quarters of Athas’ city-states. The four-footlong vermin are common in silt-side cities like Balic. Sandcrawler This soft, furry black caterpillar is pleasant to the touch. Over a foot long and six inches in height, it also has 20 short, stubby legs, and large bulbous eyes, making it very friendly and beautiful. Sandcrawlers are lured by the heat and light of campfires. The sandcrawler approaches anyone sitting near the campfire quickly and cautiously, chittering softly and shyly and coming close to the flames. The creature will then nibble shyly on any offered crumbs, and is quick to allow itself to be petted, for the aim of the sandcrawler is to snuggle up close next to someone, appearing to fall asleep, then leave a few moments after everyone else is asleep, having implanted its larva in its dormant victim. Sandcrawler flesh is inedible. Its fine fur, however, is prized by the feral halflings, who find its insulating properties very useful. Feral halflings also know of a technique that will extract an analgesic toxin from the creature, and use it on their darts to induce sleep. Scorpion, Athasian Barbed Scorpion An incredibly large scorpion the color of grey sand, this creature sports wicked barbs that jut from its exoskeleton at all manner of angles, cloaking the beast in a protective swathe of spines. Barbed scorpions are enormous predators that hunt alone or in packs throughout the deserts of the Tablelands. They are covered with protruding spikes that can inflict terrible injuries on those that come too close or are snared in the scorpion’s deadly claws. The den of a barbed scorpion may sometimes contain remnants of undigested meals or their equipment, and canny travelers know that daring the shortsword-sized stinger of a barbed scorpion can sometimes yield profitable results. An adult barbed scorpion grows to be a dozen feet long, with a dusty grey or tan carapace. They make a clacking racket as they move, their spines hammering one against the other. Gold Scorpion A golden scorpion the length of a man’s arm scuttles out of the shadows, the sun glimmering off its carapace. The gold scorpion is a breed of scorpion found throughout Athas, named for its shining exoskeleton. It prefers to secret itself in a hidden nook and then rush forward to strike with its stinger. The gold scorpion has a welldeserved reputation for fatalities, but this is as much derived from its lairing habits as it is from the Strength of its venom. Vermin, Innocuous Ock’n A tiny snail inches along, leaving an amber trail of resin as it moves. Ock'n are small snails. They leave behind a trail of an amber-like liquid that has many household uses. Ock'n communicate to other gastropods via eyestalk movements, conveying the simplest of concepts. Unpalatable but good for jewelry, ock'n spend each day looking for food and moisture. The amber resin they secrete dries and becomes hard as stone, but only has a quarter of stone's weight. This resin is used in coating weapons, waterproofing materials, and sealing perishables. Ock’n produce only 1/8 of a fluid ounce of this resin each day. Ock’n are harmless snails with no attack form whatsoever. Ock'n live in loose colonies of odd numbered groups. If the number ever goes even, one dies or is killed by the others. Ock'n breathe through exposed skin. Mulworm This eight-inch-long, segmented caterpillar has an ivory-colored body and two feathery feelers at the top of its bullet-shaped head. A curious creature that exists only to feed itself in preparation for its metamorphosis into a butterfly, the mulworm lives in great colonies clustered on berry trees. The mulworm secretes a fluid that nurtures the host tree, allowing the caterpillar to feed longer. Despite the fact that they possess no natural attacks, mulworms are feared because the fluid they secrete is highly poisonous. Farmed in the thousands for the silk they produce during pupation, mulworms metamorphose after 10 days into butterflies, mate to produce the next generation, and then die. Renk This animal is a small, white slug that is swollen with retained moisture. Renk develop a symbiotic relationship with humanoid creatures. This harmless, tasteless slug stores water and can be consumed raw, and are often used for water storage on long desert trips. These harmless slugs have no attack form. They live off of creatures or individuals, gaining nourishment from licking the salt, sweat, and dead skin of the host. Renk are taken on long desert trips and consumed alive. They hold 1/2 cup of water; therefore, an active Medium humanoid would need 32 renk daily to fulfill his water requirements. Renk mate in stagnant water or rotting grain, where they can produce a dozen or so offspring that will mature in 3-4 weeks. If renk are exposed to direct sunlight for more than 25 seconds they shrivel and die. Watroach, (War Beetle) This walking hive is supported by six short legs extending from its central limb cluster, and has a very wide, low hanging head ringed with sharp teeth and flanked by deadly pincers. This very large insect, which has a black or deep purple exoskeleton, is broken up into three sections: head, hive chamber, and thorax. It also has a very sticky, hollow tongue, which it uses to attack and consume its prey, which is mostly insects ranging in size from Small to Large. It is able to use its tongue to grab insects that hide under rocks or in crevices, while it can also suck smaller insects through the hollow part of its tongue and straight into its gullet. The thorax is a storehouse of digested foods and liquids for the adult watroach, and is connected to the central hive chamber where millions of infant, drone watroaches, each less than one-inch long serve the gestating protoadult at the center of the hive. Watroaches have no language of their own and don’t notice other passing adults. The only way to communicate to a watroach is via psionics or magic. The adult watroach lives only to feed, so that the hive chamber is fruitful when it dies. The drones bath, feed, and otherwise maintain the proto-adult until the adult gets too old to move. Once this happens the proto-adult grows rapidly to full size, which takes about three days. When doing this it ingests the remaining nutrients of its parent’s thorax and most of the hive material, literally eating its way out of the hive chamber. The proto-adult is nearly full-grown after this, having its own hive chamber filled with drones and a new proto-adult inside. The remaining original drones go on to serve the new adult, but most perish with the birth of the new adult. Watroaches are solitary creatures in one sense and entire communities in yet another. Adults don’t travel or hunt together. In truth, however, each adult carries millions of drones and a proto-adult within itself, making it a complete walking, self-sustaining, community. Wezer Enormous flying insects the size of a man, with multifaceted eyes, thin limbs and broad, translucent wings, they come humming forth from their domed hives that dot the desert landscape. Wezers are a highly social species of giant insect that dwells in a rigidly structured society. Presided over by a large, flightless brood queen, they are also comprised of a soldier caste that watches over the activities of workers and water fetchers, all laboring together to provide food, water and shelter for the queen and her larvae. Although wezers are omnivorous and subsist largely on a diet of honey and water, they are feared because of their tendency to abduct travelers and take them to the hive, where they are used as live hosts for gestating wezer larvae. Wezer hives are large, domed structures that exist largely below ground, but have several central chambers with dome-shaped roofs of resin. Rising some five to eight feet above the surface of the desert, the domes conceal chambers ten to twenty feet deep, often hung with food globes and the bodies of wezer hosts. Soldiers, worker and water-fetchers are all some 6 feet in length, weighing about 300 lbs. The bulkier brood queen is larger – up to 7 feet long – and weighs as much as 600 lbs.