Great Annelid
by Jamie BatyDMR2 10, HWA2 61
Colossal Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 25d10+250 (387 hp)
Initiative: -1 (-1 Dex)
Speed: 80 ft. (16 squares), burrow 60 ft. (12 squares)
Armour Class: 16 (-8 size, -1 Dex, +15 natural), touch 1, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +25/ +61
Attack: Bite +38 melee (3d6 +20)
Full Attack: Bite +38 melee (3d6 +20)
Space/Reach: 25 ft.+ /15 ft.
Special Attacks: Bane of earth, improved grab, swallow whole
Special Qualities: Bludgeoning immunity, darkvision 60ft., fire immunity, low-light vision, tremorsense
Saves: Fort +24, Ref +13, Will +9
Abilities: Str 50, Dex 6, Con 31, Int 2, Wis 8, Cha 8
Skills: Intimidate +5, Listen +5, Search +1, Spot +4, Survival +5
Feats: Cleave, Die Hard, Endurance, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (Bite), Iron Will, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (Bite)
Environment: Any underground
Organisation: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 25
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 26-50 HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: -
These colossal worms are among the largest creatures in Mystara. Some can grow to be 2,000 ft long and 40 ft in diameter. Those are exceptional examples- most adults are 1,000 ft long and 25ft in diameter.
A great annelid's skin looks like damp rock, usually greyish brown in colour. The creature is segmented, just like an ordinary earthworm; the largest of these creatures may have 600 segments or more. Its body is a long hollow tube, with both a digestive tract and nerve cord running from head to tail. The funnel-like mouth is lined with three rows of sharp teeth. Hairlike sensory fibres called setae grow on the posterior edge of each segment except the first. These can grow to an inch in diameter and a few feet long. The annelid has no other sensory equipment except light and heat-sensitive patches at its front end. Great annelids have an unsurpassed ability to tunnel. They can grind through solid rock almost as quickly as they can crawl. Through not carnivorous, they are quite mindless and their first reaction upon meeting anything is to try to eat it.
Great annelids have the ability to attract and paralyse earth elementals. Though this power is poorly understood, it apparently involves a false signal, propagated through the earth, that replicates the signal of something desirable to elementals rich lode of ore, perhaps, or a beautiful cavern. Whatever its nature, this power allows the annelids to lay their eggs in the elementals, a vital step in their grisly reproductive process.
Great annelids constantly burrow though the depths of the earth. They can survive in any type of environment, including pools of molten lava, but avoid water. They are a special terror to earth elemental creatures. Miners such as dwarves and gnomes tend to have mixed emotions about great annelids. On one hand, their tunnels often provide useful avenues for exploring the bowels of the earth and search out minerals. On the other hand, one great annelid in the wrong place can wipe out a promising vein of ore in minutes, and the creatures are hard to remove once they settle into an area.
Combat
Great annelids have no combat strategy other than to bite and swallow whatever is in its way or bothering it.
Bane of Earth (Ex): Great annelids can emit a hypersonic signal that will automatically draw all earth elementals (and other creatures native to the Plane of Earth) within 1 mile to the great annelid. Creatures affected immediately move towards the great annelid at their maximum movement rate. This is a sonic, mind-affecting ability.
The bite of a great annelid is also extremely poisonous to earth elementals and elemental-kin, causing permanent paralysis if a DC 32 Fortitude save is failed (Con based). Earth elementals and elemental-kin with poison resistance or immunity may still be affected by the great annelid's poison.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a great annelid must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can attempt to swallow the foe the following round.
Swallow Whole (Ex): A great annelid can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of a smaller size than itself by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 2d8+25 points of crushing damage plus 10 points of acid damage per round from the annelid's gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 17). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out.
A colossal great annelid's interior can hold 2 Huge, 8 Large, 32 Medium, 128 Small, or 512 Tiny or smaller opponents.
Bludgeoning Immunity (Ex): A great annelid has 100% immunity to bludgeoning weapons (magical or not), crushing damage, pressure damage or constriction damage.
Fire Immunity (Ex): Great annelids are 100% immune to all fire and heat, both natural and magical.
Tremorsense (Ex): A great annelid is sensitive to vibrations in the ground and can automatically pinpoint the location of anything that is in contact with the ground within 360ft of its body.