High companion level threat, this one, and another giant microbe. Will post more giant microbes as and when, and things are going to get... weird.
Dileptus, giant
by Cab Davidson
| Stat | Dileptus, Giant |
| AC: | 6 |
| HD: | 15*** |
| Movement (swirming): | 90’ (30’) |
| Movement (land): | 30’ (10’) |
| Attacks: | 1 proboscis/1 bite |
| Damage: | 1d10 + poison/5d6 |
| Number Appearing: | 1 (1) |
| Save As: | Fighter 7 |
| Morale: | 12 |
| Treasure Type: | Lx2, Vx2 |
| Intelligence: | 0 |
| Alignment: | Neutral |
| XP Value: | 4800 |
Dileptus is one of the most dangerous giant protists, found most often in the deepest ocean trenches, most cursed lakes and subterranean waterways. It is around 30’ long, 8’ wide, with along proboscis extending from its front. It can contract to pass through almost any gap or crevasse over 1’ across, and can extend its proboscis to attack any creature up to 20’ away. While it prefers to hunt on sea or river beds, it is also a powerful swimmer and can even haul itself out on to land to attack prey or cross between water sources.
Dileptus will attack any living animal, motile plant or giant microbe it encounters. They have been recorded successfully hunting creatures as large as dragonns. The whip like proboscis is filled with venomous spikes that can be extended at will, with which it not only inflicts horrible wounds but it also paralyses any foe that fails to make a save vs. paralysis with a -4 penalty to the roll, for 1d10 rounds. A paralyed foe will be bitten the next round, for 10d6 damage, and a hit roll of 15 or higher allows the dileptus to swallow any prey smaller than an ogre. On an 18+ the dilepus can ingest any prey up to the size of a small dragon. On a 20 a large dragon can be swallowed. Ingested creatures take full bite damage ach round, and must make a save vs. paralysis each round or be paralysed for an additional 1d10 rounds (cumulative). Once a dileptus is full (having consumed 4 human sized creatures or any 1 larger creature) it will retreat and attempt to digest its meal, but it will still defend itself with its proboscis and bite attack if it must.
The rubbery but tough skin of dileptus allows it to be resistant to many attacks. Blunt weapons cannot harm a dileptus, slashing and piercing weapons inflict half damage. Mind affecting magic cannot affect dileptus, and being made up of a single cell they are immune to paralysis and non-magical poisons. Dileptus takes half damage from fire and heat based attacks, and cold based attacks do no damage but do slow it to half its normal speed for 1 round per 6 points of damage inflicted.
Precisely how long dileptus can live is unknown, but it is theorised that as they reproduce by budding in to two they may have quite unimaginable lifespans. They do not value treasure, but their extreme voracity and extraordinary life spans lead to occasional unreactive items becoming embedded within their skins.