Nature is brutal. Nature is beautiful. What else needs to be said? Obviously in a world of giant horrors, something like an ichneumon wasp has to be a threat to PC's.
There are many members of family Icnheumonidae within the Hymenoptera. And I've no doubt many ways of adapting them into fearsome foes. This one seemed right to me in my teenage years, and its served me well as a creature to make an occasional appearance in the wilds of Norwold.
Ichneumon, Giant
by Cab Davidson
| Stat | Ichneumon, Giant |
| AC: | 6 |
| HD: | 3* |
| Move (flying): | 180' (60') |
| Move (walking): | 120' (40') |
| Attacks: | 1 ovipostor |
| Damage: | 0 + special |
| Number Appearing: | 1 (1) |
| Save As: | F2 |
| Morale: | 9 |
| Treasure Type: | nil |
| Intelligence: | 1 |
| Alignment: | Neutral |
| XP Value: | 50 |
This slender, 4' long giant wasp like creature has an unusual and sickening life cycle. Males of the species are essentially harmless, being inoffensive scavengers, but females are notable for an extended, pre-hensile abdomen that ends with a sharp, narrow ovipostor (egg depositor). Any victim hit by the oviposor must make a save versus paralysis or be impregnated. The deposited egg will gestate for 48 hours, after which the victim will fall into a coma. In 72 hours 1d6 young wasps will emerge, each inflicting 2d10 points of damage to the victim.
Un-hatched eggs can be removed from the victim within the first 48 hours by the use of a cure disease spell cast by a 9th or higher level cleric, or by a Cureall or Heal spell. Extraction of eggs via surgery is possible but dangerous, inflicting 1d6 damage to the victim per egg removed. Even if the wounds themselves are not fatal, the victim must make a saving throw vs. paralysis at -4 to survive the operation. Once the victim has entered a coma, only a Cureall or Heal spell is effective.
While an ichneumon can attack victims that are awake, they much prefer to lay eggs in a target that is already defenceless. A sleeping or paralysed target is not allowed a saving throw when an ichneumon tries to lay its eggs. While a paralysed victim will be aware of the process, there is only a 50% chance that a sleeping or knocked out victim will notice that this has happened, and only a 50% chance per 24 hours that they will notice that something is wrong. Thus it is not uncommon that the first sign of infection is slipping in to a coma.