Nightmare Beetles

These insects are the bane of many a traveller who pass through forests and ruins. The Nightmare Beetle is known for burrowing under an unsuspecting, sleeping, or resting traveller and then capturing them in a Mind Trap while directing it's young to feed off the helpless victim. If the victim is able to escape the Mind Trap, the beetle will then surface and attempt to stun (bio-manipulate) it victim while it's young continue their feast.

The beetles last line of defence is it's poisonous bite which can cause hallucinations in it's victim, disorienting it long enough to escape or attempt a fresh attack.

Size Level: 3 (Short)
Size: Adults grow as large as 3 feet in diameter
Weight: 8 pounds
Speed: 16, 8 burrowing/digging
Hit Points: 2D4
SDC: 3D4+6
Natural Armor: 8
Horror Factor: Individual 8; Swarm 16
Psionics: Mind Trap, Bio-Manipulation: Stun
Attacks Per Melee: 3
Damage: Bite does 1D6+Poison (hallucinogenic, save vs. non-leathal poison; durration 1D12 melees)
Bonuses: +4 save vs. Psionics
Natural Abilities: Rodent Leaping, Digging, Tunneling, Excavation, Poisonous, Hibernation
Average Life Span: 5 years
Value: $400 for the poison gland
Habitat: Woodlands and Ruins. Active only durring warm periods (above 50 degree Fahrenheit (10 degree Celsius)).
Notes: The Nightmare Beetle usually lays 2 dozen eggs at a time which got through four distinctive growth stages over a period of 2 months:

• Eggs: The white oval eggs are usually about 6 inches long and 3 inchs wide. They are placed in fresh carrion where they absorb moisture and become more roundish
• Larvae: The larvae are typical white grubs with a V-shaped series of bristles on the raster. Young larvae are about 8 inches long while the mature third instars are about 14 inches long
• Pupae: The pupae are first cream colored and become light reddish-brown with age. The average pupa is about 18 inches long and 1 foot wide
• Adults: The adults exoskeleton is a deep oily black, generally oval in outline, 3 feet long and 2 feet wide. The abdomen has a row of five tufts of white hairs on each side. These white tufts are diagnostic. The males have a sharp tip on the foreleg tibia while the female has a long rounded tip.

Only the pupae and adult forms of Nightmare Beetles have the ability to Mind Trap, and only the Adult has the ability to use bio-manipulation. The poison gland may be removed as earliy as the larval stage, but the smaller gland will be worth less.