Myrmecoleon
Description
This monstrous, insectlike beast resembles a huge beetle with gleaming black armored plates. Around its head and neck the chitin forms a great mane of jagged spikes. Its insides swirl with acidic juices.
Myrmecoleons live in remote areas where they claim large territories of wilderness as their hunting grounds. They're often drawn to far-flung ancient ruins and sites of mythic power, and sometimes act as guardians of such places. This has led some sages to theorize that some myrmecoleons aren't born but are spontaneously created by sites thrumming with mythic power.
These creatures only rarely interact with others of their kind—and these interactions usually end in brutal and destructive death matches. Myrmecoleons are cannibals and readily eat those they defeat. When fighting, these insects put on great displays to intimidate rivals or other threats.
Myrmecoleons are known to roll in the corpses of their prey, impaling the bodies upon their carapaces and leaving them there to rot. Why they perform this gruesome act remains unknown. Those who have studied the creature to understand its rudimentary intelligence hypothesize that it might be some sort of a display to showcase its strength to others of its kind, or even be one part of an elaborate mating ritual.
Combat Stats
- Melee
- mandibles +14 (4d8+9/19–20 plus grab)
- Space
- 15 ft.
- Reach
- 15 ft.
- DR
- 5/epic
- Defensive Abilities
- ferocity
Ability Scores
Special Attacks
blood drain (1d2 Con)
constrict (4d8+9)
Death Throes — When a myrmecoleon is slain, its body explodes, releasing the acids that churn within it. All creatures within a 20-foot-radius burst take 4d8 acid damage (Reflex DC 20 half). The save DC is Constitution-based.
mythic power (3/day, surge +1d6)
Scalding Spray — Once every 1d4 rounds, a myrmecoleon can eject a 60-foot cone of acidic chemicals from its mouth. Creatures caught in the blast take 8d6 points of acid damage and are blinded for 10 minutes (Reflex DC 20 half damage and negates blindness). Following the initial blast, the chemicals vaporize into a thick and noxious cloud 20 feet high with a 40-foot radius. Within the cloud, all sight is obscured beyond 5 feet. Furthermore, any living creature within the area of effect must succeed at a DC 20 Fortitude save or become nauseated for as long as it remains in the cloud and for 1d4+1 rounds after it leaves the cloud. Any creature that succeeds at its save but remains in the cloud must continue to save each round on the myrmecoleon's turn. This is a poison effect. The save DCs for this ability are Constitution-based.
trample (2d8+9, DC 21)
Feats
Improved Critical (mandibles), Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Power Attack, Mythic, Shatter Defenses, Weapon Focus (mandibles), Weapon Focus, Mythic (mandibles)
Special Abilities
Universal Monster Rules
Special Abilities
Feats, Traits & Items
When using the weapon you selected, your threat range is doubled.
You can choose to take a –1 penalty on all melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +2 bonus on all melee damage rolls. This bonus to damage is increased by half (+50%) if you are making an attack with a two-handed weapon, a one handed weapon using two hands, or a primary natural weapon that adds 1-1/2 times your Strength modifier on damage rolls. This bonus to damage is halved (–50%) if you are making an attack with an off-hand weapon or secondary natural weapon. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every 4 points thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the bonus to damage increases by +2. You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll, and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage.
When you use Power Attack, you gain a +3 bonus on melee damage rolls instead of +2. When your base attack bonus reaches +4 and every 4 points thereafter, the amount of bonus damage increases by +3 instead of +2. In addition, the bonus damage from this feat is doubled on a critical hit, before it's multiplied by the weapon's critical multiplier.
You can expend one use of mythic power when you activate Power Attack to ignore the penalties on melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks for 1 minute.
Any shaken, frightened, or panicked opponent hit by you this round is flat-footed to your attacks until the end of your next turn. This includes any additional attacks you make this round.
You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls you make using the selected weapon.
Double the bonuses on your attack rolls from Weapon Focus and Greater Weapon Focus. As a swift action, you can expend one use of mythic power to gain a bonus on attack rolls with your selected weapon equal to half your tier until the end of your turn.
Skills
Climb +22, Perception +9
- Type
- Magical Beast
- Alignment
- N
- Size
- Huge
- Environment
- temperate plains or hills
- Organization
- solitary
- Treasure
- none
- Senses
- darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +9
- Source
- Bestiary 4