Death Watch Beetle, Giant

This creature appears as a giant beetle with a dark green carapace and wing-covers. Its body is covered in leaves and sticks. Its mandibles are silver and its legs are black.

Death Watch Beetle, Giant (CR 6)

Medium Vermin
Alignment: Neutral
Initiative: +0
Senses: Darkvision 60 feet; Perception +0

Speed: 30 feet
Space: 5 feet

Defense

Armor Class: 19, touch 10, flat-footed 19 (+9 natural)
Hit Points: 67 (9d8+27)
Saving Throws: Fort +9, Ref +3, Will +3
Immunity: death effects, mind-affecting effects

Offense

Melee: bite +11 (2d6+7)
Reach: 5 feet

Special Attacks: death rattle

Statistics

Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
21 (+5)	10 (+0)	16 (+3)	-	10 (+0)	9 (-1)

Base Attack Bonus: +6
CMB +11
CMD 21 (29 vs. Trip)

Feats:

Skills: Stealth +0 (+8 in forests)

• Racial Modifiers: +8 Stealth in forests

Languages:

Special Abilities

Death Rattle (Ex)

Once every 1d4 rounds as a standard action, a death watch beetle can vibrate its carapace to produce a clicking noise that sets up vibrations in all creatures within 30 feet. Creatures that fail a DC 17 Fortitude save take 3d6 damage. Since the effect stems from the vibrations set up in a victim's body and not from the clicking noise itself, silence offers no protection against this attack. Likewise, a creature that cannot hear can still be affected. A successful save renders the target immune to that death watch beetle's death rattle for 24 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Immunity to

Death Effects (Ex)

Death watch beetles are immune to any effect that instantly slays it, such as finger of death, slay living, and so on.

Ecology

Environment: Temperate Forests
Organization: solitary
Treasure: none


The death watch beetle makes its lair in forests and uses a mixture of saliva and earth to stick rubbish (leaves and twigs, for instance) to itself in order to attack by surprise. The death watch beetle begins combat using its death rattle ability. Any creatures that survive are bitten by the beetle's mandibles and devoured.

Credit The Death Watch Beetle originally appeared in the First Edition Monster Manual II (© TSR/Wizards of the Coast, 1983) and is used by permission.

Copyright Notice Authors Scott Greene and Clark Peterson, based on original material by Gary Gygax.