Queen Thermite

This creature looks like a giant reddish-hued termite. Immense heat radiates from its body.

Queen Thermite (CR 6)

Large Vermin (Extraplanar, Fire)
Alignment: Neutral
Initiative: +2
Senses: Darkvision 60 feet, fire sense, Tremorsense 60 feet; Perception +0

Speed: 30 feet
Space: 5 feet

Defense

Armor Class: 20, touch 11, flat-footed 18 (+2 Dex, +9 natural, -1 size)
Hit Points: 67 (9d8+27)
Saving Throws: Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +3
Immunity: fire, mind-affecting effects
Weaknesses: vulnerability to cold

Offense

Melee: bite +9 (2d6+6 plus 2d6 fire plus burn)
Reach: 5 feet

Special Attacks: Burn (1d6, DC 17), death throes

Statistics

Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
18 (+4)	14 (+2)	17 (+3)	-	10 (+0)	2 (-4)

Base Attack Bonus: +6
CMB +11
CMD 23 (31 vs. Trip)

Feats:

Skills:

Languages:

Special Abilities

Death Throes (Ex)

A queen thermite reduced to 0 or less hit points explodes in a ball of elemental flame dealing 8d8 points of fire damage to all within a 40-ft. radius. A successful DC 17 Reflex save reduces the damage by half. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Heat (Ex)

Touching or being touched by a queen thermite automatically deals 2d6 points of fire damage.

Fire Sense (Ex)

A queen thermite notices and locates any fire source equal to a torch or greater within 200 feet. It also senses the intensity of the flame.

Ecology

Environment: Any
Organization: nest (1 plus 10-40 workers and 5-10 soldiers)
Treasure: none


Thermites are extraplanar vermin that dwell on the Elemental Plane of Fire. They are rarely encountered anywhere else (save the Paraelemental Plane of Heat occasionally). Once in a rare while a gang or band of these creatures stumble through a vortex and sets up their nest on the Material Plane. Such a nest is always located near a massive heat source (such as a volcano).

On their home plane, thermites build large underground nests. The bulk of the colony is maintained by the workers—whose job it is to construct the nest, forage for food, feed the queen and soldiers, and repair the nest. Soldiers defend the nest against intruders and trespassers. About a week after the nest is finished, the queen takes a king (use the worker thermite's statistics) and they construct a reproduction chamber where she lays 10-20 eggs each day over a period of a week. Young thermites are helpless and depend solely on the queen and workers for food, protection, and so on. Young become independent after several months, and the reproductives (winged thermites) fly off to form their own nests. The cycle above then repeats. (Winged thermites have a fly speed of 50 feet with average maneuverability.)

Thermites are red in color and about 5 or 6 feet long with large biting mandibles and segmented antennae. Soldiers are slightly larger than workers and have slightly larger heads with oversized mandibles. The queen can reach a length of 12 feet or longer and as she ages, she becomes bloated, resembling a giant reddish colored maggot. Reproductives resemble workers and soldiers but are slightly darker in color and have translucent reddish wings.

Thermites are generally passive creatures except when their nest is attacked. In such an event, the soldiers move to defend the young and the queen. Workers join in the melee fighting off any would-be interlopers. Thermites attack by biting with their mandibles. Slain creatures are often dragged into the lair and fed to the queen and the young.

Copyright Notice Author Scott Greene.