Scorpion, Giant

The sixteen-foot-long scorpion scrabbles forward, ferocious claws raised in challenge, stingered tail arched over its back.

Scorpion, Giant (CR 3)

Large Vermin
Alignment: Neutral
Initiative: +0
Senses: Darkvision 60 feet, Tremorsense 60 feet; Perception +4

Speed: 50 feet
Space: 10 feet

Defense

Armor Class: 16, touch 9, flat-footed 16 (+7 armor, -1 size)
Hit Points: 37 (5d8+15)
Saving Throws: Fort +7, Ref +1, Will +1
Immunity: mind-affecting effects

Offense

Melee: 2 claws +6 (1d6+4 plus Grab), sting +6 (1d6+4 plus poison)
Reach: 10 feet

Special Attacks: Constrict (1d6+4)

Statistics

Str	Dex	Con	Int	Wis	Cha
19 (+4)	10 (+0)	16 (+3)	-	10 (+0)	2 (-4)

Base Attack Bonus: +3
CMB +8 (+12 Grapple)
CMD 18 (30 vs. Trip)

Feats:

Skills: Climb +8, Perception +4, Stealth +0

• Racial Modifiers: +4 Climb, +4 Perception, +4 Stealth

Languages:

Special Abilities

Poison (Ex)

Sting-injury; save Fort DC 17; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Strength damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitutuion-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.

Ecology

Environment: Warm or Temperate Deserts, Forests, Plains, or Underground
Organization: solitary
Treasure: none


Giant scorpions are monstrous versions of the more common desert scorpion. They are likely to attack any creature that approaches. Giant scorpions usually charge when attacking, grabbing prey in their pincers, then lashing their segmented tails forward to kill their victim with injected venom. Giant scorpions are just over 8 feet long from head to the base of the tail; the tail adds an additional 8 feet or so, although it is usually curled up over the scorpion's back. Giant scorpions weigh between 2,000 and 6,000 pounds.

Giant scorpions normally feed on other giant vermin, as well as large mammals that they paralyze with their venom, but they will attack and eat any living creature that ventures too close. In turn, giant scorpions are preyed upon by purple worms and other large predators.

Giant scorpions engage in complex courtship rituals when they mate, grasping each other's pincers, arching their tails, and performing a circular \"dance.\" Soon after mating, the male usually retreats to avoid being cannibalized by the female. Female scorpions do not lay eggs; they give birth to live young in broods of a dozen or so. The mother carries her brood on her back until the young are old enough to fend for themselves and hunt their own prey.

Giant scorpions live in underground burrows, either as solitary hunters or in small colonies, and will sometimes take up residence in man-made ruins or dungeons if food is plentiful. Giant scorpion colonies are usually made up of scorpions from the same brood that have yet to strike out on their own.

Other species of scorpions exist as well, some smaller but most quite a bit larger and favoring different terrains, such as forests, plains, or even underground. You can adjust the stats for the giant scorpion by changing Hit Dice and size (adjusting Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution as appropriate) to represent a wide range of species. The following table lists the most common variants.

Species CR Size HD Greensting scorpion 1/4 Tiny 1d8 Ghost scorpion 1/2 Small 2d8 Cave scorpion 1 Medium 3d8 Deadfall scorpion 8 Huge 10d8 Giant emperor scorpion 11 Gargantuan 16d8 Black scorpion 15 Colossal 22d8