Ankheg

Ankheg (CR 6)

Neutral - Large - Magical Beast

Lore:	Know (Arcana)
12		27
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

11

Perception:
20	+10
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Darkvision 60 ft.
• Tremorsense 60 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 30 ft.
• Tunneling 30 ft.

Defense

AC

22

Man Def

22

Monster Health
81	40	9
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+9
Refl:	+4
Will:	+4

Strong Against:

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Large
10 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+10

Man Off

+10

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Bite +10 (1d10+9/x2)
  as acid (energy, common)

Full Attack (Melee):

• 1x Bite +10 (1d10+9/x2)
  as acid (energy, common)
• 2x Claw +10 (1d6+4/x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)
  plus Grab

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

24

STR

10

DEX

16

CON

1

INT

13

WIS

6

CHA

Skills:

• Movement: 12
• Perception: 10
• Stealth: 10
• All other skills: 5 (no ranks)

Languages:

Feats:

Special Abilities

Grab (Ex) Free Action after successful attack

If it successfully hits with a claw attack during a full attack, the ankheg may use Grab as a free action to initiate a Grapple combat maneuver with up to one size medium or smaller creature, by rolling its Maneuver Offense (1d20 + 10). If the roll equals or exceeds the target's Maneuver Defense, the target becomes Grabbed. The ankheg may roll to sustain this grapple each round as a free action, but as long as it has a creature grabbed, it cannot make further claw attacks (with any of its claws).

Eat and Run (Ex) Full Attack Action, with conditions

When the ankheg has a creature grabbed, it may, as a full attack action, make a bite attack on that creature and move up to half its movement rate, either overland or by burrowing. Most ankhegs will use Eat and Run to retreat back down the tunnel they bored to make their surprise attack.

Vomit Acid (Ex) Standard Action 1/Enc

Once per encounter the Ankheg may, as a standard action, vomit acid over a large area. Vomit Acid is a 30 foot cone that does 1d8+6 points of acid (energy, common) damage and inflicts the Slowed condition. Affected creatures are allowed to make a Reflex saving throw against a DC of 18 to reduce the damage by half and avoid the Slowed condition.

Ankheg

The ankheg is a massive insectoid beast whose depredations are cause for concern wherever they appear. Ankhegs are powerful diggers and burrowers who pop up when they are least expected to grab prey and vanish with them.

Ankheg incursions prompt full-scale responses from local authorities and are cause for extensive bug-hunts wherever they are found.

Ankhegs are brown and black beetle-like monsters ten to fifteen feet long, well equipped with biting mandibles, gripping legs, and acidic sprays of clinging glue. Even for their size, ankhegs are enormously strong.

Combat Tactics

Ankhegs are great burrowers, able to create ten foot diameter tunnels when burrowing at half speed. They can only burrow through soft soil, which is why they are usually encountered in forests, grasslands, farmland, and the like. Ankhegs will use their tremor sense, laying up to twenty feet deep below the surface, and when they feel prey walking above will burrow after them stealthily until they stop.

Ankhegs will then burrow slowly upward, making a tunnel, and attack with surprise if they are able to. They will typically do a full attack if they can, grab prey, and use their Eat and Run power to retreat back down their tunnel. if pursued, they will vomit acid down the tunnel and burrow away while their pursuers are slowed. if they have to drop prey to flee at full speed, they will do so.

Nests of ankhegs may have large networks of tunnels, interconnected seemingly at random. Cleaning out such a nest of ankheg tunnels is a nightmare-inducing experience, to say the least, with the monstrous bugs attacking straight out of the walls.

Out of Combat

Ankhegs are analogous to huge, carnivorous, termites. Unfortunately, that analogy can extend to their numbers. Ankhegs reproduce at a considerable rate for something as large as they are, and if they are left undisturbed, they will develop colonies of mind-boggling size and depth. If an infestation of Ankhegs is reported, the vile things must be confronted and burned out, exterminated entirely, before a large nest can develop. An Ankheg infestation can become so bad that truly desperate measures may be required, such as baiting a Bulette into their habitat. A Bulette can and will exterminate an entire Ankheg nest in a furious gory bacchanal of murderous fury, but once the Ankhegs have been eliminated, you are left with a bored Bulette. This is a terrible state of affairs. It is better to simply exterminate the Ankhegs through the application of heroes.

Rewards

XP: 2,400

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 2,125 gp.

Weight: 60 lbs.     Volume: 2.4 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)