Dread Moth (3.5e Monster)

''This oversized grey moth has two feathery antennae that twitch as if agitated. With surprising speed, it drops down from the air. ''

It is an understatement to say that dread moths are terrible to behold. They appear as a dark grey moth the size of an eagle. Their sickening bodies are covered with short hair reminiscent of mold. Their large mandibles constantly tap together, producing a distinct, eerie chittering sound. The origin of dread moths is unclear. Many claim they come from Hades, but the creatures have become such a widespread nuisance amongst the planes that it is impossible to tell.

While sometimes encountered alone, dread moths are more often than not found in large nests containing several dozen individuals. A single nest can be as large as a small castle and house nearly a hundred dread moths, lead by a single queen (a Medium dread moth of 15 Hit Dice). Their motives are unclear; although they have no established society as far as scholars can tell, dread moths have a habit of dissecting their dead prey, sometimes examining the body for hours before disposing of it. It is believed by some that the moths somehow learn the anatomy of their foes through this procedure, although most find the idea laughable.

A typical dread moth has a wing span of 3 to 4 feet, although its small, segmented body is only about 1 foot long, and it weighs about 10 pounds. They cannot speak.

Combat
A dread moth typically emerges at night, where it can hide on top of buildings and other structures and swoop down on unsuspecting victims, using its powerful jaws and acidic saliva to quickly eliminate its prey.

Acidic Saliva : Upon a successful bite attack, a dread moth deals an extra 1d6 points of acid damage in addition to its normal bite damage.

Attach : If a dread moth hits with a bite attack, it uses its powerful mandibles to latch onto the opponent’s body and automatically deals bite and acid damage each round it remains attached. An attached dread moth loses its Dexterity modifier to Armor Class and has an AC of 14.

An attached dread moth can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself. To remove an attached dread moth through grappling, the opponent must achieve a pin against the creature.

Disturbing Appearance : Despite its moth-like appearance, a dread moth is disturbing to behold. Anyone within 30 feet of a dread moth must succeed on a DC 13 Will save or take a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and skill checks made against the creature for as long as they remain in the affected area. Creatures that successfully save against this effect cannot be affected by the same dread moth’s disturbing appearance for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.