Blattodea (3.5e Monster)



''Scuttling through the desert, they appear to be hunched over gokiburi wearing chitinous shells upon their back. Their bodies are fat round discs and a fleshy trunk extends from their main body, antenna curling over their back. They are devoid of arms and instead have eight legs, with three eyestalks upon its trunk watching you with hunger.''

''A massive blattodea sits upon her flattened belly in the back of the lair. Her shell is covered with squirming fleshy sacs, and eight long slender tendrils flow gracefully from her back. Your presence has not gone unnoticed, as the resting giant begins to stand...''

If apes are the animal form of humanity, than the blattodea are the primal gokiburi. Creatures of the desert, they have an insect-like society, mindless drones all in service of the hive, of the queen, who lives in crude palaces of stone and sand. Pack hunters, they take apart enemies with swarm tactics, gently guided by the mental urging of the queen.

Combat
Drones work in numbers. If a drone encounters a battle it will usually avoid combat until it has gained sufficient number to overwhelm the enemy, drawing it closer to the hive if the opponent gives chase where it will be easily overcome. Queens avoid combat altogether, and are almost never outside their hives, charged with the duty of birthing more drones upon her massive back and guiding the hive with her psionic urging.

Frenzy (Ex): By expending a bio-energy point as a free action on their turn, a blattodea drone can enter a rage gaining +4 Strength, +4 Constitution, -2 AC, and +2 Will saves. It lasts for 3 rounds + their newly improved Constitution bonus. After it ends the blattodea is nauseated for 2 rounds. It is somewhat of a dangerous move, as once in a frenzy a blattodea drone will not retreat from combat, even on obvious sign of death.

Bio-Energy (3.5e Creature Ability) (Ex): As a xenotheric creature blattodeas have a bio-energy pool can hold a maximum amount of charges equal to 3 plus the xenotheric creature's Constitution modifier (minimum 1), and recharges at a rate of 1 charge per minute. These charges may be expended to facilitate the volt tendril and thundering bellow. The example drone has a bio-energy pool of 6, while the queen has a pool of 12.

Persistent (Ex): Blattodea are difficult to keep down. If dying, (below 0 hp but not yet dead) they may take a full round action instead of a standard or move action, but take 2 points of damage if they do.

Vulnerability to Sonic: The sensitivity of the blattodea's senses to sound is both boon and a bane. They take half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from sonic damage, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.

Breath Weapon (Ex): A blattodea queen has a corrosive gas bioweapon that deals 6d8 acid damage in a 15 ft. cone, with a DC 23 Reflex save for half. This attack effect deals double damage against any objects and creatures made of corrodable metals (such as iron golems). Each use expends 1 point of bio-energy, and the save DC is constitution based.

Hatchery (Ex): The blattodea queen is host of dozens upon dozens of blattodea  egg sacs. As a standard action expend a bio-energy point she can attempt to force-birth a blattodea drone early to defend her, calling forth 1d4 blattodea drones each time. The blattodea drones start out with maximum hit points and automatically in frenzy (26 hp), eager to defend the queen. Such drones have a very short lifespan of only a few days, so it is done in emergency only. She can perform this even if she is out of bio-energy, but if she does it instead deals 2 points of Constitution damage to her per use.

Poison (Ex): The thin whip-like tendrils of the blattodea queen are tipped with stinging poison that deals 1d3 Dex/1d3 Dex damage on hit, Fortitude DC 23 negates, the save is constitution based.

Primitive Telepathy (Su): The blattodea queen has a reduced form of telepathy specifically used to coordinate her drones on a wide scale. She can communicate to all drones simultaneously within a mile (in spite of them being mindless), but the communication is limited to simple images and concepts. For the drones, it is enough, but for those attempting to communicate with a blattodea queen it can be troubling to understand. This replaces the normal xenotheric telepathy.

Skills: Both drones and queen blattodea have a +8 racial bonus on climb checks and a +2 bonus on listen checks.