Steelback Beetle

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Steelbacks are huge beetle-like creatures with highly-reflective metallic shells covering their backs. The large shell is an almost perfect hemisphere, supported less than a foot off the ground by 36 short, multi-jointed legs. The creature's head is usually drawn in beneath the shell so that only its long, serrated mandibles are exposed. However, the creature can shoot its head out forward with blinding speed, extending the reach of its mandibles by an additional 5 feet. For such a large creature, the steelback is remarkably fast, and its multiple legs allow it to traverse virtually any kind of terrain.
==Combat==
The steelback's main attack is an incredibly damaging bite from its long mandibles. If it succeeds in biting an opponent of size M or smaller, it can maintain its grip, inflicting maximum damage on each subsequent round until its victim is dead, or the beetle disengages to engage another target.
The creature's normal speed is fast enough, but it is able to increase its speed by 16 for a charge of up to 60 feet. If it chooses to attack with its mandibles at the end of this charge, it receives a +2 bonus to hit. Instead of biting, it can simply slam into its target, using its mass to inflict damage. The targets of such a charge each suffer 2-12 points of damage, and must roll under their Dex + Str on 2d20 or be knocked off their feet and trampled under the steelback. Such a trampling attack inflicts hit points equal to 20 plus the victim's AC.
It is theoretically possible - albeit very difficult - to roll a steelback over onto its back to expose its underbelly, which is AC 5. The steelback's hemispherical shape, however, makes it fairly easy for the creature to roll back onto its feet merely by shifting its weight within its shell.
Steelbacks are totally resistant to fire and heat. Electrical attacks do no damage, and lightning bolts reflect perfectly off the metallic shell. Fifty percent of lightning bolts reflect back directly towards the spellcaster who fired them; the other 50% reflect in random directions, possibly endangering the spellcaster's comrades. Cold-based attacks inflict double damage. For each round that the creature is in an environment colder than 300 °F, it suffers 1d8 points of damage. Steelbacks are totally immune to all forms of poison (including such things as green dragon breath).
==Habitat/Society==
Steelbacks hunt either singly or in small groups. It's unknown whether these groups represent families, or are just random associations of creatures. Hunting groups form and break apart seemingly randomly.
The beetles are all female, and reproduce by parthenogenesis (reproduction without the participation of a male, like certain Amazonian fish on Earth). Every 500 standard days, a steelback lays Id4 eggs, which the creature conceals in the shallows of a "lake" of molten metal. Fifty days later, the newly-hatched steel backs emerge from the lake and go off on their own. New hatchlings have the following characteristics: HD 3, THAC0 17, Dmg 1-8. A charge attack inflicts 1-4 points of damage, and they are unable to trample. All other attributes are as for the adult creatures. They grow quickly, reaching full size in only 150 standard days. No one knows exactly how long steelbacks live, although there are indications that they might live for as many as 15,000 standard days.
Because the creatures require high temperatures to survive, they can never approach the Ribbon region of Radole, and hence pose no threat to the creatures that live there.
==Ecology==
Steelbacks have been described as mindless killing machines. They are predators, living on the other beetle-like creatures that dwell on Radole's Sunside. Many sages believe that steelbacks absorb the energy that they require to live from the harsh sunlight that beats down on them continuously. If this is true, it follows that they must eat only to provide them with the raw materials required to enlarge and heal their bodies. Such being the case, it would be impossible to starve a steelback to death, providing it received sufficient sunlight. (This would also explain the creature's immunity to poisons.)
Category:Creatures
Category:Practical Planetology Creatures