Climate/Terrain:
Frequency: Organization: Activity Cycle: Diet: Intelligence: Treasure: Alignment: No. Appearing: Armor Class: Movement: Hit Dice: Thac0: No. of Attacks: Damage/Attack: Special Attacks: Special Defenses: Magic Resistance: Size: Morale: XP Value: |
Tropical and subtropical jungles
Uncommon Solitary Any Omnivore Low to average (5-10) (O, Q) Neutral 1-6 3 6, Cl 8 3 17 3 1-4 / 1-4 / SA 1-6 Poisoned mandibles Nil Nil S (body: 2’ long / tail: 3' long) Unsteady (7) 80 |
Combat: Canterions will rarely attack anything larger than them unless they feel threatened and there is no other option. They are rather stealthy, and they love shiny and sparkly objects. If they see any small shining objects, they must roll their morale (a successful role means they realize the danger in going after the item, so they stay away).
When caught in a combat situation, the canterion will attack with its claws, each claw doing 1-4 points of damage. It may also decide to grab with its claws, doing only 2-5 points of damage. In this case, if the canterion is not removed by the next round, it will use its mandibles, causing 1-6 points of damage from the poisoned mandibles piercing the skin and injecting its poison into the person's system. By the second round, the bite will swell up and get very irritated. Upon reaching the fourth round, the victim begins to hallucinate for 1-6 rounds.
Habitat/Society: Canterions are solitary creatures except during mating seasons. In this case, they may be found in groups consisting mainly of females. Their dens are usually fairly high up in the trees, allowing plenty of light to shine onto their collection. If found in their den, they will mainly sting their targets until they leave.
Ecology: The canterion's extremely hard shell can make powerful small shields and beautiful, iridescent rings of protection. The poison from the mandibles can be made into a drug and, when gazing into a polished portion of the shell, it grants clairvoyance.