Odd question, but I play Dungeons and Dragons (unashamedly) and I'm writing a campaign that has somewhat of a bug-centric storyline where different insects get enlarged or fused with other insects or even with other creatures.
I'm looking for interesting insects that could make for really cool hybrids and that can cover the main areas of combat (warrior, rogue, ranged). Warrior and rouge are easy, since https://19216811.cam/https://1921681001.id/ so many insects rely on camouflage or a hard exoskeleton, but I'm coming up short for insects that have a ranged attack characteristic in real life.
AFAIK, there aren’t any other than some ants that spray formic acid. (But ants are so tiny they don’t spray very far. 😂) You would have to make them up, like a wasp with lots of stingers that it can launch like a manticore, or something that spits venom like some cobras can.
Think ants of the early Paleozoic- 3’ tall, 6’ long and spitting acid for 30’, now add wings ( early ants were flying in some cases). 12’ sea scorpions, 6’ dragonflies, 9’ centipedes, 5’ cockroaches - all sorts of fun stuff. Oh, and of course giant spiders big enough to trap all of these things with webshooters as effective as Spider-Man’s 😳🤡
I believe tarantulas have some way to launch hairs that grow on them. (Note: some ants can still fly, the're just small) Also, if you have Tasha's, the infested zone supernatural region can give you some inspiration. Using both giant insects (there are stats for some kinds, and different creatures could be reskinned into giant insects, for instance, as somebody said earlier, using a manticore as a stinger shooting hornet), and insect swarms. Thri-kreen, being insect people, deserve a special mention here as well.
My posting scheduled is irregular: sometimes I can post twice a week, sometimes twice a day. I may also respond to quick questions, but ignore harder responses in favor of time.
My location is where my character for my home game is (we're doing the wild beyond the witchlight).
"The Doomvault... Probably full of unicorns and rainbows." -An imaginary quote
Perhaps the most dramatic is the Bombardier Beetles, which is capable of spraying predators with an irritating liquid at temperatures of around 100 °C. Antlions build elaborate traps they live at the bottom of--when prey begins to fall into the trap, they throw sand at the prey to knock it further into the trap. There are some other species of beetle, stick insect, and ant which can spray acids/poisons/other irritants on their enemies. Some termites (and some spiders, though you only asked about insects) which can spray a sticky substance to trap pray or predators.
If you are expanding to Arthropoda generally (as with spiders parenthetically addressed above) and need some underwater encounters, the pistol shrimp hunts by moving its claw quickly enough to form bubbles, which collapse on themselves momentarily heating up to around the same temperature as the sun and creating a shockwave that will debilitate its prey (and also is loud enough to mess with sonar and other underwater sound systems).
I believe tarantulas have some way to launch hairs that grow on them.
That's closer to an AoE effect in the tarantula's immediate vicinity, not a ranged attack. Spitting spiders are a better ranged attack: they can spray webbing from glands in their head to immobilize prey from a distance.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Beaten to it with the Bombardier beetle! You can also look at the silkworm thing which shoots glue webs to catch prey, and ribbon worms have weird feeding methods.
Don't forget to include fantasy insects as well - you can literally make up anything; Ironshell beetles which spit magma, frost tarantulas that fling icicle-coated hairs, Mindslaver worms which drape themselves over a victims head and control their movements, butterflies which magnify the sun to burn everything below them, Bulette-fleas which launch themselves as a ranged attack like a bullet (can cast catapult on themselves at will), Scurrymites which swarm into the shape of objects, and work like mimics but instead swarm whoever touches them instead of going all mimic-y. you've an unlimited world out there, so get creative!
Yeah, but actual scorpionflies are harmless. They don't sting or bite.
If only we played a game of make-believe where we can use our imagination to create whatever creature we like...
Sure, but real scorpionflies are stigmatized for allegedly being dangerous due to their appearance. So it's nice to remind people that they're not dangerous.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Odd question, but I play Dungeons and Dragons (unashamedly) and I'm writing a campaign that has somewhat of a bug-centric storyline where different insects get enlarged or fused with other insects or even with other creatures.
I'm looking for interesting insects that could make for really cool hybrids and that can cover the main areas of combat (warrior, rogue, ranged). Warrior and rouge are easy, since so many insects rely on camouflage or a hard exoskeleton, but I'm coming up short for insects that have a ranged attack characteristic in real life.
Any input is greatly appreciated!
Does it have to be a real insect? there are a number of other insect like monsters already in the game that you could modify or reskin:
Odd question, but I play Dungeons and Dragons (unashamedly) and I'm writing a campaign that has somewhat of a bug-centric storyline where different insects get enlarged or fused with other insects or even with other creatures.
I'm looking for interesting insects that could make for really cool hybrids and that can cover the main areas of combat (warrior, rogue, ranged). Warrior and rouge are easy, since https://19216811.cam/ https://1921681001.id/ so many insects rely on camouflage or a hard exoskeleton, but I'm coming up short for insects that have a ranged attack characteristic in real life.
Any input is greatly appreciated!
AFAIK, there aren’t any other than some ants that spray formic acid. (But ants are so tiny they don’t spray very far. 😂) You would have to make them up, like a wasp with lots of stingers that it can launch like a manticore, or something that spits venom like some cobras can.
PS- A flying giant scorpion would be terrifying, like half giant scorpion, half giant dragonfly. •shudders•
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Think ants of the early Paleozoic- 3’ tall, 6’ long and spitting acid for 30’, now add wings ( early ants were flying in some cases). 12’ sea scorpions, 6’ dragonflies, 9’ centipedes, 5’ cockroaches - all sorts of fun stuff.
Oh, and of course giant spiders big enough to trap all of these things with webshooters as effective as Spider-Man’s 😳🤡
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I believe tarantulas have some way to launch hairs that grow on them. (Note: some ants can still fly, the're just small) Also, if you have Tasha's, the infested zone supernatural region can give you some inspiration. Using both giant insects (there are stats for some kinds, and different creatures could be reskinned into giant insects, for instance, as somebody said earlier, using a manticore as a stinger shooting hornet), and insect swarms. Thri-kreen, being insect people, deserve a special mention here as well.
Pronouns: he/him/his.
My posting scheduled is irregular: sometimes I can post twice a week, sometimes twice a day. I may also respond to quick questions, but ignore harder responses in favor of time.
My location is where my character for my home game is (we're doing the wild beyond the witchlight).
"The Doomvault... Probably full of unicorns and rainbows." -An imaginary quote
Stag and rhinoceros beetles are basically the tanks of the insect world. And they can fly!
Praying mantises - camouflage, difficult to surprise, and fast.
There are ants that shoot acid out of their heads.
And wasps that lay eggs that turn into caterpillars that "zombify" their living host as it eats them from the inside out.
Perhaps the most dramatic is the Bombardier Beetles, which is capable of spraying predators with an irritating liquid at temperatures of around 100 °C. Antlions build elaborate traps they live at the bottom of--when prey begins to fall into the trap, they throw sand at the prey to knock it further into the trap. There are some other species of beetle, stick insect, and ant which can spray acids/poisons/other irritants on their enemies. Some termites (and some spiders, though you only asked about insects) which can spray a sticky substance to trap pray or predators.
If you are expanding to Arthropoda generally (as with spiders parenthetically addressed above) and need some underwater encounters, the pistol shrimp hunts by moving its claw quickly enough to form bubbles, which collapse on themselves momentarily heating up to around the same temperature as the sun and creating a shockwave that will debilitate its prey (and also is loud enough to mess with sonar and other underwater sound systems).
That's closer to an AoE effect in the tarantula's immediate vicinity, not a ranged attack. Spitting spiders are a better ranged attack: they can spray webbing from glands in their head to immobilize prey from a distance.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
This sounds like the scorpion fly!
Beaten to it with the Bombardier beetle! You can also look at the silkworm thing which shoots glue webs to catch prey, and ribbon worms have weird feeding methods.
Don't forget to include fantasy insects as well - you can literally make up anything; Ironshell beetles which spit magma, frost tarantulas that fling icicle-coated hairs, Mindslaver worms which drape themselves over a victims head and control their movements, butterflies which magnify the sun to burn everything below them, Bulette-fleas which launch themselves as a ranged attack like a bullet (can cast catapult on themselves at will), Scurrymites which swarm into the shape of objects, and work like mimics but instead swarm whoever touches them instead of going all mimic-y. you've an unlimited world out there, so get creative!
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Yeah, but actual scorpionflies are harmless. They don't sting or bite.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
A couple more insects are the Redwood ant and the North American Termite. They both shoot substances and you can make that fire or acid.
Funny quote from campaign, "The only thing you want to do is kill everything huh?"
"Thats right! (With lots of enthusiasm)"
If only we played a game of make-believe where we can use our imagination to create whatever creature we like...
Sure, but real scorpionflies are stigmatized for allegedly being dangerous due to their appearance. So it's nice to remind people that they're not dangerous.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Does it have to be a real insect? there are a number of other insect like monsters already in the game that you could modify or reskin:
Just some options you can borrow, blend, and modify.