There are more varieties of beetles than there are of any other kind of creature. In the wastes, some beetles grow to monstrous sizes, to match the other oversized life-forms found therein.
Beetles
Giant beetles
Ecology
Environment warm plains
Special Abilities
Alien Mind (Ex)
Giant beetles get a +8 bonus to saving throws against mind-affecting effects, as their perceptions and mentalities are so different from those of humanoids as to be nearly unfathomable.
Fire beetle
These luminous nocturnal insects are prized by miners and adventurers. They have two glands, one above each eye, that produce a red glow. The glands’ luminosity persists for 1d6 days after removal from the beetle, illuminating a roughly circular area with a 10-foot radius. Fire beetles are about 2 feet long.
Combat
A fire beetle can be summoned with a summon nature’s ally I spell.
Fire beetle
Small animal
Init +0; Senses darkvision; Perception +4
Defense
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 16 (+1 size, +5 natural)
hp 4 (1d8)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0 (+8 vs. mind-affecting)
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee bite +1 (1d6)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Statistics
Str 10, Dex 11, Con 11, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 7
Base Atk +0; CMB −1; CMD 9 (17 vs. trip)
Feats Great Fortitude
Skills Perception +4
Morale timid (−4)
Ecology
Organization cluster (1d4+1) or colony (1d6+5)
Giant stag beetle
This horse-sized beetle has a pair of prodigiously sized, wicked-looking mandibles.
These creatures are serious pests that greedily devour cultivated crops. A single beetle can strip an entire farm in short order. An adult giant stag beetle is about 10 feet long. Only male stag beetles have the distinctive horn-like mandibles that give these beetles their name.
Combat
Female giant stag beetles prefer to flee from combat, but will fight if cornered. Males are more aggressive, attacking at the first sign of threat. (The statistics given below are for a male beetle; the bite attack of a female giant stag beetle has a base damage of 1d8.)
A giant stag beetle can be summoned with the summon nature’s ally IV spell.
Giant stag beetle
Attach:giant-stag-beetle.png Δ
Large animal
Init +0; Senses darkvision; Perception +7
Defense
AC 19, touch 9, flat-footed 19 (−1 size, +0 Dex, +10 natural)
hp 46 (4d8+24+4)
Fort +8, Ref +1, Will +1
Offense
Speed 20 ft.
Melee bite +8 (4d6+9)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks trample 2d8+9 (Ref DC 18 half)
Statistics
Str 23, Dex 10, Con 19, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 9
Base Atk +3; CMB +10 (+12 to grapple); CMD 20 (24 vs. trip)
Feats Improved Grapple, Toughness
Skills Perception +7
Morale intrepid (+2)
Ecology
Environment temperate forests
Organization cluster (1d4+1) or mass (1d6+5)
Special Abilities
Trample (Ex)
As a full-round action, a giant stag beetle can attempt to overrun any creature that is at least one size category smaller than itself. This works just like the overrun combat maneuver, but the beetle does not need to make a check, it merely has to move over opponents in its path. Targets of a trample take 2d8+9 damage.
Targets of a trample can make an attack of opportunity, but at a −4 penalty. If targets forgo an attack of opportunity, they can attempt to avoid the giant stag beetle, and receive a DC 18 Reflex save to take half damage. The save DC is Strength-based.
A giant stag beetle can only deal trampling damage to each target once per round, no matter how many times its movement takes it over a target creature. The beetle must move in a straight line in order to trample.