Isopterite Worker Working Draft
Isopterite Worker
Large Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 2d8+8 (17 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (–1 size, +1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+10
Attack: Claw +5 melee (1d8+4)
Full Attack: 2 claws +5 melee (1d8+4)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., hive mind
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +3
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 12, Con 18, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11
Skills: Climb +10, Profession (any one) +8
Feats: Skill Focus (Profession [any one])
Environment: Underground
Organization: Squad (2-20), taskforce (5-50 plus 2-20
warriors), or hive (100-1000 plus 50-200 warriors plus 1-4
queens and 2-7
kings)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 3-4 HD (Large); 5-6 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: —
This giant insectoid has a vaguely humanoid posture. It stands upright on two legs set below four arms than end in serrated blades. A segmented abdomen juts behind its legs. The insectoid's bulbous head has two black segmented eyes above a long tapering nose flanked by two pairs of antennae; the outermost pair is so thickly bulbous it resemble two strings of beads. A third pair of antennae crowns its head.
Isopterites are a race of "termite men" that live in vast hives they build underground or in the trunks of giant trees (see Isopterite Hives for details). There are many castes of isopterite, one of which is the isopterite worker described here. The isopterite worker caste is responsible for the hive's construction and housekeeping. Most workers specialize in a particular duty - farming fungus, nursing eggs, attending the queen, etc (see the Isopterite Hive section for more information). Isopterite workers will protect their hive with their lives, but they are not natural combatants and prefer to avoid fighting.
An isopterite's every action is coordinated via telepathic signals that pass through the Isopterite's hive queen (see the Isopterite Queen for more information). The hive queen does not command her subjects, but acts as a central relay for the isopterites' hive mentality. Should this queen be slain, the surviving isopterites wander purposelessly until a new hive queen establishes herself. Until this happens, the isopterites will only act out of self-preservation, fleeing or fighting if their life is threatened.
A worker isopterite stands about 12 feet tall and weighs about 1,800 pounds.
Combat
Isopterite workers normally flee from enemies, leaving fighting to the warrior caste. If the survival of their queen or hive is at risk they will gladly sacrifice their lives in combat, but are most likely to do so by supporting isopterite warriors with Aid Another actions or flanking maneuvers coordinated by their hive mind. Only in the direst of emergencies will they attack opponents with their claws. Isopterite workers are also prone to take indirect defensive measures, such as collapsing a section of tunnel to trap or block intruders.
Hive Mind (Ex): All isopterites within 50 miles of their hive queen are in constant communication. If one is aware of a particular danger, they all are. If one in a group is not flat-footed, none of them are. No isopterite in a group is considered flanked unless all of them are.
Skills: An isopterite worker has a +6 racial bonus to Climb checks.
Isopterite Kings
This entry can also be used for isopterite kings. These are male isopterites whose "profession" is reproducing with isopterite queens.
ISOPTERITE HIVES
An isopterite hive is a complex of tunnels, chambers and galleries with walls lined with resin. Isopterite resin is a special material isopterite workers can regurgitate, see
Construction for more details. The entire hive reeks with an ammonia-like smell emitted by the resin it is built with.
The hive is normally excavated deep in the earth, but portions of it may be hollowed out from the interior of giant trees or built on the surface in the form of rock-hard towers of mixed mud and resin that may soar hundreds of feet high.
Information of general conditions within the hive and what chambers and structures it may contain is provided below.
General Conditions of an Isopterite Hive
All isopterite hives share the following properties.
Construction: The walls, floors and ceilings of the hive are reinforced with a lining of isopterite resin, a material formed from a mixture of chewed-up wood and isopterite stomach fluids. Its strength is comparable to rock or reinforced masonry (Hardness 8, 180 hp for 1 foot typical thickness, Break DC 35).
Isopterite resin gives off a poisonous vapor described in
hive miasma, below.
Isopterite resin requires regular maintenance with special stomach secretions produced by isopterite workers, otherwise it begins to slowly grow weak and brittle and stops producing the
hive miasma. This means that the walls of a dead or abandoned hive are likely to collapse under their own weight sooner or later.
Darkness: The interior of an isopterite hive is normally pitch black. These insect folk are able to navigate and act in darkness, so they keep no lights in their hive.
Hive Miasma: The gasses given off by isopterite resin have two significant properties. Firstly, they are toxic (see Miasma Toxin below). Secondly, they cause fires to burn more brightly and quickly (see Blaze Acceleration below).
Miasma Toxin: In the open air outside the hive the vapors from its resin are malodorous but harmless. The denser vapors inside the hive are a toxin that will slowly kill almost any living creature that breathes air. Isopterites are immune to Miasma Toxin, as are a few other creatures such as aspis, formians and ants or termites (both giant and normal). The speed at which this toxin progresses varies depending on its concentration. Normally, a creature exposed to
hive miasma must make a DC 15 Fortitude save when they first breathe the toxic vapors plus an additional DC 15 Fortitude save every 30 minutes they continue to breathe the toxin. Chambers with more concentrated
hive miasma require more frequent Fortitude saves – the most intense Miasma Toxin is in Resin Storage Chambers (see below), which require a Fortitude save every minute. The series of Fortitude saves only ends when the creature is able to breathe fresh air again.
The first time a creature fails a save against Miasma Toxin it feels a painful irritation in its eyes, mouth and other sensitive parts – treat this distraction as the Dazzled condition. The second time a creature fails a save it starts coughing and choking, taking a –2 penalty to skill checks and ability checks. The third failure results in the creature being Sickened (q.v.) by chest pains and retching. A fourth failure results in unconsciousness. A creature rendered unconscious by
hive miasma must continue making Fortitude saves and takes 1d4 Constitution damage every time they fail.
The Constitution damage is the only lasting effect of Miasma Toxin. All the other unpleasant symptoms completely disappear if the affected creature breathes fresh air for 4d6+16 minutes. This also "resets" how many times the creature failed its save against Miasma Toxin to zero. A
delay poison spell will prevent Miasma Toxin affecting its target for the duration of the spell, and a
neutralize poison spell will "reset" their exposure to zero failed saving throws.
Blaze Acceleration: The vapors inside an isopterite hive cause combustible materials to burn with twice their normal brightness (i.e. a torch will illuminate a 40-foot radius instead of a 20-foot radius). However, combustibles also burn twice as quickly, so the torch would burns for 30 minutes instead of 1 hour like it normally would. This effect does not cause the materials to burn any hotter, so it does not increase any fire damage the combusting materials might inflict. Blaze Acceleration only affects mundane combustible materials that require oxygen to burn. It has no effect on magical fire.
Navigation Strings: Strings of a brown, slightly sticky material hang from the ceiling of every passage in an isopterite hive. They hang in such thick curtains the line-of-sight visibility in isopterite passageways is restricted to 20 feet. The string material is a form of exuded resin whose porous structure absorbs and retains isopterite scent markings, serving a similar purpose to maps, sign posts and message boards in a humanoid city. Each string contains a scent-coded map of all the passages and chambers near it, with directions to each. Isopterites use
navigation strings to tell where they are in the hive and post notices containing basic information – along the lines of "food storage #7 running low, work team scent-of-crocuses assigned to restock".
Isopterite chambers have sheets of
navigation string affixed to their walls. The colour and texture of these sheets is indistinguishable from the construction resin of the walls, but a creature with the Scent ability might notice the difference. These sheets are usually evenly spaced around the circumference of the chamber, with additional sheets flanking each entrance.
Isopterite scent-markings are unintelligible to most other creatures.
Structures of an Isopterite Hive
Isopterite hives always contain
royal apartments,
hatcheries,
rest chambers, storage chambers for
food or
resin, and
waste dumps. Some isopterite hives contain additional features, such as
ventilation towers,
fungal gardens,
wells or
water tanks.
Hive Entrances: An isopterite hive may have a single entrance or many, depending on its size and facilities. These entrances are circular openings roughly 5 feet in diameter – just wide enough for a single isopterite to easily pass through, but too narrow for many enemies to enter at the same time. The opening widens into a corridor just inside the
hive entrance. Hives with experience of hostile intruders will have isopterite warriors posted to guard the entrance who may have reinforcements waiting in a nearby
rest chamber. If the isopterites should want to bring an object into the hive that's too big for the standard 5-foot entrance, they simply dig the
hive entrance out as wide as is necessary, bring their cargo inside, and then rebuild the narrow entrance.
Tunnels and Corridors: Simple resin-walled passageways with curtains of
navigation string hanging from the ceiling. They average about 15 feet across. Isopterite passageways are rarely straight and level, but bend from side-to-side and rise or descend at various angles, including vertically. If a passageway is steep enough to require Climb checks to move through it will be set with a ladder-like series of holds that allow a climber to take 10 on Climb checks to move up or down them. Unfortunately, these holds are spaced for use by isopterites and are too far apart to be used by a typical humanoid of size Medium or smaller. The twists and slopes of an isopterite hive's passageways may seem random, but often have a purpose. Firstly, the passageways also serve as air shafts, and they may be shaped in a particular way to aid the hive's ventilation. Secondly, the passageway's walls are a tube of thick resin that can form a strong support structure for the hive. A passageway may turn in a particular direction to avoid an area that's hard to dig through or relieve stress on the fabric of the hive.
Royal Apartments: A
royal apartment houses an isopterite queen, her isopterite drone mates and a retinue of warriors and workers. If the hive has multiple queens, each has her own separate apartment. The
primary queen's apartment is the most important place in the entire hive so is always in the most secure location available – typically deep in the ground. The
secondary queen's apartments, if any, tend to be spaced around the perimeter of the hive.
Secondary apartments are still well-defended but their locations are easier for intruders to reach than the main apartment. However, they are also far enough from the
primary apartment that if some disaster kills the primary queen it may not destroy all the secondary apartments too. The
secondary apartment are also close enough to the
hive entrances that a secondary queens can quickly venture outside on a colonising expedition.
Hatcheries: These chambers contain isopterite eggs, grubs and pupae as well as the specialized isopterite workers who attend them.
Hatcheries are generally next to a royal apartment, but one or two may be in hard-to-reach corners of the hive as a backup in case intruders wipe out the other
hatcheries.
Food Storage Chamber: A storage area for an isopterite foodstuff that resembles thick paste. Only creature able to eat wood can gain nourishment from this bland-tasting substance (isopterites, giant termites, and so on). The paste is stored in huge resin-walled vats, or the entire chamber is a single vat. Freshly hatched isopterite grubs are the principle consumers of this food paste, but not the exclusive one, so most
food storage chambers are close to a hatchery. Isopterite queens can regurgitate this paste in prodigious quantities and in most hives are the sole source of this food, although some isopterite workers are capable of producing small quantities of it.
Rest Chambers: Isopterite workers and warriors retire to these chambers to sleep or hibernate. A
rest chamber may hold both castes of isopterite, or just one. These chambers may contain alcoves, resin shelves or piles of bedding for the isopterites to lie upon, but in many
rest chambers the isopterites just sleep on the floor.
Resin Storage Chamber: This chamber looks very much like a
food storage chamber (see above) but reeks of hive miasma fumes. Its vats are used to store a concentrated liquid form of isopterite resin which the isopterites mix with various chewed-up substances to form the many different kinds of resin they use in the hive. This liquid has a very low density, so any humanoid who enters a deep vat of it will sink like a stone unless they can succeed at a DC 22 Swim check. It is also corrosive, doing 1d4 acid damage to anything splashed with it, or 2d10 acid damage per round for immersion.
Waste Dumps: Isopterite colonies are remarkably efficient. What little rubbish they do produce is dumped in waste areas that are typically found on the lower levels of their hives. The bulk of the waste is organic material, predominately dead isopterites and unhatched eggs, much of which will be rotting.
Waste dumps are unpleasant places that are often rife with diseases (such as filth fever) amd/or inhabited by unpleasant scavenger creatures (rot grubs, otyughs and so on). Some
waste dumps are actually naturally occurring caves the isopterites are using as rubbish dumps. If an isopterite hive has a connection to the Underdark it is likely to be found in a waste area.
Fungal Gardens: Some small isopterite hives supply all their food needs by gathering vegetation from outside the hive, but most hives grow gardens of fungi to help feed their population. These
fungal gardens are subterranean galleries tended by specialized isopterite workers. Growing fungi is far more efficient than foraging for edible leaves, shoots and roots, for the various strains of fungus domesticated by the isopterites can turn a wide range of organic materials into food. The primary feedstock for the gardens is a chewed-up mixture of wood, straw, and soil. This produces a rich humus for the fungi to spread through and sprout fungal "fruit" that the isopterites harvest and eat. Most of the species of fungus used by the isopterites will only grow in cultivation. They are all edible to humanoids, but most have an unpleasant taste.
Wells & Water Tanks: Large and well-developed isopterite hives have hydraulic networks for storing and moving water. As well as ensuring the hives' inhabitants and gardens do not go thirsty, these water systems may incorporate mechanisms for evaporating water to keep the hive cool. The water is collected from rainwater or drawn from
wells, then flows into
water tanks or cisterns from which it is drawn as needed.
Ventilation Towers & Termitaries: Some isopterite hives are entirely subterranean, but the majority have some structures above ground. As a rule of thumb, the harder the ground the higher the proportion of the hive that is built above ground. A hive that's built on solid rock may have only a few tunnels and/or the primary royal apartment underground. These structures come in two basic types:
ventilation towers and
termitaries.
A
Ventilation Tower is a hollow column of mud and resin as tall as a tree. They have large openings at the top positioned to exploit the prevailing wind, which is used to circulate air within the hive. The opening may have a thick resin grating to prevent infiltration by flying or climbing intruders. The openings in this 6-inch thick grating are small enough for a Fine creature to easily pass through, larger creatures must succeed at Escape Artist checks to squeeze through – the check is DC 20 for Diminutive creatures, DC 30 for Tiny, and impossible for bigger creatures (unless you're using Epic Skill rules, in which case it's DC 50 for Small, DC 80 for Medium and impossible for larger creatures).
A
Termitary is a massive construction that is at least as big as a two-story humanoid house and is usually far larger, commonly exceeding 100 feet in height. It can contain any sort of chamber the isopterites are capable of building. All
termitaries have one or more
hive entrances at their base and a
ventilation tower at the top. The smallest
termitaries tend to be smooth-sided mounds, while larger ones always have thick buttresses to support their weight. An isopterite hive may have a single vast termitary or many smaller ones connected together by tunnels, covered passageways, and/or flying bridges.
IN SPELLJAMMER
In the spelljammer campaign, isopterites first appeared when they invaded the crystal sphere of Faeriespace. What planet, crystal sphere or plane they came from is unknown. Instead of a conventional solar system, Faeriespace has a Tree that spans the entire sphere, with sixteen suns hanging like fruit from its branches, which also support eight planets. The sphere is ruled by Aelivere the One-King of Faeriespace from his mushroom palace in the capital city of Armon, located at the trifurcation of the Tree's mind-blowingly massive trunk.
Colonising forces of isopterites immediately started carving hives and tunnel-highways out of the trunk and branches of the Tree, with disastrous consequences. The damage has thrown the movement of the Tree's leaves out of balance, the rotating shade from which causes the cycle of night and day to occur on the eight planets of this sphere, resulting in freak weather such as violent storms. The disruption to the Tree's magical qualities has thrown all of nature into chaos, causing some edible plants to turn poisonous or fail to produce harvests.
In desperation, Aelivere the One-King has commissioned bands of adventures to enter the isopterites' hives and stop their invasion.
Originally from SJA3 - Crystal Spheres (1990).
