Cleon
Legend
Giant Grasshopper
Small beast, unaligned
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 9 (2d6 + 2)
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 50 ft.
Senses blindsight 10 ft., passive Perception 8
Languages —
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) slashing damage.
Reaction
Hop (Recharge 5-6). If the giant grasshopper uses its land movement speed or is attacked by another creature, it can use its reaction to hop. If the hop is triggered by an attack, the opponent has disadvantage on the attack roll. If the attack kills or immobilizes the giant grasshopper nothing happens, otherwise the attacker must make a DC 9 Dexterity saving throw if they are within 5 feet of the grasshopper. On a failed roll, the grasshopper slams into the attacker as it leaps away and does 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage. If the grasshopper succeeds in hopping away, it jumps into the air and lands up to 60 feet away, with a minimum hopping distance of 20 feet.
Description
A giant grasshopper grows up to a yard long and looks identical to its normal sized cousin: a green, brown or sandy-coloured insect with a tubular body, massive hind legs, and two pairs of wings. These statistics also represent giant locusts (a locust is just one of the grasshopper species in the family Acrididae that sometimes congregate into swarms). Juvenile grasshoppers, or nymphs, are wingless but the adults can fly vast distances. Like a normal grasshopper, giant grasshoppers will reactively hop away if threatened by another creature, after which they might take to the air and fly to safety. Many predators hunt these insects, particularly the ankheg, giant toad, and giant arthropods such as wasps and spiders. They are also eaten by sapient races and are even farmed by some humanoids.
Hunger on Wings. Giant grasshoppers are normally vegetarian, but hungry grasshoppers can turn to meat-eating, usually in the form of cannibalism: their usual victims are other, weaker grasshoppers. Unfortunately, the giant version of these insects are more prone to attacking other animals, especially when a starving mob of giant locusts can't find anything else to eat. Attacks on humanoids are still very rare unless the giant insects are being controlled by an external force (see Exalted Thrall of Pazuzu for one possibility).
All grasshoppers can breed rapidly, but locusts are notorious for having population explosions when there's a surge in plant growth after a drought. After devouring everything green they can, the locusts take to the wing in enormous numbers in search of more vegetation to devour. This often leads to dreadful famines among populations whose crops have been consumed by the giant locusts. This is a far greater danger than the risk of the locusts attacking people. The desperate victims of a giant locust plague sometimes survive by eating the locusts, but this is a very arduous task. The survivors must catch the giant locusts in the few days before they fly off and somehow preserve enough locust meat and other food to last until their next harvest.
VARIANT: GIANT CRICKET
Crickets are relatives of grasshoppers. A giant cricket is shorter and stockier than a giant grasshopper and is a dull, neutral earthy color. Rather than flying away after it hops, a cricket usually tries to hide in low-growing plants or soft ground. While normal crickets chirp to attract a mate, the giant species also chirp to warn their companions of danger. The two chirps sound completely different to a giant cricket, but most other creatures cannot tell the difference. A giant cricket has a land speed of 20 feet and is either flightless or flies at 30 feet. Its Hop reaction has a maximum movement of 40 feet. These giant grasshopper variants have the following trait and bonus action.
Undergrowth Camouflage. The giant cricket has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in undergrowth.
Chirrup. As a bonus action, the giant cricket can produce an incredibly loud chirping. Any creature within a 20-foot radius of the cricket that isn't another giant cricket must make a DC 9 Constitution saving throw or be deafened until the end of its next turn.
VARIANT: GIANT CAVE LOCUST
Giant cave locusts are a common sight in the subterranean fungus forests of the underdark and are eaten by most of its carnivorous residents.. A giant cave locust has a land speed of 20 feet and can fly and hop as fast as a giant grasshopper. They have darkvision 60 feet and blindsight 30 feet. These giant grasshopper variants have the following trait, action and bonus action.
Fungivore. The giant cave locust is completely immune to the poison and special attacks of many underdark plants and fungi, including the flesh eating ability of green slime, rotting touch of the violet fungi, death burst of the gas spore, the spores of yellow mold.
Spit. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 10/30 ft., one target. Hit: the spittle of a giant cave locust has an appalling reek. The target must succeed at a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. For the next hour or until the spittle is washed off, any creature coming within 5 feet of the target must succeed at a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn.
Chirrup. As a bonus action, the giant cave locust can produce an incredibly loud chirping. Any creature within a 20-foot radius of the cave locust that isn't another giant cave locust must make a DC 9 Constitution saving throw or be deafened until the end of its next turn.
(Inspired by the cave locust from the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1981) and the cave cricket that first appeared in S4 Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (1982).)
Small beast, unaligned
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 9 (2d6 + 2)
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 50 ft.
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 (–1) | 12 (+1) | 12 (+1) | 1 (–5) | 7 (–2) | 3 (–4) |
Senses blindsight 10 ft., passive Perception 8
Languages —
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) slashing damage.
Reaction
Hop (Recharge 5-6). If the giant grasshopper uses its land movement speed or is attacked by another creature, it can use its reaction to hop. If the hop is triggered by an attack, the opponent has disadvantage on the attack roll. If the attack kills or immobilizes the giant grasshopper nothing happens, otherwise the attacker must make a DC 9 Dexterity saving throw if they are within 5 feet of the grasshopper. On a failed roll, the grasshopper slams into the attacker as it leaps away and does 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage. If the grasshopper succeeds in hopping away, it jumps into the air and lands up to 60 feet away, with a minimum hopping distance of 20 feet.
Description
A giant grasshopper grows up to a yard long and looks identical to its normal sized cousin: a green, brown or sandy-coloured insect with a tubular body, massive hind legs, and two pairs of wings. These statistics also represent giant locusts (a locust is just one of the grasshopper species in the family Acrididae that sometimes congregate into swarms). Juvenile grasshoppers, or nymphs, are wingless but the adults can fly vast distances. Like a normal grasshopper, giant grasshoppers will reactively hop away if threatened by another creature, after which they might take to the air and fly to safety. Many predators hunt these insects, particularly the ankheg, giant toad, and giant arthropods such as wasps and spiders. They are also eaten by sapient races and are even farmed by some humanoids.
Hunger on Wings. Giant grasshoppers are normally vegetarian, but hungry grasshoppers can turn to meat-eating, usually in the form of cannibalism: their usual victims are other, weaker grasshoppers. Unfortunately, the giant version of these insects are more prone to attacking other animals, especially when a starving mob of giant locusts can't find anything else to eat. Attacks on humanoids are still very rare unless the giant insects are being controlled by an external force (see Exalted Thrall of Pazuzu for one possibility).
All grasshoppers can breed rapidly, but locusts are notorious for having population explosions when there's a surge in plant growth after a drought. After devouring everything green they can, the locusts take to the wing in enormous numbers in search of more vegetation to devour. This often leads to dreadful famines among populations whose crops have been consumed by the giant locusts. This is a far greater danger than the risk of the locusts attacking people. The desperate victims of a giant locust plague sometimes survive by eating the locusts, but this is a very arduous task. The survivors must catch the giant locusts in the few days before they fly off and somehow preserve enough locust meat and other food to last until their next harvest.
VARIANT: GIANT CRICKET
Crickets are relatives of grasshoppers. A giant cricket is shorter and stockier than a giant grasshopper and is a dull, neutral earthy color. Rather than flying away after it hops, a cricket usually tries to hide in low-growing plants or soft ground. While normal crickets chirp to attract a mate, the giant species also chirp to warn their companions of danger. The two chirps sound completely different to a giant cricket, but most other creatures cannot tell the difference. A giant cricket has a land speed of 20 feet and is either flightless or flies at 30 feet. Its Hop reaction has a maximum movement of 40 feet. These giant grasshopper variants have the following trait and bonus action.
Undergrowth Camouflage. The giant cricket has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in undergrowth.
Chirrup. As a bonus action, the giant cricket can produce an incredibly loud chirping. Any creature within a 20-foot radius of the cricket that isn't another giant cricket must make a DC 9 Constitution saving throw or be deafened until the end of its next turn.
VARIANT: GIANT CAVE LOCUST
Giant cave locusts are a common sight in the subterranean fungus forests of the underdark and are eaten by most of its carnivorous residents.. A giant cave locust has a land speed of 20 feet and can fly and hop as fast as a giant grasshopper. They have darkvision 60 feet and blindsight 30 feet. These giant grasshopper variants have the following trait, action and bonus action.
Fungivore. The giant cave locust is completely immune to the poison and special attacks of many underdark plants and fungi, including the flesh eating ability of green slime, rotting touch of the violet fungi, death burst of the gas spore, the spores of yellow mold.
Spit. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 10/30 ft., one target. Hit: the spittle of a giant cave locust has an appalling reek. The target must succeed at a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. For the next hour or until the spittle is washed off, any creature coming within 5 feet of the target must succeed at a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn.
Chirrup. As a bonus action, the giant cave locust can produce an incredibly loud chirping. Any creature within a 20-foot radius of the cave locust that isn't another giant cave locust must make a DC 9 Constitution saving throw or be deafened until the end of its next turn.
(Inspired by the cave locust from the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1981) and the cave cricket that first appeared in S4 Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (1982).)
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