The Monothot

Description

It's not an uncommon sight to see peasants or travelers lugging small canvas sacks filled dirt. They're carrying one or more monothots, small 3-inch creatures with useful compass-like abilities.

There are seven types of monothot: black, tan, red, flying, crystal, spellbane, and fellspawn. All share some of the same qualities. They are similar in shape to ladybugs, shaped like an egg spit in half, ovoid in shape and flat along the underside. Sensory organs surround a surprisingly large mouth on its narrower end, called the head. Ten small legs stick out of the underside, plus two larger ones. These larger legs are called antennae and are as long as the rest of the monothot's body. They connect to the body at a point under and just to the side of the mouth. The body itself is chitinous, creating a turtle-like shell around the monothot's softer insides.

All monothots can eat plain, everyday dirt. Certain types of monothots may have preferences for certain types of soil, or other foods entirely, but they're all capable of eating plain, unpolluted dirt, dust and sand. Monothots seem to have no need for air, so are usually kept in canvas bags of their preffered soil. The monothot will not eat canvas, but consumes about 5 times its weight in soil a day.

It is considered a sin or bad omen to kill or injure a monothot, as they are harmless to crops and people, cost almost nothing to maintain, and provide a welcome service. Mages that employ spells that consume monothots are despised. Most of the spells needing monothots, therefore, do not consume the monothot in their casting.

Monothots live for about a year. They are hermaphroditic, having both male and female reproductive organs. Two monothots may meet, each donating sperm to the other, which they can hold for up to two months. A monothot may collect sperm from several other monothots before it finally lays eggs, though it usually stops at six donators. Starting in its second month, and every months thereafter, a monothot will lay a clutch of 40-60 eggs, usually beneath a large rock, then dump its collected sperm on it, plus some of its own. Roughly half of the eggs get properly fertilized. Assuming they are not eaten before they hatch, the baby monothots hatch in a week and immediately start burrowing away, eating and eating until they reach their full size in two weeks.

Combat

The monothot has few offensive capabilities, preferring to flee danger rather than fight. If pressed, it attacks with its weak bite.

Antennae Whirl (Ex): By whirling their antennae in a specific way, monothots can tunnel through earth at a surprising speed. This acounts for their burrowing speed. A monothot with only one antennae has its burrowing movement reduced by half. A monothot without any antennae cannot burrow at all. The burrowing is such that the path created collapses just behind the monothot, forcing pursuers to dig on their own if they wish to follow. If a monothot is set loose on a earth elemental at least three size classes larger than it, their natural burrowing causes 1d4 damage each round it attempts to travel inside the elemental. The elemental may make a single Reflex save each round (DC 20) to expel the monothot and take only half damage.

Tremorsense (Ex): A monothot can automatically sense the location of anything within 20 feet that is in contact with the ground.

Direction Determination (Su): A monothot has the supernatural ability to innately determine the direction of true north at will. Other creatures can make use of this ability by taking a monothot and spinning it on its back. The monothot will use its two antennae to stop its spinning. When it does, it always stops with its head pointing north. This ability works on any plane with a definite north, south, east and west (generally found only on planes with objective gravity). Monothots spun on other planes will stop with their head pointing in any random direction.

Spider Climb (Ex): A monothot's ten walking legs are like a spider's. It can climb on vertical and upside-down horizontal surfaces with ease. This grants it an additional +10 competency bonus on Climb checks, in addition to the +8 bonus granted by having a climb speed. Any creature with a strength score of 3 or greater can pluck it off a wall.

Flying monothot

Direction Determination (Su): As a black monothot, but when they are spun on their backs, they stop the spin by expanding their wings.

Blindsight (Ex): A flying monothot's eyes are poor and nearly useless, and it lacks the tremorsense of other monothots. Instead, it can ascertain all foes within 30 feet using its miniature antennae, which detect sound, scent, and minute changes in air pressure.

Crystal monothot

A crystal monothot does not have the Direction Determination ability. Instead, it has Direction Indetermination.

Direction Indetermination (Su): A crystal monothot has the supernatural ability to innately determine the direction of true north at will. However, it doesn't impart this information as readily as other monothots do. When spun on its back, it will always stop with its head pointing towards a cardinal direction. the DM should secretly roll d%. On 1-40 the monothot points north, 41-60 south, 61-80 east, and 81-100 west. This ability works on any plane with a definite north, south, east and west (generally found only on planes with objective gravity). Monothots spun on other planes will stop with their head pointing in any random direction.

Spellbane monothot

Spellbane Aura (Su): Spellbane monothots constantly exude a weird force field that radiates out to a distance of 25 feet. Any spellcaster within the radiation, even divine spellcasters, must make a concentration check (DC 15 + the level of the spell being cast), or else botch the spell.

Confusion Venom (Su): On a successful bite, the monothot injects a mild venom into the victim's bloodstream that clouds the senses. Treat this as if a 15th-level cleric cast the spell Confusion on the victim. Will negates, DC 14.

Fellspawn monothots

Fellspawn monothots are normally found alone, though in rare cases groups of up to six have been encountered.

Fellspawn monothots like to perform ambushes, like waiting quietly on the ceiling of a cave and striking from above, or dropping on top of passers-by. It prefers to focus on one creature at a time, striking with its Antennae Whirl until the victim dies or becomes paralyzed. Once all combatants have been rendered impotent, the monothot delivers coup de grace attacks until they're all slain, then feasts on their corpses.

If outmatched or severely wounded, the monothot will use its burrowing ability to try to flee. If unable to do that, it will bring its bite into play, hoping to confuse its enemies into docility.

Tremorsense (Ex): A fellspawn monothot can automatically sense the location of anything within 60 feet that is in contact with the ground.

Antennae Whirl (Ex): As a black monothot, but causes 3d8 damage to an earth elemental instead of 1d4. Plus, in combat with other creatures, it can choose to forgo all other attacks in a round and instead focus a whirling barrage against a single opponent. Treat this as two separate antennae attacks with an additional +2 to the attack and damage rolls.

Paralysis (Su): Those hit and harmed by an antennae must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or be paralyzed for 1d6+2 minutes.

Confusion Venom (Su): As the spellbane monothot, but DC 16. Will negates.

Spider Climb (Su): This is a supernatural ability for fellspawn monothots. It functions as a black monothot's, but it can be pulled from a surface only by a character with a strength score of 23 or greater. If this ability is supressed, the extraordinary Spider Climb ability resurfaces (any creature with a strength score may pull it from a surface).

Superstitious Aura (Su): Anyone who catches sight of a fellspawn monothot must make a Will save (DC 18). If the save is failed, the viewer is suddenly filled with a supernatural dread. If attacked by the monothot, they will try to flee or cower rather than risk harming it. Those who witness the monothot paralyzing or killing one of their companions may attempt another saving throw to overcome the effect. Those who make their save are immune to the Aura of that monothot for 24 hours. This is a Mind-Affecting, Enchantment/Compulsion effect.

Monothot

Black/Tan/Red

Flying

Crystal