#arrowworm

“Capinatator praetermissus” © Marianne Collins. Accessed at the Chicago Tribune here

[One of the side effects of PFRPG’s descent from D&D 3.5 is that vermin come in all sizes. And the ones with high CRs are all really goddamn big. So my goal for this set of monsters is to make some mid to high level vermin that aren’t the size of a house.]

Arrowworm, Giant This translucent creature looks something like a worm and something like a fish. It swims rapidly powered by membranous fins, and its head has a bear-trap of curved spines.

Arrowworms, also called chaetognaths, are fast and voracious predators of the open ocean. Most arrowworms are so small that they prey on plankton, but some grow to the size of a man. These giant chaetognaths are feared and hated for their ability to impact fish stocks and their predations on aquatic humanoids.

Giant chaetognaths are not cooperative hunters, but may associate with each other in pursuit of food. A solitary giant arrowworm tends to pursue prey of its own size or smaller, but in large numbers these beasts will tackle whales, giant squid and more magical ocean giants. When engaged in such a feeding frenzy, the weaker giant arrowworms are often attacked and devoured by their fellows. Regardless of whether they are hunting individually or in groups, giant arrowworms specialize in hit-and-run attacks, weakening their victims with a toxin that causes muscle weakness, fatigue and eventually complete paralysis.

Although giant arrowworms are rapacious, they rarely attack ships or sailors. Large shoals of them may mistake a ship for a whale and bite and scrape at its hull, but such unnerving assaults rarely last long. A humanoid entering the water, however, is fair game, torn apart by venomous hooks. A giant arrowworm is about six feet long and weighs 175 pounds. Although they have some physical similarities to fish and to annelid worms, they are related to neither.

Giant Arrowworms as Vermin Companions Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed 5 ft., swim 50 ft. AC +0 natural armor; Attack bite (2d4 plus poison); Ability Scores Str 14, Dex 20, Con 14, Int —, Wis 13, Cha 3; Special Attacks poison (frequency 1 round [4], effect 1d3 Str damage, cure 1 save, Con based DC) Special Qualities aquatic, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent

4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; Attack bite (2d6 plus poison); Ability Scores Str +4, Dex –2, Con +2; Special Attacks poison (frequency 1 round [6], effect 1d4 Str damage, cure 1 save, Con-based DC), swim-by attack; Special Qualities transparent