Glitterworm Gargantuan Magical Beast (Earth) Hit Dice: 18d10+144 (243 hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), burrow 20 ft. Armor Class: 26 (–4 size, –2 Dex, +22 natural), touch 4, flat-footed 26 Base Attack/Grapple: +18/+43 Attack: Bite +27 melee (2d8+19/19-20 plus 2d10 acid) Full Attack: Bite +27 melee (2d8+19/19-20 plus 2d10 acid) Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft. Special Attacks: Acid, breath weapon, chew, improved grab Special Qualities: Camouflage, immunity to acid, immunity to earth, tremorsense 60 ft. Saves: Fort +19, Ref +9, Will +5 Abilities: Str 37, Dex 6, Con 27, Int 1, Wis 8, Cha 8 Skills: Listen +5, Spot +14 Feats: Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Power Attack Environment: Underground Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 13 Treasure: No coins, 50% goods (stone only), no items Alignment: Always neutral Advancement: 19–32 HD (Gargantuan); 33–48 HD (Colossal) Level Adjustment: —
The glitter of precious metal catches your eye. Rich veins of the stuff run along the cavern wall. The wall begins to move, however, revealing a massive worm with an acid-beslobbered, leechlike maw.
This massive subterranean predator is closely related to the purple worm. It may alter its skin coloration to match any metallic or earthy hue, generally preffering that of precious metals such as gold, silver, or platinum. It may even take on the sheen of more exotic metals, such as mithral and adamantine.
Glitterworms are solitary hunters, associating with others of their kind only to mate. The mating process involves an hour of intertwining, then going their separate ways. The result of this union is a single 3-foot-diameter egg, which looks like a lustrous, shiny gray orb. This orb is inedible to most creatures, but those of elemental earth find it to be a delicacy.
Glitterworms are fully omnivorous, dining on minerals as often as meat and vegetables. Glitterworms are one of the few creatures that can eat and digest the rocklike inhabitants of the Elemental Plane of Earth, and xorn are their favored meals.
The body of a mature glitterworm is 5 feet in diameter and 100 feet long, weighing about 50,000 pounds. Its natural coloration appears to be slate gray, but its ever-shifting appearance makes this difficult to determine with complete certainty.
COMBAT
Glitterworms change their appearance and scent to resemble a vein of precious metal ore, then lie still against a tunnel wall until prey approaches. The glitterworm then lunges, fastening its leechlike maw upon its target, slobbering its caustic saliva all the while. If threatened by multiple opponents, it will vomit forth a jet of acid to reduce their numbers.
Acid (Ex): The glitterworm slobbers a digestive acid that quickly dissolves organic material, metal and stone. Any bite attack deals acid damage, and the opponent’s armor and clothing dissolve and become useless immediately unless they succeed on DC 27 Reflex saves. The save DCs are Constitution-based.
The glitterworm's acidic bite deals 27 points of damage per round to wooden, metal, or stone objects, but the glitterworm must lock its jaws on the object for 1 full round to deal this damage.
Breath Weapon (Su): 70-foot line, once every 1d4 rounds, damage 6d10 acid, Reflex DC 27 half. The acid, unless somehow neutralized, lasts for another round, dealing another 3d10 points of damage in that round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Camouflage (Ex): Since a glitterworm looks like a vein of precious metal when at rest, it takes a DC 25 Spot check to notice it before it attacks. Anyone with ranks in Knowledge (dungeoneering) can use one that skill instead of Spot to notice the worm. Dwarves can use stonecunning to detect the ruse.
Chew (Ex): When a glitterworm gets a hold on a foe with its jaws, it deals automatic bite and acid damage each round it maintains the grapple.
Immunity to Earth (Ex): A glitterworm is immune to the detrimental effects of spells with the earth descriptor.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a glitterworm must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can chew on the foe the following round.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #267 (2000).