Dire Centipede

The 20’ long Dire Centipede attacks with great celerity, striking first with a venomous stinger and then an acid-laced maw. Such creatures rely on twitching antennae to sense movement in their vicinity, and are driven by relentless hunger. They prefer to surprise their prey by burrowing underground or dropping from ceilings. The dark burrows of Dire Centipedes are often littered with the acid-washed skeletons of their victims.

Dire Centipedes are adept at stealth, scaling ceilings, or using their long, forked stinger to impale foes at odd angles. The GM should use their burrowing ability to stage surprise encounters, using ground vibrations to signal their approach, and building tension as the creature waits just below the surface. Despite their chitinous armor, Dire Centipedes are squishy predators vulnerable to bludgeoning. Where adventurers encounter a single Dire Centipede, they are bound to encounter the rest of the hive, which can quickly overwhelm even the most well-prepared parties.