Giant Beetle Diving Adult

This man-sized beetle has a greenish-black exoskeleton. Its hind legs are long and thick, with paddle-like extremities.

Originally Posted by Shade of the En World forums.

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Adult giant diving beetles are scavengers, attracted to dead and decaying flesh. Although they are solitary, several beetles might join to share in a large food source. Their fully-functioning wings allow them to Fly from pond to pond or lake to lake, searching for new food sources or spawning grounds.

The adult form is sleek and smooth, allowing the creature to glide effortlessly through the water. Its oversized rear legs have paddle-like ends, and it darts through the water quickly by ‘rowing’ its rear legs simultaneously.

Giant diving beetles are solitary creatures, coming together only to mate. Mating occurs in water during the springtime. The male beetle has suction disks on his front legs to keep him attached to the females’ slippery shell. The female lays the eggs near water plants. (Some bite small holes in plant stems and deposit the eggs there.) After three weeks, the eggs hatch into larvae.

A typical adult giant diving beetle is 5 to 6 feet in length. The exoskeletons of adult giant diving beetles are greenish-black, but appear green underwater.

Beetle, Giant, Diving, Adult
Medium vermin
Hit Dice	4d8+8 (26 hp)
Initiative	+0
Speed	20 ft. (4 squares), Swim 40 ft., Fly 40 ft. (average)
Armor Class	18 (+8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple	+3/+5
Attack	Bite +5 melee (1d4+2)
Full Attack	Bite +5 melee (1d4+2)
Space/Reach	5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks	–
Special Qualities	Darkvision 60 ft., hold breath, vermin traits
Saves	Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +1
Abilities	Strength 15, Dexterity 10, Constitution 15, Intelligence —, Wisdom 10, Charisma 9
Skills	Swim +10
Feats	–
Environment	Temperate and warm aquatic
Organization	Solitary or cluster (2-12)
Challenge Rating	2
Treasure	None
Alignment	Always neutral
Advancement	5-6 HD (Medium), 7-12 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment	–

COMBAT

Adult giant diving beetles are scavengers. Their bite attacks are weaker than the larval form, and lack the acidic saliva.

Hold Breath (Ex): A giant diving beetle can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to 6 x its Constitution score before it risks drowning. For a typical giant diving beetle, this is 90 rounds, or 9 minutes.

Skills: A giant diving beetle has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #250 (1998).