The Giant Hissing Cockroach is a grotesquely enlarged version of its mundane counterpart, measuring nearly 5 feet in length with a domed, chitinous exoskeleton colored in mottled shades of black, bronze, and earthy brown. Its segmented body is coated in fine bristle-like hairs, and its antennae twitch constantly, detecting vibrations in the air and ground. Its mandibles are powerful and jagged, dripping with viscous saliva, while its translucent wings, though rarely used, unfold with a disturbing crackle and hum when the creature takes flight.
Behavior: Ordinarily passive scavengers, Giant Hissing Cockroaches are instinct-driven and react aggressively only when provoked or starved. They rely on intimidation over direct confrontation, inflating their bodies and releasing an explosive hissing sound through spiracles along their abdomen. In groups, this display becomes a synchronized wall of sound that can disorient prey and terrify larger predators. Solitary individuals often avoid combat unless cornered, but swarms become brazen and predatory in desperate conditions.
Habitat: Highly adaptive, these vermin thrive in damp, dark environments—abandoned ruins, dense jungles, sewers, and cavern networks. They require minimal sustenance and can survive in the most hostile biomes as long as organic material, detritus, or carrion is available. Colonies will often hollow out entire underground warrens or infest old dungeons, expanding as far as the food supply allows.
Modus Operandi: A Giant Hissing Cockroach typically ambushes its prey after unsettling it with a sudden, concussive hiss. This sonic burst induces fear, giving the cockroach the advantage to bite and retreat if resistance is too strong. When acting in a swarm, they operate with eerie coordination—herding prey into confined spaces where numbers and confusion overwhelm their targets. They favor hit-and-run tactics, often using vertical surfaces and ceilings to disorient foes.
Motivation: Driven purely by survival and instinct, the Giant Hissing Cockroach is motivated by the pursuit of food and territory. While lacking higher cognition, its hive-like tendencies in groups suggest a primitive collective awareness. In regions suffering from decay, famine, or magical corruption, these creatures grow unnaturally large—drawn to the scent of rot and ruin, as if serving a greater ecological or supernatural purpose.
Wall Crawler. The Giant Hissing Cockroach can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Hold Breath. The cockroach can hold its breath for up to 30 minutes.
Light Sensitivity. While in bright light, the cockroach has disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Inoffensive Until Provoked. The cockroach does not attack unless harmed, cornered, or starving. When threatened, it defends itself with terrifying aggression.
Actions
Multiattack. The cockroach makes one Bite attack and uses Frightening Hiss, if available.
Bite.Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Frightening Hiss(Recharge 5–6). The cockroach emits a harsh, rattling hiss. Each creature of its choice within 20 feet that can hear it must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be disoriented until the end of the cockroach’s next turn. While disoriented, a creature has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks and cannot take reactions. This is a nonmagical, sonic effect. Creatures that are deafened or immune to being frightened are unaffected.
Skittering Ambush. If the cockroach moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a Bite attack on the same turn, the target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. On a failure, the cockroach immediately moves into the target’s space without provoking opportunity attacks.
Reactions
Sudden Scramble. When a creature the cockroach can see moves within 10 feet of it, the cockroach can move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks. Usable once per round.
Tactics
Begins combat with Frightening Hiss to disorient groups.
Uses Sudden Scramble to reposition on walls or ceilings mid-fight.
Prefers surprise ambushes from elevated terrain.
Coordinates in groups to stack the hiss effect across rounds.
Environment
Underground, ruins, swamps, jungles, sewers
Organization Solitary, pair, or infestation (3–12)
Treasure None (lairs may contain scavenged trinkets or detritus)
[This content is based on content mentioned but only partially described by Paizo Publishing.]
These inoffensive roaches hiss when threatened. When encountered in large swarms or grown to monstrous size, though, the insect’s noises take on a fearsome quality.
Fighting Hiss (Ex) : As a free action, a monstrous cockroach or cockroach swarm can make a loud hissing noise by forcing air through the breathing pores on its abdomen. This sound can be extremely disconcerting, and any creature within 20 feet with Hit Dice equal to or lower than the cockroach’s must make a DC 14 Will save or be shaken until outside the hiss’s area of effect. This is a sonic attack. The save DC is Constitution-based.
ECOLOGY
Environment any land Organization solitary or intrusion (2-20) Treasure none
Much like their smaller kin, giant cockroaches are extremely adaptive and exist in any place they can find a ready source of food. Giant cockroaches are not normally very violent, but readily attack if threatened or if food becomes scarce.
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