Wezer

Wezer

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: FREQUENCY: ORGANIZATION:

Continuous

ACTIVITY CYCLE:

Omnivore

DIET:

Animal (1)

INTELLIGENCE:

Nil

TREASURE:

Neutral

ALIGNMENT: NO. APPEARING:

10-200

ARMOR CLASS: MOVEMENT: HIT DICE:

THAC0: NO. OF ATTACKS:

1-4/1-4

DAMAGE/ATTACK:

1-4

Nil

SPECIAL ATTACKS:

Nil

SPECIAL DEFENSES:

Nil

MAGIC RESISTANCE:

SIZE:

M (6')

MORALE:

Steady (11-12)

XP VALUE: PSIONICS:

Nil

Wezers are enormous flying insects that make underground

hives in the desert tablelands. Though of animal intelligence,

they are highly social creatures, structured into several distinct

classes by both social function and physical characteristics.

Water fetcher, worker, and soldier wezers all have wings,

multifaceted eyes, and six thin limbs extending from their abdo-

men. Soldier's are slightly larger than the menials, and are col-

ored a shade of yellow brighter than their fellows. The brood

queen is much larger -- she, too, has wings, but they are insuffi-

cient to lift her into flight. The brood queen has a huge abdomen

for laying the hive's eggs.

Combat:Water fetcher and worker wezers each have a single

stinger attack that inflicts 1d4 points of damage. A soldier can

attack with its stinger twice per round, each hit inflicting 1d4

points of damage and requiring the victim to save vs. poison to

avoid being paralyzed by its venom. The paralyzation will take

effect 2d6 rounds after the failed save and will last for 2d4 days.

The brood queen can attack twice per round with her stinger

and each hit causes 1d6 points of damage. A successful hit by the

queen's tail injects an egg into the victim's stomach, causing an

additional 1d6 points of damage. The victim may save vs. poison,

if successful the egg dies and will not hatch, although the victim

still suffers the injection damage. If the save fails, the egg begins

to grow. Unless it is removed surgically (causing an additional

1d10 points of damage) or acure diseasespell is cast upon the

character, the. egg hatches in five days. As the emerging larva

feeds, it permanently reduces its host's Constitution score by 1d4

points each day. Once the victim dies, or the larva has fed for ten

days, it leaves its host's body via the ulcerous injection wound,

and attempts to continue feeding on him from without. Eggs and

larva have no attacks and can easily be destroyed.

Habitat/Society:Wezer's build colonies beneath the sands

where they protect the brood queen and allow her to lay eggs.

From the surface, their hives appear to be a series of domes that

vary from three to eight feet tall, but that are all about five feet in

diameter. The domes are constructed by the workers, made

from sand glued together with a bonding resin they secrete. On-

ly one dome actually has an entrance from the surface that leads

Soldier

Worker/Water Fetcher

Tablelands

Tablelands

Rare

Rare

Brood

Brood

Continuous

Omnivore

Animal (1)

Nil

Neutral

Special

Poison

Nil

Nil

M (6')

Steady (11-12)

Nil

Brood Queen

Tablelands

Rare

Solitary

Continuous

Omnivore

Animal (1)

W

Neutral

1-6/1-6

Egg Implant

Nil

Nil

M (7')

Steady (11-12)

Nil

into the rest of the tunnels.

There is 50% chance that the inside of any dome reeks of decay

and contains a slain creature. The dead beast is bloated and foul,

with an ulcerous wound in the abdomen. A single white wezer

larva feeds on the body. Every chamber has a four-foot tunnel

leading down, hidden beneath a six-inch plug of sand and wax

(treated as a hidden door).

The colony tunnels are cool, humid, and six feet in diameter,

just large enough for half-giants to crawl through. Humans,

muls, thri-kreen, elves, and half-elves suffer a -2 penalty on

their attack and damage rolls in the tunnels. Half giants suffer a

-6. Halflings and dwarves suffer no penalty.

Beneath the ground is a series of chambers connected by these

tunnels. Chambers are used to store larva and additional food.

The brood queen spends all of her time in the brood chamber.

Water gatherers fly in the vicinity of the colony in search of

water. They either store water directly in wax balls, or they use

water to create honey that they store the same way. They hang

both types of wax balls in the colony chambers to feed the rest of

the adults and to nurture the young. Each sphere contains one

gallon of either honey or water. The contents are apparent by

the shade of the sphere (water is light, honey is dark).

In addition to any other treasure found in a wezer lair, there

are usually about 35 one-gallon wax balls of water and 20 balls of

honey hanging from the honey-combed ceiling of the brood

chamber. Any character can carry three spheres with him. The

wax lasts one full day outside the hive before melting and spill-

ing. Each day that a character eats at least a quart of the honey,

he heals 1d8 points of damage.

Ecology:Workers are charged with construction and mainte-

nance of the domes, chambers, and tunnels of the colony. Water

fetchers must collect water and store it as either water or honey

for the others. The soldiers use poison to fetch live creatures for

the queen to lay eggs in. The brood queen herself is the matri-

arch of the colony. She is mother to all the colony's members, and

as such is protected to the bitter end. If the colony moves, it

moves on the brood queen's command only.