Aggroach (New Monster)

A new monster for the Forgotten Smugglers' Cave adventure, which starts here.

Illustration by Lore Suto

 

 Aggroach

 

	Least	Large	Huge	Giant (Adult)
Move	150 feet/turn	120 feet/turn	90 feet/turn	60 feet/turn, 30 feet flying
Hit Dice	1 hp	1/2	1	2
Armor Class	7	6	5	4
Treasure Type	nil	nil	nil	nil
Attacks	1	1	1	1
Damage	1 hp	1d4	1d6	1d8

A large, aggressive cockroach that has recently invaded the region of Portown, likely brought in with smuggled goods from afar. The earliest encountered specimens were only one foot long (the least aggroach*), but unfortunately these were merely the earliest instar (stage) after hatching. The most numerous of the forms, these are, luckily, often eaten by those hardy predators that can stomach them, like giant rats. The survivors, however, grow and toughen with each molt, until finally transforming into the adult form, the winged giant aggroach, which is as long as a halfling is tall.

An omnivorous hunter, an aggroach will attack by rearing up on its hindlegs and then lashing out with the razor sharp spines on its forelegs. Like their smaller kin, they are somewhat social, hunting in packs with similarly-sized members (e.g., 2d6 least, 1d10 large, 1d6 huge, 1d4 adults). 

When killed, an aggroach will release a "death stench" to warn away other members of its species (make a morale check or flee). This smell is revolting to humans and their kin, and thus anyone who delivers a killing melee blow to one must make a save vs poison or attack at -2 for 1d6 turns (save at +1 for the least, and -1 for the giant). It is rumored that various wizards in the area are now paying for intact larger specimens so that they might study the stench-producing glands in order to determine if they have any practical application in magical research.

*See One-Hit Point Monsters (2013)