New Oe/BX/1E Monster: Giant Molecricket

One of the things I love about the monsters in BX vs. 1e is the "spirit" in which the insects differ. Compare Moldvay's oil and tiger beetles with EGG's bombardier and I think you'll see what I mean. And the Moldvay cave locust... I mean, come on... that's pure red book goodness. That's the spirit I've tried to capture in today's Monster of the Week entry.

From an illustration standpoint, today's image is a direct response to Welbo's prodding about "giving up" the brush pen in favor of the Faber Castell F Pitt artist's pen I've been using of late. I realized why I stopped using the brush pen... most of the ones I have suck, and the points don't last long. The Zebra pen (which holds up well, and has a tip I can actually control well) is running out of ink. I'm in need of a trek to Shop Minoya (a little Japanese store in Plano, TX, miles north of Dallas proper, where I live) for some new ones. I did, however, manage to squeeze today's illustration out of it.

BTW, this would make a nice wandering monster complement to the Foray to Filmarion Wood mini-adventure from back in July of this year.

GIANT MOLECRICKET

DESCRIPTION Giant molecrickets possess shovel-like forelimbs and powerful “shoving” hind legs, making them natural burrowers (second movement rating). Because they are nocturnal and spend most of their lives in elaborate underground tunnels, it is not uncommon for molecrickets to remain relatively unseen, even in areas where their population is considerably high in number. They may be found in almost any climate (except arctic), usually in areas with soft ground and abundant grass or foliage. In combat, the molecricket attacks by striking opponents with its powerful forelimbs and biting with its razor-sharp teeth. The omniverous molecricket is more of a scavenger than predator, and is not normally aggressive. However, if confined or cornered during a fight, the molecricket will attack with considerable force, gaining a +1 “to hit” bonus and +1 damage bonus to each of its attacks, as well as a +4 bonus to its morale, until it is no longer confined/cornered. In some dwarven and gnomish communities, fried molecricket is considered a delicacy.

Oe/1E STATS FREQUENCY: Rare NO. APPEARING: 1-12 ARMOR CLASS: 5 MOVE: 9”//3” HIT DICE: 4 % IN LAIR: 30% TREASURE TYPE: Nil NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-12/2-12/2-12 SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard INTELLIGENCE: Non- ALIGNMENT: Neutral SIZE: L (5’-6’ long) PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil Attack/Defense Modes: Nil BX STATS ARMOR CLASS: 5 HIT DICE: 4 MOVE: 90’//30’ ATTACKS: 2 forelimbs/1 bite DAMAGE: 2-12/2-12/2-12 NO. APPEARING: 1-12 SAVE AS: Fighter: 2 MORALE: 7 TREASURE TYPE: Nil ALIGNMENT: Neutral