Dragonfly, Giant Dalvashian
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Climate/Terrain | Temperate to Tropical Forest, Jungle, Swamp, Marsh, and Sandy Seacoast |
| Frequency | Rare (Very Rare in civilized areas) |
| Organization | Solitary |
| Activity Cycle | Day |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Intelligence | Animal |
| Treasure | Nil |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| No. Appearing | 1 |
| Armor Class | 3 |
| Movement | 1"/36 " (MC: B) |
| Hit Dice | 7 |
| THAC0 | 14 |
| No. of Attacks | 1 |
| Damage/Attack | 3-12 |
| Special Attacks | +2 on initiative |
| Special Defenses | See below |
| Magic Resistance | Nil |
| Size | M |
| Morale | Fanatic |
| XP Value | 800 |
Description
Giant Dalvashian Dragonflies are very similar in most respects to the giant dragonflies found on other worlds. Fearless and voracious insect predators, these often quite beautiful insects feed on a variety of prey, all caught while on the wing. Because of their great speed, hovering abilities, and darting flight, they gain a +2 on initiative checks. If they have the initiative they cannot be effectively combated by hand-held weapons, and all missile attacks are made at a -4 on to hit. Without initiative, giant dragonflies can be hit normally by hand-held weapons, but missile attacks are still at a -2 to hit.
The variety found on Dalvashia (ranging from the temperate eastern woodlands south through the jungle, including the Jade Peninsula and the islands of the Azure Sea) has several noticeable differences. First, owing to a lack of familiarity with humans and ground based prey (and a common abundance of winged prey) these dragonflies rarely attack prey on the ground. Indeed, they are not noted for the ability to distinguish a motionless human from the background about 75% of the time (if one can be a motionless with an 8 hit die giant dragonfly hovering in your face). The locals know this, and have tremendously cut down on fatalities caused by giant dragonflies as a result. As the insects become more used to human prey (and with a decline in natural prey thanks to habitat destruction, hunting, and what have you), it is thought they will increasingly adapt to taking human prey.
Unfortunately, several varieties of Giant Dalvashian Dragonfly are also poisonous. It takes pretty much a ranger, druid, or an academician to distinguish these varieties, but most seem to lair in the largely unexplored jungles of the Jade Peninsula. Such creatures get their normal bite, but also anyone bit must save versus poison or die (those succeeding taking 2d20 points of damage). Many locals have tried to distinguish these varieties from the others, but it is a difficult task. Any giant dragonfly encountered in the region is 40% likely to be of the poisonous variety.
Giant dragonfly hide is actually quite beautiful; brilliant, glittering, with every color of the rainbow depending on how the light catches it. If properly preserved by magic, the skin easily brings in 800 gold pieces per square foot. Used for apparel and decoration, over six square feet can be taken from a normal specimen. Collection of such skin is highly specialized and quite rare, though there a few mage-archer teams who make a living off of it (sometimes angering local officials and druids).