Deep Worm
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Climate/Terrain | Any salt water |
| Frequency | Uncommon |
| Organization | Solitary |
| Activity Cycle | Any |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Intelligence | Animal (1) |
| Treasure | Nil |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| No. Appearing | 1 |
| Armor Class | 8 |
| Movement | 0, Sw 6 |
| Hit Dice | 1 |
| THAC0 | 15 |
| No. of Attacks | 1 |
| Damage/Attack | 1d2 |
| Special Attacks | Electric shock |
| Special Defenses | Nil |
| Magic Resistance | 15% |
| Size | T (2'') |
| Morale | Unreliable (2-4) |
| XP Value | 175 |
Description
Deep worms are small, golden snakes that live in the depths of the seas. Their bodies emit a yellow light which can be seen from up to 20 yards away; the only time they do not glow is during the 1-2 hours after eating, during which time deep worms are virtually invisible in their dark, undersea habitats. If a deep worm has been unable to feed for more than 24 hours, then its glow will become whiter in hue. The deep worm's jaws are filled with razor-sharp teeth, much like those of the piranha fish. Its scales are translucent, becoming transparent when the snake dies.
Combat
When not scouring the ocean floor for food, deep worms float immobile near the floor and rely on their glow to attract their meals. If they detect any movement within a 3' radius, they will emit a small, directed electrical impulse that shocks all other creatures within 3' of the snake. Creatures shocked in this manner suffer no damage, but they must save vs. paralyzation or be paralyzed for 1d4+1 rounds. Once a creature appears to be paralyzed, the deep worm moves in to eat the creature, taking only 1-2 bites and doing 1d2 damage with each bite. If the target is not paralyzed by the initial shock or if the deep worm is in danger of being attacked, it will flee the encounter, sending out two electrical impulses each round as it does so. If it is not able to escape, it will attack with its razor-sharp teeth; it can emit its electrical impulse in the same round it attacks with its teeth.
Deep worms are immune to acid attacks, including the digestive juices of most of their natural predators. They take no damage from electricity-based attacks.
Habitat/Society
Deep worms are solitary creatures, except during their periods of mating, during which small groups consisting of 4 deep worms each can be seen lighting up the ocean floor. No one has ever been able to observe up close the breeding activities of deep worms, and no one has ever been able to breed them in captivity. If disturbed in these activities, deep worms will abandon them to escape predators or to attack if surrounded.
A clutch of deep worm eggs usually consists of 20 to 60 eggs, but usually only 20% of these will survive to produce adult deep worms.
Ecology
Deep worms scavenge the ocean floor, looking for the remains of other sea creatures' meals, much like the crab and other bottom dwellers; however, the snakes are not above attracting their own prey as described above. There are reports from deep-sea fishers that deep worms have been discovered eating their way to freedom within the bodies of fish.
Because their bodies continue to glow after they have been killed (for 1d4+4 days), deep worms are often sought for use as self-contained sources of light. If captured alive, there is a cumulative 5% chance per day that the deep worm will die unless it is returned to its natural environment; this chance increases to 50% per day (cumulative) if they are not constantly kept submerged in salt water. Sailors have reported encountering sea elves and other ocean-dwelling humanoids who can summon deep worms and use them for light and for protection for the duration of the summoning. Additional reports have also surfaced of sahuagin and evil humans who have used deep worms as instruments of torture by starving them and then allowing them to feed off of the torturers' captives.