Chain Worm

ECOLOGY

Environment any land or underground
Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3–5)

Chain worms are subterranean predators with an insatiable appetite for meat. The creature has a particular fondness for dwarf, gnome, and bugbear flesh. Chain worms often build their nests near communities of these creatures, so their food supply is readily available. Though not particularly fond of cold or damp weather, a chain worm can be found just about anywhere as its chitinous body offers it ample protection against less than friendly environments.

A chain worm’s nest is a hole or tunnel littered with rocks, bones, refuse, and debris, and often located on a rocky outcropping or ledge making it inaccessible to most creatures. Any valuables found in its lair are simply the remains of a previous meal that the chain worm couldn’t digest or didn’t bother eating.

Chain worms stand nearly 6 feet tall and are about 10 feet long with silver carapaces and dull silver legs. Their heads sport oversized dull black mandibles that constantly drip brownish-gray saliva. Its tail stinger is about a foot long and black (as it ages, its tail stinger changes to dull gray).

A chain worm lies in wait for a meal, attacking whenever its target comes within range. It attacks using either a nasty bite or by curling its rear body forward and stinging with its tail stinger. If a chain worm grabs a foe in its mandibles, it holds it and repeatedly stings it until it is dead.