Fire Beetle
CR: 1/3 XP: 135
N Small vermin
Init: +0 Senses: low-light vision Perception: +0
Defense
AC: 12, touch 11, flat-footed 12 (+1 natural, +1 size)
hp: 4 (1d8)
Fort: +2 Ref: +0 Will: +0
Immune: mind-affecting effects
Offense
Speed: 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (poor)
Melee: bite +1 (1d4)
Statistics
Str: 10 Dex: 11 Con: 11 Int: — Wis: 10 Cha: 7
Base Atk: +0 CMB: –1 CMD: 9 (17 vs. trip)
Skills: Fly –2
SQ: luminescence
Ecology
Environment: any
Organization: solitary, cluster (2–6) or colony (7–12)
Treasure: none
Description
Luminescence (Ex) A fire beetle’s glowing glands provide light in a 10-foot radius. A dead fire beetle’s luminescent glands continue to glow for 1d6 days after its death.
Although nocturnal, the fire beetle lacks darkvision— it relies on its own glowing glands for illumination. Caged fire beetles are a popular source of long-lasting illumination among eccentrics and miners.
Other variations on the common fire beetle exist. The two most common variants are detailed below.
Mining Beetle (CR 1/2): A mining beetle is an advanced fire beetle with the advanced simple template and a burrowing speed of 20 feet.
Flash Beetle (CR 1/2): A flash beetle is an advanced fire beetle that can create a bright flash of light once an hour. When a flash beetle does so, all creatures in a 10-foot burst must make a DC 12 Fortitude save or be dazzled for 1d3 rounds.
The save DC is Constitution-based.