Scarab, Giant
This glossy beetle is the size of a cow, and has a hard, blue-black carapace spattered with dust and dung.
CR: 6 XP: 2,400
N Large vermin
Init: +1 Senses: darkvision 60 ft. Perception: +4
Defense
AC: 20, touch 10, flat-footed 19 (+1 Dex, +10 natural, –1 size)
hp: 67 (9d8+27)
Fort: +9 Ref: +4 Will: +3, +4 vs. disease and paralysis
Immune: mind-affecting effects
Offense
Speed: 40 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 20 ft. (average)
Melee: bite +13 (2d4+12 plus disease and gnaw)
Space: 10 ft. Reach: 5 ft.
Statistics
Str: 27 Dex: 12 Con: 16 Int: — Wis: 10 Cha: 1
Base Atk: +6 CMB: +15 CMD: 26 (34 vs. trip)
Skills: Climb +16, Fly –1, Perception +4, Racial Modifiers +4 Perception
Ecology
Environment: warm deserts
Organization: solitary or swarm (3–9)
Treasure: none
Description
Disease (Ex) Filth fever: Bite—injury; save Fort DC 17; onset 1d3 days; frequency 1 day; effect 1d3 Dex damage and 1d3 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves.
Gnaw (Ex) Scarabs deal 1d4+6 additional points of damage and 1 point of Strength damage on a successful bite. This is doubled against creatures with no armor or natural armor, but creatures in heavy armor or with a natural armor bonus of +10 or greater are immune, as are fleshless creatures and those immune to critical hits.
Scarabs are small, six-legged insects with sharp protrusions on their front legs that they use for burrowing. They are primarily coprophagous, eating dung for sustenance. An individual scarab often spends days rolling a single ball of dung across the desert until it can find the perfect place to bury it and deposit eggs. Because they burrow underground to create life, scarab beetles are associated with burial rites. Some say scarab beetles’ connection with the dead gives them powers greater than those of normal beetles, but as of yet there is no evidence this is true.