Monster Monday: Remipede - Venomous Centipede-like Crustacean

Today's Monster Monday is the remipede, a little-known variety of crustacean that has a long centipede-like body and venom-injecting pincers. In real life, these creatures are only a few centimeters long at most, but the three remipedes statted up below range from about a foot long to over ten feet.

Speleonectes tanumekes, via Wikimedia

Remipedes are so rarely observed that they were known from fossils before any living species were discovered. There are now seventeen known species from around the world. It was only in 2013 that it was discovered that remipedes used their syringe-like foreclaws to inject their prey with a combination of neurotoxin and digestive enzymes, making them the only known class of venomous crustaceans. Remipedes live in saltwater caves and saline aquifers, but of course the larger fantasy versions below roam out into coastal waters and even the open ocean.

The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2018 Jonah Bomgaars.

This pale creature snakes blindly through the black water, its needling pincers at the ready.

Remipede, Cave              CR 1/2

XP 200

N Small vermin (aquatic)

Init +4; Senses blindsense 60 ft., scent (in water only); Perception +3

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+4 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)

hp 4 (1d8)

Fort +2, Ref +4, Will -1

Immune mind-affecting effects, vermin traits

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.

Melee bite +5 (1d4-2 plus grab and poison)

Special Attacks poison

STATISTICS

Str 7, Dex 18, Con 10, Int --, Wis 8, Cha 2

Base Atk +0; CMB -3 (+1 grapple); CMD 12

Feats Weapon Finesse^B

Skills +3 Perception, +16 Stealth, +6 Swim; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +8 Stealth

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Poison (Ex)

Bite – injury; save Fort DC 12; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1 Dex and 1 Con damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.

ECOLOGY

Environment underground

Organization solitary, pair, raft (3-6)

Treasure none

A hundred paddle-like legs propel this aquatic centipede forward, venomous pincers open for the attack.

Remipede, Giant            CR 1

XP 400

N Medium vermin (aquatic)

Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent (in water only); Perception +4

DEFENSE

AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+3 Dex, +3 natural)

hp 11 (2d8+2)

Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +0

Immune mind-affecting effects, vermin traits

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.

Melee bite +1 (1d6 plus grab and poison)

Special Attacks poison

STATISTICS

Str 11, Dex 16, Con 12, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 2

Base Atk +1; CMB +0 (+4 grapple); CMD 13

Skills +4 Perception, +11 Stealth, +8 Swim; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +8 Stealth

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Poison (Ex)

Bite – injury; save Fort DC 13; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Dex and 1d2 Con damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.

ECOLOGY

Environment warm or temperate shoreline

Organization solitary, pair, raft (3-6)

Treasure none

This segmented black horror writhes through the water on oar-like legs, clacking its needle-like pincers.

Remipede, Harbor         CR 2

XP 600

N Large vermin (aquatic)

Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent (in water only); Perception +4

DEFENSE

AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+3 Dex, +3 natural)

hp 11 (3d8+2)

Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +1

Immune mind-affecting effects, vermin traits

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.

Melee bite +5 (1d8+4 plus grab and poison)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attacks poison

STATISTICS

Str 19, Dex 14, Con 16, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 2

Base Atk +2; CMB +7 (+11 grapple); CMD 19

Skills +4 Perception, +6 Stealth, +12 Swim; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +8 Stealth

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Poison (Ex)

Bite – injury; save Fort DC 16; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.

ECOLOGY

Environment warm or temperate shoreline

Organization solitary, pair, raft (3-6)

Treasure none

Looking much like an aquatic centipede, the remipede is actually a type of venomous crustacean. Its many legs are shaped like paddles, letting it row through the water like a galley but making it awkward and slow on land. It bites with two needle-like pincers to either side of its mouth, filled with a deadly venom that both incapacitates and dissolves its prey. Smaller remipedes tend to be found in saltwater caves on or near the shore, though some have adapted to live in freshwater. Larger remipedes hunt in coastal waters, but the largest of these vermin can even be found in the open ocean.

   Remipedes come in many sizes. The following table lists the most common variants.

Species	CR	Size	HD
Sewer Remipede	¼	Tiny	1d8
Cave Remipede	½	Small	1d8
Giant Remipede	1	Medium	2d8
Harbor Remipede	2	Large	3d8
Reef Remipede	4	Huge	5d8
Deep Remipede	6	Gargantuan	8d8
Galley Remipede	8	Colossal	12d8

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Plot Hooks and Encounter Ideas

• The adventurers must cross a knee-deep stretch of water to get to the other end of the cave, but white remipedes lurk and hunt in it.
• A swarm of giant harbor remipedes surround the burning shipwreck, picking off crew who fall into the water. Can the adventuring party slay the vermin and rescue the crew?
• Rumors tell of a giant oar-legged remipede the size of a merchant ship that attacks fishermen out past the Galestone Reefs.

-your anchialine d20 despot

Also, there is a family of remipedia named after Godzilla.