Giant Antlions
Found mostly in remote desert canyons, giant antlions are the kinds of creatures that inspire nightmares. Like their smaller relatives, giant antlions hide in sand or other loose earth, and wait to ambush hapless passersby with their deadly jaws, which resemble a massive, chitinous bear trap.
Desert Trappers. Preferring the fine, dry sand of arid desert regions, giant antlions will burrow through the earth, using their keen feel for vibrations in the ground to find an area active with prey. Once it has found a suitable location, an antlion will then set its trap. Juvenile and adult antlions will even dig a steep conical pit lined with loose sand, creating a hazard that prey can easily slip and tumble down, rolling directly into the beast's waiting jaws.
Patient Ambushers. Giant antlions will bury themselves in the ground up to the very tips of their jaws, and simply lie there, motionless, for days or even weeks at a time until a potential meal wanders too close.
Swarm Breeders. Adult specimens possess insectoid legs, and in addition to hunting with pit traps, will also stride over dunes in search of prey when necessary. The adults are also quite prolific for their size. When an adult begins to breed, the forboding pits pock-mark the landscape within weeks.
Giant Antlion Hatchling
Medium monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 16 (3d8 + 3)
Speed 10 ft., burrow 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 13 (+1) 2 (-4) 13 (+1) 3 (-4)
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +5
Condition Immunities prone
Senses blindsight 5 ft., tremorsense 30 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 13
Languages —
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Ambusher. The antlion has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it has surprised.
Burrowed Camouflage. While it is at least partially burrowed, the antlion has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in sand or loose earth.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) piercing damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 12). Until this grapple ends the antlion can't bite another target.
Reactions
Snapping Jaws. When a creature the antlion can sense moves to within the reach of the antlion's bite and the antlion is not grappling a creature, it can make a bite attack against that creature.
Image Credit: Cze of Patreon.com/CzePeku
Juvenile Giant Antlion
Large monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 90 (12d10 + 24)
Speed 15 ft., burrow 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 3 (-4) 14 (+2) 4 (-3)
Skills Perception +5, Stealth +8
Condition Immunities prone
Senses blindsight 10 ft., tremorsense 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 15
Languages —
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Ambusher. The antlion has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it has surprised.
Burrowed Camouflage. While it is at least partially burrowed, the antlion has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in sand or loose earth.
Surprise Attack. If the antlion surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 16 (3d10) damage from the attack.
Antlion Cone. The antlion can spend 10 minutes digging a cone-shaped pit in the sand, or some other loose earth. The cone is 20 feet deep and 40 feet across, and the sides are steep enough that the loose earth they are made with is a falling hazard. A standing creature that moves within the cone (even if by forced movement) for the first time on a turn must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.
A creature that falls prone while within the cone rolls to the bottom.Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (3d10 + 4) piercing damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the antlion can't bite another target or use its sand throw, and if the target is a creature, it is restrained.
Sand Throw. One creature the antlion can sense within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
Reactions
Snapping Jaws. When a creature the antlion can sense moves to within the reach of the antlion's bite and the antlion is not grappling a creature, it can make a bite attack against that creature.
Adult Giant Antlion
Huge monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 180 (19d12 + 57)
Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 21 (+5) 15 (+2) 17 (+3) 4 (-3) 16 (+3) 5 (-3)
Skills Perception +7, Stealth +6
Senses blindsight 15 ft., tremorsense 120 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 15
Languages —
Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)
Ambusher. The antlion has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it has surprised.
Burrowed Camouflage. While it is at least partially burrowed, the antlion has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in sand or loose earth.
Surprise Attack. If the antlion surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 26 (4d12) damage from the attack.
Sure-Footed. The antlion has advantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws made against effects that would knock it prone.
Antlion Cone. The antlion can spend 10 minutes digging a cone-shaped pit in the sand, or some other loose earth. The cone is 30 feet deep and 60 feet across, and the sides are steep enough that the loose earth they are made with is a falling hazard. A standing creature that moves within the cone (even if by forced movement) for the first time on a turn must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.
A creature that falls prone while within the cone rolls to the bottom.Actions
Multiattack. The antlion makes three attacks: one with its bite, and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 31 (4d12 + 5) piercing damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 17). Until this grapple ends, the antlion can't bite another target or use its sand throw, and if the target is a creature, it is restrained.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (3d6 + 5) slashing damage.
Sand Throw. One creature the antlion can sense within 30 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
Reactions
Snapping Jaws. When a creature the antlion can sense moves to within the reach of the antlion's bite and the antlion is not grappling a creature, it can make a bite attack against that creature.