The sixteen-foot-long scorpion scrabbles forward, ferocious claws raised in challenge, stingered tail arched over its back.
CR 3
XP 800
N Large vermin
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +4
AC 16, touch 9, flat-footed 16 (+7 armor, –1 size)
hp 37 (5d8+15)
Fort +7, Ref +1, Will +1
Immune mind-affecting effects
Speed 50 ft.
Melee 2 claws +6 (1d6+4 plus grab), sting +6 (1d6+4 plus poison)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks constrict (1d6+4)
Str 19, Dex 10, Con 16, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
Base Atk +3; CMB +8 (+12 grapple); CMD 18 (30 vs. trip)
Skills Climb +8, Perception +4, Stealth +0; Racial Modifiers +4 Climb, +4 Perception, +4 Stealth
Environment warm or temperate deserts, forests, plains, or underground
Organization solitary
Treasure none
Poison (Ex) Sting—injury; save Fort DC 17; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Strength damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Giant scorpions are monstrous versions of the more common desert scorpion. They are likely to attack any creature that approaches. Giant scorpions usually charge when attacking, grabbing prey in their pincers, then lashing their segmented tails forward to kill their victim with injected venom.
Giant scorpions are just over 8 feet long from head to the base of the tail; the tail adds an additional 8 feet or so, although it is usually curled up over the scorpion’s back. Giant scorpions weigh between 2,000 and 6,000 pounds.
Giant scorpions normally feed on other giant vermin, as well as large mammals that they paralyze with their venom, but they will attack and eat any living creature that ventures too close. In turn, giant scorpions are preyed upon by purple worms and other large predators.
Giant scorpions engage in complex courtship rituals when they mate, grasping each other’s pincers, arching their tails, and performing a circular “dance.” Soon after mating, the male usually retreats to avoid being cannibalized by the female.
Female scorpions do not lay eggs; they give birth to live young in broods of a dozen or so. The mother carries her brood on her back until the young are old enough to fend for themselves and hunt their own prey.
Giant scorpions live in underground burrows, either as solitary hunters or in small colonies, and will sometimes take up residence in man-made ruins or dungeons if food is plentiful. Giant scorpion colonies are usually made up of scorpions from the same brood that have yet to strike out on their own.
Other species of scorpions exist as well, some smaller but most quite a bit larger and favoring different terrains, such as forests, plains, or even underground. You can adjust the stats for the giant scorpion by changing Hit Dice and size (adjusting Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution as appropriate) to represent a wide range of species. The following table lists the most common variants.
| Species | CR | Size | HD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greensting scorpion | 1/4 | Tiny | 1d8 |
| Ghost scorpion | 1/2 | Small | 2d8 |
| Cave scorpion | 1 | Medium | 3d8 |
| Deadfall scorpion | 8 | Huge | 10d8 |
| Giant emperor scorpion | 11 | Gargantuan | 16d8 |
| Black scorpion | 15 | Colossal | 22d8 |