Rohch

Rohches are the result of a horrid magical experiment, the cross-breeding of wolves and beetles. No two rohches look the same, although each is horrid and displays insect and animal features. Rohches have four to eight legs in addition to two claws, which extend from the creature's shoulders. A dark rohch has six claws which extend from various points on the creature's back.

The creatures have a mix of tough carapace covering their bodies. Tufts of fur jut from parts of their legs. Their heads appear wolf-like, with beetle pincers protruding from the lower jaw and a carapace covering the top of their skull.

Combat: Rohches are naturally vicious, attacking almost anything in sight that is the same size or smaller than themselves, or attacking humans and demi-humans in small numbers. The rohches attack simply for food, and they seem to frequently be hungry. They notice their prey through vibrations in the ground and by smell. Their keen wolflike senses are acute.

When encountered in numbers, rohches swarm over their victims, first attacking any exposed skin. Once a victim is dead, they take their time, burrowing beneath armor and under clothes to get at the flesh.

Rohches do not willingly leave a victim until it has been reduced to bones. After a pack of rohches has feasted, they do not eat again for two to six hours.

A chittering noise typically precedes rohches into battle. This noise is caused by their pincers rubbing together in excitement over the prospect of food.

Habitat/Society: For the most part, rohches are social creatures, living in packs and hunting together. There is a distinct social order among the creatures, with each rohch knowing what is expected of it.

They typically lair in burrows underground that had been occupied by rabbits or foxes the rohches swarmed. Large packs of rohches have been found in caves. Polished white skeletons are usually strewn throughout their homes.

Ecology: Rohches help keep the populations of rats and other small animals in check. However, they are a bane to livestock farms.

Because of their carapace and thick fur, they are able to withstand some extremes in climate. Some rohches have been found in the northern reaches. However, the majority of rohches prefer wooded temperate to tropical lands.

Rohches have many predators. Carnivorous apes and baboons seem especially fond of their flesh. And communities of gnomes have been known to hunt the creatures, using their carapaces for armor and their meat for food.

Wood Rohch

The most common form of rohch, the wood rohch is found in large packs, most frequently in temperate forests. They attack with two front claws and a pincer bite.

Killer

Also a fairly common rohch, the killer is more dangerous and deadly. It is larger, more vicious, and prefers the taste of human and demi-human flesh to other mammals. Its attack methods are similar to the wood rohch; however, their claws are larger and inflict more damage.

Swamp

These horrid rohches have adapted to marshes and swamps, preying on the animals and humans who cross their paths. They can stay submerged for up to five minutes at a time, surfacing to strike.

Dark Rohch

The most feared of the rohches is the dark, or death rohch, as some people have come to call them. These are the largest of the wolf-insect crossbreeds and the most horrid. Their large carapaces are thick. They have six claws instead of two, and their pincers are sharp. Victims bitten by a dark rohch's pincers must successfully save vs. poison or contract a debilitating disease within 1-4 rounds.