Sanctacaris
A primitive, lobster-armored arthropod nicknamed Santa Claws that guards its burrow with a heavily plated head and jaws that do not easily let go.
Appearance
Possibly an early forerunner of spiders and horseshoe crabs, this ancient arthropod resembles a centipede in lobster armor, with finlike legs and branching feeding limbs on its jaws. The scientists who named it dubbed it Santa Claws.
Combat
It bites for 1d12. Its den is either a slim tunnel, which it always backs into, or a turning chamber behind a narrow entry, so intruders always face its jaws and its extra-thick head plating. Escaping its bite takes a Strength check at -1 for fantasy characters. Under the companion science-fiction rules, attacks on its head drop by 4 damage points and 2 lethality ratings and on its body by 2 and 1, small arms below HEJA cannot hurt the head, and a seized character needs a Fitness roll at -5 to escape.
More: Monsters starting with S · Dragon Magazine monsters · All monsters A-Z
Statistics
| Climate/Terrain | Shallow sea floor |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Rare |
| Organization | Solitary |
| Activity Cycle | Day |
| Diet | Carnivore/Scavenger |
| Intelligence | Animal(1) |
| Treasure | Nil |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| No. Appearing | 1-4 |
| Armor Class | 3, 0 (head) |
| Movement | 8 (crawling and swimming) |
| Hit Dice | 7 |
| THAC0 | 13 |
| No. of Attacks | 1 |
| Damage/Attack | 1d12 |
| Special Attacks | Nil |
| Special Defenses | Nil\ |
| Magic Resistance | Nil |
| Size | H (15' long) |
| Morale | Steady (12) |
| XP Value | 650 |