Sporebat [Bat]

Sometimes called a flying eye, the sporebat is a fungus-like predator about 3 feet long with wings spanning more than twice that. It has three strong claws and one dark eye that fires poison. Its skin is deep gray or dull black. It is deadly in the air but nearly helpless on the ground.

Its mind is alien to animals. It has no language humanoids can grasp, though some sages think its reactions show it understands several human, demihuman and humanoid tongues, and its hunting shows a cold intelligence.

Perfectly silent, dark enough to vanish into shadow or night sky, and never warmer or cooler than the air around it, a sporebat lurks in hiding and swoops when prey appears. Opponents suffer -6 to surprise and -2 to hit it in darkness, while its own alertness grants +3 to surprise.

Fearless, it may attack even large, armed groups, usually opening with its eye. The poisonous cone stretches 50 yards and widens to 10 yards at its far end, dealing 4d6 to all inside, halved by a save vs. breath weapon. Recharging takes 1 round per 1d6, so after two rounds it could fire a 2d6 blast (still saveable for half); it normally waits for a full charge unless badly hurt. Slow poison doubles the recharge time, and neutralize poison, which needs a touch, wipes out any stored charge, though recharging begins again at once.

Between blasts it swoops in every other round from a new direction, raking with all three claws for 2d6 each. Groups stagger their attacks so that one strikes every round. Sporebats are immune to heat, fire and their own kind's eye-blasts.

Once nothing in sight is alive, it settles on the bodies, carves them into small morsels and devours them with a toothy mouth. In late fall breeding season it may plant spores in a kill instead.

Sporebats need room to fly and travel in clutches, siblings grown from spores in the same carcass. ESP and psionics reveal only disturbing, incomprehensible images, yet they do seem to communicate, by telepathy, by spores or by something else. They value clutch-mates highly and often become enraged when one is killed.

Breeding requires a pair to loose their spores onto one fresh carcass simultaneously. Several spores merge in the flesh, and 1d6 young grow within a day. Newborns measure roughly a foot, with wings spanning 3 feet, and inflict half damage. It matures in six months and may live over a century.

They prey on all kinds of animals, plant-eaters and predators alike. Carnivores find sporebat flesh disgusting, but some herbivores happily eat dead ones, and certain human and humanoid cultures treat it as a delicacy.