Howler Wasp (CR 1)

Small Aberration
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
Initiative: +1(Dex); Senses: darkvision 60 ft., Listen +3, and Spot +4
Languages: -

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AC: 14 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 13
Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp)
Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +4

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Speed: 10 ft. and Fly 60 ft. (good)
Space: Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Attack +1; Grapple -2
Attack: Melee bite +3 (1d4+1) and 2 claws +1 each (1d3) or
Melee sting +3 (1d3+1 plus poison)
Damage:
Special Attacks:
Attack Options: poison (DC 13, 1d6 Dex/1d6 Dex)

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Abilities: Str 12, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 3, Wis 13, Cha 6
Special Qualities: inciting pheromone
Feats: Multiattack,
Skills: Listen +3 and Spot +4
Advancement: 3-7 HD (Medium); 8 HD (Large)

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Climate/Terrain: any warm - usually forests
Organization: Individual, Hunting group (2-4 workers), Raiding Wing (5-16 workers), Nest (17-64 wasps with 1 queen)
Treasure/Possessions: standard

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Source: Monster Manual IV

Inciting Pheromone (Ex) If a melee attack reduces a howler wasp to 0 or fewer hit points, or if the wasp takes a critical hit from a melee attack, it can attempt to douse its foe with a pheromone (+3 melee touch). The wasp uses this ability as an immediate action before resolving the effect of the damage.

The pheromone draws other howler wasps to the target, inciting them into a fearsome rage. All howler wasps within 60 feet of a creature doused with the pheromone gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +2 bonus on damage rolls against the doused creature. Howler wasps detect the doused creature as if they had blindsense. The pheromone's effects last for 10 minutes, though a doused creature can wash the substance off by submerging in water.

The example presented above is a typical worker. It builds the nest, forages for food, and defends the colony and its queen.

Howler wasps are bizarre creatures created by the mighty wizard Otiluke. Otiluke sought to produce a fusion of insect and mammal that would guard his tower against a cabal of slaadi that sought to slay him. The first experiments produced the howler wasps. Otiluke intended to destroy the creatures, since they attacked friendly visitors as well as his enemies. Unfortunately, the slaadi attacked soon after he completed his first experiments. In the confusion of the battle, some of the howler wasps escaped. They and their offspring have since spread their nests throughout the world.

Hovering in the air, its wings buzzing with a constant low drone, appears to be a hornet with a baboonlike head. It screeches at you in fury.

Strategies and Tactics

Individually, a howler wasp attacks whatever is closest to it. In groups, though, howler wasps change their tactics as soon as one of them delivers a spray of inciting pheromone. They all attack any creature doused with the pheromone.

Wounded howler wasps always fly back to the nest, where they gather more howler wasps to eliminate the threat. Thus, it is imperative to defeat every howler wasp encountered or to be far away by the time reinforcements arrive.

Ecology

Howler wasps build nests of paper, dried leaves, and skins of dead animals. Such nests range in complexity from single chambers to multiple consecutive cells, each of which might hold as many as six howler wasps. The wasps incorporate items and gear taken from slain opponents into their nests: Shields, suits of armor, and similar equipment serve as useful framing material. The paper walls of a howler wasp nest have hardness 0 and 3 hit points per inch of thickness.

A queen sits at the center of a howler wasp nest, producing the colony's eggs with the aid of male howler wasps who swarm around her, never leaving the nest. She and her consorts protect the eggs until they hatch. The queen lays anywhere from thirty to sixty eggs each month, each egg hatching in about a week. Because the nest might not be able to support so many new howler wasps, the queen and the healthiest larvae devour the weakest young ones. The survivors reach maturity in about three weeks. The average howler wasp lives for about six months, though the queen's life span might be years.

Female howler wasps that grow to more than 2 Hit Dice are a threat to the queen, who mercilessly dispatches such potential rivals. If the queen dies, the other females in the nest begin to grow freely. They gain 1 extra Hit Die each week until they reach 8 Hit Dice, at which point they vie to become the new queen. Usually one female slays all her competitors, but occasionally several females leave to start their own nests. The single female builds and enters a cocoonlike structure, there undergoing a biological transformation into a queen, which takes a week.

Giant wasps and giant spiders present the most common threats to howler wasp nests. Apes and dire apes also come into conflict with howler wasps.

Environment: Howler wasps prefer forested environments, but they can make their homes in nearly any warm location. Whenever possible, they occupy derelict buildings. They are especially fond of old libraries and temples, which contain paper for building their nests. They are rarely found underground.

Typical Physical Characteristics: The average howler wasp measures less than 4 feet long and weighs around 30 pounds. The queen is around 8 feet long, and she weighs about 250 pounds.

Physically, male and female howler wasps are nearly identical. The only difference is that a male howler wasp dies 1d4+1 rounds after delivering a sting attack. Howler wasps encountered outside the nest are always female; about 20% of those encountered inside the nest are males.

Alignment: Howler wasps hate all other living creatures and kill them with no provocation, whether the wasps need food or not. They care for nothing other than killing and their own survival, and only a howler wasp queen has any hope of ruling a howler wasp hive without supernatural aid. Thus, howler wasps are usually chaotic evil.

Typical Treasure

Howler wasps have no individual treasure, but they use any items they find to build their nests. They particularly love shields and other flat objects that serve as sturdy framing material, or scrolls as a source of paper. Tearing apart a nest's structure reveals a small bounty of magic items, coins, and other treasure with a standard value for the Challenge Rating of the nest.

For Player Characters

A typical howler wasp can be summoned by a cleric with access to the Chaos domain, using summon monster II or a higher-level summon monster spell. Treat the howler wasp as if it were on the 2nd-level list on the Summon Monster table.