Flea, Giant (3pp)

Flea, Giant CR 1/2

XP 200
N Tiny vermin
Init +4 Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 16, flat-footed 13 (+4 Dex, +1 natural, +2 size)
hp 5 (1d8+1)
Fort +3; Ref +4; Will +0
Immune mind-affecting effects

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft.
Melee touch +6 (1d2-2 plus blood drain) Space 2 1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks attach, blood drain, disease

STATISTICS

Str 6, Dex 18, Con 12, Int -, Wis 11, Cha 2
Base Atk +0; CMB +2 (+10 grapple); CMD 22 (30 vs. trip)
Feats Weapon FinesseB
Skills Acrobatics +4 (+24 to jump); Racial Modifiers +20 to Acrobatics checks to jump
SQ crowd

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Attach (Ex)

If a giant flea hits with a touch attack, it uses its many legs to attach itself to the opponent’s body. While attached the giant flea loses its Dexterity bonus to AC and has an AC of 13. It gains a +12 racial bonus to CMD checks while attached. An attached flea can be struck with a weapon or removed by an opposed CMB attack to pluck it free. On a critical failure (a roll of 1) the flea’s head snaps off in the victim and continues to drain blood for 1d8 more rounds. The head can be removed with a successful DC 18 Heal check.

Blood Drain (Ex)

A giant flea drains blood, dealing 1d3 points of Constitution damage in any round it begins its turn attached to a victim. Once it has dealt 4 points of Constitution damage, it detaches and leaps away to digest the meal. At Constitution 0 the host dies and the giant flea detaches. If it has yet to deal 4 points of Constitution damage, it seeks a new host.

Crowd (Ex)

Because of their tiny size, up to four giant fleas can occupy the same 5-foot space.

Disease (Ex)

Filth fever: Bite-injury; save Fort DC 11; onset 1d3 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Dex damage and 1d3 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.

ECOLOGY

Environment any temperate and warm and underground
Organization cluster (6-10) or swarm (20-40)
Treasure none

Giant fleas are blood-sucking parasites that prey on warm-blooded animals. They have strong hind legs with powerful tendons that allow them to leap incredible distances with ease. A giant flea is about a foot long, with an oval, flattened body. This shape makes it easy for a giant flea to move in and among the hairs of large mammals.

When lacking mammals large enough for them to feed on, giant fleas live in swarms of up to twenty individuals. These swarms wander at random, seeking prey large enough to sate their appetites.

Female giant fleas lay their eggs in warm areas (usually nestled in the fur of some giant animal) and leave them to hatch and fend for themselves. The female lays a clutch of up to 2d10 eggs, half of which never hatch. The larvae hatch in two weeks, and resemble hairy maggots; they are effectively helpless (AC 10, 1 hp). They mature into adult giant fleas in 1d6 months, and leap away to join or form a colony.

Giant fleas attack in groups, leaping onto the largest obvious food source; they would attack a horse before a human, and a human before a halfling. If attacked, a giant flea jumps away, only to return the next round to continue the attack.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Flea, Giant from the Tome of Horrors Complete, Copyright 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God Games; Author Erica Balsley.

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