LAVA WORM(#29/31, #89/365) [OOTP IV]
SKILL: 9
STAMINA: 9
ATTACKS: 1
WEAPON: Very Large Bite
ARMOUR: Medium
DAMAGE MODIFIER: None
HABITAT: Volcanic areas, Caves
NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1
TYPE: Monster
REACTION: Hostile
INTELLIGENCE: Low
The gigantic offspring of Siluva the Worm God are many, varied, and prodigious in size. Alongside leviathans such as the Giant Sandworm, the Mudgrinder and the Polar Worm, we now have the monstrous LAVA WORM. Also known as a Giant Lavaworm, the Lava Worm is a hulking brute that lurks in magma tunnels, lava rivers, and fire-blackened basalt caverns, for it is immune to damage from either heat or flame. Here, the Lava Worm bores large round burrows, which are lined with an acidic green slime it secretes in globules from its body (and touching such a globule causes 2 STAMINA points of damage).
When the beast emerges from its hole, it appears as a huge semi-transparent gelatinous worm, a jelly-like tubular blob with a gaping maw at one end, whose luminescent innards produce a pulsating green glow. The bloated Lava Worm is a deadly flesh-eating creature that uses powerful sonar senses for echolocation, intent on slithering towards its prey to dissolve them in its acidic mucous secretions and feed on their victim's liquid remains. As well as its fire immunity, Lava Worms also only suffer 1 STAMINA damage when hit with normal edged weapons, as its gelatinous flesh heals almost instantly.
However, the application of salt is fatal to these monsters. A Lava Worm that is hit with a jar or scattered pouch of salt, may thrash about to shake off the granules, but the salt will stick to its slimy skin, causing the worm's gelatinous flesh to melt like butter in a heated pan. Soon there will be nothing left apart from the Lava Worm's innards and entrails lying in a pool of green slime! Cave Trolls, which are the Lava Worm's favoured prey, know of this weakness and carry pouches of salt in cords around their necks, to protect themselves in subterranean regions that are reputed haunts of the Lava Worm.
As discovered by the Warlock-Prince, Lothar of Gundobad, Lava Worms have an affinity for Power Stones, and have been known to sniff them out using sensory pits dotted around their mouth, and swallow the stones for some kind of weird nutritional purpose. Lava Demons are aware of this ability, and use packs of Lava Worms to hunt for these rare magical rocks on the Demonic Plane of Obsidian, for Power Stones are much-valued as currency there.
