Ankheg
General Information
Type	Natural Beast[1] Magical Beast[2]
Alignment	Unaligned[1]
Location	Underground tunnels.
Based on	Warm plains.[2]
Appearance
Length	10 ft[2]
Weight	800 lbs[2]
Skin color	Brown[2] Green[3]
Game Information
Challenge rating	3[2]

An ankheg (also spelled anhkheg^[4]) is a monstrous arthropod magical beast.

Contents 1 Physical description 2 Habitat and society 3 Ecology 4 Life cycle 5 Appearances 6 Baldur's Gate (video game) 7 Refernces 8 Further Reading 9 External links

Physical descriptionEdit

An ankheg has six legs and a many-segmented body, all covered in a brown (some closer to yellow) chitinous exoskeleton. The head has black compound eyes, mandibles capable of snapping small trees, and antennae. Usually, ankhegs do not create tunnels, and simply burrow down into the ground. However, they are able to make tunnels if they dig slowly. When seriously pressed, it can spit acid. Spitting acid is usually a last resort, as it cannot digest food for several hours afterwards. Ankhegs are around 10 feet long and weigh 800 lb. One might describe it as a giant combination of ant, cockroach, and larval antlion.^[5]

Habitat and societyEdit

An ankheg uses its mandibles to continuously dig winding tunnels 30-40 feet deep in the rich soil of forests or farmlands. The hollowed end of a tunnel serves as a temporary lair for sleeping, eating, or hibernating. When an ankheg exhausts the food supply in a particular forest or field, it moves on to another.

Autumn is mating season for ankhegs. After the male fertilizes the female, the female kills him and deposits 2-12 fertilized eggs in his body. Within a few weeks, about 75% of the eggs hatch and begin feeding. In a year, the young ankhegs resemble adults and can function independently.

Beginning in its second year of life, the ankheg sheds its chitinous shell just before the onset of winter. It takes the ankheg two days to shed its old shell and two weeks to grow a new one. During this time, the sluggish ankheg is exceptionally vulnerable. Its natural armor is severely weakened. Additionally, it moves at only half its normal speed, its mandible attack inflicts less damage, and it is unable to squirt acidic enzymes. While growing a new shell, it protects itself by hiding in a deep tunnel and secreting a repulsive fluid that smells like rotten fruit. Though the aroma discourages most creatures, it can also pinpoint the ankheg's location for human hunters and desperately hungry predators.

Ankhegs living in cold climates hibernate during the winter. Within a month after the first snowfall, the ankheg fashions a lair deep within the warm earth where it remains dormant until spring. The hibernating ankheg requires no food, subsisting instead on nutrients stored in its shell. The ankheg does not secrete aromatic fluid during this time and is thus relatively safe from detection. Though the ankheg's metabolism is reduced, its antennae remain functional, able to alert it to the approach of an intruder.

The ankheg does not hoard treasure. Items that were not dissolved by the acidic enzymes fall where they drop from the ankheg's mandibles and can be found scattered throughout its tunnel system.

EcologyEdit

While an ankheg is able to survive on organic matter in the soil, they prefer a diet of meat. While hunting, an ankheg will either lie below the surface or else simply burrow into the ground until it detects prey overhead. Somewhat similar to a larval antlion, the ankheg will attempt to grab the prey with its mandibles. Stomach excretions aid the ankheg in consuming prey that are too large to be immediately swallowed.

While the ankheg itself has no natural predators, humans will occasionally hunt them to protect farmers or else to harvest their shell and digestive enzymes. The shell can be fashioned into armour, highly valued both for its protection and light weight.

Though a hungry ankheg can be fatal to a farmer, it can be quite beneficial to the farmland. Its tunnel system laces the soil with passages for air and water, while the ankheg's waste products add rich nutrients.

Life cycleEdit

There are four main stages to the Ankheg's life cycle.

The first stage is the egg. These eggs are about a foot long. If disturbed or broken, they will emit a toxic gas. The bvest way to destroy them is to cover them in paint or wax. This suffocates the ankheg inside. with a day the egg will have disintegrated.^[3]

The second stage is the larva form. They start to appear in the 3nd or 3rd week of autumn. The most effective way to dispatch of thse is with a sprinkle of salt on their back. This kills the creature instantly and slowly dissolves it into a sticky green liquid. These stench from the remains can attract gorgons from miles around.^[3]

The penultimate stage is known a nymph. This is basically a smaller version of the adult Ankheg, about 2 feet long. The safest way to dispose of these is to provide it with a large food source like a dead goat. In the juvenile stage, the Ankheg's meat craving means they will eat themselves to death if provided with enough food. The shells of nymphs make effective shields.^[3]

The final stage is the adult, details of which can be found throughout this article.

AppearancesEdit

• Strategic Simulations, Inc. (1988). Pool of Radiance [video game]. Strategic Simulations, Inc..
• BioWare (1998).  James Ohlen. Baldur's Gate [video game]. Black Isle Studios/Interplay.

Baldur's Gate (video game)Edit

In the Baldur's Gate video game, Ankhegs are a fightable monster. Once killed players can collect the Ankheg shells. Each shell weighs 100 lbs.

Taerom the Blacksmith, in Beregost forges armour from the shells. It takes three days to make. The armour is as effective as full plate mail, but weighs considerably less and can be worn by classes that usually couldn't wear such heavy armor. Taerom claims to sell ankheg armour to rich nobles for 20,000 GP. If you provide the shell, he will charge just 4000 for a set of completed armour.

ReferncesEdit

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Rob Heinsoo, Stephen Schubert (May 2009). Monster Manual II (4th edition), p. 11. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 978-0786951017.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual 3.5, p. 14. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} James Butler, Elizabeth T. Danforth, Jean Rabe (1994). Elminster's Ecologies (The Settled Lands), p. 18, 19. TSR, Inc. ISBN 1-5607-6917-3.
4. ↑ Gary Gygax (1977). Monster Manual. TSR, Inc. ISBN 0-9356-9600-8.
5. ↑ Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual 3.5, p. 15. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.

Further ReadingEdit

Donald J. Bingle (1996). Elminster's Ecologies Appendix I: The Battle of Bones / Hill of Lost Souls, p. 8-12. TSR, Inc. ISBN 0-7869-0115-2.

External linksEdit

• Ankheg article at the Baldur's Gate Wiki, a wiki for the Baldur's Game games.