# Brood Keeper >[!rimg]+ > ![[Placeholder2.png]] *This creature looks like an enormous beetle with a carapace made of hundreds of leaf-shaped, chitinous plates. The creature’s black body gleams with iridescence like the shells of some insects, but it has eyes like a cat’s. It is armed with long claws on each of its legs, and large mandibles extend from its mouth.* <div class="grid-container"><div class="MON">Brood Keeper</div> <div class="CR">CR 16 (76,800 XP)</div> <div class="SOU">Monster Manual 3</div> <div class="SYS">Dungeons & Dragons 3.5</div></div> N Huge Magical Beast **Init** +7 **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; **Perception** +7 #### defense **AC** 26, 12 touch, 22 flat-footed (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +14 natural, -2 size) **hp** 297 (22d10+176); fast healing 5 **Fort** +22, **Refl** +18, **Will** +12 **Feint** 35, **Demoralize** 35 **Defensive Abilities** evasion **DR** 5/—; **SR** 27 #### offense **Speed** 60 ft. **Melee** 2 claws +27 (1d8+7), bite +27 (2d6+3 plus grab and poison) **Space** 15 ft., **Reach** 10 ft. **Special Attacks** fear, pounce, rake (4 claws +25, 1d8+3), rend (bite, claw and rake, 2d8+10), larva swarm #### statistics **Str** 25, **Dex** 17, **Con** 25, **Int** 6, **Wis** 16, **Cha** 8 **BAB** +22, **CMB** +31 (+35 grapple), **CMD** 45, **TA** +27, **RTA** +23 **Feats** [[Alertness]], [[Combat Reflexes]], [[Dodge]], [[Great Fortitude]], [[Improved Initiative]], [[Iron Will]], [[Lightning Reflexes]], [[Mobility]], [[Power Attack]], [[Run]], [[Toughness]] **Skills** Acrobatics +17 (+29 when jumping), Perception +21 #### special abilities ### Fear (Su) A creature that witnesses a brood keeper rend a foe or release its larva swarm must succeed at a DC 20 Will save or be frightened for 1d10 rounds and shaken for 1 hour. Creatures that succeed on the save are shaken for 1d4 rounds and immune to that brood keeper's fear effect for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based. ### Larva Swarm (Ex) As a full-round action, a brood keeper can lift the plates of chitin on its back, releasing (or calling back) a brood keeper larva swarm. Until its next action, the brood keeper takes a –5 penalty to Armor Class. Brood keepers are immune to a brood keeper larva swarm's distraction and swarm attacks. Releasing or accepting its larva swarm provokes attacks of opportunity. A brood keeper can keep only one brood of larvae in its back. Should the larva swarm be damaged so much that it disperses, a brood keeper gives birth to another batch of larvae in 1 month. If the brood keeper has not done so already, it automatically releases its brood of larvae when it dies. ### Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; *save* Fort DC 28; *frequency* 1/round for 6 rounds; *effect* 1d4 Con; *cure* 2 consecutive saves. #### tactics A brood keeper charges and pounces on one foe, then claws at another. It attacks each enemy it can reach with a charge in turn and releases its larva swarm to attack prey that is farther away. #### ecology **Terrain** Warm plains **Organization** Solitary **Treasure** None **Advancement** 23–31 HD (Huge); 32–44 HD (Gargantuan) Brood keepers are terrifying insectlike creatures with the glimmer of intelligence in their eyes. Like spider eaters, they are solitary hunters and reproduce in a grisly manner. Brood keepers are so named because they keep their young in their backs, releasing them to feed or in times of stress. Brood keeper larvae look very different from their parent, but grow to resemble it over the course of many months. Brood keepers are asexual and releasing their larva swarms into danger is a part of their reproductive cycle. Brood keeper larvae do not grow while they live with their parent, and the adult is willing to but its offspring at risk. A larva swarm taking damage and potentially dispersing is the brood keeper’s means of ensuring that the next generation is strong. Brood keepers are carnivores, viewing all other living creatures as food. Hardy and powerful creatures, they fearlessly assault prey of any size, including dragons and giants. Few find peaceable relations with a brood keeper worthwhile due to their aggressive and foul-tempered nature, but some have found them useful as potent guardians for small items by placing the objects inside the brood keeper’s carapace pockets. A brood keeper averages 30 feet in length and weighs some 12 tons.