Weaponizing rot grubs

[Curelomosaurus]

A rot grub (Dungeonscape) is a Diminuitive maggot that burrows into a creature, dealing 1d6 damage per round for 2d4 rounds or until its victim dies. If it kills a Medium or larger creature, it produces a CR 6 rot grub swarm within about a week. A few questions I have:

- Could a rot grub be bought using the warbeast template? (If not, you could technically use the slavery rules, for a price of 1,600 gp, but that's a lot for a maggot with 1 HP.)

- Once you get a rot grub (by buying one, trapping one found in a dungeon, etc.) and feed it a medium creature (warbeast baboon is the cheapest I can think of, at 50 gp), how could one keep it trapped without killing it? (Bag of holding suffocates it, it can escape a cage, it covers a 10x10 space so it's hard to store non-magically)

- How can a trapped rot grub swarm be weaponized? It's clearly a very dangerous weapon (DC 18 saves against nausea and repeating damage, nearly impossible to control, moves on its own), but a smart party could find ways to channel it to create what amounts to a living AoE that targets opponents on its own- very effective at low levels.

[Thurbane]

Just noticed something weird: the core Remove Disease spell in the PHB mentions rot grubs specifically, but there weren't even given stats until Dungeonscape! Must have been a callback to earlier editions.

I could have sworn there was a spell or item that fires a ball of rot grubs at an enemy, but I can't find it now...

My bad - I believe I was thinking of the Vasharan Worm Pod from BoVD (p.117).

[Elysiume]

I could have sworn there was a spell or item that fires a ball of rot grubs at an enemy, but I can't find it now...
A catapult? :biggrin:

[Curelomosaurus]

The closest spell I know of is Launch Item, but RAW that wouldn't work on creatures (and rot grubs are too big to be affected anyways).

[el minster]

store them in a box with a bottle of air

[Heavenblade]

Im not sure if thatll work, but you cod try take the BovD verminlord (I think thats the name) prc and make a hivemind with these fellows. Take 1 and then make a lot more from dead bodies, have them all connect to you.

[Spellweaver]

The classic is to have them infect something like a fresh zombie.


Clay or glass spheres that can be thrown are common enough in older D&D books. No reason they can't be bought like any other creature.

The Vermin Keeper PrC is helpfull. And there is a vermin druid.

The Fiendish template can be applied to any Vermin or Animal, and Half-Dragon can be applied to any corporeal, living creature.

[Curelomosaurus]

The classic is to have them infect something like a fresh zombie.


As in raise and control a zombie full of grubs and use it to attack your enemies until the swarm comes out?

Also, y'alls PrC and template ideas are great, but I'm looking more for things that take very little non-gp investment (at most a few skill points and a feat or two).

Of course, a warbeast rot grub swarm is a possibility. It would cost something like 1,200 gp IIRC for 12 hit dice, but it could be trained not to attack certain characters...

EDIT: would an insectbane candle keep a rot grub swarm out of a square?

[daremetoidareyo]

Creature type trainer from a&eg. Pick rot grubs.

[Doctor Despair]

In terms of nonmagical storage, you could just put them in a 20-foot deep pit with rough, slippery walls, right? DC 30 to climb out, and if they can jump, DC 40 check for a standing 5-foot high-jump to grab the ledge. Perfectly smooth, vertical walls negate the usage of climb at all, of course, although that's tougher to replicate

[el minster]

In terms of nonmagical storage, you could just put them in a 20-foot deep pit with rough, slippery walls, right? DC 30 to climb out, and if they can jump, DC 40 check for a standing 5-foot high-jump to grab the ledge. Perfectly smooth, vertical walls negate the usage of climb at all, of course, although that's tougher to replicate

that's not portable though

[daremetoidareyo]

Can't you take vermin trainer and just usr handle animal to direct the swarm where you want it to go by pushing it.

[Curelomosaurus]

Can't you take vermin trainer and just usr handle animal to direct the swarm where you want it to go by pushing it.

Oooooooh...
And it can be done at level one with a Lesser Drow factotum and a decent chunk of starting gold... :smallamused: