Beetle, Fire

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Common | Small | Neutral | Insect

These dog-sized creatures have a dull brown carapace, rough and segmented, providing excellent camouflage against the cavernous rock of their deep-underground homes. However, this natural dullness is dramatically broken by two intensely glowing, green-yellow spots on their upper shells, resembling malevolent eyes peering from the shadows. These aren’t just aesthetic quirks; they’re the external manifestation of the beetle’s most valuable, and unsettling, feature.

Within their hardened bodies, these beetles house an internal alchemy, producing a brilliant, viscous slime that pulses with an eerie luminescence. This glowing secretion, which maintains its radiant glow for several days after extraction, is highly sought after by alchemists and miners for its unique properties and persistent light.

Armor Class	Hit Points	Move
16	4 (1 Hit Dice)	walk 120 ft burrow 40 ft

Appearing	1d8
Habitat
Negotiation	no
Morale DC	8
Challenge	0.3 (90 XP per monster)

Ability Scores

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
1	0	1	-3	-2	-3

Combat

Bite. +2 to hit, 1d4 damage

Special Abilities

Acidic Burst. Once per day, the fire beetle can secrete a ball of explosive acid. This acid detonates in a 10-foot radius sphere centered on a point within 30 feet. Each creature in the area must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Treasure

Individual: None

Lair: None

Fire Beetle Gland

A fire beetle gland can be carefully extracted from a dead fire beetle. The gland pulses with a faint green-yellow light, illuminating a 10-foot radius with dim light for 1d6 days before fading. Alchemists and miners value these glands for their unique luminescent properties, selling for 10-20 gp.