Dragon magazine	Pernicon (revised)	-	Monster Manual III	Dragon #108
-	-	Notes	-	-

(The following are excerpts from the
diaries of the Emir of Yandark, later High
Sultan of Kiralsh, Jesouhd Ye?esif.)

During my recent visit to the eminent
Colonel Endrivan of Olcoran, once an
adventuring companion of mine and always
a friend, he expressed some interest in a
creature he had heard lived in the Iriahb
Desert of my homeland. This creature, the
insect known as the pernicon, captured his
interest for the water-divining powers which
have made it known. We discussed the topic
for some time, since I have had some expe-
rience with the creature in my desert tra-
vels. It seems to me that little is commonly
known about the pernicon, and many
?facts? about it have been distorted. Since
visiting with the colonel, I have taken some
interest in the particulars of the creature
and learned what new things I could of it. I
record here that which I have learned, and
hope the knowledge will be of use to the
desert traveler and naturalist, and of inter-
est to others.

The pernicon is in basic form similar to a
locust, or grasshopper, of about two inches
in length. There are several points that
distinguish it from its smaller cousins. Col-
oration is vastly different, with red, yellow,
ochre, and blue being common, as well as
some rarer shades among those, such as
orange-yellow or greenish-yellow. Another
difference I have seen is that the pernicon
lacks wings ? it is a crawler and jumper.
(1)

The pernicon lives in the outer reaches of
deserts, probably so that it has a supply of
vegetable matter available for consumption
when there is a lack of animal life(2); again,
unlike the grasshoppers and locusts, it is
truly an omnivore. The creature feeds on
animals by jumping on them and clenching
exposed flesh (or soft body parts, in the case
of some creatures) with pincers at the rear
of its abdomen. Through this, the insect
drains the fluids of the victim ? and often
its life. (3)

The pincers continue to siphon out one?s
endurance even if the insect is slain, and
removal of the pincers is a delicate and
painful task. (4)

Though they are small and weak, the
trouble in killing pernicons lies in hitting
them, because of their size and swift hop-
ping. Always beware those pincers; a perni-
con dodging your blow may at the same
time be launching its own attack. Of course,
a pernicon that is attached to you makes a
much easier target. (5)

One seeking these creatures should hope
to find a small foraging group of pernicons,
rather than the thousands that infest a lair.
Though one or two cause little trouble to
anyone with fighting experience, a large
group poses a threat even to the most able
of warriors. (6)

The lairs of the creature are found near
the desert?s edge (7), as mentioned before,
near their plant and animal food supplies. A
lair almost resembles a town, being made of
many mounds resembling large anthills
raised from the sand.

I caution the reader to remember that
they are hills, with burrow entrances. Make
sure that they are just that; near many
pernicon ?towns? are the pits of ant lions,
which are giant insects of greater power and
aggressiveness. Those ant lions living in
such places often feed on pernicons which
leave the lair to forage, though a little vari-
ety in the ant lion?s diet is welcomed. On
occasion, the ant lions become the prey
rather than the predator. Once I saw a huge
swarm of pernicons attacking one, covering
its body and draining its life. I would guess
that it had dug unwittingly into one or more
of the pernicons? tunnels and was paying
the price of annoying the occupants.

This brings me to the mention of their
tunnels. The burrows from the mounds go
down at least six feet, to where the ground
is more firm. It is here that the pernicons
rest, breed, and spend much of their time.
They dig long tunnels, each usually no
more than half an inch high ? which is
ample space for the insects. I have heard
from some men and women of the desert
that the pernicons, by their water-detecting
powers, tend to dig down where there is a
supply of ground water. I would suppose
then that in some places there would be
tunnels going down a hundred feet or more!
The learned sage Elkir Hildar of Ye?nassa
told me that they need these humid ?wells?
to lay their eggs in, lest the eggs shrivel up
and the young die before birth. (8)

After the pernicons have eaten all the
food near their ?town,? they move on to
another location, abandoning their old lair
to seek a new place with more food. The
entire colony moves at once ? a great
multicolored blanket moving across the
land: crawling, jumping, devouring every-
thing in their path until they find a suitable
site for a new tunnel complex. (9) Hundreds
die on the journey, but hundreds more live.
They are the hated enemies of farmers and
those who live off the fertile land. As they
eat plants around their new ?town? in great
quantities, they enlarge the desert.

But just as the farmers loathe them, the
nomads and travelers of the desert treasure
them almost beyond gold. The antennae of
the creature have a curious water-detecting
power. When within two score yards of
great amounts of water (10), the antennae
vibrate and hum.

The creature?s water-divining power has
been cause for much speculation and theo-
rizing among sages. It does not seem to be
magical in a strict sense; many bards con-
sider a sunset magical, and augurs see
magic power in the flight of birds and the
entrails of beasts. This is, however, no place
to argue the difference between ?magical?
and  ?natural.? No magical power is re-
quired in the preservation process. Through
the length of the antenna from outer tip to
anchor is a clear, oily liquid. In the presence
of the elements of earth and air it remains
still, but water causes the fluid to become
agitated, vibrating the antenna. Close con-
tact with fire renders the liquid a brittle
solid, which has no divinatory powers. The
sage Carthin of Ethrenor speaks of each
element having its own radiation (similar to
the energy of the Positive and Negative
material planes), and suggests that the
antenna?s content is sensitive to the radia-
tions of the water element. (11)

Among many nomadic tribes, the perni-
con antenna is a sacred religious object
offered by some shamans to their deities for
water. (12) To some desert cultures, the insect
itself is sacred and is the symbol of deities.
The ancestors of one nomadic tribe I know
of sacrificed criminals to the pernicon
swarms. It is ironic that while some hold the
pernicon sacred for religious reasons,
among other groups (most notably the
royalty and very wealthy classes of my land)
the pernicon is sacred for culinary reasons.
There are several ways to prepare the in-
sect, though always the antennae and pin-
cers are removed. In my favorite recipe, the
pernicons are fried in olive oil and served
with salt and camel butter. Cooked  prop-
erly, they are light, crispy and delicious;
furthermore, they are a status symbol indi-
cating great wealth. Attempts have been
made to domesticate the creatures, but none
yet successfully.

Despite being a culinary delicacy, even
more valued are the creatures? antennae, as
mentioned before. It is not easy to find
them on the market. Near the eastern edge
of the Iriahb Desert, in the city of Grindar,
they are sold for considerable sums of
money, but they are often improperly pre-
served (disintegrating in the buyer?s hands
moments after being purchased) or were not
correctly removed from the creature (and
thus are completely useless). In all likeli-
hood, you will have to find and preserve the
antennae yourself to ensure their quality.

The first problem, once you have found
and slain the pernicon, is the careful re-
moval of the antenna. The antennae have a
bulbous portion not far below the outside of
the skull. This anchors the antenna, but still
allows it movement. There are tiny muscles
in the anchoring chamber. With them, the
antennae may be moved together or in
different ways. This is helpful in finding the
direction of water. One antenna is aimed
one direction, and the other the opposite.
The creature can detect the most minute
difference in the frequency of vibration, and
the antenna vibrating faster is closer to the
water. Humans using an antenna have to
move around, with the antenna indicating
the direction of the source.

Beneath the ?anchors,? the very bases of
the antennae are short, thin projections with
rounded tips. Each tip touches a sensitive,
rubbery tissue atop the creature?s brain.
This tissue detects the vibrations of the
antennae (if any) and the direction it is
aimed, and sends them to the brain, which
can interpret the signals.

To correctly remove the antenna, the
skull must be pulled apart to either side of
the anchor, and the antenna cut free from
the muscle tissue and removed. Most pro-
fessionals use a special tool, a spring-
tweezers, to remove the antenna; if these
are not available, the next best things are
some of the more delicate instruments
found in most sets of thieves? too1s. (13)

Though small and delicate, an antenna
lasts quite a while if you care for it well. If
allowed to become damp, it disintegrates. It
is by nature dry, and immersion in water
causes it to explode harmlessly.

An antenna is also brittle, and crumbles
to dust unless handled with utmost care. It
is good to have it stored carefully and used
only when necessary. The Bilndiah nomads
have a simple but effective means of storing
their antennae, which I use myself and
recommend to all travelers. They use a
bone map case, in which is placed a roll of
camel hide (with plenty of cushioning fur)
around the antenna. It does an excellent job
of protection, so that the antenna will usu-
ally remain intact even if dropped quite a
distance; (14) it also keeps the antenna silent
and still when not needed. If the case is
watertight, it is even more useful. Some
folk, such as some merchants I know, prefer
metal or wooden cases, often inlaid and
decorated with precious metals and stones.

A last word of advice must go to the
traveler: The antenna can only detect water
? if there is no water near, the antenna is
of no more use than another grain of sand.

Notes
1 -- The distance that a pernicon can
jump varies greatly. This author suggests a
base horizontal range of 10? and a vertical
range of 5?. These figures should be ad-
justed at the DM?s discretion, in consider-
ation of such factors as wind speed and
direction, and temperature. Pernicons
function more sluggishly in lower tempera-
tures, but this is not generally a factor in
their desert environment.

2 ? Despite his travels and knowledge of
the desert, the Emir has made a small mis-
take. The pernicon?s diet does not consist
mainly of other animals, as he appears to
imply. They are primarily herbivores. Je-
souhd Ye?esif is, though, accurate about the
creatures? method of attacking. Creatures
?eaten? aid the creature by providing
much-needed liquids, and some nutrients,
but pernicons cannot live on fluids alone.

3 ? Note that the pernicon?s attack form
will not harm certain creatures greatly, if at
all, at the DM?s discretion. The ?immune?
group should include all undead, most
elementals and para-elementals (including
such creatures as the thoqqua, dune stalk-
ers, grues, etc.), some outer-planar crea-
tures, golems, and so on. The DM should
remember how the pernicon harms ? it
sucks out body liquids. If a creature has no
body fluids, it won?t be harmed, except by
the pincer being clamped on or pulled off.

4 ? This author considers 1-4 hp dam-
age for the removal of a pincer of ½ inch in
length (at most) to be excessive, and recom-
mends only 1 hp damage be taken instead.

5 ? A pernicon attached to a victim has
AC 10. Note that if an attack is made on
such a pernicon and the attack misses, a ?to
hit? roll against the victim should be re-
quired 50% of the time, with no dexterity
adjustments applicable. Even if the pernicon
is killed, its pincers remain in the vic-
tim, as noted in the FIEND FOLIO® Tome,
p. 72.

6 ? For dealing with combat between
pernicons and armored characters, refer to
the accompanying article.

7 ? An inhabited ?town? of pernicons
will rarely, if ever, be located more than a
mile from the border of the desert.

8 ? Female pernicons lay eggs twice a
year. Special moisture-holding chambers are
made by the pernicons, by gluing grains of
sand together with sticky saliva (produced
from fluids drained from victims), to hold
the hundred or so eggs deposited by each
female after mating. Because of the thin,
membranous shells of the eggs, they have to
be deposited on moist sand lest they shrivel
up and die before hatching. This is the
reason that the pernicons tunnel down to
reach ground water or moisture (which is
closer to the surface near the border of the
desert), and the major reason that they
possess water-detecting antennae. After
sand on the chambers? floor is sufficiently
dampened and the eggs deposited, the
chamber is sealed by saliva-glued sand to
contain the moisture. The young hatch
within a week or so and eat their own shells
(and sometimes their neighbors? shells, or
even their neighbors). They then burrow
out to join the colony. As the average, only
1-6 of a pernicon?s hundred laid eggs will
survive to maturity.

9 ? There is a 1% chance that an en-
counter with wandering pernicons will be
with a moving colony, in which case the
number appearing will be the lair size
rather than the normal ?wandering? size
(i.e.,  300-3000 rather than 4-40). Player
characters meeting such a group are advised
to get as far away as possible, as fast as
possible. Pernicons en route to a new lair
are particularly aggressive, since they will
need animal fluids for the construction of
the tunnels and egg chambers of the new
lair (see note 6).

10 ? The FIEND FOLIO Tome is vague
as to what a "large quantity" of water is.
This author recommends that any water
body of 5,000 gallons or more should be
easily detectable. Smaller amounts should
be detectable at closer ranges.
<Pernicon, FIEND FOLIO>

11 ? This could be compared to the
liquid-crystal display in digital watches.
Electricity causes the liquid crystal mole-
cules to align in such a way as to absorb
light, becoming visible to the observer. The
radiations of water cause the pernicon an-
tenna?s oily fluid to behave in the opposite
manner ? going from a neutral state to
chaotic and agitated. Fire causes the re-
verse, the liquid going to a rigidly struc-
tured form. Submersion in water destroys
the antenna; the oily substance disperses
rapidly, bursting out of and shattering the
antenna.

12 ? If a pernicon antenna is used by a
cleric or druid as an additional material
component for a  create water  spell, the spell
will produce 10%-60% more water than it
would otherwise. As with other material
components, the pernicon antenna will
disappear after the spell is cast.

13 ? Successful removal is not auto-
matic. The base chance, rolled on a d20, is
equal to the dexterity of the character (or
the average of two characters) attempting
the removal, modified as follows:

If the first time ever tried, -10 (then -9
on the second, -8 on the third, etc.);
If special tools are used, + 2;
If thieves? tools are used by two charac-
ters, no adjustment;

If thieves? tools are used by one character,
-2; and,
If other tools are used, such as hairpins,
-2 (two characters) or -4 (one character).

The task requires the total concentration
of the individual(s) involved. If work is
disturbed before finishing the removal,
there is an 80% chance of the antenna
being ruined.

14 ? Pernicon antennae should have
saving throws for resisting damage from
falling. Normally 20 is the proper save, but
in such a bone case, it should be 10, ad-
justed upward by 2 for every 10? fallen. A
metal case grants a base saving throw of 8.