Arnipoli - armoured insectoid, covered in thick stone plating, large strong pincers, multiple yellow eyes, tail covered in sharp spikes

Abilities:

Charge

Pincer Crush

Tail Sweep

Grinding Shriek - scrapes tail spikes across its back plates to produce an unsettling deep grinding shriek

Burrow Ambush - takes 2 turns. digs underground then erupts beneath the target to impale t hem

Carapace Shatter - enraged turn. sheds part of its cracked armour to reveal a new tougher armour beneath

Rockfall Pulse - Stomps into the ground with immense force, dislodging sharp rock fragments from the cavern ceiling.

Crater Crush - Slams both pincers and tail into the ground, causing a localized shockwave that blasts enemies outward

Overview: Saxaraptor gigas, more commonly called Arnipoli, is a massive insectoid whose entire body is clad in thick, stone-like plating. Many a hunter has mistaken its hulking form for part of the landscape, only to realise too late that the “boulder” was very much alive. Its oversized pincers can shear clean through armour, while its barbed tail smashes foes aside with brutal efficiency.

Behaviour: Arnipoli is fiercely territorial, spending much of its time burrowed beneath scree or rubble. When disturbed, it will lunge from cover with surprising speed, trampling anything in its way.

• Communicates aggression by scraping its tail spikes across its carapace, producing an unnerving grinding sound.,
• Thrives in rocky and volcanic environments where minerals help harden its shell.,
• Hunts by ambushing and overpowering smaller monsters, then dragging them underground.,

Hunter’s Log: “Taking on Arnipoli is like picking a fight with a landslide. Your blades will bounce unless you aim for the gaps. Keep your eyes on that tail, too. Many hunters have been skewered before they even saw it coming.”