From the Stars Without Number Compatible – Alien Database
Bite. The bite of a dragon centipede inflicts 1d3 points of piercing damage. The bite deals no damage if the target is wearing powered armor.
Fire Poison. The dragon centipede makes a ranged attack and spits a liquid poison-like substance. The poison can set on fire any carbon-based compound – including living tissue of carbon-based life forms – by triggering a chemical process of spontaneous combustion. The poison remains inert for 1d4 rounds before igniting. Once the ignition starts, it inflicts one cumulative point of fire damage per round, for the subsequent 10 rounds. An ordinary fire extinguisher quenches the fire immediately. If the target is wearing an armor that contains carbon compounds, it takes double damage per round. The dragon centipede can use this ability once per scene.
COMBAT & TACTICS
Dragon centipedes are scavengers and feed on corpses previously cooked with their fire poison. They form underground colonies that can span hundreds of specimens. Their tactics are simples; they attack an opponent by employing their fire poison first to soften the target and then launch a swarm attack to deliver the final blow. They do not fight to the death, unless the target dies after the first poison attack,
preferring to withdraw or hide below the ground, the only exception to this rule is when their nest is under attack. Their carapace is highly resistant to heat, and they are immune to temperatures of up to 300 degrees Celsius / 570 degrees Fahrenheit.
DESCRIPTION
Dragon centipedes are nasty bugs that can measure one foot in standard conditions. They have a red-orange carapace, with the color varying with the species encountered. They are warm to the touch, and during nighttime, they emit a feeble red luminescence. They have from eight to sixteen legs, and the more they grow, the more legs sprout from the main body. The largest specimen ever encountered displayed 32 pairs of legs.
HABITAT
Dragon centipedes nest in cold to temperate arid badlands, sometimes stretching to latitudes close to the arctic poles, but avoiding freezing temperatures where liquid masses are permanently frozen. Their nests are complex tunnels that reach different depths, and according to the seasonal cycle, they move deeper
when the temperature rises, only to resurface when temperatures drop again. During cold seasons, they scavenge and gather as much food as possible, so that they can sustain the colony during the warm season.
BIOLOGY
The biology of dragon centipedes is primitive. The curious fact is that they keep growing indefinitely, with the largest specimen ever encountered measuring 2 meters. What detains their growth is the high mortality rates, both due to the hostile environment they usually inhabit and their tendency to explode like a
firework when the gland that contains the poison suffers damage. Their carapace, if properly treated, becomes a decent fireproof material. The poison secreted by the gland is very resistant and preserves its properties for 1d4 days after the extraction, and can be used as a form of cheap napalm.