Field Worms

Field Worms, sometimes referred to as Land Worms, are large invertebrates inhabiting the soil of Ramar in Betrayal at Antara. They can be encountered in Chapters 1, 2, and 6.

Description and Habitat
Field Worms are giant, segmented, silvery gray worms with bright green crests. The tips of their bodies are a slightly darker shade of gray. They have no visible limbs or sensory organs, but emit an elephantine trumpeting sound when attacking or when struck.

Due to their size, a group of adult Land Worms can be seen from a great distance, though a juvenile Field Worm can fit in the palm of a human hand. The adults' bodies are never fully visible, as they retract into the earth when mortally wounded.

Field Worms are found throughout the Antaran province of Pianda. They usually appear in groups of three or four at a time, far from other groups. They are able to tunnel through the earth and emerge in unexpected places.

In Battle
Field Worms attack by emerging from the earth next to their prey and striking with the tips of their prehensile bodies. They frequently change position, disappearing into the ground and reemerging for a better angle of attack. If affected by a Spell, such as Unseeing Eye, the spell remains above ground when the Field Worm moves, allowing its progress to be tracked across the battle grid.

When defeated, a Field Worm retracts into the earth, leaving a small pile of rubble unlike the smooth earth left when Field Worms retract to change position.

The Drum Skill
Since Field Worms are attuned to the vibrations of the earth, they can be chased away by means of a specific drum rhythm. Travelers who know the Drum Skill have only to use a Drum and then wait for the Field Worms to retreat.

The Drum Skill can be learned as early as Chapter 1. The Worm Charmer in the Midova marketplace can teach it for a payment of 75 burlas, as long as the party promises not to compete with his business.

Trivia

 * Tyre Cordelaine mentions Field Worms congregating in dry places during thunderstorms.


 * The Hotfoot spell works on Field Worms, but does not cause them to move to another position on the battle grid since they are anchored beneath the ground.


 * Naomi, a mage in Varnesse, tells Aren Cordelaine that women "can see through false flattery quicker than soil passes through a field worm."