Traps: Scarabs, The Bugs

The Scarab (The Bug Trap)

General Information Physical Viewing Physical Disarmament, Success! Physical Disarmament, Failure! Magical Viewing Magical Disarmament, Success! Magical Disarmament, Failure! Where Found

The Scarab Trap

Scarabs

NEVER sanctify an area with a scarab in it.

Scarabs come in three flavors: Hoppers, Casters and Sitters. Hoppers will jump out of the box and attack. When they are finished with the first victim, they will look for another. Sanctuaries do NOT stop a scarab from attacking you. They have no mind and their minds cannot be put at ease. See the table below for a description of the scarabs.

Most disarmers agree... the best idea when setting off one of these traps, involves making your legs move as fast as possible away from the area. If the bug attacks your friend, run! Once bitten, run, if at all possible! You do not want to kill your friends.

Scarab		Type
Blood-Red		Hopper ( Blood Sucker / Leech )
Onyx		Hopper ( Burrower / Tunneler )

Sea-Green		Sitting ( Disease )
Sky-Blue		Sitting ( Poison )

Opalescent		Caster ( Sorcerer's Lover )
Translucent		Caster ( Evil Eye )

Usually you kill a hopper scarab by attacking it. Some particular spells help in attacking the scarab. Bind works by binding as normal when cast upon other critters. We hear that Purify Air helps with blood-red scarabs.

Some hoppers are very strong and can be very highly trained with a DS of 700 or more and a similar AS.

Some scarabs attack with a variety of spells and will not always cast the same spell. I've seen a scarab cast a warding spell, then cast a boil earth on a subsequent failed attempt to disarm.

Stopping Scarabs ( Spells That HELP ! )

Neutralize Curse NEVER works. Remove Curse removes most scarabs that burrow or leech blood.

Bind works on some scarabs, like blood red scarabs, but only after the scarab is knocked off the adventurer afflicted.

All scarabs are magically disarmable. The toughest of the toughest scarabs can be magically disarmed when there is no locksmith around.

Magical Disarming Success

No information currently available.

Magical Trippage

No information currently available. Please review the information below.

Scarab		How To Kill A Live One
Blood-Red		Remove Curse, Attack ( Bindable )
Onyx		Remove Curse, Attack ( Bindable )

Sea-Green		Disarm, Undisease Victim
Sky-Blue		Disarm, Unpoison Victim

Opalescent		Manually Disarm, Magically Disarm
Translucent		Manually Disarm, Magically Disarm

Magical Disarming

All scarabs can be magically disarmed while still in a box.

Hoppers, can ONLY be disarmed magically while it is in the box.
Sitters, can be disarmed while in the box or off the box.
Casters... well, they never get out of the box and attack while out of the box. If a person is skilled enough to knock the scarab out of the box, then they are most likely skilled enough to disarm it while it's sitting on the ground. The effects of the caster scarab while it sits on the ground are currently UNKNOWN.

Magically disarming ANY scarab while it is still a trap on the box, however, makes the scarab vanish.

Scarabs can be used for deeds and work well for deeds. They are worth more, when physically disarmed as opposed to being magically disarmed. Their value increases at both, the gemshop and the deed room.

Magic Spells Within Scarabs

Some hopper scarabs, when manually disarmed, can be rubbed to invoke spells. However, Elemental Detection does not work on scarabs and can not tell what spells are in a scarab.

The exact type of the spell may be determined by how the scarab looks, or possibly by a bard, or when all else fails, by rubbing the scarab.

Sea-Green Scarabs

This scarab bites and infects you with disease. You'll need a cleric, sorcerer or empath to cure you, or will need a scroll. Make sure you have a lot of acantha leaf and health before you attempt to disarm this one. After this scarab bites, it always dies and immediately disappears.

The amount of disease varies and seems to go up as the level of the box goes up. Hhooru has been bitten by scarabs that infectious 70 per type.

You gesture at a dented iron chest.
You gaze at the chest and see. . .

A dented iron chest which contains:
Some silver coins (in)

Peering closely into the lock, you spy a miniature sea-green glaes scarab wedged into the lock mechanism. The scarab's surface is etched with tiny runes that seem to writhe as the light strikes them.

Sky-Blue Scarabs

This scarab bites and poisons you. It is much like the Green Scarab but instead of being infected with a bad disease, you are poisoned with one of the worst known poisons around. Like the Green Scarab, you'll need a lot of health to survive its bite, and even with the most help, you're likely to die without some assistance by an unpoison spell. Like the Green Scarab, after this one bites, it immediately dies and disappears.

Peering closely into the lock, you spy a miniature sky-blue glaes scarab wedged into the lock mechanism. The scarab's surface is etched with tiny runes that seem to writhe as the light strikes them.

Blood Red Scarabs

This scarab bites and starts sucking blood like a ferocious leech. You need a lot of blood to survive the bite of this bug. Make sure you have an empath around. When it sucks your blood you lose a lot of blood and get stunned momentarily. It sucks hard sometimes and soft at others.

If the scarab is on the ground, the scarab can be bound.

Also, once someone dies, these scarabs tend to jump off the person and hit the ground. They can and will jump upon other folks in the immediate area. I imagine that it's possible they could even jump to another area and start killing folks in another area but I have no confirmation of that as of yet. I have heard that Purify Air might help, but don't know how. Need some confirmations about this. Remove Curse seems to be the cure all for most scarabs. Do NOT mistakenly use Neutralize Curse.

Helpful Spells
Remove Curse ( NOT Neutralize Curse )
Bind ( temporarily binds the scarab so they can not jump on others, thanks to Dyva for help with this information )

Onyx Scarabs (or Burrowing Scarabs)

These scarabs are a lot of fun. They bite and chew right through you. Once they bite you, they burrow into your body totally stunning you and the shock incapicitates you. After they finish you (you die), they crawl out of your body and search for a new meal. Make sure no one sanctifies the area. An area sanctuary does NOT stop these scarabs from attacking and makes it impossible to kill it. I heard Neutralize Curse fails to help in these situations, however Remove Curse helps.

You see a spiked onyx scarab, which is no more than an inch long and possessing of six stubby segmented legs. The scarab's carapace is glossy black, covered with dozens of inward-curving spikes which resemble fangs.

Translucent Scarabs

These scarabs cast spells when they attack. They commonly jump out of the box and attack. They don't always use the same spell. I've seen one of these cast some warding sorcery spell, then cast boil ten seconds later. Like the other scarabs, area sanctuaries do NOT stop these scarabs from attacking. Also, Remove Curse works, Neutralize Curse does NOT.

The scarab below has Eye Spy in it and you might get one or more rubs out of it.

You see an etched translucent scarab, which is no more than an inch long and possessing of six stubby segmented legs. Etched into the semi-translucent carapace of the scarab is a large eye surrounded by an imperfect ring of runes. The eye slowly shifts to and fro, as though monitoring its surroundings.

Other Scarabs

Opalescent Scarabs

The scarab below has Blurs in it.

You see a glimmering opalescent scarab, which is no more than an inch long and possessing of six stubby segmented legs. The scarab's shell glistens wetly, colors playing across it in varying patterns, accentuating the shifting runes etched into its back.

Peering closely into the lock, you spy a glimmering opalescent scarab wedged into the lock mechanism. The scarab's surface is etched with tiny runes that seem to writhe as the light strikes them.

Failing To Disarm Opalescent Scarabs

You gesture at an iron-bound monir box.
Now to isolate the offending mechanism and disable it...As you cast your spell, you hear a buzzing noise coming from within an iron-bound monir box. Something darts out of the box and settles at the lock opening! A tiny insect with a glimmering opalescent shell flutters there momentarily, then opens its wings and faces you!

A glimmering opalescent scarab releases a radiant burst of energy towards you!
The ground beneath your feet begins to boil violently!
Fiery debris explodes from the ground!
... 15 points of damage!
Nasty blow to your neck!
You are stunned for 3 rounds!
... 40 points of damage!
Left leg burned off at the knee. Ouch.
You fall screaming to the ground grasping your mangled left leg!
... 45 points of damage!
Left hand burned off. Only a stump remains.
... 20 points of damage!
Nasty burns to chest make you wish you never heard of heartburn.
... 25 points of damage!
Flames burn hole in chest exposing ribs!
... 25 points of damage!
Right hand fried to a crisp. Think barbecue sauce.

And another opalescent scarab on another day...

You gesture at an engraved gold trunk.
Now to isolate the offending mechanism and disable it...As you cast your spell, you hear a buzzing noise coming from within an engraved gold trunk. Something darts out of the trunk and settles at the lock opening! A tiny insect with a glimmering opalescent shell flutters there momentarily, then opens its wings and faces you!

A glimmering opalescent scarab releases a radiant burst of energy towards you!
CS: +507 - TD: +264 + CvA: +12 + d100: +76 == +331
Warding failed!
A small, but painful slice of neck vanishes! +162 damage.
You are stunned! 1 round.
Chittering noisily, the opalescent scarab disappears once more into the trunk.
The focused look leaves you.

This list of scarabs remains incomplete. Some other scarabs wander the depths of boxes, and possibly certain areas...

Thanks to Stalvos and Jorddyn for thier help in providing descriptions!

Where Found

We witnessed our first scarab upon a silverback orc strongbox. Undead like these types of traps for some reason, perhaps indicating the mindlessness of those that carry the treasure. Why undead like treasure remains a mystery to Hhooru.

Created by Hhooru Willmagi.