A Piercer (sometimes called a Stalag) is a cone-shaped shelled creature resembling some kind of snail or other invertebrate. They are found in a range of sizes, with a group typically having members of several different sizes; each individual piercer is about 1.5 feet long per hit die. They can move about as snails do, at a rate of about 10’ per round, and can climb hard surfaces at full speed, even moving unhindered while upside down. However, they move substantially faster when attacking.

Piercers hunt prey by hanging upside down in natural caverns, where their conical shells strongly resemble normal stalactites. They lie in wait until a victim walks beneath them, at which point they attack by simply dropping on their prey, stabbing with their pointed shells.

If this attack fails, the piercer has no further effective attack and will try to flee; of course if given enough time a piercer will return to its place on the ceiling, and if any victims are available it may be able to attack again.

A piercer looks exactly like a stalactite. It is a living creature encased in a stone covering. Piercers are sensitive to noise and heat and when they detect a source of either passing beneath them they drop, seeking to kill and devour their target.

A piercer has a single attack, seeking to impale the unlucky victim with its sharp point. After killing and feasting the piercer will move via tiny cilia in its base back up to the ceiling. Any grouping of piercers will include a mix of the various HD, roll 1d4 with 1 = 1 HD, 2 = 2 HD, 3 = 3 HD, and 4 = 4 HD. A piercer will do 1d6 of damage for each of its HD.

The 1 HD piercer is 3-ft long and weighs about 200 lbs. With each additional HD the piercer adds another foot of length and another 100 lbs of weight. Piercers devour even the bones of their victims and any intelligent cave or dungeon dwelling denizens living nearby will often (carefully) scavenge any armour, weapons, money, magic, or anything else remaining of even the least value.