Giant, immature insects that can be encountered in ASCII's 1992 Wizardry ・ Side Story II: Curse of the Ancient Emperor (ウィザードリィ・外伝II:古代皇帝の呪い, Uiza-dorii ・ Gaiden II: Kodai Koutei no Noroi) Nintendo Gameboy roleplaying video game (rpg).

Normal antlions are tiny and only prey upon equally small invertebrates, but, in the desert kingdom of Almarl, gigantic specimens can be found that are large enough to feed on humans and demihumans. Like its smaller cousins, an Antlion Larva should undergo metamorphosis, to become a winged adult, upon reaching maturity, but, to date, no such change has ever been documented, nor has anyone ever seen a giant winged antlion. As such, some sages have speculated that the Antlion Larva's prodigious size is a result of magical manipulation, not evolution; they further contend that the enormous doodle bug is permanently trapped in its immature state--no amount of eating or growth will ever trigger the change into adulthood.

Voracious ambush predators, Antlion Larvae view all other organisms, including people, as food. The creature completely buries itself under loose earth, at the bottom of a large, sloping, conical pit if spatial conditions permit, where it then lies in wait for prey--concealed in this fashion, it is nearly impossible to detect the monster's presence until it is too late. When the Antlion Larva senses vibrations nearby (i.e., footsteps), the arthropod erupts from its hiding place and immediately attacks with its barbed mandibles. However, if a party is fortunate enough to encounter a specimen that has recently fed, they may be allowed to pass unharmed. Antlion Larvae never associate with any other monster species, but they are known to form small packs with their own kind [1D2+1 (2-3) individuals] in areas where prey is particularly abundant (i.e., a dungeon).

As lowly Level 2 creatures [they only have 2D6 (2-12) hit points], Antlion Larvae, despite their size and appetites, aren't much more than an annoyance to experienced adventurers, but, the injuries that their mandibles can inflict [2D4 (2-8) points of damage] can prove fatal to novice dungeon explorers. An Antlion Larva's chitinous exoskeleton is relatively soft, and the insect typically wages battle from a stationary position (the abdomen is usually left buried in the sand when it emerges to attack), as such, they are fairly easy to strike with almost any type of weapon (an Antlion Larva has an Armor Class of 8; note, that in classic Dungeons & Dragons rules, which Wizardry is based upon, the lower your AC number, including negative values, the better--for comparison purposes, a normal, unarmored human adult has a slightly worse AC of 10). The desert-dwelling insect's natural resistance to heat (it only suffers 1/2 damage from flames) will also likely frustrate beginner practitioners of thaumaturgy (the lower-level, damage-dealing spells from the Mage's school of magic tend to be fire-based).


Materials:
Newsprint, tissue paper, white glue, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions:
7.0 cm (2.8") x 3.9 cm (1.3") [widest point x highest point]

Time:
Two days: May 16 and 17, 2014.