25. Oil Beetles

The oil beetles encountered in this room normally must be dealt with before the area can be inspected. When player characters have the leisure to do so: The right-hand wall of this room is covered with a mural painted in bright, almost lurid colors. It depicts a storm over a bay, with brilliant lightning in improbable shades of red, green, and violet. The crashing waves seem to glow as if lit from beneath, and riding the crest of the largest wave is a fishing boat, with its mast broken and the dangling sails on fire, burning blue, green, and yellow. One sailor is visible on the boat, clutching the helm with three hands while his fourth hand pulls pointlessly on a rope trailing from the burning sails. The meaning, if any, of this mad mural is not at all obvious. There is nothing else of interest here. 4 Oil Beetles: AC 16, HD 2*, #At 1 bite + spray, Dam 2d4 bite, special spray, Mv 40', Sv F2, ML 8, XP 100 ea. Spray hits only opponents within 5 feet of the back end of the monster. On a hit, a living creature suffers burns causing a -2 on all attack rolls for 24 hours. HP