Iron Ant

Description:

Iron ants are dog-sized insects that resemble ants, with a carapace seemingly made of hardened, stainless steel. Their large, powerful mandibles are able to cut metal and crush rock. They feed on both plants and animals (including unfortunate humanoids), but most curious (and problematic) is their need to consume iron and other metal ores - presumably in order to grow their carapaces.

Iron ants make their colonies in rocky terrain, boring tunnels similar to ant nests through solid rock, following and ingesting metal ore veins as they go. While their own tunnels are too narrow for most humanoids to crawl through, they are not at all opposed to using large tunnel systems as a starting point for their nests, and iron ants are particularly feared by miners.

Iron ant scouts travel in groups of 1d8 individuals. If they discover an ore rich mine and make it back to their colony to report their finding, 3d6x10 iron ants will typically set out to invade the mine, arriving all at once, overrunning their new home, killing and eating everyone trapped inside, and establishing a new colony. 

In order to ingest metal iron ants first need to dissolve it, which they do by grinding up ore with their mandibles and then spraying a powerful acid onto the rubble from a gland in their abdomen. This turns the metal into a slurry that they suck up, leaving the rock and dust behind to be moved out of their tunnels.

Special:

An iron ant can expend a point of Resolve to expel a jet of acid in line to a range of 4 hexes. Anyone in the cone may attempt to dodge, but blocking with a shield results in both the shield and the defender being exposed. Anyone covered in this acid will find their metal weapons, armour and equipment quickly destroyed.

Iron ant acid is prized for its military application, and armies will often seek to have access to iron ant farms so they can harvest this acid for use in projectiles that will destroy enemy weapons, armour and equipment..