[A real animal! Although the real version, Onychocerus albitarsus, isn’t the size of a rhino. Isn’t convergent evolution wonderful?]
Beetle,
Scorpion This
rhinoceros sized insect has a mottled, camouflage pattern on its body. Its
antennae are as long as its entire body and each ends in a curved stinger
Scorpion beetles are bizarre giant
vermin that fight with modified antennae. Unlike the antennae of most insects,
which serve as sensory organs only, the antennae of a scorpion beetle have
strong muscles along them and end in a venomous stinger eerily similar to that
of a scorpion. Although the venom of a scorpion beetle is relatively mild, it
can be incapacitating from the sheer number of stings the beetle can inflict in
a short period. Scorpion beetles are omnivores, and use their stingers for both
offense and defense, to weaken potential prey and ward off even larger
predatory vermin.
Scorpion beetles have relatively lax
habitat requirements—they are found anywhere prey is abundant and there are
trees in which to lay their eggs. The larvae of scorpion beetles, grubs that
can grow the size of a man, feed on rotten wood, and female scorpion beetles
lay one or two eggs on a fallen tree to provision for their young. Scorpion
beetles tend to have large ranges, and do not associate with each other except
for during mating season. A scorpion beetle grows to ten feet long, with
antennae that stretch another 10 feet.
Scorpion
Beetles as Vermin Companions A scorpion beetle as a vermin
companion is treated as an ordinary beetle companion, except that it gains 2
sting attacks that deal 1d4 damage and poison instead of a bite attack. At 7th
level, its sting attacks gain 5 feet of reach and it gains the rapid strikes
special attack instead of trample.
Scorpion beetles are found on Cannehr, where they are commonly tamed and used as war-beasts by the azkat. Those who tame them frequently take up two-weapon fighting in emulation of their signature attacks.
Shores of Swords 