Cave worm (species)

Cave worm
Purple worm

Externally hosted image

(Creature)

Common

Gargantuan

Animal

Level

13

Images of cave worms (species)

Source: Monster Core, pg(s). 54–55

Purple worms had the

N

trait in Bestiary 56–57.

Type

Magical beast

CR

12

Environment

Any underground

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Images of cave worms (species)

Source: Bestiary, pg(s). 230

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This article covers the species of giant worm. For the family of creatures to which it belongs, see cave worm.

Cave worms, also known as purple worms, are a massive, alien, worm-like species from which the cave worm family of creatures derives its name. They are the most common and well-known species of cave worm.

Appearance

These creatures are gigantic—a typical adult is 80 feet in length and five feet in diameter, and weighs 40,000 pounds. They are covered in segmented purple armour and have a mouth of sharp teeth capable of burrowing through rock.

Origin

The origin of cave worms lies outside of Golarion, in the Dark Tapestry. They hibernated inside meteors—possibly created by the same planetary destruction which created the Diaspora—which fell to earth in Golarion's early days. Some survived the landing and found the world very suitable, enabling them to grow large and multiply.

Some sages believe they may be distantly related to the neothelids.

Ecology

Like other types of cave worms, cave worms eat almost any organic material they find, and are also able to gain sustenance from the minerals in the rocks they burrow through. They are always hungry and active, apart from on those rare occasions when they hibernate (often for several years at a time).

Cave worms never stop growing during their 800-year natural lifespans. They are hermaphrodites, though two are needed to reproduce. After mating, both worms lay a clutch of dozens of eggs, which they abandon in a walled-off chamber. Of those eggs, only 10 to 20 worms typically hatch. These hatchlings are up to five feet long and feed on one another until only one or two are left. After about a week, any survivors develop the ability to burrow through stone and can escape the egg chamber. They reach full size in only a couple of years.

Habitat and society

Cave worms are solitary creatures, apart from when two come together for mating. They prefer to live underground but may sometimes spend short periods on the surface—for instance, to attack prey they have detected walking above them. They avoid sunlight, although it does not appear to harm them.

They carry no treasure, but their gullets might contain swallowed items capable of resisting their digestive acid. Their digestive tracts also occasionally contain naturally forming ovoids known as worm pearls, which are valued by some cultures. As a side effect of their burrowing, they may leave behind deposits of unrefined ores.

Neothelids and xoarians both enslave cave worms, and the undead of House Shraen also have some means of magically controlling them. It is believed that the cyclopes of the ancient Ghol-Gan civilisation used captured cave worms to help excavate the colossal March of Madness which winds its way through the region of the Darklands known as the Reguare or Sleepless Realm.

Abilities

Cave worms can detect vibrations up to 100 feet away, allowing them to locate prey. They have large and powerful teeth, but the true threat for smaller creatures is the chance of being swallowed alive. A cave worm's tail ends in a venomous stinger.

They are relatively slow, moving about as fast as a dwarf, but can burrow through solid rock at the same rate. They are also surprisingly accomplished swimmers.

Variants

A toothed worm.

There are a number of other variants of this species of cave worm.

Great worm

When a cave worm of this species is exposed to powerful magic (for instance, by swallowing a mighty magic item or spell-casting creature), the experience warps and strengthens them into great worms. Such worms often have extended lifespans, living up to 1,500 years, and may have other strange abilities as well—for instance, being surrounded by an aura of energy that discharges when the creature is struck and lingers in the tunnels it creates. Others may resist types of energy, heal extremely quickly, or become resistant to spells.

Mottled worm

A brown and grey, aquatic cave worm of this species is known as a mottled worm. It can live in both fresh and salt water by using internal gill-like organ to breathe, and can also survive out of the water for several hours. However, this makes them uncomfortable, so they rarely stay out of the water for more than an hour.

Toothed worm

The rare albino toothed worm is a variant of this species of cave worm that lacks a stinger, and instead havs a set of sharp "teeth" around its mouth. This maw provides a vicious bite and aids in burrowing though rock.

On Golarion

See also: Category:Cave worm (species)

Cave worms of this species largely inhabit the Darklands, and are increasingly common as one travels deeper underground. They are particularly common in the Black Desert of Orv, which is one of their major spawning grounds. Toothed worms roam the rocks beneath the Mwangi Expanse.

Cindermaw, a cave worm infused with elemental fire and awakened, lairs in the Cinderlands of Varisia where he is almost deifically feared and known as the Clan-Eater.

A mile-wide valley in the depths of the central desert of Casmaron is said to have been the crater of the first cave worm landing on Golarion. The local tribes whisper that the progenitor of all cave worms, a mighty monster they call the Star-Worm, still slumbers here and will one day awaken and consume the world.

Crawling Hunger, one of the servants of Rovagug in the Pit of Gormuz, is described as a clawed cave worm which has achieved something approaching sentience.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.