BanelingEdit

Banelings are created from zerglings following a brief chrysalis phase. In the new form, the zergling's claws shrivel and become vestigal as a swollen sac filled with volatile chemicals forms on its back.

Banelings can waddle, but after an evolution they can tuck into a tight ball and roll around the battlefield.

The creature's only form of attack is to trigger a reaction within its chemical payload that causes it to explode with devastating force and shower the immediate surroundings with searing acid.¹

Baneling Level 5 Minion Brute
Medium elemental beast (zerg) XP 50
Initiative +2	Senses Perception +4, darkvision
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC 17; Fortitude 18, Reflex 15, Will 17
Speed 4
Claws (standard, used only to make opportunity attacks; at-will)
+8 vs. AC; 7 damage.
Volatile Burst (standard or immediate interrupt, when reduced to 0 hit points by a melee or close attack; encounter) ♦ Acid
Close burst 1; +10 vs. Reflex; 7 acid damage to each creature in the burst and triggering creature (if applicable), and targets take ongoing 5 acid damage (save ends). Miss: 7 acid damage to the triggering creature (if applicable), and no ongoing damage. The baneling dies, as it explodes in a shower of gore, hit or miss.
Burrow (move; at-will)
The baneling digs a shallow hole and hides within. It recieves concealment and may make stealth checks to avoid notice. Moving or attacking ends this effect.
Alignment Unaligned	Languages --
Str 15 (+4)	Dex 11 (+2)	Wis 15 (+4)
Con 17 (+5)	Int 2 (-2)	Cha 6 (+0)

Baneling TacticsEdit

Banelings are even more straightforward than their zergling kin. They scuttle over to the nearest foe and trigger their chemical payload as soon as possible, showing no regard to their own wellbeing. They most often attack from hiding, making use of their burrows, since their bulk makes them clumsy and slow. If a foe is foolish enough to attack them in close quarters, banelings will attempt to trigger before slain.

Tumbling Baneling Level 15 Minion Brute
Medium elemental beast (zerg) XP 300
Initiative +14	Senses Perception +16, darkvision
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC 27; Fortitude 28, Reflex 25, Will 27
Speed 6
Claws (standard, used only to make opportunity attacks; at-will)
+18 vs. AC; 12 damage.
Volatile Burst (standard or immediate interrupt, when reduced to 0 hit points by a melee or close attack; encounter) ♦ Acid
Close burst 1; +20 vs. Reflex; 12 acid damage to each creature in the burst and triggering creature (if applicable), and targets take ongoing 10 acid damage (save ends). Miss: 12 acid damage to the triggering creature (if applicable), and no ongoing damage. The baneling dies, as it explodes in a shower of gore, hit or miss.
Burrow (move; at-will)
The baneling digs a shallow hole and hides within. It recieves concealment and may make stealth checks to avoid notice. Moving or attacking ends this effect.
Alignment Unaligned	Languages --
Str 28 (+16)	Dex 24 (+14)	Wis 28 (+16)
Con 31 (+17)	Int 2 (+3)	Cha 6 (+5)

Tumbling Baneling TacticsEdit

Tumbling banelings act exactly as their slower cousins, except that they tuck and roll, using their newfound centrifugal hooks to advance toward foes much more quickly than they would have waddled.

Frenzied Baneling Level 23 Minion Brute
Medium elemental beast (zerg) XP 1,275
Initiative +20	Senses Perception +22, darkvision
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC 35; Fortitude 36, Reflex 33, Will 35
Speed 6
Bite (standard, used only to make opportunity attacks; at-will)
+14 vs. AC; 15 damage.
Volatile Burst (standard or immediate interrupt, when reduced to 0 hit points by a melee or close attack; encounter) ♦ Acid
Close burst 1; +16 vs. Reflex; 15 acid damage to each creature in the burst and triggering creature (if applicable), and targets take ongoing 10 acid damage and are slowed (save ends). Miss: 15 acid damage to the triggering creature (if applicable), other targets take half damage. The baneling dies, as it explodes in a shower of gore, hit or miss. Special: Additional targets in a burst 2 take the miss effects on a hit and are unaffected on an actual miss.
Burrow (move; at-will)
The baneling digs a shallow hole and hides within. It recieves concealment and may make stealth checks to avoid notice. Moving or attacking ends this effect.
Alignment Unaligned	Languages --
Str 32 (+22)	Dex 28 (+20)	Wis 32 (+22)
Con 35 (+23)	Int 3 (+7)	Cha 8 (+10)

Frenzied Baneling TacticsEdit

A frezied baneling resides at the peak of its suicidal evolution. Bloated with additional sacks of a more potent and viscous acid, this monstrosity is able to shower a wider area with its parting gift, slowing those unfortunate enough to survive, coated in its cinging gore. They don't survive long, as kin of the dearly departed easily catch and devour even the most stubborn of prey. Due to its blood frenzy, the additional bulk of its payload does precious little to slow its deadly approach.

Baneling LoreEdit

A character knows the following information with a successful check.

DC 15: Banelings are horrid, suicidal Zerg. They waddle awkwardly toward their foes, releasing the volitile elemental forces within their bodies as they draw close, exploding in a gout of clinging acidic gore.

DC 20: Established hive clusters can enhance their banelings with centrifugal hooks, allowing them to tuck-and-roll toward thier targets, affording them that much less time to react.

Encounter GroupsEdit

Banelings are encountered with other zerg or infested.

Level 7 Encounter (XP 1,500)Edit

• 6 Banelings
• 2 Zergling hordes
• 1 Hydralisk

Level 25 Encounter (XP 34,450)Edit

• 6 Frenzied Banelings
• 2 Frenzied zergling hordes
• 2 Hunter killer

SourcesEdit

[1] StarCraft Wiki: Baneling

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