I'm running the Borderlands via play-by-post over discord, and I'm using Maze Rats to do it. I like how it gives me extra incentive to reinvent things as I have to convert things anyway. One of these things is that I've been thinking about Fire Beetles and how they might be regarded in my take on a setting, a Medieval France type deal, where all the weird stuff is actually still weird. And I want to keep it that way. Things should be mysterious and unexplainable. I was first thinking of expanding the bugs into stages of life etc. but decided not to do that. Anyway, this is my first draft.

art by Caeora on Deviantart. - Not entirely how I envision it, but close enough for this article.

On Fire Beetles:

ARMOR:6 // HP:4

Fire beetles are:

• As large as a small dog or a big house-cat.


• Live primarily underground but tend to come out during the night. They do not like the light.

• Have glowing glands in their antennae and abdomen. These can be harvested and keep glowing for 1d days. Practiced alchemists can craft these into foci for light magic. (obscure knowledge)

Fire beetles are believed to be:

• Angry spirits of the dead, not wanting to grant other spirits rest.


They do tend to end up digging into graveyards and — being scavengers — will eat the corpses buried there. Most people who know the creatures and study them will be skeptical of this rumor.

• Fairy creatures crossed over from the land of fairy. 

This might possibly even be true. But it might also not be. A lot is said about fairies, but little is understood.

• Normal glow-bugs corrupted by dark forces or magic to grow to unnatural size.

This might be the work from the Witch Magobia. But people say so many things about her.  

Fire beetles will:

• Scavenge for food, preferring food that rots or has strong odors/flavors.

• Dig a hole to lay their eggs in. 


They are particularly thorough builders, making strangely sound and well thought out underground complexes having multiple rooms and what could be seen as decorations by those in the know. These are made to their size though, and are hard, if not impossible to navigate for humans. Sometimes children (or goblins, which are the same size) get stuck in it.

• Hum their wings in different pitches, creating haunting songs. 


Combine this with their glow in the night on their hill, and people will make up lot’s of strange stories about it.