Prismatic Worms (Prismatic Planet)

Did you ever notice how purple worms are listed under “P” in the D&D monster manuals, but red dragons are under “D”? Not sure where I’ll file my entries.

Purple worms are such a cool creature, I decided to add some variations. If purple is the biggest, red could be the smallest—maybe with a touch of Paranoia-style inspiration. The rest basically wrote itself.

I like the idea of monsters with common origins. Not just “it’s magic,” but something with vaguely scientific explanations, which fits the sci-fi setting. You can put aboleths, snakes, rot grubs and all kinds of creatures as mutated worms.

And the best part is... they create dungeons as they burrow!

The Great Grey Worm concept is an old one—I might’ve borrowed it from Dune, Lovecraft’s dholes/bholes, Bahamuth, etc. It is also discussed in my Teratogenicon.

For more ideas on worm cults, check Obscene Serpent Religion.

Anyway, here are the prismatic worms!

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The prismatic worms are strange annelid creatures that can reach enormous sizes, changing colors and shapes as they grow. The smallest ones, rarely seen, resemble large earthworms and are almost featureless. They might be obsidian, white, or grey soon after hatching, but they are rarely—if ever—observed in such colors. Typically, the smallest are blood red, the most common are orange or yellow and about the size of snakes, and the largest grow to green, blue, and eventually purple—reaching nearly 100 feet in length and six feet in diameter.

They lay eggs beneath the earth and sand, where they can hatch and wait for an unsuspecting victim. Sometimes, a previous victim or carcass serves as a host. People attacked by mature worms may find themselves infected with their eggs, which hatch and produce larvae that consume the victim from within after a few days of hallucinatory fever. One such also be careful to avoid eating the meat of infected animals.

The worms are highly susceptible to mutation. Some individuals develop wings, small arms, or amphibious traits. Others are blind or covered in innumerable eyes. There are scorpion-like, eel-like, and bat-like variants, but the biggest specimens seem to lose these features as they grow. All of them share a round mouth with sharp teeth and typically a poisonous stinger. They suck blood and burrow into living or dead creatures while young, but once large enough, they devour their victims whole and regurgitate unused materials.

Most prismatic worms live underground or underwater. There are burrowing versions that prefer deserts or any kind of softer soil, although some seem powerful enough to leave stable tunnels beneath the earth and even through solid rock.

Their bodies are harvested as ingredients. Each color yields a different rare substance. Eating them may cause sickness, mutation, or death. The venom is deadly but also has calming and hallucinogenic properties.

An alternative theory about the existence of the worms suggests that each type belongs to a distinct species, possibly sharing a common ancestor. Intermediary forms—with underdeveloped wings or multiple colors—are rarely seen, which could indicate that they are separate creatures.

Many cults worship prismatic worms. Some sacrifice people to the great worms, while others seek to mutate themselves or others in pursuit of creating superior races. One heinous ritual involves human sacrifice—willing or not—alongside either a cluster of eggs or a single mature worm, roughly the size of a person’s throat.

Legends tell of a great grey worm living far underground (or deep in the oceans, or frozen in some glacial nation) that one day might eat the core of the planet until it collapses unto itself. While few claim to have seen such an aberration, some tunnels are greater than any worm in known memory.

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As always, all feedback is appreciated!