Centipedes

Centipedes are long, segmented myriapods based loosely on their real-world counterparts. Their behavior varies with their size, ranging from passive prey to dangerous predator.

Appearance
Centipedes are black and orange arthropods with protective shells and segmented bodies. They have many legs and two sets of feelers on both ends of the body. They have a brown coloration on the ends of their legs, and can range vastly in size.

Combat
Depending on their size, Centpedes range from harmless to extremely dangerous. Centipedes are fast crawlers, able to outpace most creatures along the ground, in tunnels, and on poles. Their ability to climb along background walls makes them difficult to evade. Centipedes are not stunned by throwing unless injured, however, there is a chance they may let go. cause Centipedes to release held creatures, as well as prevent them from grabbing for a short period.

Mature Centipedes can be killed with 2 or 3, but Overgrown Centipedes may require up to 12 hits before they die. Segments that have been de-shelled take extra damage. Centipedes spasm and ball up after becoming injured, making it easier for them to grab and shock threats, alongside making retrieving Spears difficult. can be used to kill a Centipede from a long distance.

Stealth
Due to their sharp hearing and good vision, sneaking around Centipedes can pose a challenge. Avoid making loud noises or passing by one of their heads to prevent detection. Crouching and crawling greatly reduces their vision. When moving, they have further reduced vision, giving opportunity to sneak past.

Evasion
Keeping a far distance from Centipedes is safest, as they are primarily found in dark, tunnel-filled areas with little room for escape. By use of shortcuts or avoiding areas they are in altogether, it is possible to pass by unharmed. Throwing Rubbish or Spears to create sound can lure Centipedes to a different location if there is no other way around. Movement such as slidepouncing, backflipping, and slide flipping can help to keep distance between Slugcat and Centipedes.

Grabbing & Electrocution
Centipedes grab on to creatures by their heads. If they manage to connect both ends to the creature, they deliver a shock. Centipede shocks do not deal damage, but either stun or kill depending on the mass of the creature in relation to the Centipede. If the creature has less mass than the Centipede, the shock kills it. Shocks delivered underwater deal damage instead of depending on mass. The current travels to all other creatures within the same body of water. When injured and attempting to retreat inside a den, Centipedes can latch on to creatures and pull them into the den, killing them like s and.

Vision
Centipedes have strongly movement-based vision. All Adult Centipedes, as well as Infant Centipedes, share the same vision capabilities. They are only able to see out of one head at a time, but alternate between heads every frame. Centipede's alternating vision causes a unique behavior. As long as Slugcat moves at a steady pace across flat terrain, or when climbing poles, Centipedes are caught in a consistent loop of starting and stopping. This behavior is caused by their alternating vision, where they have to re-realize that Slugcat is moving. This loop can be used to escape a Centipede safely, as they do not grab on to Slugcat unless provoked or run into.

Centipedes can not see Slugcat when they are crouching and have greatly reduced vision when crawling. If a Centipede is moving, its vision is further reduced, and it becomes unable to see Slugcat when crawling or standing.

Hearing
Centipedes are one of the few creatures capable of hearing, and are only able to do so when idle. Centipedes have a hearing stat of 1.5 when sitting, and 0 when moving. Depending on their size, Centipedes may flee from or investigate interesting sounds.

Color
Centipedes range in color from a pale yellowish orange to a much darker, deeper red orange color. Their shells can be affected by room darkness. Interestingly, their shell colors are not tied to ID, and change color every time a room is loaded.

Sizes
Adult Centipedes come in a large variety of sizes, ranging from small and harmless to massive and dangerous. Their aggression, health, and food pips given vary depending on how large they are. A Centipede's segment and shell count depends on their size. Adult Centipedes fall into three categories of size; Youth, Mature, and Overgrown. Other variations of Centipede include, , , and, exclusively to the Downpour DLC, a unique reskin and s.

Youth
Youth Centipedes are unable to kill Slugcat, as well as most creatures, and can only stun them with their shock. Due to their relatively small size, Youth Centipedes are neutral towards Slugcat. If threatened enough, they become aggressive and shock Slugcat. They have at least 0.69 health points, and can be killed with one or two. They fill 2–3 food pips when eaten.

Mature
Mature Centipedes are larger than Slugcat and see them as prey. Mature Centipedes hunt by grabbing and then shocking them to death. They have a health range of 1.32–2.56, and so can be killed with 2–3 shots of a regular Spear. If killed and eaten, Mature Centipedes fill 3–5 food pips.

Overgrown
Overgrown Centipedes are extremely large, nearly 4 times that of Slugcat, and aggressively hunt them down. Due to their huge size, they have slightly more trouble grasping prey with both ends and delivering shocks, making them less dangerous than they at first appear. Despite their size, they can traverse tunnels easily, and travel much faster than most creatures. They have a health range of 2.56–12, and so they require at least 3 Spear shots or a well-aimed Spore Puff to kill. If killed and eaten, they fill 5–7 food pips.

Relationships
(Applies to all sizes)

Infant Centipede


Infant Centipedes are the smaller, non-aggressive juveniles of the species. They are typically found in groups, occasionally accompanied by an Adult Centipede. Infant Centipedes can be picked up and eaten live by Slugcat to restore 2 food pips. Alternatively, they can be killed with one Spear hit (unless starving or Monk, then two hits), or by partially eating them.

When a living Infant Centipede is picked up by a creature, they emit an electrical whine. If held for too long, they shock the creature, stunning it and causing it to drop the Infant Centipede. Killing the Infant Centipede is the only way to prevent this shock.

Variants & Attributes
In Downpour, there is a green Infant Centipede variant, spawning primarily alongside Centiwings. While they are meant to represent 'Infant Centiwings,' they have no difference in behavior from Infant Centipedes. They use the same hues as Centiwings, but with a higher level of saturation. In the game's files, this palette is applied to Infant Centipedes with the {AlternateForm} tag.

= Trivia =
 * When a Centipede spawns, there is a 1.5% chance for each segment to be missing its shell.
 * After 4.55 seconds, Centipedes release what they are holding if they can not connect their other head.
 * Centipedes always have two legs per segment.
 * Centipedes cannot be stunned by Rubbish unless injured. However, if hit by rubbish, Centipedes release held creatures 50% of the time.
 * Stabbing an Infant Centipede does not break the Saint passage.
 * Adult Centipedes die in shelters if a player hibernates.
 * Because holding an Infant Centipede does not hinder Slugcat's movement, they can be used as "pincushions" to hold a number of spears, allowing any Slugcat to carry as many spears as they like.
 * Only Infant Centipedes can shock a Lizard that is holding them. This is particularly noticeable with Blue Lizards, which often fail to bring Infant Centipedes to their lairs, but easily incapacitate and kill Overgrown Centipedes.
 * Centipedes are able to shock each other, though this is never seen naturally in-game, and deals no damage.