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Delta Bug/Delta Beetle
Large, electricity-discharging insects with unusual, pyramid-shaped shells. They may be randomly encountered at the former 'Serpent Trench' area in the 'World of Ruin' in the video game Final Fantasy VI.
Trivia
1. The original name for this creature, in the Super Entertainment System (SNES) version of the video game, is 'Delta Bug'. This moniker was slightly changed, in the Game Boy Advance (GBA) re-make, to 'Delta Beetle'. Also note that the original U.S.A. SNES version of said game was called 'Final Fantasy III' instead of 'VI' due to a number of the Final Fantasy games (II, III, and V) not being released in the states, resulting in a different numbering system.
2. Delta Bugs/Beetles are ranked at Level 26 and classified as type 'N/A' (why there isn't an 'insect' enemy category in this game is beyond me). They have 612 hit points (HP) and 80 magic points (MP). Defeating one will earn your party of adventurers 288 experience points (EP) and $211 in Gil. This monster is listed as #126 in the (GBA) Final Fantasy V bestiary after you've encountered and defeated one.
3. Delta Bugs/Beetles will sometimes leave behind a Sleeping Bag when defeated; this item fully recovers the HP/MP of one character. Why on earth an insect would be carrying around such a thing is another matter entirely . . . maybe they aspire to become bedbugs.
4. Healing potions/tonics, which restore 50 HP, can be stolen from these arthropods during a battle.
5. Delta Bug/Beetle and Luridan share the same game sprite. However, their abilities and color scheme differ (Luridan is more powerful/dangerous than Delta Bug/Beetle). This monster sprite recycling is a commonly seen, memory-saving practice found in many role playing games (RPGs)
6. Using the Ragnarok Esper, a Delta Bug/Beetle can potentially be changed into these items: Antidote, Green Cherry, Eye Drops, or Soft/Gold Needle.
7. If Gau learns the Delta Bug/Beetle 'Rage' ability while in the Veldt, he will be able to use the ability 'Mega Volt' during a battle. For a Delta Bug/Beetle to appear in the Veldt, you will need to have previously encountered one.
8. Using Relm's 'Sketch' ability successfully on a Delta Bug/Beetle will result in either a 'Mega Volt' or 'Slam/Rush' attack being executed by the resulting monster illustration (the result is random, but the former attack is more likely to occur than the latter). If, on the other hand, you have the Relic that allows Relm to 'Control' enemies, you will have the option of actively choosing to make the hijacked Delta Bug/Beetle execute physical attacks, 'Rush/Slam', or 'Mega Volt'.
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BACKGROUND:
These curious, pyramid-dwelling, scarabs appeared shortly after the maniacal Kefka's ascension to near-omnipotence, and the resulting changes to the geography of the entire world that immediately followed. Scholars believe that Delta Bug/Beetles are relics of an ancient civilization and that said planetary mass upheaval awakened them from their long slumber. A partially-translated scroll, found in the ruins of a temple pushed to the surface by seismic activity, suggests that these insects were once regarded as sacred creatures and worshiped by a sect of priestesses. Diagrams in this document also seem to imply that humans once made use of the electricity-generating capabilities of these creatures to operate primitive machines--essentially using Delta Bugs/Beetle as living power cells.
Delta Bug/Beetles are most active during dawn/twilight hours and feed exclusively on carrion and fecal matter. Their pyramid-shaped 'homes' are constructed from a combination of sand, gravel, and a sticky secretion that the insect produces from its abdomen that functions as a fast-drying, chemical adhesive (the resulting mixture behaves much like concrete). This fluid also contains many electrolytes and makes an excellent conductor--facilitating the creature's ability to channel the biochemically-produced electricity it makes through the structure when completed.
ABILITIES:
Delta Bugs/Beetles internally produce electricity through a biochemical process, which is expressed as short bursts of lightning-like webs of energy. Although the mechanism that makes this possible is not understood, the pyramid-like 'home' it dwells in is engineered to focus and amplify the discharge, which comes out from the apex of the structure. Generally, the insect uses a small 'zap' to discourage predators who get too close, but the beetle can increase the voltage enough to kill if the assailant is not easily deterred. If pressed, the scarab can also deliver painful bites with its mandibles. The characteristic, pyramid-like shell that encases this species of insect is very resistant to physical damage, as is the chitinous exoskeleton that covers the beetle's partially exposed head, legs, and abdomen. Weapons of lesser quality may rebound harmlessly or even shatter when striking these stone-like defenses. Delta Bugs/Beetles are naturally immune to the following negative status effects: Darkness, Poison, Imp, Berserk, and Confusion.
WEAKNESSES:
Despite their appearance suggesting that they would be at home in a desert environment, Delta Bugs/Beetles have a very low tolerance for high temperatures. Contact with flames can cause their pyramid, and exoskeleton, to crack. Weapons that deliver blunt-force/crushing trauma (hammers, clubs, etc), are more effective at breaking through the natural armor of these creatures than edged implements (swords, knives, etc). While it provides excellent protection, the pyramid it lives inside is also very heavy, which slows a Delta Beetle's movements to a crawl. If a Delta Bug/Beetle discharges electricity continuously or repeatedly over a short period of time, the strength of the charge produced will rapidly decrease in effectiveness, and may even stop altogether, until it has rested and 'recharged' its biochemical reserves.
Materials:
(Delta Bug/Beetle) Cardboard, newsprint, tissue paper, sand, human hair (mine), white glue, hot glue, and acrylic paint.
(Electrical Discharge) Newsprint, white glue, hot glue, and acrylic paint.
Dimensions*:
(*The numbers given are for the figure without the electrical discharge accessory attached to the top of the pyramid.)
6.9 cm/2.7 in. x 10.6 cm/4.2 in. (highest point x widest point)
Time:
Approximately three days. Construction ran from 5/16/07 to 5/20/07. I made and painted the entire pyramid shell on the 16th. The next day, the 17th, I didn't do any sculpting/modeling work, but I applied another coat of paint to said structure, this time with sand mixed in, to give the surface a gritty-looking texture. I took a break and didn't do anything with this figure on the 18th. I made the head, the six legs, and applied more paint operations to the pyramid on the 19th. On the final day, the 20th, I added hair and additional girth to the legs, made the abdomen, added block division lines to the pyramid's surface, and attached everything together. I also made the electrical discharge accessory.
[Mid-construction photos of my Delta Bug/Beetle figure]
Below are four images, taken from different angles, showing the pyramid shell on 5/17/07. I had just applied the paint/sand mix and no insect parts have been made at this point. I later added more paint operations (washes and dry brushing) along with stone division lines on the surface of the pyramid.
For comparison purposes, below are two images of Delta Bugs from the Super Entertainment System (SNES) version of Final Fantasy VI. The top is a close-up, the bottom shows the characters Shadow, Relm, Locke, and Gau taking on four of the creatures in a battle.
REFERENCES:
1. Various Final Fantasy III/Final Fantasy VI/Final Fantasy VI Advance strategy guides/statistics/lists at GameFAQs.
2. RPG Classics Final Fantasy VI 'World of Ruin' bestiary.
3. Final Fantasy VI SNES video game.
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