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Giant Scorpion 5e: Stats, Grapple and Sting Math
A giant scorpion is a CR 3 Large beast with AC 15, 52 hit points, a 40-foot speed and three attacks a round: two claws that each grapple a different creature, and a sting that carries most of its damage. In the 2014 rules the sting forces a DC 12 Constitution save against 22 poison damage. In 2024 the save is gone and the sting simply adds 11 poison on a hit, which makes its damage steadier and less swingy. It senses everything within 60 feet with blindsight and sees nothing beyond that.
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Giant Scorpion Stat Block (2014)
This is the giant scorpion from SRD 5.1, matching the 2014 Monster Manual.
Giant Scorpion
Large beast, unaligned
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 52 (7d10+14)
Speed 40 ft.
STR
15 (+2)
DEX
13 (+1)
CON
15 (+2)
INT
1 (−5)
WIS
9 (−1)
CHA
3 (−4)
Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 9
Languages —
Challenge 3 (XP 700; PB +2)
Actions
Claw.Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 12). The scorpion has two claws, each of which can grapple only one target.
Multiattack.The scorpion makes three attacks: two with its claws and one with its sting.
Sting.Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Stat block from the SRD 5.1 (2014 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
Its attack bonus is low for CR 3 (+4), so it misses a lot. When the sting lands, though, it can deal 7 piercing plus 22 poison, 29 damage, which is enough to drop most level 3 characters from full. The claws grapple on every hit (escape DC 12), and each claw holds a separate target, so one scorpion can pin two characters at once.
The Giant Scorpion in the 2024 Rules
The 2024 giant scorpion (SRD 5.2.1) keeps its AC, hit points, speed, senses and CR. Strength rises from 15 to 16, and the attacks change shape.
Giant Scorpion
Large Beast, Unaligned
Armor Class 15
Initiative +1 (11)
Hit Points 52 (7d10 + 14)
Speed 40 ft.
STR
16 (+3)save +3
DEX
13 (+1)save +1
CON
15 (+2)save +2
INT
1 (−5)save −5
WIS
9 (−1)save −1
CHA
3 (−4)save −4
Senses Blindsight 60 ft.; Passive Perception 9
Languages None
Challenge 3 (XP 700; PB +2)
Actions
Multiattack.The scorpion makes two Claw attacks and one Sting attack.
Claw.Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) Bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it has the Grappled condition (escape DC 13) from one of two claws.
Sting.Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) Piercing damage plus 11 (2d10) Poison damage.
Stat block from the SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
2014 Giant Scorpion
2024 Giant Scorpion
Attack bonus
+4
+5
Claw
6 (1d8 + 2), grapples any target, escape DC 12
6 (1d6 + 3), grapples Large or smaller, escape DC 13
Sting
7 piercing + DC 12 Con save, 22 poison (half on success)
7 piercing + 11 poison, no save
Most damage in one round
41
30
The trade is simple. The 2014 sting has a high ceiling and a lot of variance: a character who fails the save loses 29 hit points to one attack. The 2024 sting averages 18 on a hit, but it hits more often (+5) and doesn't care about Constitution saves. Against a front-liner with a +5 Constitution save, the two versions come out almost even: about 15 expected damage a round each against AC 16.
How Giant Scorpions Fight
Grab two, sting one. The scorpion's best round grabs two different characters with its claws and stings whichever one has the weaker Constitution save (2014) or lower AC (2024). Grappling doesn't give it advantage on the sting, but it stops both victims from walking away, and it keeps a fragile caster locked next to the scorpion.
The damage math against AC 16, assuming a +2 Constitution save for the 2014 version:
Attack
2014 (+4, hits on 12+, 45%)
2024 (+5, hits on 11+, 50%)
Two claws
about 5.4
about 6
Sting
about 3.2 piercing + about 7.2 poison
about 9
Expected per round
about 16
about 15
The 2014 poison line comes from the save: a +2 save fails DC 12 on a 9 or lower (45%), so a landed sting averages about 16 poison (22 on a failure, 11 on a success). Multiply by the 45% hit chance and you get about 7.
Drag the catch. A grappler can move and drag what it holds. The scorpion's 40-foot speed means it can pull a grappled Small character (two sizes smaller) at full speed, or a Medium one at half speed in either edition. Use this to haul a wizard away from the cleric, into a sand pit or back into a burrow.
Fight in the dark. Blindsight 60 feet means darkness, fog and invisibility do nothing to it inside that range. A scorpion in a pitch-black tomb fights at full strength while the party's humans fumble with torches.
But it's blind past 60 feet. It has no darkvision or ordinary sight beyond its blindsight. An archer at 80 feet is a creature it can't see, so that archer attacks with advantage while the scorpion has to guess where the arrows come from. With Intelligence 1 it simply charges whatever it last sensed.
Running a Giant Scorpion Encounter
A giant scorpion is 700 XP.
Party of 4 (2024 SRD budgets)
Low
Moderate
High
Good fit
Level 3
600
900
1,600
1 scorpion (Moderate), 2 (High)
Level 4
1,000
1,500
2,000
2 scorpions (Moderate)
Level 5
2,000
3,000
4,400
3 or 4 scorpions (Moderate)
The 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines (used by our encounter calculator) rate one scorpion as a Medium fight for four level 3 characters. Two scorpions become 2,100 adjusted XP with the ×1.5 multiplier, which is Deadly at levels 3 and 4 and Medium at level 5.
Levels 3 to 5 are the best range. At level 3, use one scorpion and a reason it can't chase forever. Two scorpions can pin four characters between them, which is where the fight turns ugly. A giant scorpion also makes a strong guardian next to a mummy in a desert tomb at higher levels, or a pack of ordinary scorpions as a low-level warm-up.
How Players Beat a Giant Scorpion
•Shoot it from beyond 60 feet. Outside blindsight range it can't see you. Archers and casters on a ridge or across a chasm can kill it without being found.
•Break the grapple with an action, or don't bother. Escape is a DC 12 (2014) or DC 13 (2024) Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. A grappled caster can still cast at full effect, and in 2014 a grappled fighter attacks normally. In 2024 a grappled creature has disadvantage on attacks against anyone other than the grappler, so just hit the scorpion.
•Bring poison resistance. Most of the 2014 sting and a big share of the 2024 sting is poison. Characters with resistance to poison halve it.
•Target its Wisdom. It has Wisdom 9 (−1) and no save proficiencies. Animal Friendship can charm it before the fight starts (the 2014 version needs a beast with Intelligence below 4, which it easily meets), and Dominate Beast turns it on its own nest. Hold Person does nothing to a Beast.
•Don't count on darkness or invisibility. Inside 60 feet blindsight ignores both.
Giant Scorpion Encounter Ideas
The salt flats crossing. A caravan crosses a salt flat at night. Two giant scorpions hunt by feel and come out of the cracked ground into the middle of the camp. The flat terrain means anyone who runs past 60 feet becomes invisible to them. Clever players figure that out mid-fight.
The burrow rescue. A scout was dragged into a sandstone burrow at dusk. The tunnel is only wide enough for one Large creature and one Medium creature side by side. The party must fight the scorpion in a tight space where it can grab two characters and no one can get past it.
The arena beast. A fighting pit keeps a giant scorpion as its champion. The owner swears it has been "tamed." It hasn't. Its Intelligence is 1, and Speak with Animals gets nothing out of it but hunger and the smell of the crowd. Animal Friendship can calm it for 24 hours, which is longer than the owner's promises last.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is a giant scorpion in 5e?
A giant scorpion is CR 3 (700 XP) in both editions, with AC 15 and 52 hit points.
How much damage does a giant scorpion's sting do?
In 2014 the sting deals 7 piercing damage plus a DC 12 Constitution save: 22 poison damage on a failure, 11 on a success. In 2024 it deals 7 piercing plus 11 poison with no save.
Can a giant scorpion grapple two creatures?
Yes. It has two claws, and each claw can grapple one creature. In the 2024 rules the grappled creature must be Large or smaller.
Can a giant scorpion see invisible creatures?
It perceives everything within 60 feet with blindsight, so invisibility and darkness don't hide you inside that range. Beyond 60 feet it can't see at all.
Can you polymorph into a giant scorpion?
Yes, with the Polymorph spell, which allows any Beast whose CR is no higher than the target's level (or CR). A character of level 3 or higher qualifies. A druid's Wild Shape can't reach it in the SRD, because the highest CR allowed there is 1.
Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.