Centipedes

Centipedes are creatures in Rain World based loosely on the real world arthropod. These creatures can vary from a safe source of food to a dangerous predator according to their size.

= Appearance = Centipedes are orange and brown insects with segmented bodies covered by protective scales. They have many legs and two sets of antennae on either end of the body. Centipedes make long, high frequency sounds when either grabbing prey or being attacked. A variant of the ordinary centipede, the centiwing, has green scales with red frills, and is capable of flight.

Centipedes can spawn in Garbage Wastes, Industrial Complex, Farm Arrays, Subterranean, Shaded Citadel, Outskirts and Drainage System on hardmode. Additionally, centiwings are present in Sky Islands.

= Behavior = Centipedes are fast crawlers, meaning they can outrun most creatures in tunnels or tight spaces and can crawl on walls, making them hard to outmaneuver. Centipedes move in short, fast bursts, making them less predictable than other creatures.

Centipedes have movement-based vision, meaning that they are unlikely to see a creature that is staying still. Centipedes can see from both heads, also have much worse vision while moving. All centipede types besides centiwings can also hear, but only when stationary.

Centipedes can latch onto and shock other creatures, which is fatal when the creature has less mass than the centipede. In order to deliver a shock, both "ends" of the centipede must latch onto the creature, meaning there is a window to escape before both ends connect. As they become more injured, centipedes begin to spasm and shake, which can result in their moving in a tight defensive mass.

= Subtypes = Centipedes come in four general sizes and two additional subtypes, each of which interact with other creatures differently and have separate health values.

Infant
Infant centipedes are non-aggressive juveniles of the species. Typically found in groups, infants will sometimes be accompanied by an adult centipede. These can be picked up and eaten by the slugcat to restore 2 food pips. If an infant centipede is held for too long, it will shock the slugcat, stunning it and causing it to drop the centipede. This can be avoided by killing them in advance through various methods, as once dead they can be safely carried for as long as needed without needing to immediately eat them. Possible methods of killing them include simply spearing them, killing them with Explosives, utilising a Spore Puff, or only partially eating them. The latter can be achieved by moving the slugcat to interrupt the eating process after a single bite. Infant centipedes consider batflies as prey, and can often be seen hunting and shocking them to death.

Adults
Adult centipedes encompass a wide and continuous variety of sizes, from being slightly smaller than slugcat, to much larger, and cannot be picked up as infants can. Depending on the size of the centipede, their shocks are powerful enough to stun, and even kill a slugcat. Adult centipedes that range around the same size as a slugcat may not see them as prey, and simply ignore them, while centipedes that are larger will actively pursue a slugcat in an attempt to grab, shock, and kill them.

Youth
Youth centipedes will generally not be able to kill Slugcat, and only stun them with their shock. Due to their relatively similar size to Slugcat, youth centipedes will most likely not see them as prey and leave them be. They have approximately 0.9 health points, so most will be able to be killed with a single spear. They restore 2-3 food pips when eaten.

Mature
Mature centipedes are larger than Slugcat and see them as prey. Mature centipedes will hunt them by grabbing and then shocking them to death. They have a health range of 1.49-2.55, and so can be killed with 2-3 shots of a regular spear. If killed and eaten, mature centipedes will restore 3-5 food pips.

Overgrown
Overgrown centipedes are extremely large, nearly 4 times that of Slugcat, and will aggressively hunt it 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 Slugcat inside tunnels. Overgrown centipedes are very powerful, and can win fights against the strongest of lizards, vultures and groups of scavengers. They have a health range of 3.64-13.33, and so they require at least 4 shots of a regular spear or a well aimed Spore Puff to kill. If killed and eaten, they will restore 6-7 food pips.

Centiwings
"Main Article: Centiwing"Centiwings are flying green centipedes native to the Sky Islands region. They have similar stats and behavior to adult centipedes and will possibly attack the slugcat or other creatures like squidcadas. Their movement consists of alternating between flying and crawling like normal centipedes. They also appear to be less aggressive than other centipedes. If killed and eaten, centiwings will restore 3 food pips.

Red Centipedes
"Main Article: Red Centipede"Red Centipedes are a dangerous centipede variant that only spawns naturally when playing as the Hunter. They are much larger than overgrown centipedes, are well-armoured and are highly aggressive. Each red section is a piece of armored shell that will deflect a single spear throw before falling off. They will continually hunt their prey once spotted, making them an extremely dangerous foe. They are nonetheless weak to Spore Puffs, but they will take some time to die from one. If killed and eaten, Red Centipedes will restore 9 food pips.

= Strategy = Fighting an adult centipede is relatively easy, as 2-3 shots of a regular spear or a single Spore Puff can kill it. Overgrown centipedes are deadlier as they are faster, have more health than adult centipedes and will need somewhere around 7 spears or a spore puff. Throwing rocks at centipedes only aggravates them, but hitting a centipede with a spear stuns it, preventing them from grabbing the player momentarily. To kill a larger centipede with spears, throw one at it from close range. Right after the hit, recover the spear, move back and repeat. Centipedes hit with a spear on one end of its body will deliberately attack with the other end, so be sure to either take the spear back quickly or bring multiple. When the centipede is low on health, it will curl up into a ball, making it harder to kill, as it's much easier for it to grab you with both ends and kill you. Centipedes can be grabbed and eaten once dead by holding the grab button. If you killed a centipede earlier and something is chasing you, you can plug up a tunnel using a centipede's body as a means of escape.

When a scale falls off due to being hit, that chunk takes extra damage when speared.

Using Lizards
Blue lizards have sometimes been observed to fiercely hunt centipedes, including overgrown ones. These lizards, alongside white lizards and salamanders, have high chances of victory in these battles due to their tongues. Reach of these tongues often allows them to deliver an incapacitating or lethal bite to a centipede before it can react.

Using Tunnels
Centipedes can only kill when both ends of their body are connected to their victim. If you are in a tunnel or some tight space you can delay a centipede's electric attack, since the centipede will have a hard time connecting both ends to the slugcat's body. Keep in mind the centipede can still reach around and grab you with both ends in a tunnel.

Using Walls
Centipedes can be pinned to walls with a well aimed spear. This can be used to immobilize larger centipedes, allowing for an easy kill. Pinned centipedes are still dangerous, however, so keep your distance.

= Trivia =
 * When a centipede spawns, there is a small chance for a random section of its shell to be missing.
 * If you strike a centipede in a section that is missing a shell, it will deal more damage.
 * Centiwings are green with red frills on the legs, much like some worms that you can find near coastal areas in real life.
 * Just as in real life, infant centipedes have fewer legs than their mature forms.
 * Centipedes have to curl up and connect both of their heads to shock its prey, leading some to believe one head has a negative charge and the other a positive charge, similar to a battery.
 * Centipedes cannot be stunned by rocks. Throwing a rock at a larger centipede will cause it to hunt down the slugcat with vigor.
 * Centipedes can often be found in tunnels of some regions, such as the Industrial Complex and the Subterranean.
 * Centipedes’ weakness to spore puffs suggests that the fungi is either toxic to them or causes them to suffocate.
 * If a centipede shocks a creature in water, the current will travel to all other creatures in the same body of water, either stunning or killing them, depending on their health and the size of the centipede.