Monster of the week: Dire Stirge

Today, I'll go through a monster I used a couple sessions ago and which has been a personal favorite for many years now, the Stirge. Once again, to avoid conflicting with the official D&D Next stuff (and their rather lame version of the Stirge), I'll make this the Dire Stirge, a beefed up, wilder, version of the Stirge.

"Do you mind if I collect a bit of it, since it has already left your body?" (Danik, jumping on the opportunity of collecting some dwarven blood samples, soon after an encounter with a flock of young dire striges)

Dire Stirge (young)
Small Animal
Armor Class 16 (10 when attached)
Hit Points 6 (2d4+2)

Speed 50' fly (12 squares)

Initiative +3

Senses dark-vision (60')
STR(8/-1) DEX (14/2) CON(10/0)
INT(4/-3) WIS(10/0) CHA(6/-2)
Alignment unaligned

Languages sonic

Traits

• Blood Drain: When Grappling (using it's Powerful Grapple) a creature, the Young Dire Stirge can then plant it's long tubular proboscis and drain it's blood every turn as an action. The target automatically loses d4 temporary CON points. Once the Young Dire Stirge has drain CON points equal or above to his own CON score, he is gorged on blood and will then attempt to flee to safety. If the target reaches 0 and below temporary CON, each new Blood Drain by the same or another creature raises his current Exhaustion level by 1. This can lead to death as per D&D Next Exhaustion rules. Temporary CON score can be recovered with a simple long rest, however, the Exhaustion levels follow the usual Exhaustion rules.
• Powerful Grapple: Once the Young Dire Stirge hit a target, it will then try to plant it's powerful hooked talons onto it and grapple it. Such Grapple checks are at +5 for the Dire Stirge. A creature Grappled this way can still move, but the Dire Stirge will move with it. The Young Dire Stirge itself will never try to drag it's target however. When Grappling, the Stirge AC is modified to 10 (see AC section above)

Actions

• Melee Attack - Hooking Talons: +2 to hit (reach 5', one creature). Hit: 3 (d4) piercing damage and the target is Grappled (see Traits).("the Young Dire Stirge dives onto you and tries to plant it's hooked talons in your flesh!")
• Melee Attack - Fly-by Dive: +3 (reach 5', one creature). Hit: 6 (d8) piercing damage and the Dire Stirge gain another action: Disengage and can move half his movement (25').("the Young Dire Stirge dives onto you, trying to slash you with it's talons, then flies away!")

Encounter Building Level (2) Experience (60)
Description

Young Dire Stirge are about the same size as an adult Stirge, and only it's pale Grey coloring, hooked talons and scaly hide will help an experienced adventure notice the difference. It's four bat-like wings allows it to fly very fast and change direction and speed almost instantly, which is used to best effects in it's usual lairs (caves, tunnels, ruins, etc).
Young Dire Stirge very seldom travel away from the Stirge Hive and usually only feed on Blood Nectar (see Treasure section & Notes) unless disturbed.
If a warm blooded creature enters the lair, it will act on instinct and attack, usually in numbers, then retreat once gorged with enough blood. Young Dire Stirge don't think and will not flee otherwise, unless forced to by magic and such effects.
There is 1 to 4 young Dire Stirge per litter (once per year) and it takes 3-5 years for the young ones to mature and leave the hive.
Environment(rare/3-6)

Caves, dark ruins and other dark areas. Usually found in Dire Stirge hives.
Behavior 
Grumpy, Territorial, Mindless

Load-Out 
n/a
Treasure

The Hive usually contains the remains of whatever (whoever) the adult Dire Stirges brought home for dinner as well as d8 dose of Blood Nectar (each dose = 1 pint) hanging in a large sac usually crafted of skin and bones.

Dire Stirge (adult)
Medium Animal
Armor Class 16 (14 when attached)
Hit Points 50(5d10+12)

Speed 40' fly (8 squares)

Initiative +2

Senses dark-vision (60')
STR(12/1) DEX (12/1) CON(14/2)
INT(6/-2) WIS(12/1) CHA(8/-1)
Alignment unaligned

Languages sonic

Traits

• Blood Drain: When Grappling (using it's Powerful Grapple) a creature, the Dire Stirge can then plant it's long tubular proboscis and drain it's blood every turn as an action. The target automatically loses d6 temporary CON points. Once the Stirge has drain CON points equal or above to his own CON score, he is gorged on blood and will then attempt to flee to safety. If the target reaches 0 and below temporary CON, each new Blood Drain by the same or another creature raises his current Exhaustion level by 1. This can lead to death as per D&D Next Exhaustion rules. Temporary CON score can be recovered with a simple long rest, however, the Exhaustion levels follow the usual Exhaustion rules.
• Powerful Grapple: Once the Dire Stirge hit a target, it will then try to plant it's powerful hooked talons onto it and grapple it. Such Grapple checks are at +10 for the Dire Stirge. A creature Grappled this way can still move, but the Dire Stirge will move with it. The Dire Stirge itself will never try to drag it's target however. When Grappling, the Stirge AC is modified to 14 (see AC section above)

Actions

• Melee Attack - Hooking Talons: +5 to hit (reach 5', one creature). Hit: 10 (2d6+2) piercing damage and the target is Grappled (see Traits).("the Dire Stirge dives onto you and tries to plant it's hooked talons in your flesh!")
• Melee Attack - Fly-by Dive: +5 (reach 5', one creature). Hit: 8 (d10+2) piercing damage and the Dire Stirge gain another action: Disengage and can move half his movement (20'). On hit, if the target is Medium or smaller in size, make a Contest check STR vs STR/DEX (target chooses). On failure, the Dire Stirge drags the target as it flies away, then releases it while in the air (usual fall damage applies, Acrobatics for half, as per rules. The GM determines the height)("the Dire Stirge dives onto you, trying to slash you with it's talons, then flies away, trying to drag you along with it!")

Encounter Building Level (5) Experience (400)
Description

The Adult Dire Stirge is quite massive compared to it's normal cousin, ranging 2' to 4' long with a wingspan up to 2'. It's hide is actually a thin layer of Grey scales that darkens and hardens as it get older. It's talons, hooked to make sure it stays attached to it's preys, are a scary sight and can rip through even the hardest of plate armors.
Adult Dire Stirge usually mate for life and lair in whatever dark place they can find. There, they will stay for the remainder of their lives (about 10-15 years), breeding and hunting. The fact that only 1 in 5 Dire Stirge is a female is pretty much the only thing that prevents them from becoming a real problem to civilization.
Both the male and the female will spend most of their time hunting around the lair (about 10 miles radius). Once they find a suitable prey, they will weaken it if necessary, then hook onto it and fly it back to the lair to feed their progeny and themselves. Quite often, a prey is so weakened that it will take days for it to actually die, while being drained time and time again by the Dire Stirges.
Environment(very rare/1-2)
Dark caves, ruins, deep forests and other similar areas. Hunt within a 10 miles radius of these as well.

Behavior
Grumpy, Territorial, Sanguinovor, Predator (active hunting)

Load-Out 
n/a
Treasure

The Hive usually contains the remains of whatever (whoever) the adult Dire Stirges brought home for dinner as well as d8 dose of Blood Nectar (each dose = 1 pint) hanging in a large sac usually crafted of skin and bones.

Note Blood Nectar (very rare, 75-125gp a dose)
The adult Female Dire Stirge can regurgitate Blood, usually into a sac prepared from skin and bone. This blood is called Blood Nectar and will be used to feed the young Dire Stirges. In a normal sized hive, there is one or two sacs, each with D8 doses of Blood Nectar (each dose = 1 pint).
One dose of Blood Nectar will have the following effects:

• Gain 2d8+2 Temporary Hit Points for 1 hour.
• Make the target immune to Fear, Charm and other Mind affecting spells for 1 hour.
• Disadvantage on DEX and CHA checks for 1 hour, from a numbness in the extremities as well as intoxication characterized by staggering, unsteady gait, slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and loss of balance. 
• Addiction to it. When someone drinks a dose of Blood Nectar, make a CON save (DC12) every 12h afterwards. On failure, the subject must have another Blood Nectar dose or suffer withdrawal (Intoxicated State). After 2 days (48 hours), the withdrawal symptoms are gone. The process restarts for every new dose taken.

Quick Plot Hook
The son of a local rich and prominent noble is hooked on Blood Nectar but his last suppliers never returned from their "collection" trip in a remote cave up north. 
He hires a group of adventurers, under false pretense, to go and "slay the evil creatures". One condition though: he has to come as well!
Will they be able to find the exact location of the cave among the gossips and lies of the local taverns? Will they be able to handle the Dire Stirges in there? Do they care about what's in these sacs that the youngster seem so frantic about? How will daddy react to all this?