Banekin

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Tiny Humanoid (Gnome)

Hit Dice: 1d8 (4)

Magic Rating: 0

Initiative: +7 (+3 Dexterity, +4 Improved Initiative)

Speed: 20 ft.

AC: 16 (+2 size, +3 dexterity, +1 natural)

BAB/Grapple: +0/-10

Attacks: Shortspear +0 melee (two-handed 1d4-1; 20; x3) or dart +4 ranged 1d2-2;20;x2)

Attack Score: Shortspear 11 melee; dart 15 ranged

Space/Reach: 2 ½ ft./0 ft.

Special Qualities: Darkvision, Evasion, Scent

Saves: Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +0

Save Scores: Fort 11, Ref 16, Will 11

Abilities: Str 7, Dex 16, Con 11, Int 9, Wis 10, Chr 8

Skills: Hide +16, Listen +1, Move Silently +9, Pick Pocket +4, Search +0, Spot +1

Feats: Improved Initiative, Team Attack*

Environment: Underground

Frequency: Common

Organization: Plunder (2-8), Rob (10-40), Mob (40-120).

CR/XP: ¼ / 75

Treasure: Standard

Alignment: Usually chaotic evil

Advancement: By character class

Banekin are sallow-faced, wizen humanoids with dark hair and tough, leathery skin. They stand no more than eighteen inches tall, and wear crude clothing sewn from ratskin. Banekin with access to woven cloth will sometimes make finer clothes from that.

Banekin live in great packs of up to a hundred or more individuals. A solitary banekin is usually a dead banekin, and so they live, eat, sleep, and fight in groups. A banekin alone will seek out whatever companionship it can, recruiting rat packs or even tagging along with adventurers. They prize flash and glitter, and will ruthlessly plunder anything or anyone of everything shiny and bright, from hand mirrors to gemstones.

Banekin infest dungeons and ruins, creating intricate networks of small tunnels through which to travel. These tunnels are usually no more than a foot in diameter, and heavily patrolled by banekin and rats. Unused tunnels are blocked off or trapped to sound alarms in populated areas, giving the banekin time to mount defenses or flee.

They speak Common and Gnome.

COMBAT

Banekins use nets, pits, or snares to trap their foes, then stab them into submission with their spears.

Speak with Rats (Ex): Banekin can speak with rats as though using an unlimited duration speak with animals spell.

Feats: Banekin gain the Team Attack feat as a bonus racial feat.

Skills: Banekin have a +5 racial bonus to Hide and Move Silently skill checks.

BANEKIN IN SHADOWEND

Banekin are one of the fallen branches of gnomes, like bu’airn, cearb, and fhmor. They dwell in ruins, dungeons, and settlements across the width and breadth of all known lands – whenever they were twisted into their present form, it was a very long time ago.