Tree Pangolin
Pangolin, Tree
Tiny Animal
Hit Dice: ½d8+2 (4 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 10 ft.
Armour Class: 16 (+2 size, +2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–10 [+5 to resist unrolling]
Attack: Claws +4 melee (1d4-2)
Full Attack: Claws +4 melee (1d4-2)
Space/Reach: 2½ ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Rock-hard claws, shivering scales, stink-spray
Special Qualities: Armoured ball, DR 1/–, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +12, Hide +12, Listen +3, Survival +2* [+6 tracking by scent], Swim +5
Feats: Athletic, Track(B), Weapon Finesse(B)
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary or Family (2-8)
Challenge Rating: 1/4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
A slim, cat-sized animal entirely covered with horny scales that give it the appearance of a stretched-out pine -cone. It has a long flat tail and four short but sturdy legs, the forelegs end in large curved claws. The animal's head is almost all elongated, tapering snout, which ends in a tiny mouth.
A tree pangolin is an arboreal, nocturnal insectivore. These nocturnal creatures use their keen sense of smell to find insects on or within trees, they often use their powerful claws to strip of bark or break open dead wood to reach their food. A tree pangolin has a long sticky tongue for lapping up insects.
Like regular pangolins (q.v.), tree pangolins can prop themselves up on their hind legs with their tails and knuckle-walk on the ground, although they would much rather climb trees. They have prehensile tails strong enough for them to hang by while bearing the weight of another creature their size, while their claws make great climbing-hooks and can close on narrow branches with a vice-like grip – all handy adaptations for climbing.
An average tree pangolin is only 18 inches long, about half of which is tail, and weighs about 4 pounds.
Combat
Tree Pangolins only fight if cornered, slashing with their long claws. They would much rather climb away from threats, or roll into an armoured ball. If sore pressed a tree pangolin can emit a spray of noxious fluid whose reek is enough to repel most of its natural predators.
Armoured Ball (Ex): A tree pangolin can roll into a tight ball as a move action. A rolled-up tree pangolin loses its dexterity modifier to AC and can take no action apart from Shivering Scales (see below), but gains a +2 circumstance bonus to its Natural Armour Damage Reduction and the DC of its Shivering Scales special attack, thus changing its defences to DC14 Shivering Scales, AC16 (touch 12, flat-footed 16) and DR 3/–. The tree pangolin can unroll itself into an upright position with a standard action.
Whenever a critical hit or sneak attack is scored on a tree pangolin rolled into an Armoured Ball, there is a 25% chance that the special attack is negated and its damage is rolled normally.
An attacker can forcibly unroll a pangolin with a grapple check, but the tree pangolin receives a +15 racial bonus on its grapple check to resist, and the attacker must continue making grapple checks each round or the pangolin can roll itself back up.
Rock-Hard Claws (Ex): A tree pangolin's claws attack ignores hardness of up to 5, allowing them to easily claw through bark and wood to find insects.
Shivering Scales (Ex): A tree pangolin can use a standard action to vibrate its scales to try cutting attackers with their sharp edges. Any opponent that grapples the pangolin or hits it with a natural weapon attack before the pangolin's next turn must make a Reflex save against a DC12 or take 1d3 damage plus half the attacker's Strength bonus (maximum +3). If the pangolin is rolled into an Armoured Ball, the DC is 15. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Example: a leopard hits a rolled-up tree pangolin with its 1d6+3 damage bite attack. If it fails the DC15 Reflex save it takes 1d3+1 damage. The pangolin only takes 1d6 damage, due to its Armoured Ball Damage Reduction of 3.
Stink-Spray (Ex): Once an hour, a pangolin can spray a 10 foot line of reeking musk. Any living creature it touches must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be sickened for 1d6+4 rounds. A delay poison or neutralize poison spell removes the effect from a sickened creature. Creatures with immunity to poison are unaffected, and creatures resistant to poison receive their normal bonus on their saving throws. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills
Pangolins have a +2 racial bonus on Hide and Listen checks, a +4 racial bonus on Swim checks, plus an +4 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent. A tree pangolin has a +8 racial bonus to Climb and can use either its Dexterity or its Strength bonus on Climb checks, it can always opt to take 10 on Climb checks, even when rushed or threatened.
Tree Pangolin Familiars
A tree pangolin can be used as a familiar. Such tree pangolins lose their Stink-Spray special attack (unless acquired with the Improved Familiar feat as detailed below) and give their master +3 hit points, together with a taste for ants.
A spellcaster of Neutral alignment of at least 5th level can use the Improved Familiar feat to acquire a tree pangolin familiar that retains its Stink-Spray attack which also gifts its master with a +1 natural armour bonus whenever it is within arm's reach.
Pangolin, Eomanis
Eomanis is a prehistoric animal, probably an early ancestor of the pangolins. It resembles a tree pangolin in size and shape, except its scaly armour is less developed, and does not properly cover its limbs and underbelly.
Use the same stats as a pangolin, except Eomanis only has a +1 natural armour bonus and a +2 cap on its Shivering Scales damage bonus, and when it rolls in an Armoured Ball the animal only gains a +1 circumstance bonus to its Damage Reduction and Shivering Scales, changing its defences to:
Armour Class: AC 15 (+2 size, +2 Dex, +1 natural), touch
Armoured Ball: DC13 Shivering Scales, AC15 (touch 12, flat-footed 15) and DR 2/–.
Shivering Scales: DC12, maximum damage 1d3+2.
Just imagine, and smile.
