Banekin [Monster] [0e]

Banekin

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. They prize flash and glitter, and will ruthlessly plunder anything or anyone of everything shiny and bright, from hand mirrors to gemstones.

Banekin live in hordes 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.

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.

Banekin can communicate with rats, and almost always live with great numbers of them.

Banekin hordes can also be treated as a single monster by DMs. Banekin hordes treated this way take only 1/2 damage from any non-area attack.

Banekin: HD 1d6, AC 6 [13], Atks 1 weapon (1d4), Move 9, Save 18, CL/XP B/10

Banekin Horde (10 banekin): HD 2, AC 6 [13], Atks 1 weapon (1d8), Move 9, Save 16, CL/XP 3/60, Special 1/2 damage from non-area attacks

Banekin Horde (30 banekin): HD 4, AC 6 [13], Atks 1 weapon (3d8), Move 9, Save 13, CL/XP 5/240, Special 1/2 damage from non-area attacks

Banekin Horde (50 banekin): HD 6, AC 6 [13], Atks 1 weapon (5d8), Move 9, Save 11, CL/XP 7/600, Special 1/2 damage from non-area attacks