General Rules: Monsters - Ratman, Stricken

Ratman, Stricken (Slytheen) (adapted from Vigil Watch: Warrens of the Ratmen)
Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Slytheen)

Hit Dice: 2d8+6 (15 hit points)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 feet, climb 20 feet, burrow 10 feet, swim 50 feet
Armor Class: 15 (+3 natural, +2 leather); touch 10, flat-footed 15
BAB/Grapple: +2/+4

Attack: Claw +4 melee (1d8+2, slashing, 20 x2)

Full Attack: 2 claws +4 melee (1d8+2, slashing, 20 x2) and bite -1 melee (1d6+1, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2)

Space/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet
Special Attacks: None
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet, homunculus, reflect pain, additional body parts, speak with rats
Saves: Fortitude +3, Reflex +3, Will +4
Abilities: Str 15, Int 10, Wis 12, Dex 11, Con 16, Cha 10

Skills: Balance +2, Hide +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +2, Spot +3

Feats: Power Attack
Environment: Any

Organization: Warband (5 - 50 ratmen, plus one leader of 4^th - 7^th level per 15 warriors), nest (100 - 500 ratmen with leaders as above, plus one 8^th - 10^th level cleric per 100 warriors)

Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +2

To the stricken, pain is the world. it is their greatest fear, their greatest ally, their heritage, and their destiny. Sadists and masochists all at once, they rarely let survivors escape them without driving them at least in some measure to madness. The stricken are mutated nearly beyond recognition, their bodies sprouting strange extra limbs and even appendages that appear to be from other species. In their breeding pens, evolution has gone berserk, making these slytheen the most horrific examples of their kind.

Combat
Stricken have no use for subterfuge or stealth. They revel in combat, tearing through terrain and fortifications in a relentless drive to engage their opponents in close combat. Once there, they use their superior physical brawn to overcome their prey. These slytheen fight one on one against opponents of equal strength, resorting to mob tactics only against superior foes.

Homunculus (Ex): The stricken can detach portions of their body, which then acts as independent "minions". Detaching a homunculus is a partial action. A homunculus has however many hit points that the stricken chooses to invest in it; and the stricken loses the same amount, but regains any hit points that remain to the homunculus when it rejoins.

A homunculus is a Tiny creature, has the same Armor Class as its creator +2 due to size, and the same number and type of attacks, albeit at a -1 attack penalty. Damage is likewise the same at that of the stricken, but at -1 per die. A stricken may have as many as five homunculi active at one time; if one is killed, it may create another if it has sufficient hit points to do so. The homunculi are part of the stricken, and act completely under its control. They will never venture farther than 20 feet from the creating stricken. Those forced to do so can take no actions until their creator once more comes within 20 feet. Rejoining with a homunculus is a partial action.

Reflect Pain (Su): The stricken can channel pain against their adversaries: The slytheen converts every 10 points of damage to it or its homunculi suffer into a -1 circumstance penalty to attack rolls and skill checks targeted at any creature within 20 feet. A DC 13 Fortitude save negates this effect. The effect lasts 2d4 rounds, even if the ratman perishes before this duration ends.

Die Roll	Additional Body Part
1 - 10	Arm
6 - 15	Leg
16 - 19	Tail
20	Head

Additional Body Parts (Ex): Stricken are often born with multiple body parts or develop them as they grow, with new limbs, tails, or even heads - often from entirely different species - erupting from their flesh like foul diseases. A stricken receives 1d4 extra body parts. Roll 1d20 on the chart to the right to determine what extra parts it receives. The stricken may receive multiple instances of the same body part (three heads, for example. additional body parts grant the following abilities:

• Arm: One additional claw attack at +0, inflicting normal claw damage.


• Leg: Increase base speed by +5 feet, +1 to Balance and Jump checks.


• Tail: +1 to Dexterity and +1 to Balance and Jump checks.


• Head: One additional bite attack at -2, inflicting normal bite damage.

Speak with Rats (Su): Stricken ratmen have the ability to speak with rats and dire rats as if they were using the spell speak with animals.

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