General Rules: Monsters - Ratman, Black Pelt

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

Hit Dice: 2d8+2 (11 hit points)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 30 feet, climb 15 feet
Armor Class: 12 (+1 Dexterity, +1 natural)
BAB/Grapple: +2/+2

Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d3, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2)

Full Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d3, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2) and 2 claws -3 melee (1d4, slashing, 20 x2)

Space/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet
Special Attacks: Spells
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet, disruption, magic leech, redirection, speak with rats, SR 14
Saves: Fortitude +1, Reflex +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str 10, Int 16, Wis 13, Dex 13, Con 12, Cha 14

Skills: Concentration +6, Knowledge: Any +4, Knowledge: Arcana +8, Listen +3, Ritual Casting +6, Spellcraft +8, Spot +3

Feats: Improved Initiative
Environment: Any except arctic

Organization: Warband (15 - 120 ratmen, plus one sorcerer of 5^th - 8^th level per 30 warriors), nest (120 - 1,200 ratmen with leaders as above, plus one 8^th - 10^th level cleric and one 9^th - 12^th level sorcerer per 100 warriors)

Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +2

Arrogant, manipulative, deceitful, and maniacal - all these describe the black pelts. Ingenious, visionary, loyal, and industrious - these apply as well.

Perhaps alone among the slytheen, this brood preaches unity and labors to forge all ratmen into a single titanic force. To this end they have made overtures of cooperation backed by magical aid (which they have in plenty) to every warren within their expansive reach. If it were not for the unseeing, the black pelts may well have already succeeded.

Combat
Potent magic users, the black pelts harry (or utterly destroy) their opponents with spells before unleashing their servitor creatures to clean up the rest. Since magic is second nature to black pelts, they do not behave as the typical, solitary mage. instead, they fight in teams, using ritual magic to further increase the potential of their invocations. Also, magic use rarely signifies a lack of martial prowess, as it does in other broods. Black pelts develop potent magical abilities, even those who devote most of their life to studying the sword and shield.

Disruption (Sp): Beyond their innate resistance to spells, the black pelts can focus upon the arcane energies of others and disrupt them. Black pelts can effectively cast dispel magic an unlimited number of times per day, but may only use this spell-like ability for the purposes of counterspelling arcane spells (and not divine spells). When it is evident they are facing arcane casters among their opponents, a pack of black pelts will invariably have some of its members ready themselves to disrupt their opponents magical spells.

Magic Leech (Su): Black pelts are considered to have the monk's improved evasion ability when attempting a saving throw against the effects of arcane magic. Furthermore, upon a successful save, the ratman may heal an amount of hit point damage equal to the spell's level or the item's caster level.

Redirection (Sp): On a successful saving throw, the black pelt may actually "store" an arcane spell targeted against it. The ratman may hold such a spell for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round) before "casting" it at a new target of its choosing. This new spell is considered to have been cast by a spellcaster of the original caster's level or the slytheen's caster level (usually equal to their total Hit Dice), whichever is lower. Stored spells not recast in time disperse harmlessly.

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

Spells: Black pelts cast spells as a 3^rd level sorcerer.

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