General Rules: Monsters - Ratman, Forge Crawler Pothecary

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

Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hit points)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 feet, climb 15 feet, burrow 10 feet
Armor Class: 15 (+2 Dexterity, +1 natural, +2 leather armor)
BAB/Grapple: +2/+2

Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d3, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2) or alchemist's fire +4 ranged (1d8, fire, 20 x2, 10 feet x5, splash 2)

Full Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d3, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2) and 2 claws -3 melee (1d4, slashing, 20 x2) or alchemist's fire +4 ranged (1d8, fire, 20 x2, 10 feet x5, splash 2)

Space/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet
Special Attacks: None
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet, poison adept, adaptation, signature brew, speak with rats
Saves: Fortitude +2, Reflex +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 10, Int 16, Wis 11, Dex 14, Con 14, Cha 11

Skills: Craft: Alchemy +11, Craft: Any One +4, Craft: Any One +4, Decipher Script +8, Hide +4, Knowledge: Nature +8, Listen +3, Spot +3

Feats: Skill Focus (Craft: Alchemy)
Environment: Any

Organization: Worskshop (10 - 30 pothecaries with one 4^th - 7^th level construct and two 3^rd to 5^th level warriors for every 15 pothecaries), nest (70 - 1,000 ratmen with guards as above plus one 8^th - 10^th level priest for every 100 ratmen)

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

Since early in their existence, this fractious line has threatened to blow itself and everyone near them to oblivion. In their mad desire to indulge their "creator passion", they have undertaken increasingly complex and dangerous projects of construction, rarely with any regard for short or even long term safety. To make matters worse, pothecaries are equally skilled at the creation and use of poisons and other dangerous substances. Calling their work "messy and dangerous" is an understatement of titanic proportions.

Pothecaries are the makers of poisons, potions, and poultices, creating everything from alchemical fire bombs to weapon venom. Unlike most of their kind, these slytheen openly share the secrets of their discoveries with others of the "family" An unspoken running tally of each member's contribution remains in memory and acts as the ultimate measure of prestige and station among the group.

Combat
These slytheen often lay ambushes from high ground, in a thick canopy, or any other safe vantage well elevated above their intended target. When the time comes, they hurl dozens of vile concoctions at foes, patiently waiting for their brews to take effect before running in for the kill.

Adaptation (Su): If a pothecary has three full rounds to study a sample of poison, she may alter her own metabolism to become immune to its effects. She must be able to see and smell the substance. Furthermore, the ratman's saliva can not act as an antidote to negate the poison in others (although unlike the pothecary, the beneficiaries of the antidote do not gain permanent immunity). This ability functions exactly as the spell neutralize poison, though when used on the slytheen itself, it also reverses all instantaneous effects of the poison that she has suffered so far.

Poison Adept (Ex): Pothecaries receive a +2 racial bonus to all skill checks relating to poisons.

Signature Brew Characteristics
Die Roll	Primary Damage (DC)	Secondary Damage	Form	Applications	Special
1 -5	1 (11)	1d2	Liquid	1	-
6 - 9	1d2 (12)	1d4	Liquid	1	-
10 - 12	1d4 (13)	1d6	Liquid	2	Subtle
13 - 15	1d6 (14)	1d8	Liquid	2	Time Delay
16 - 17	1d8 (16)	1d10	Solid	3	Burning
18 - 19	1d10 (18)	2d6	Solid	3	Contagious
20	2d6 (20)	3d6	Gas	4	Virulent

Signature Brew (Ex): Pothecaries treat poisons as a matter of pride, holding them up as proof of their genius and considering them the pinnacle of self-expression. Each pothecary develops his unique poison, known as his signature brew. When a pothecary is encountered, roll 1d20 on each column of the chart to the right to determine the signature brew's characteristics.

• Primary Ability Damage (DC): This represents temporary damage to one of the target's ability scores (the DM may select or randomly determine the affected ability) The DC represents the Fortitude save required to negate the brew's effects.


• Secondary Ability Damage: As with primary ability damage, though secondary ability damage need not target the same ability and always takes effect ten rounds following the onset of the primary damage.


• Forms: The brew can be a liquid, solid, or gas, with the following special characteristics.
  
  • Liquid: A brew is normally a liquid, and must be used within 24 hours of its creation, or it is rendered harmless.
  
  
  • Solid: When in the form of a solid, the brew retains its potency but decays more slowly. Each prepares dose is usable for a number of days equal to its listed applications, rather than one day as with a liquid.
  
  
  • Gas: When in the form of a gas, the brew has a far greater area of effect. if the slytheen desires, doses of the poison can be stored in glass spheres or other grenade-like weapons and thrown. When the vessel breaks, it affects an area with a radius equal to 5 feet + 5 feet per listed application. The gas also affects this area for a number of rounds equal to its listed applications.
• Applications: If in the form of a liquid or solid, this is the number of attacks for which a dose of the brew remains active following its application to a weapon. Solid and liquid poisons can only be applied to a slashing or piercing weapon - bludgeoning weapons cannot deliver poison. If in gaseous form, this number equals the bonus to its area of effect, and the number of rounds that it remains effective. Unsuccessful attacks count against the total number of applications. When applied to arrows or bolts, this value represents the number of missiles that may be tipped per dose.


• Special: These characteristics increase the potency of the poison.
  
  • Subtle: The poison is insidious, making it difficult to detect and treat. Increase the DC of all heal checks made on victims of this poison by +5.
  
  
  • Time Delay: The effects of the poison are delayed by a number of days equal to its applications, though the target still attempts a save upon delivery of the dose.
  
  
  • Burning: This optional modification can apply to any dose the pothecary prepares. The brew deals its secondary damage as normal damage rather than ability damage. Following the onset of primary ability damage, the secondary damage continues to be deal for a number of rounds equal to the poison's applications or until the victim successfully saves against the secondary damage DC.
  
  
  • Contagious: The brew acts like a disease, its effects spreading from person to person. Anyone who touches or comes within 5 feet of a victim of this poison must make a Fortitude save against the poison's primary damage DC. These secondary victims receive a +8 circumstance bonus to their Fortitude saves to avoid the brew's effects, but failure means they suffer the full force of the brew and become contagious themselves. A victim remains contagious only while the brew is active. A brew with time-delayed effects dos not become contagious until the onset of its effects.
  
  
  • Virulent: The master pothecary learns to create a brew that bypasses the natural immunities of its targets. The master alone remains completely impervious to the brew's effects. target creatures that are normally immune to poison must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw or suffer the brew's effects. However, such beings receive a saving throw bonus equal to their character levels (or Hit Dice).

Speak with Rats (Su): Pothecary 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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