General Rules: Monsters - Ratman, Stalker

Ratman, Stalker (adapted from the Creature Collection II)
Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Slytheen)

Hit Dice: 2d8+6 (15 hit points)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 feet, climb 15 feet
Armor Class: 16 (+3 Dexterity, +1 natural, +2 leather armor); touch AC 13, flat-footed AC 13
BAB/Grapple: +2/+2

Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d3, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2) or scimitar +2 melee (1d6, slashing, 18-20 x2) or hand crossbow +5 ranged (1d4, piercing, 19-20 x2, 30 feet x10)

Full Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d3, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, 20 x2) and 2 claws -3 melee (1d4, slashing, 20 x2) or scimitar +2 melee (1d6, slashing, 18-20 x2) or hand crossbow +5 ranged (1d4, piercing, 19-20 x2, 30 feet x10)

Space/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/5 feet
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet, speak with rats, wild empathy +8
Saves: Fortitude +3, Reflex +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 10, Int 12, Wis 10, Dex 16, Con 16, Cha 12

Skills: Bluff +3, Climb +5, Handle Animal +8, Hide +4, Jump +2, Search +4, Spot +3, Survival +4

Feats: Track and either Exotic Weapon Proficiency or Two-Weapon Fighting
Environment: Any except land

Organization: Solitary (plus 1 - 6 animals or dire animals)

Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: By character class

Unlike other slytheen, stalkers are loners who travel the Three Worlds tracking and slaying prey. Sometimes they hunt for money, sometimes simply for the thrill of the chase.

Stalkers are the slytheen that city dwellers are most likely to have encountered, if such people have ever laid eyes on a ratman. These vermin occasionally visit establishments of ill repute in the worst sections of towns.

Cloaked in the dark hoods and capes they prefer when dealing with civilization, stalkers may be on the hunt or in search of new targets when encountered. Most humanoids prefer to avoid the man-sized, gray-furred killers, no matter what their agenda is. This is not due solely to the rats' reputation as bounty hunters, but to stalkers' response to anyone who defeats one of their number. Soon after the kill, other stalkers hunt the individual responsible. They are not interested in revenge - they seek to prove themselves against one capable of defeating one of their own.

Ratmen speak Slytheen, a language of chittering and sibilant hisses similar to that of rodents, and they can also communicate with rats and dire rats.

Combat
In combat, stalkers are much like other slytheen, preferring to strike from ambush. When possible, they prepare a series of traps and drive their prey into them, letting devices and snared to the fighting for them. Stalkers also use their animal packs to harass and drive prey into traps. they always carry some sort of missile or throwing weapon, almost certainly coating the projectiles with poison. In melee, they use any kind of weapon that is available, but prefer wielding weapons in both hands such as two daggers or use exotic weapons such as a net or whip.

Poison (Ex): Through their many employers, stalkers have access to a large variety of poisons with which to coat their weapons and traps. These are applied specifically to obtain a particular result, from death, to spasms, to paralysis. A DC 13 Fortitude save is generally required to resist the results, although weak or stron poisons apply modifiers.

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

Skills: Stalkers gain a +6 racial bonus to Handle Animal and Wild Empathy checks.

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