Agropelter

Agropelter (CR 3)

argopelter.jpg

Medium magical beast (fearsome critter)
Init 17; Senses darkvision; Notice 18
Defense
AC 17, flat-footed 13; +4 AC vs. AoO
(+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +3 natural)
HP 38 (4d10+16)
Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +2
Offense
Speed 30 ft. climb 30 ft.; burst of speed
Melee 2 slams +6 (1d4+2)
Ranged 2 wooden splinters +7 (1d3+2 plus 1 bleed) or 1 branch +7 (1d10+3)
Statistics
Str 14, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 12
Base Atk +4; CMB +6; CMD 19
Feats DodgeB, Improved Initiative, Point-Blank Shot, Toughness
Skills Perception +8, Stealth +10
SQ camouflage, proficiency (branch, wooden splinters)
Languages Argopeltish
Ecology
Environment forest, jungle
Organization solitary or crossfire (2-5)
Treasure Value 4d6 gp
Special Abilities
Burst of Speed (Ex) Once every 1d4 rounds, as a free action, an agropelter can summon a burst of energy that enables it either to: move twice its speed in a single move action and gain concealment vs. ranged attacks for 1 round.

Agropelters are somewhat intelligent ape-like creatures that inhabit boreal forests, with some subspecies living in more tropical climates. They speak their own language. An agropelter looks like a wiry, dark-skinned ape with no apparent elbow or knee joints; those limbs act more like a snapping whip or flexible tube, and the creature uses this property to hurl sharp splinters and heavy branches at unsuspecting passersby below. Agropelters do not do this to hunt or eat humanoids, they just enjoy doing it to see what will happen, as they have a rather sadistic sense of humor. They subsist in small family groups on nesting birds and their eggs, and rotten wood when they cannot get that. They have a well-earned reputation for speed, as they do not wish to engage victims in combat, and prefer to hurt them, hear them howl, and then flee. Their favorite position of observation of possible targets is in the hollowed-out top of a large tree, about 30 feet up, which is the effective range of their thrown wooden weapons, which they can snap off and hurl in the same round. No love is lost between agropelters and hidebehinds, with the latter attacking the former if they have a significant advantage in numbers, with hidebehinds killing any agropelter they find on the forest floor.

Agropelters are found throughout the Great Green, especially in the west where that ecosystem borders the orcish lands of Azagor. Some cast-out agropelters have been said to have joined orcish society after learning to wear clothes and be comfortable on the ground, gaining employment as javelin throwers without their hosts really knowing what race they are. Most forest-dwelling giants near the southeastern border hate agropelters and will readily push down trees that the creatures fling their wooden missiles from.

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a - All text is Open Game Content.