Monster: Baitling

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Baitling

A plain-looking halfling, wearing simple, though brightly-colored clothing, surrounded by a sweet and spice scent.

CR 2; XP 2,400
N Small Construct
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60-ft., low-light vision; Perception +0

Defense
AC 13, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)
hp 21 (2d10+10)
Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +0
Defensive Abilities bait's curse, indigestible; DR 2/adamantine or cold iron; Immune construct traits
Weakness vulnerable to fire

Offense
Speed 20 ft.
Melee 2 slams +4 (1d3+1)
Ranged thrown rock +4 (1d3+1)

Statistics
Str 12, Dex 12, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 16
Base Atk +2; CMB +2; CMD 13 (23 against attempts to spit it out)
SQ delicious aroma, faux intelligence
Language understand simple commands in Gnome and Halfling

Ecology
Environment rural
Organization single, pair, band (3—20), or a village (20—50)
Treasure incidental

Special Abilities

Bait's Curse (Su) Each time a creature bites a baitling it has to succeed a Will saving throw (DC 15) or fall to a bait's curse. Creatures affected with a bait's curse suffer 1d6 points of damage each time they bite any living or dead creature (including each bite taken while consuming a corpse). A bait's curse lasts for one day for each failed saving throw. Any creature that swallows a baitling whole is automatically affected with a bait's curse without saving throw and it will last as long as the baitling remains swallowed plus its normal duration accumulated from failed saving throws when biting baitlings. A bait's curse is a curse effect that can be removed with break enchantment or remove curse (DC 13). Its damage ignore the cursed creature's damage reduction and its saving throw DC is Charisma-based and includes +2 racial bonus.

Delicious Aroma (Ex) Creatures gain +1 morale bonus to attack roll with their bite attacks, +2 if they also posses swallow whole special attack.

Faux Intelligence (Ex) Despite being non-sentient constructs, baitlings are programmed to behave like scared, mostly defenseless folks when facing monsters by flailing around, screaming incoherently, cowering, and making a lot of noise while not actually running away. While they avoid most attacks, defending normally, they only give a superficial resistance to being grabbed and swallowed and they don't try to escape grapple or being swallowed. Once swallowed they start pummeling on the insides of the creature that swallowed them with their slam attacks while resisting attempt to be spit away. They can be ordered to attack creatures that aren't Small (or smaller) humanoids and will follow simple commands in Gnome or Halfling languages. They will also automatically proceed to attack any creatures attacking gnomes, halflings, wayangs or similar Small or smaller humanoids (including children of other humanoids) in their line of sight.

Indigestible (Ex) A baitling gains fast healing 10 when swallowed whole. Spitting out a swallowed baitling requires a grapple check and the baitling gains +10 bonus to its CMD against it. A baitling can be removed by cutting it out with a successful Heal check (DC 20) that requires 1 minute and inflicts damage equal to 1/10th of the creature's total hit points, successful or not.


The first baitlings were creation of gnome magicians as a devious trap on many Otherworldly creatures that would feast on their kin. Later, the techniques for baitlings' creation spread to halflings, kulit, and wayangs, as well as some wizards of other races making child-like baitlings to hunt various cannibalistic monsters.

Variants:

Superior baitlings (CR 4) have advanced template, 6 HD, 45 hit points, AC 17, Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2, 2 slam attacks or single thrown rock attack with +10 bonus dealing 1d3+3 points of damage. Their curse has saving throw DC of 17 and inflicts 2d6 points of damage per bite, and their indigestible ability grants them fast healing 20 while swallowed whole. They have false thoughts implanted, though they are very rudimentary thinking about meal, work, vague feeling of dread, or outright panic when they pretend to be panicked.

Construction

A baitling is made of finest skin taken from piglets stretched on a wooden frame, filled with mixture of clay, straw, and aromatic herbs.

Baitling
CL 5th; Price 2,200 gp
Requirements Craft Construct, disguise self, prestidigitation, unseen servant; Skill Craft (leather) or Profession (chef); Cost 1,200 gp.