Fantasy Monster: Pipe-Rat

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Pipe-Rat

An oversized brass and copper rat, with a mane of steel wire, all matted and tarnished.

CR 1; XP 400
N Small Construct

Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0

Defense
AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 11 (+1 Dex, +1 size)
hp 15 (1d10+10)
Fort +0; Ref +1; Will +0

DR 2/adamantine; Immune construct traits

Offense
Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft.

Melee bite +2 (2d4)

Special Attacks gnaw

Statistics
Str 10, Dex 12, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1
Base Atk +1; CMB +0; CMD 11

Skills Climb +8, Perception +0, Swim +0

SQ compression

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins
Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3–10)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Gnaw (Ex) A pipe-rat deals full damage to objects, ignoring hardness of 8 or less (hardness 9 or more applies fully). It can slowly chew through stone or timber.

Pipe-rats were designed as cleaners, with the original purpose behind their creation and shape given to them being unclogging sewer pipes stuck with alchemical gunk and detritus left from magical operations. With some tweaking and a few completely inconsequential accidents, their field of expertise was expanded to cover keeping ventilation shafts operational, and removing random trash, though the latter seems to be only a moderate success. They also seem to function well to keep off living rodents, though on a few occasions, pipe-rats were seemingly adopted by rat nests as not-particularly bright, but exceptionally durable foster-siblings.

If a pipe-rat seems to developed some degree of intelligence, possession by a rat-ghost is the first thing that should be suspected, though, on occasions, intelligent pipe-rats show near-human level of sapience. The attempts to explain such behavior give, thus far, inconclusive results.

A pipe-rat can function as an Improved Familiar (minimum caster level 5).

Constructing Pipe-Rat

Requires minute amount of diamond shards worth 250 gp to reinforce its teeth.

CL 12th; Price 750 gp

Requirements Craft Construct, beast shape I, magic fang, geas/quest, ; Skill Craft (jewelry) DC 20; Cost 500 gp