Monster Monday: Slow Loris, the Primate with the Poison Bite

Everyone turned to stare when the wizard entered the bar.  Magic types didn't often show up in this part of town, especially not ones dressed so fancy.  The spindly caster leaned on an intricately carved staff tipped with gleaming jewels.  His long blue robes were finely tailored and trimmed with gold.  His ink-black calfskin boots, lightly caked with fresh street-mud, otherwise showed no signs of wear.  And, most peculiarly, he had a furry, cat-sized creature clinging to his shoulder, gripping his robes with little human-like fingers and staring around with round eyes like silver thalers.

He didn't look like he belonged here in the Bilge and Bunyon, but he sure seemed to know what he wanted.  "Ratcatcher!" he shouted, storming toward the chubby Shadow Guild operative's table.  Three toughs stood simultaneously to bar the wizard's passage, but Ratcatcher waved them away.  One of them succeeded in taking the wizard's staff away, but the intruder didn't seem to mind.

"What brings you to my humble table today, Harmac?"

"You know damn well, Rat.  Where is it?"

Ratcatcher leaned back, his stout chair creaking like an old ship.  "I'm afraid I'm not a mind-reader, Harmac.  Maybe you fancy magic boy types forget we aren't all arcanely attuned."  The wizard seemed angry.  Ratcatcher drummed his sausage-like fingers on the table, showing off his many magic rings as a subtle reminder that he was warded against any spells Harmac might try on him.

"The idol, you greasy slop bucket!  Give me back the idol!"  Ratcatcher's bruisers shifted awkwardly behind the wizard, unsure when they should step in.

"I don't know anything about any idols.  I do know that tomb robbing is not looked kindly on by the authorities of this district, and Artaklan antiquities can only be claimed as private property with the appropriate documents of sale and provenance.  Do you have any such documents?"

Harmac reached across the table with surprising speed, hoisting Ratcatcher up by the collar.  With his other hand, he grabbed his sleepy looking pet by the scruff of the neck and shoved it in the thief's face.  "This is Lola," the wizard explained.  "She's a loris: the only species of monkey with a poisonous bite.  And once she latches on, she doesn't let go."

Lola slowly blinked.

"Urk... Don't monkeys usually got tails?"

Two of Ratcatcher's hired goons grabbed the wizard and yanked him away.  As Ratcatcher fell back into his chair, Harmac lobbed the primate at him and yelled, "Sic 'im, Lola!"

The creature, so placid a second ago, hissed wickedly and sunk its needle fangs into the thief's blubbery neck.  Ratcatcher shook his head wildly and slapped at the beast, but it only clamped down harder.  "Yeeooww!" he screeched.  Still trying to pry the simian assailant off with one hand, he reached into a leather satchel with the other and threw a jade idol across the table.  "Take the damn idol, ya crazy wizard!  Just get yer thrice-cursed pet off me!"

Harmac pushed the bruisers away from him, straightened his robes, and whistled two short notes.  Lola unclamped her jaw from the fat man's neck and waddled across the table, grabbing the idol along the way.

Ratcatcher cursed and rubbed the red swelling on his neck.  "You owe me 2500 thalers for the rock, Harmac.  I see you again and you don't got the money, you and yer little tree-rat are dead!"

Turning for the door, Harmac grabbed his staff and gave Lola an appreciative scratch under the chin.  "Pleasure doing business with you!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's Monster Monday is the slow loris, the world's only venomous primate!  Okay, technically it isn't venom but a toxic, allergenic compound secreted by a gland of the animal's armpit that activates when mixed with the loris' saliva, supplemented by their diet of poisonous plants, but that takes longer to say.  And technically slender lorises have the same toxic defense system as the slow loris, but people know about slow lorises because they've been in a bunch of youtube videos.  Call me when you're an internet sensation, slender lorises.

via Wikimedia

Also, unlike what certain wizards and thieves in the above story snippet may have suggested, lorises aren't monkeys; they are more closely related to lemurs.

The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2016 Jonah Bomgaars.

Primate, Loris         CR 1/6

XP 65

N Tiny animal

Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +2 (+4 in dim light)

DEFENSE

AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 size)

hp 6 (1d8+2)

Fort +4 (+6 vs poison), Ref +2, Will +2

Weakness light sensitivity

OFFENSE

Speed 5 ft., climb 10 ft.

Melee bite +2 (1d3-3 plus poison plus grab)

Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Special Attacks apply poison

STATISTICS

Str 5, Dex 11, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 15

Base Atk +0; CMB -3 (+1 grapple); CMD 7

Feats Skill Focus (Climb)

Skills Climb+7, Perception +2 (+4 in dim light), Stealth +4 (+6 standing still); Racial Modifiers +4 Climb, +2 Perception (in dim light), +2 Stealth (when standing still)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Apply Poison (Ex)

Once per hour, a loris may lick its poison onto one object or animal no larger than itself, making it unpalatable to predators with the scent ability.  Additionally, weapons licked by the loris are treated with one dose of loris poison.  If not used within one hour of application, the dose of loris poison loses its potency and becomes inert. 

Familiar

The master of a loris familiar gains a +3 bonus on Stealth checks when standing still. 

Loris Poison (Ex) bite – injury; save Fort DC 12, frequency 1/minute for 4 minutes, effect 1d2 Dex, cure 1 save

ECOLOGY

Environment warm forest and jungle

Organization solitary, pair, group (3-4)

Treasure none

Lorises are slow, nocturnal primates notable for their large eyes and poisonous bite.  They are supremely flexible and have strong grips, making them excellent climbers.  Unlike monkeys, their tails are vestigial stumps.  Their large eyes help them see in the dark, but make them sensitive to daylight.  Due to their slow movement, they rely on stealth to avoid predators and their vocalizations are infrequent.  Lorises produce toxins in glands at their armpits, which they lick to give themselves a venomous bite - made more potent by a diet that includes poisonous plants.  Their bite helps ward off predators, and mother lorises lick poison into the fur of their young.  

-your strepsirrhine d20 despot