Monster Monday: Pangolins, Armor-Covered Anteaters

Today's Monster Monday is the pangolin, also known as the spiny anteater.  Pangolins are small insectivorous mammals covered in thick overlapping scales.  They curl up into a defensive ball like an armadillo, presenting a front of spiny armor plates to any predators trying to bite them.  There are about eight species of pangolins ranging across Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and South China.  The smaller species of pangolin tend to be tree-dwellers, using their sharp claws and prehensile armored tails to navigate life in the branches, while the larger ones are ground-dwellers and burrowers.  Tree pangolins also tend to be good swimmers; they suck in extra air in their stomach and then glide through the water with an undulating motion.

Giant Pangolin, by Joseph Wolf (1865), via Wikimedia

Of course I statted up both the tree and ground pangolins, because more is always better.  Tree pangolins make a great (and adorable) choice of familiar for wizards and witches that hail from tropical climes.

A tree pangolin hanging by its tail, via Wikimedia

Of course, because pangolins are covered with natural armor, they have occasionally been used to make armor for humans.  Consider pangolin hide armor for those who adventure in tropical settings.

Pangolin shield; Wikimedia

Pangolin armor; Wikimedia

The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2017 Jonah Bomgaars.

This tree-climbing anteater roughly the size of a cat is covered in brown scales of armor.

Pangolin, Tree       CR 1/4

XP 100

N Tiny animal

Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +4

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+1 Dex, +2 size, +4 natural)

hp 5 (1d8+1)

Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +1

Defensive Abilities defensive ball

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., climb 10 ft.

Melee 2 claws +3 (1d3-4)

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

STATISTICS

Str 3, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6

Base Atk +0; CMB -6; CMD 5

Feats Skill Focus (Perception)

Skills Climb+13, Perception +4, Stealth +8, Swim +5; Racial Modifiers +8 Climb, +4 Swim

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Defensive Ball (Ex)

A pangolin can curl up in a ball as a move action, increasing its natural armor bonus by 2.  It cannot move or attack as long as it remains in this state.  It can uncurl as a move action.

Familiar

The master of a tree pangolin familiar gains a +1 natural armor bonus.

ECOLOGY

Environment warm forests and plains

Organization solitary

Treasure none

Tree pangolins are tiny anteaters covered in overlapping scales of armor.  Their forearms are tipped with long claws which they use to burrow, climb, and tear into nests of ants and termites.  They use their long, prehensile, armored tails to aid in climbing.  When threatened, they curl into a defensive ball nearly impenetrable to the teeth and claws of predators.  They live a solitary life in earthen burrows or holes in trees, interacting with other pangolins only to mate.  Tree pangolins are excellent swimmers, swimming with an undulating motion and increasing their buoyancy by filling their stomachs with air. 

This anteater, covered in hard overlapping scales, brandishes its long foreclaws.

Pangolin, Ground               CR 1/2

XP 200

N Small animal

Init -1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +4

DEFENSE

AC 16, touch 10, flat-footed 16 (+1 Size, -1 Dex, +6 natural)

hp 13 (2d8+4)

Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +1

Defensive Abilities defensive ball

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., climb 10 ft.

Melee 2 claws +0 (1d4-1)

STATISTICS

Str 8, Dex 9, Con 15, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6

Base Atk +1; CMB +0; CMD 9

Feats Skill Focus (Perception)

Skills Climb+11, Perception +4, Stealth +3; Racial Modifiers +8 Climb

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Defensive Ball (Ex)

A pangolin can curl up in a ball as a move action, increasing its natural armor bonus by 4.  It cannot move or attack as long as it remains in this state.  It can uncurl as a move action.

ECOLOGY

Environment warm forests, plains, hills, and deserts

Organization solitary

Treasure none

Ground pangolins, like their small arboreal cousins, are anteaters covered with a coat of overlapping scales of armor.  They live in burrows, sometimes dug themselves and sometimes stolen from others.  They dig into termite mounds with their powerful claws and knock them over with their bodyweight.  While ground pangolins do not live in trees like their smaller kin, they are still capable climbers.  

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Sorry there wasn't a post last week; the ol' blogger site was acting up.  Someday soon (hopefully) I will make a custom site for d20 despot so I'm not hobbled to this blogspot format.  Anyways, to make up for last week's dearth of posts, you'll get a Monster Wednesday this week as well.

-your keratinous d20 despot