Weasel, Vampiric
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Climate/Terrain | Any non-urban island terrain, tropical or subtropical |
| Frequency | Rare |
| Organization | Solitary (but see below) |
| Activity Cycle | Any |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Intelligence | Animal (1) |
| Treasure | Nil |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| No. Appearing | 1d10 |
| Armor Class | 6 |
| Movement | 15 |
| Hit Dice | ¼ |
| THAC0 | 17 |
| No. of Attacks | 1 |
| Damage/Attack | 1-4 |
| Special Attacks | Nil |
| Special Defenses | Nil |
| Magic Resistance | Nil |
| Size | S |
| Morale | Elite (13-14) |
| XP Value | 80 |
Description
I created the vampirc weasel as a relatively small level monster for the Whamite Isles, a small island group located in the Sea of Fallen Stars (Inner Sea) of the Forgotten Realms, just to the south of the infamous Pirate Isles. The PCs in the campaign set up a small kingdom there, and this was one of many hazards they had to contend with.
Vampiric weasels are one of the unique features of Whamite Islands wildlife, not found anywhere else on Toril. In appearance resemble their mainland cousins, though are more of a sandy color with black streaking to match the forest floor of the areas they are often found on. When the colonists first arrived they were found over all of the islands in at least small groups, but after the islands were settled they were exterminated island by island till today they are only found on the three largest islands, Krocas, Moreska, and Anaria.
Vampiric weasels can act much as their normal cousins, hunting small birds, rodents, lizards, snakes, crabs, and insects for food. Slim and lithe, they excel at going after their prey in burrows and in tight crevices.
There are important differences though with vampiric and mundane weasels. The sharp observer will notice two needle like fangs that extrude from the mouth, even when it is closed. Vampiric weasels are thanks to them able to occasionally tackle larger prey items. In addition to giving them a much more dangerous bite (1-4 rather than 1), it allows them go attack and wound larger animals. When large animals enter an area with these vermin, the vampiric weasels are known to give chittering calls to their fellow weasels. Normally solitary in their pursuits, small groups will form to go after this new animal, with one or more weasels following the prey until a group of at least 5 or 6 weasels is present.
When a largest enough groups is present, the weasels will attack. If the animal is small enough, say a dog or cat, they will simply fight until the animal is killed. In the case of most prey - horses, cows, and humans - they will make a few quick strikes and open up large wounds, then hide in the brush, shadowing the victim. Hoping the victim will die from blood loss and shock, they continue to tail it through the island, making more attacks as necessary.
Vampiric weasels, as do most island animals, have no natural fear of man. Hated animals, children are often warned to keep clear of wild mammals on the island. In a reverse of most areas on Toril, the snake is thought of as a friend, not the weasel. The only natural enemy of the vampiric weasel is the Whamite Constrictor, a dwarf species.