This small monkey is dressed in a colorful red fez and coat, but the cloth is smudged with grit and dirt. Tiny, beady red eyes can be seen in the darkness not far behind this primate, though it doesn’t seem at all concerned.
BARD MONKEY CR 5
XP 1,600
CN Tiny magical beast
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +6
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 size)
hp 37 (6d10)
Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +4
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee bite +8 melee (1d3-1)
Space 2.5 ft; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks control swarms
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th, concentration +8)
2/day—cause fear (DC 13), confusion (DC 16), glitterdust (DC 14), grease (DC 13), hold person (DC 14), hypnotic pattern (DC 14), lesser confusion (DC 13), sleep (DC 13)
TACTICS
Before Combat The bard monkey sends in rat swarms and hides, waiting to take action until its minions have engaged foes.
During Combat The bard monkey uses its spell-like abilities to send enemies into disarray, attempting to keep opponents focused on the rat swarms.
Morale The bard monkey runs away if reduced to 12 hp or less.
STATISTICS
Str 8, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 5
Base Atk +6; CMB +5; CMD 17
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +15, Climb +10, Perception +7, Stealth +15; Racial Modifiers +8 Acrobatics
ECOLOGY
Environment any (Drak’kal sewers)
Organization solitary but accompanied by 1 or more rat swarms
Treasure standard (red fez, red coat, dog tag that reads “Property of Otto Schmidt”)
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Control Swarms (Su) A bard monkey can screech and yell at swarms within 100 ft., ordering them about each round with a swift action. A bard monkey can control several swarms at once, but their collective hit dice cannot exceed its own.
The bard monkey was once the property of Otto Schmidt and the Broztavya’s Circus resident organ grinder. When the circus went awry the little primate escaped but not without injury; in a bid for freedom it plunged into the Serpent Tail River, crawling up to the Crescent Stone in a state near death. The energies suffusing the holy icon (part of Sergei Madorsky’s grand plans for revenge in Disaster in Drak’kal) transformed the humble animal into a magical beast, amplifying the bard monkey’s natural talents for performance, granting it mystical abilities and renewed strength—including an instinctual control over swarms of lesser creatures. He has taken a liking to treasure (as well as other shinies) and uses the rats of the sewers along with his newfound powers to disable the shipping boats and crews that travel the waterway near his lair, stealing whatever valuables he can.
