Tree Sloth Working Draft
Tree Sloth
Tiny Animal
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5 hp)
Initiative: -2
Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 10 (+2 size, -2 Dex), touch 10, flat-footed 10
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-12
Attack: Claw -7 melee (1d2-4)
Full Attack: Claw -7 melee (1d2-4)
Space/Reach: 2½ ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent, single actions only
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0
Abilities: Str 3, Dex 7, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 4
Skills: Climb +8*, Hide +8*, Listen +2, Move Silently +4, Swim +6
Feats: Stealthy
Environment: Warm forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 1/6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —
An animal the size of a large house cat, covered in long coarse hair. All four limbs are equipped with large, blunt claws that fold back onto its palms. It has a small, round head with a flat face.
Tree sloths are small arboreal herbivores that live in the trees of tropical forests, feeding of new leaves, buds and the occasional insect. There are a half-dozen species of tree sloths, divided into two-toed and three-toed sloths depending on how many toes they have on their front feet (their hind feet always have three toes). All their toes have strong, curved claws adapted for gripping tree branches. The different species of tree sloth are similar enough to use the same stats.
A tree sloth is proverbially slothful, these sluggish creatures rely on camouflage and stealth to avoid their enemies. A sloth's fur is brown or grey-brown in color, but it has hollow hairs that often become colonized with mold and algae which give it a green coloration, which aids its camouflage among the leaves of the trees in which it dwells.
A tree sloth is 18 inches to 2 feet long and weighs about 5 to 12 pounds. Two-toed tree sloths are a bit larger, and can weigh up to 18 pounds.
COMBAT
Tree sloths are inoffensive creatures. They hide from threats or, if that proves ineffective, try to climb to the safety of the thinnest branches of a tree. A tree sloth may scratch at an attacker in a desperate attempt to escape, but their claws are so blunt and slow they make poor weapons. A tree sloth's claw attack is treated as a secondary attack and adds only half the sloth's Strength bonus to damage.
Single Actions Only (Ex): Tree sloths have poor reflexes and can perform only a single move action or attack action each round. A sloth can move up to its speed and attack in the same round, but only if it attempts a charge.
Skills: A tree sloth has a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks. Tree sloths have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and Swim checks. A tree sloth can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. Sloths use either their Strength or Dexterity modifier for Climb or Swim checks, whichever is higher.
* A tree sloth's claws are specially shaped to grip branches, its racial bonus to Climb checks increases to +12 when it is in a tree, and it can always take 10 on Climb checks, even when the sloth is unconscious, dying or dead!
* A tree sloth has a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks when among leaves or similar vegetation, due to its long, algae-tinted hair.
