Korrim
This week’s new Exotic Encounters features a cunning monster who is less focused on trying to kill your PCs, and more focused on hitting them where it really hurts: in their wallets. The korrim are a humanoid race of accomplished thieves and spies, which remain relatively unknown in broader circles due to their elusive and stealthy nature. These creatures should serve as a reminder that not everything necessarily revolves around bloodshed, and that even puny monsters can be troublesome and dangerous if they are skilled and clever.
Korrim
This tall, thin humanoid has short brown fur covering most of its body, and a face that is somewhat reminiscent of a bear, complete with a short snout and clever eyes. However, this lanky creature’s teeth are no different from a human’s, and its large hands end in blunt dexterous fingers, rather than claws.
KORRIM CR 2
XP 600
CN Medium humanoid (korrim)
Init +2; Senses darkvison 60 ft.; Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 16 (3d8+3)
Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +1
Defensive Abilities cunning step
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee short sword +4 (1d6-1/19-20)
Special Attacks cunning combatant, distracting blade, sudden disappearance
STATISTICS
Str 8, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 7
Base Attack +2; CMB +5; CMD 13
Feats Skill Focus (Sleight of Hand), Weapon Finesse
Skills Disable Device +8 (+10 with masterwork thieves’ tools), Perception +3, Sleight of Hand +11, Stealth +12; Racial Modifiers Stealth +4
Languages Common
SQ crafty, elusive
ECOLOGY
Terrain Any
Organization solitary, pair, band (3-7)
Treasure NPC gear (leather armor, short sword, other treasure)
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Crafty (Ex): A korrim is exceptionally crafty and always treats Disable Device, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth as class skills. Additionally, a korrim can retrieve twice as many items from a container (including a magical container, such as a handy haversack or portable hole) as a normal character with the same action.
Cunning Combatant (Ex): The cunning korrim is instinctually gifted with combat maneuvers. When determining his CMB, he uses his total Hit Dice in place of his base attack bonus, and the better of his Strength and Dexterity scores.
Cunning Step (Ex): A korrim is gifted in moving in ways that are difficult to follow. As an immediate action, he can cause any attack of opportunity caused by movement to automatically miss. He must decide to use this ability before the results of the attack are known.
Distracting Blade (Ex): A korrim who successfully hits a target with a melee attack can choose to forgo dealing damage against that opponent. If he does, he gains a +4 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks and Steal combat maneuvers made against that character in the next round, and such checks made against that character in the next round do not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Elusive (Ex): A korrim can move at his full speed while using Stealth without incurring a penalty on the Stealth roll. Additionally, when moving while invisible, the korrim gains a +30 bonus to Stealth checks, rather than the usual +20 bonus.
Sudden Disappearance (Sp): A korrim can call upon his natural magic in order to disappear for a short time. Once per hour, as a full-round action, a korrim can become invisible for 1 round, as with the spell invisibility, and move up to its speed.
Ecology
Korrim are an elusive race who prefer to remain in the shadows, well away from the rest of the civilized world. Physically weak, korrim survive by stealth and skill, scavenging from wild beasts and poorly guarded farms, and robbing travelers of whatever treasure they might have. Wealth-obsessed and naturally gifted thieves, korrim live to take all they can, preferably quickly and quietly before stepping back into the shadows.
Korrim are nomadic, having no permanent settlements, and they tend to be found in places with abundant hiding places. Most commonly, they are found in deep forests or rugged mountains, where food is plentiful and shelter readily available for the korrim tribes. These loosely associated bands usually contain a few families, with half the adults venturing forth each day in search of food and loot, while the other half remain behind to guard the young. Roads and travel provide most of the wealth which flows into korrim tribes, though especially large tribes, or those with bold leaders, have been known to make their ways into isolated human settlements to raid and plunder. As the korrim are afraid of violence, such raids are quiet affairs, with the korrim grabbing everything they can carry without alerting militia or guards and disappearing into the night. When forced to engage in combat, the korrim usually prefers to escape quickly, but occasionally their greed overcomes their cowardice and they might try to rob their attackers before running. Usually, korrim prefer to distract a wealthy-looking target and steal one or two trinkets before disappearing and running to find shelter.
Korrim are cowardly by nature, and korrim adventurers are exceedingly rare. Korrim who do long for a life of excitement heavily favor careers as rogues and focus their skills almost exclusively on stealth and stealing. Those who favor a more martial identity focus on combat maneuvers, especially steal and disarm, while those who favor stealth can potentially empty entire vaults without ever being discovered.