Phanaton

Imagine a monkey crossed with a raccoon, roughly halfling-sized, with a 4-foot prehensile ringed tail, grayish brown fur, and a dark mask around eyes of bright green, fiery red or glossy yellow that can startle travelers at night. Its face is surprisingly expressive, its monkey-like hands have opposable thumbs, and flaps of skin between arms and legs let it glide from tree to tree. Phanatons speak elvish, the tongue of treants, and their own language of hoots, clicks and chatter.

Gentle by nature and reluctant to strike first, phanatons fight fanatically to protect the beauty of their forest. Rather than meet larger or stronger groups head on, they rely on hit-and-run ambushes among the trees. Their natural quiet gives enemies -3 on surprise rolls, and in woodland they move silently as thieves with 75% success. Keen senses and empathy with the forest give them +2 on all saving throws.

Aranea are the exception: phanatons fall on them the moment they are seen, forgetting stealth and tactics. Their weapons are simple, made from whatever is at hand: nets, staves and clubs, almost never metal. Without one, a phanaton bites for 1d4.

Leadership scales with numbers. For each ten phanatons there is one n'chala, a warrior of 2 HD and 10 hp. Thirty bring a clan warchief (3 HD, 15 or more hp, +1 to damage) escorted by 2d6 n'chala. Three hundred adults answer to a tribal king of 8 HD and 50 hp who adds +2 to damage.

Tribes are made of clans of 3d10×10 adults plus offspring equal to a quarter of that number, living in villages of wooden and woven-vine platforms linked by rope bridges. Phanatons live up to 80 years; each litter of 1d6 kits grows up within six months. They have no writing but love passing down tales, and a phanaton's name often comes with a recital of its forebears' deeds.

Dryads and treants count them as allies and get along well with most elves, wood elves above all, while aranea are their ancient foes. Those who try to fell their forests face secret sabotage of their gear and harmless but maddening pranks.

Thriving woods or jungle often signal phanatons, who tend favored plants, clear deadfall and keep nature in balance. They are omnivores that prefer fruit and vegetables but also eat meat, and they consider spiders a special treat.