Twill [Pocket Rat]

Despite the name, the pocket rat is no rodent at all but a small burrowing marsupial. It does look a lot like a hooded rat, apart from its oversized eyes. The 'pocket' is the female's pouch, and 'twill' comes from the gnomish word for a gem miner's apprentice. Rock gnomes developed the breed as pets.

Pocket rats are poor fighters with few hit points and a tiny bite, and they would much rather vanish into the dark than stand their ground. Cornered, or guarding young, they use their big front teeth or the miniature weapons gnomes love to forge for them. A tiny sword deals Dmg 1-3/1-2, a dagger Dmg 1-2/1, and a bow Dmg 1/1. They dislike armor, although males sometimes wear a small leather pouch to copy the females.

Their best defense is magical. At will, and for as long as it likes, a pocket rat can mask its body heat and become invisible to infravision. The effect lasts only while it moves at no more than half its normal speed. Going faster lets its warmth show through, and it must come to a halt before it can hide again.

These animals are smart and easy to train. They grasp language and tool use, most adults understand gnomish though they cannot speak it, and owners often make small tools for them. Their noses are extraordinary: a pocket rat has a 60% chance to detect precious minerals within 30 feet, which makes it a favorite of gnomish miners. Nearly every one keeps a small cache of gems somewhere, and females hide theirs in the pouch.

Pocket rats are solitary, content to spend time with their owner or wander the tunnels nibbling insects and fungi. They normally dig a soft earth burrow, though many gnomes build them elaborate homes complete with tunnels and wheels. They thrive in total darkness and are pained by bright light. Underground they adopt their owner's schedule, but on the surface they turn nocturnal.

Mating happens year round with no lasting pairs. After 2-3 weeks of gestation a tiny, undeveloped baby crawls up its mother's belly into the pouch, where it stays for 10 weeks and then comes and goes for another year. A female may carry two or three young of different ages at once, and such mothers have to store their gems elsewhere. Adulthood comes at 2 years, and a pocket rat can live 12-15 years.

The breed was developed, some claim engineered, from a wild cave marsupial with the same name. The wild animal is unintelligent and lacks both thumbs and heat-masking, but it still hoards gems and precious metal, so gnomes keep an eye out for its burrows.