Tyminid

Picture a stocky wolverine with stubby legs, long hooked claws, a short bushy tail and a pair of wings spanning about twice its body length. The head is round and blunt, the eyes are spaced wide, and the small ears barely show above the fur. Its coat is long, glossy and mostly dark brown, with a pale stripe running along each flank. Tyminids are clever and highly cunning, and they dwell in the remote mountains of a rugged peninsula.

Tyminids hunt on foot and on the wing alike. Their dense bodies and the thin mountain air mean takeoff demands either a strong updraft or a lengthy run, but once airborne they dart and flicker with great agility. A flight lasts only about 30 minutes, no higher than 100 to 200 feet, after which it has to touch down for two to three hours of rest. They cannot carry anything while flying.

Rather than fight in the air, a tyminid folds its wings and plummets onto its target, gaining +2 on the drop attack. If the target was itself flying lower down, both slam into the ground together, and the victim takes falling damage while the tyminid, cushioned by its prey, takes none. A successful drop attack also lets the tyminid deal double damage on its next three attacks.

In melee it can release a foul spray that reaches everyone within 20 feet. Those who fail a save vs. poison are blinded for 1d4 hours. Whether or not they save, nausea saps every victim's Strength and Dexterity by 25% for 1d4 turns. Cloth and leather soaked in the musk can never be cleaned and must be thrown away, and people must scrub thoroughly to get rid of the stink.

A 20% chance to sense hidden or invisible creatures within 30 feet lets it hunt even elusive tiny mountain brownies.

These beasts are loners. Once a female is pregnant she chases the male away, and he is glad to leave. Litters of two or three kits arrive in spring. The mother remains through weaning, or until the kits annoy her, and then abandons them to adapt or perish.

Tyminids are spiteful and hold grudges for years. A trapper who annoys one may find his snares wrecked, or be attacked in his sleep.

Their diet includes plants, birds and big game such as reindeer and caribou, and winged elves and tiny mountain brownies are particular favorites. A tyminid often pulls a kill apart and stashes the pieces in several hiding spots to eat later. It scavenges as well as hunts and is skilled at stealing from traps. The thick fur resists frost, and a hide sells for 10 gp to makers of cold-weather clothing.