Weasel

Weasels of many species live in temperate forests across the world and in a good many underground places, all much alike in look and habit. A weasel is lithe, with a slim body, long neck and small wedge-shaped head ending in a sharp snout full of needle teeth. Depending on breed it runs from five to 16 inches long. Nearly all are brown above and white below, though those in cold climates turn white in winter.

Ordinary weasels attack only when cornered or startled. Then their speed and darting moves make them a real nuisance, but they typically bite once and bolt before the foe can recover.

They live and hunt alone, chasing rodents and other small game; two together are usually a mated pair. Mothers line a hollow tree or a hole in the earth with moss, leaves and straw and bear litters of four or five. Young taken from the nest can be trained to hunt or tamed as companions, though their moods make them poor pets.

A hunting weasel often takes prey bigger than itself, and near farms that means chickens and other fowl. Even so, it does farmers a great favor by killing the small pests that ruin crops. Good pelts can bring up to 100 gp, the soft, bright white furs of cold-country weasels most of all, and trapping has pushed weasels to the edge of extinction in many regions despite their place in the forest food chain.

Giant weasels look like the common kind on a far larger scale but are much fiercer, hunting in packs and attacking people as readily as any other prey. When one bites, it clamps on and will not let go, sucking blood. Its saliva keeps the wound from clotting and makes it bleed freely, so after the first hit it automatically drains 2d6 per round with no further rolls.

A lair usually holds at least four adults plus an equal number of young, 10% to 80% grown, who fight like adults with damage scaled to their size. Cubs captured while still under half size have a 25% chance of being trainable as hunting or guard animals. An intact pelt sells for 1,000 to 6,000 gp, with the pure white northern furs and the rare black ones fetching the most.