# Dinosaur, Swindlespitter >[!rimg]+ > ![[Placeholder2.png]] > >[!debug]+ *This bipedal reptilian creature has a lithe body and a whiplike tail. Smaller than a halfling, it has a pair of dexterous grasping hands, a sharp beak, and large pure black eyes.* <div class="grid-container"><div class="MON">Swindlespitter</div> <div class="CR">CR 1 (400 XP)</div> <div class="SOU">Monster Manual 3</div> <div class="SYS">Dungeons & Dragons 3.5</div></div> N Small Animal **Init** +5 **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; **Perception** +5 #### defense **AC** 18, 16 touch, 13 flat-footed (+5 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size) **hp** 11 (2d8+2) **Fort** +4, **Refl** +8, **Will** +3 **Feint** 14, **Demoralize** 15 **Defensive Abilities** uncanny dodge #### offense **Speed** 30 ft. **Melee** bite +7 (1d4-1) **Space** 5 ft., **Reach** 5 ft. **Special Attacks** poison spray #### statistics **Str** 9, **Dex** 21, **Con** 13, **Int** 2, **Wis** 16, **Cha** 14 **BAB** +1, **CMB** -1, **CMD** 14, **TA** +1, **RTA** +7 **Feats** [[Mobility]], [[Run]]^B, [[Weapon Finesse]]^B **Skills** Perception +5, Sleight of Hand +6, Stealth +11 (+13 in forests) **Racial Modifiers** Perception +2, Stealth +2 (in forests) #### special abilities ### Poison Spray (Ex) When threatened, a swindlespitter sprays a corrosive poison in a 15-foot cone from its mouth. The swindlespitter can spray this poison once every 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based. Swindlespitter Spit — Contact; *save* Fort DC 12; *frequency* 1/round for 2 rounds; *initial effect* blind for 1 round and 1d2 Con damage; *secondary effect* blind for 2d4 minutes and 1d2 Con damage; cure 1 save. #### tactics A swindlespitter has no interest in fighting other creatures; it relies solely on stealth to acquire its meals. It flees if discovered, either finding a hiding spot or simply running as fast as it can with its ill-gotten gains. If it is cornered, it attempts to blind its pursuers with its poison and dart away. Only as a last resort does a swindlespitter attack with its sharp beak. In large groups, they are slightly more daring, sometimes descending on a nest or camp and carrying off anything not tied down. #### ecology **Terrain** Warm forests **Organization** Solitary or pack (4–16) **Treasure** None **Advancement** 3–6 HD (Small); 7–9 HD (Medium) Not all dinosaurs are massive brawlers that shake the ground as they pass. The swindlespitter relies on its small size and natural agility to survive literally beneath the notice of its larger cousins. They can be found in any land where other dinosaurs live and are a nuisance to just about every creature they encounter. Swindlespitters are natural thieves, devouring eggs they steal from the nests of other breeds. However, they are easily confused by manufactured objects, mistaking them for oddly shaped eggs. Travelers should be wary of their tendency to sneak into settlements or camps and swipe backpacks, spellbooks, and other objects of similar size. They carry such items into the jungle a fair distance before trying to rip them open to get at the gooey yolk they imagine is within. Many adventurers find their possessions shredded by the time they are able retrieve them from a very perplexed swindlespitter. In lands where humanoids and dinosaurs live side-by-side, swindlespitters are treated as an unfortunate necessity. While the creatures walk off with unsecured objects regularly, those wise in the ways of natural cycles realize the importance of the lowly swindlespitter. By devouring the eggs of larger dinosaurs, they keep those creatures from reproducing in greater numbers than the land can support. In some cultures, the swindlespitter is even considered a symbol of balance and harmony with nature. Anyone discovered harming one of the little dinosaurs in such a society quickly finds themselves on the wrong end of a very sticky cultural misunderstanding. A swindlespitter stands less than 3 feet tall and weighs about 30 pounds. ### Swindlespitters as Animal Comapions A 1st-level druid can select a swindlespitter dinosaur as an animal companion.