Shrew

Larger, deadlier cousins of common shrews, these pony-sized creatures bear a passing resemblance to rodents, though shrews and rodents are not directly related. Killer shrews are fiercely territorial, and tend to eat more meat than their smaller, omnivorous cousins. A killer shrew has an extremely fast metabolism, and must consume as much as 90% of its own body weight in food each day to avoid starvation. The lifespan of an average killer shrew is little more than a year, though killer shrews kept as animal companions by druids and rangers tend to live as long as their masters.

Killer Shrew Animal Companion

Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed 30 ft., burrow 10 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.; AC +3 natural armor; Attack bite (1d3-2 plus poison); Ability Scores Str 6, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 4; Special Attacks poison (Frequency 1 round (6), Effect 1 Con damage, Cure 1 save, Con-based DC); Special Qualities blindsense 10 ft., scent.

4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; Attack bite (1d4 plus poison); Ability Scores Str +4, Con +4.

7th-Level Advancement: Special Attacks poison (Effect 1d2 Con damage).

Killer Shrews and the Halfling Homeland

In some mythologies, halflings and killer shrews hail from the same mythical island. According to these stories, the gods created the halflings from human stock, figuring that a race half as large as humans would allow them to fit twice as many worshipers in the world. But before creating halflings, the gods tested their ability to produce newly-sized races by altering various animals, most notably shrews. The halflings only resided in their homeland for a few short years before the killer shrews that predated their own creation overran the island, necessitating a halfling migration to less-hostile lands.