Boneclaw, Lesser

''This creature is a hunched reptilian quadruped only two feet in length, most of its features hidden by thick, bony armor. The animal’s eyes and fanged maw peer through openings in the head armor and a squat tail emerges from the rear.''

Tactics
The lesser boneclaw is extremely timid and will flee to avoid combat, only attacking if cornered. When the boneclaw does bite, however, it will attempt to grapple. If successful, the boneclaw will gnaw at the wound, its poisonous saliva flooding the target with toxins.

If initial attacks of this kind do not deter opponents, the lesser boneclaw overcomes its natural timidity and is possessed by a swarming instinct. This instinct unites the entire pack, which subsequently attacks all foes, only fleeing when 80% or more of the boneclaws have been slain.

Decription
This timid omnivore dwells in the rocky wastes of the Tablelands, scurrying here and there in search of food, always hoping to avoid the attention of a larger predator. The Athasian nobility also domesticates them as vermin hunters or beasts of burden. The boneclaw has a poisonous bite that makes it a valuable and economical alternative to larger, more fearsome guardians.

Boneclaw flesh is also edible and up to 4 pints of water can be harvested from the creature‘s water-sac (located beneath its back armoring). The water is contaminated with the same poison present in the boneclaw‘s bite and must be purified or neutralized before it can be safely ingested.

Boneclaw females usually bear litters of 2d3 young but occasionally a solitary offspring is born. This solitary child is invariably a greater boneclaw, a voracious psionic mutation that will attempt to devour all that moves. In the wild, boneclaw packs will move away once a greater boneclaw has been born.

Lesser boneclaws average 2 feet in length and weigh 25 pounds. The young are red-brown, green, yellow or orange, but these colors uniformly fade to a sandy-grey with age.