Can gnomes talk to rats?

[Mighty Halfling]

Do they have a burrow speed? If so, yes. If not, no.
That being said, that has to be the lamest of all racial abilities. How about switching it to any tiny or smaller animal?

 

[Maldor]

rats in the wild will live in burrows

so i say yes

 

[werk]

I only see a climb speed, no burrow. Based on that, IMC, I'd say no.

Secondly, they have Int of 1 (swarms have Int 2), so it's more of a case of talking at a rat rather than with it.

 

[rgard]

I'm running an urban police procedural DnD campaign, and the player with a gnome PC had a very good question. Namely, if rats would count as a "burrowing animal" for a gnome's Speak With Animals ability. The gnome wasn't raised in the city, however, and is basically a slumming tourist from a more typically gnomish environment.

I'm leaning toward yes, but also not sure if it could be TOO powerful. Rats are pretty prevalent and could be extremely useful spies.

They are both small, furry, mammals (rodents) so I don't see why they can't communicate.

 

[Klaus]

Yes.

The Eberron setting even raises the suspicion that gnomes were mystically evolved from rats (see the Gnomes of Zilargo dragonshards over at WotC's website).

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

rats in the wild will live in burrows

That's more the behavior of mice isn't it? I say go with the game data for purposes of what Gnomes can communicate with - rats have climb and swim speeds but not burrowing. So no. Lots of other means for a gnome character to communicate with rats though. I like the idea of an awakened rat druid acting as go-between.

 

[Trench]

Actually I've seen gnomes make use of that ability in more forest-oriented capmaigns.

I think I'll allow it. They're close enough for me. But the posters saying they're pretty stupid is spot on. They may see a lot, but they're way simple.

"Big man! Saw! I'm hungry! I want to mate! Are you food? I can't mate with you!"

 

[CrimsonWineGlass]

I'd definately allow it, as stated previously burrowing creatures are hard to find. Also, rats are just lazy burrowers, they CAN burrow, they just prefer to use ones already made.

Reminds me of humans

 

[Tonguez]

That's more the behavior of mice isn't it?

yes they live in burrows - often along river banks. Rats are very good swimmers and can sometimes be seen diving beneath the water to access underwater entrances to burrows (they are also very protective of burrows and will even attack humans who swim to near)
cities have lots of dark corners which means they don't need burrows

 

[phindar]

At the same time, rats can burrow through just about anything. The mystery to me is not why rats don't have a Burrow speed, but why badgers do. I find it hard to believe that a badger can go through 10' of solid ground in 6 seconds. I don't think any real-world creature can burrow through solid earth fast enough to have a Burrow speed listed in game. (But I am going to go wiki Badgers after I post this. If it turns out a badger can dig a mile long tunnel through solid earth in one hour, I'll post a retraction.)

As suggested by the disproportionally long front claws, badgers are expert diggers and their short, powerful front legs can move earth with amazing speed. A badger was encountered on Padre Island as it sought refuge in a shallow burrow in a sandbank. Three people, working frantically with shovels for more than an hour, were so outdistanced in their race to capture the animal that they gave up.

From this site. So admittedly, badgers are faster than I thought. But going by what I know about hole-digging (it takes me 4 hours to dig a 4' deep hole big enough to sleep in--a text book fighting hole-- and praying to god I never have to to that again) I still call shennanigans on 10' ever 6 seconds. An amazingly fast burrower means what? Two feet per minute? (The team of 3 people with shovels gave up after an hour. I'm guessing they dug about 5'. I don't think the badger was a mile away by that point.)