Do wererats really have to be evil?

[Kesh]

Wererats are evil. That's a given.

What you could do, however, is get an anthropomorphic rat PC race into the game. Maybe the slitheren from Scarred Lands, or the nezumi from Oriental Adventures. You could modify a race that's already in the rules, just giving them a new description. Or, you could just stat up your own!

 

[Len]

Wait a minute... Are you rat-sitting a rat or a wererat? Rats are neutral. They are not intelligent enough to realize the evil potential of their ratty abilities.

You better not awaken it.

 

[Voadam]

I don't have an explanation why werewolves and wererats are evil while werebears are good I suppose these "standard alignments" had inspiration from horror literature, and that's why D&D made them this way, but of course a DM is always entitled to define a race as he wishes it to be like in his own setting.

The only possible complication that may arise is if the players are used to wererats being evil an would always react accordingly. Of course you should let them know, in case they for instance attack them on sight!

Good werebears can be linked to the good guy werebear in tolkein's the hobbit.

And remember, in the game quoted there was no alignment, so evil has to be judged on individual cases and best evidence anyway.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

For the record:

Alignment: Any. Noble creatures such as bears, eagles, and lions tend to produce good-aligned lycanthropes. Sinister creatures such as rats, snakes, and wolves tend to produce evil-aligned lycanthropes. This is a reflection of how these animals are perceived, not any innate quality of the animal itself, so the alignment of the animal form can be arbitrarily assigned.

 

[Hammerhead]

Lions are evil, wolves are good.

However, if you change things so that wererats aren't evil, sewer-dwelling plague carriers, it mgiht be a good idea to inform your players of this change.

 

[Someone]

I had a rat once, it wouldn't touch cheese

Are you sure it was a rat, and not a very small dog?

(just reversing the urban legend)

 

[Mithran]

Don't you just love how "Always" Chaotic Evil really means "Mostly" Chaotic Evil?