Favorite Ratfolk?

[Voadam]

So in my upcoming 5e game in a homebrew setting with a lot of non-D&D influences I am planning to run the Pathfinder 1e Iron Gods Adventure path in a Thundar the Barbarian/Mad Max style Numeria nation of barbarians and humanoids over ancient crashed sky cities (space ships). Reading the sourcebook one of the areas is run by Ratfolk and one of my PCs is interested in ratfolk so I am looking to explore some sources for some flavor.

What are your favorite varieties of ratfolk type stuff?

Here are the ones I am aware of:

Skaven the ratmen of Warhammer. Evil underground rats with warpstone and disease and ogre rats and their own ninjas.

Ratkin White Wolf's Werewolf rat shapechanger breed book, I am not that familiar with them but another PC is going for a druid white wolf werewolf concept so that might be neat.

Slitheren Scarred Lands D&D ratmen spawned from rats that fed on the spilled blood of titans in the Godswar.

I remember some in Rokugan but can't remember the specifics from the big 3e campagin setting book or find the old sourcebook on drivethru anymore. Can't remember if it was dual stat 3.0/Legend of the Five Rings or just L5R, either way I would only be interested in the cultural stuff that seemed cool and stealable. I vaguely remember them being the big nonhumans who were decently integrated into the setting as a friendly race.

Other stuff I should watch out for with cool narrative stuff?

Thanks.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

Nezumi in L5R are pretty interesting for rat-people. If I remember right, they also had a weird story where their Ascendants had went back in time and awoken the spirits of the nezumi race when they were just beast of burden. So, it's almost like they're 'their own grandpas'. Beasts>Sentient>Enlightened. However, during the standard time frame, the ratlings were just nomadic thieves generally - peasants (and some samurai) would leave offerings out (junk or food) to draw ratlings in since ratlings killed and ate goblins and also were immune to the Shadowlands taint.

 

[Fenris-77]

Skaven, by a mile.

 

[Minigiant]

Skaven and it's not ever close.
Probably the best, most unique, and most creative thing Games Workshop ever made.

 

[overgeeked]

Skaven all the way. Especialky the warpstone and mutations. For added WTF you could do Blood Bowl obsessed skaven and/or the Underworld Denizens, a mixed goblin and skaven team.

 

[Tonguez]

Kobolds were originally more rat that reptile, I still give them fur

Nezumi are good (and not evil like Skaven)

Darksun had Tari ratfolk who were small barbaric scavengers who were hunted as pests and often had a bounty on their head. Tari chieftains have a psionic talent and the species can swarm

Pathfinder also has a nice take of Ratfolk as who have turned their old scavenging instincts to a commercial bent as merchant tinkerers who adventure in order to find new markets and new commodities for their warrens to trade. They can also swarrm

 

[Voadam]

Pathfinder also has a nice take of Ratfolk as who have turned their old scavenging instincts to a commercial bent as merchant tinkerers who adventure in order to find new markets and new commodities for their warrens to trade. They can also swarrm

Which pathfinder books are they described in?

 

[Tonguez]

Which pathfinder books are they described in?

Advanced Race Guide, the stats are also in the PF SRD

 

[samll]

Nezumi in L5R are pretty interesting for rat-people. If I remember right, they also had a weird story where their Ascendants had went back in time and awoken the spirits of the nezumi race when they were just beast of burden. So, it's almost like they're 'their own grandpas'. Check out the for some quick 200 dollar loan offers Beasts>Sentient>Enlightened. However, during the standard time frame, the ratlings were just nomadic thieves generally - peasants (and some samurai) would leave offerings out (junk or food) to draw ratlings in since ratlings killed and ate goblins and also were immune to the Shadowlands taint.

True
but still ratlings didn't come far from their tribe origins

 

[PabloM]

And of course, you have the Roden of Burning Wheel