Rat Monsters

[Nifft]

Wot, no were-rat?!

CR2 + class levels, it's delicious drooling double-disease dealing goodness!

-- N

EDIT: Never mind, I see you do have one were-rat.

 

[Nifft]

Okay, a pair of good suggestions:

1/ Cranium Rats (Planescape, MotP)

2/ Moon Rats (MM2)

Both are basically 'smart rats', but done differently. Moon Rats get smarter as the moon waxes, and Cranium Rats get smarter as their swarms get larger.

I've re-done Cranium Rats to be Psionic monsters: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1522201

Throw them a Minor swarm now, and then you can work them up with larger swarms as they progress...

-- N

 

[Kafkonia]

Then to add visual variety for your players, you can make some brown, some black, and a few with white/albino traits, having players encounter them in groups of only like-colored rat-men. The players might perceive differences where there might not be any... or you could grant some ability to differentiate the types.

You know, I think that might be my favourite idea so far... goodbye random orc encounters, hello random ratpeople encounters! I love the flavour of this one.

Nifft -- I'd forgotten about the moon rats. I'm not sure how it would work underground, I'll reread their entry. One of the characters is favoured by the moon goddess, so that would be interesting.

 

[smootrk]

Thanks. I think this occured after a viewing of Secret of Nihm with my kids.

If you go in-depth with the 'ratling' race, you may have the colors correspond to castes, or possibly determine some class preference (Black rogues, Brown Ranger/Warriors, Albino Spellcasters, etc), or you could just make them different factions that don't really get along if you are trying to add a little political dialog to the area.

Personally, I would just go with different colors to break the monotomy of the area, using the ratlings as additional filler. Let the players think there is some mystery behind the colors, when there likely is none. Players are as likely to just want to move on to better paying regions, leaving Region A behind - so I would not put huge creative effort into the first region of the massive dungeon.

 

[Nightfall]

Pick up Creature Collection Revised, Creature Collection 2 and Warren of the Ratmen. That should give you a good deal of diversity to toss at your players.

 

[Pinotage]

Here are a few more:

Bone Rat Swarm from Libris Mortis
Corpse Rat Swarm from Libris Mortis
Rat, Horrid Animal from Eberron
Barrow Rat from Tome of Horrors II
All the ratmen from Creature Collection I
Salvage Rat from Dragon #341
Tentacle Rat from Denizens of Darkness (Ravenloft)
Wolfrat from Creature Collection II

Tome of Horrors I has Brain Rat, Ethereal Rat, and Shadow Dire Rat.

Pinotage

 

[glass]

What? No love for Slitheren/Ratmen from Scarred Lands?!

I was going to mention them!

Also, I believe OA has goblin rats, which are kinda goblin-rat shapechangers.


glass.

 

[Mortis]

And of course the baric from B3 - Palace of the Silver Princess.

Regards
Mortis

 

[Nightfall]

Glass,

Thanks.

I will say do not use Creature Collection I. Not only are the stats wrong I feel, they also reflect a mis understanding of 3.0/3.5 rules. CC Revised is much better.