Skaven

Ratfolk

"Steeling themselves, the pitiful remnants of the city's once proud populace descended. In the ancient halls of kingship they found the Dwarfs, now naught but gnawed bones and scraps of cloth. And there they saw by the dying light of their torches the myriad eyes about them, glittering like liquid midnight as the rats closed in for the kill. The manlings stood back to back and fought for their lives, but against such implacable ferocity and countless numbers of the verminous horde, their weapons were useless. The tide of monstrous rats flowed over them one by one, dragging them down to be torn apart, the yellow chisel-teeth sinking into their soft-flesh, the dark furred mass drowning their pitiful screams with their hideous chittering..."

— Translated from the Tilean tale "The Doom of Kavzar"

Ratfolk (Race)

Ability Score Increase Dexterity +2

Size Medium

Speed 35ft

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Deft Reaction: You have advantage on initiative rolls as long as you're not surprised.
Meager Build: You count as one size smaller when squeezing through spaces and determining cover.
Pack Tactics: The ratfolk has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the ratfolk's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Subclasses;

Darkfur

Charisma +1
Duplicity: You have proficiency in the Deception skill.
Shadowmeld: You can attempt to hide in areas of dim light.

Wildfoot

Wisdom +1
Keen Senses: You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Scurry: Creatures have disadvantage on attacks of opportunity against you.

Languages. Common, Undercommon

Ratfolk (Kobold Press)

ability score increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Intelligence score increases by 1, but your Strength score reduces by 2.

age: Ratfolk have shorter lifespans than humans, reaching adulthood at around age 12. They live up to 60 years.

alignment: Ratfolk care more about their close-knit families and acquiring material goods than any lofty ideals. Most tend to be neutral in alignment.

Size: Small

speed: 25ft, Swim 10ft

Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common.

race features:
Darkvision. Accustomed to living underground and in other dingy places, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. To a distance of 60 feet from yourself, you can see in dim light as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Nimbleness. You can move through a hostile creature’s space in combat as long as it is size Medium or larger.

Pack Tactics. You have advantage on your attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.

Rodent Empathy. You have advantage on Handle Animal checks to influence the behavior of rodents.

Ratfolk are small, rodentlike humanoids with twitching snouts, bony feet, and long, pink tails. They are about the same size as halflings but of a slimmer build. They often wear hooded cloaks or long robes to conceal their true nature from the gaze of casual onlookers.

Ratfolk can be found throughout Midgard, from Zobeck and other cities of the Crossroads region to the dusty streets of Per-Bastet in distant Nuria Natal and the valley of Golden Ulthar. The little creatures often inhabit the fringes of human society, scraping a living as petty thieves and tricksters. Many make their homes in decrepit slum tenements, in disused dockside warehouses, or even in sewers and other warrens beneath the city streets. Some, particularly in the Southlands, live a nomadic existence, wandering from place to place and trading in whatever odds and ends they acquire along the way, through honest means or otherwise. Other groups can be found on small tropical islands in the Tethys Ocean.

Family is important to ratfolk, and their strong communal ties mean they often form or join tight-knit criminal societies. Although some ratfolk have been known to ally themselves with goblins, kobolds, or the darakhul, they prefer to serve a mysterious “rat king” who is usually, but not always, a powerful rodent or ratlike creature of some sort. Many of Zobeck’s ratfolk are loyal servants of the Free City’s infamous Mouse King—picking pockets, burgling mansions, and smuggling goods up and down the Argent River on behalf of their monarch. Others serve any powerful figure as scouts, saboteurs, and infiltrators on their master’s behalf. Whoever their master may be, ratfolk are loyal to their kin.

Ratfolk enjoy collecting interesting trinkets and baubles, and hoard these items in their homes, often in preference to more valuable (but dull) gold and silver coins.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Calamity Born
• Humanoid

Related Organizations

• Sartori Family