Ratkin 

Ratkin are not a true race; they are the result of horrific genetic experimentation on dire rats and gnomes. Every ratkin knows the story even if the specifics are blurred or contradictory. Often the facts of their history as a species are manipulated in a way which would best suit the individual ratkin, but generally it involves a cruel ancient Netherese wizard who used their powers to alter the genetics of dire rats and gnomes so that they could crossbreed. These stories often include a progenerator ratkin named the ‘Rat King’ who liberated their species by blowing up the mythallar their master owned. Although they became liberated only the ‘Rat King’ it can breed others of their species he has dubbed ‘Lords’ who are themselves capable of producing other ratkin; however, these ratkin are incapable of breeding creating a natural population bottleneck.

Hated by other races, the ratkin learned to band together, surviving on the scraps and trash of other races while they transversed the Faerunian diaspora led by their ‘King’ seeking a cure for their affliction. During these travels before any of their species save their ‘King’ can remember they encountered one of the noble houses of the Drow Menzoberranzan who because of their shared animosity for the surface dwellers took them in. It just so happens that she also was secretly the owner of the largest generic alchemical producer along the Sword Coast and through-out the Underdark. Eager to find a cure through alchemical means, the ratkin embraced an alliance and under the direction of the drow the ratkin began making a handful of very common potions her company distributed highly addictive. After a handful of years, the addicts who were unfortunate enough to imbibe one of these addictive potions instead of a normal one along with the incarcerated, homeless, debt ridden, unwanted, as well as young adventurers gullible enough to agree to it were tricked into selling themselves into slavery as ‘colonist’ through various fake companies offering them redemption on the far away continent of Maztica. These poor souls would board ships to sail for two and a half months or sometimes more across the ocean to an untamed, unmapped, frontier without means of communication nor teleportation circles allowing them to easily return or warn others. Upon arrival the memories of each colonist were wiped and for a few who already were adept at sailing new ones were implanted to ferry more ‘colonist’ to Maztica while the others were sent to the plantation to work or made to construct the settlement.

Thirteen colonies each controlled by a local ‘Lord’ ratkin along the northeastern coast of Maztica were built each to support the plantations of the drow exporting some of the rarest and strongest alchemical components on all of Toril. Certain species of flora and fauna being completely alien having come from a lost planet known as Abeir, could only be located on the continent of Maztica. So, it was for several years and all of it unknown to all but the most esteemed drow until very recently a rumor began to spread that the human alchemist married to the drow promised to help them find a cure appeared in the colony of New Fork to provide the cure. Only it wasn’t the doing of the drow or their ‘King’. He claimed the exact opposite, that they had the cure all along but refused to give it to them and taught them how to make the cure for themselves, allowing all ratkin to breed! As a result, a fledgling group of ratkin scattered about the colonies have begun discussing rebelling from ‘King Rat’ who now believe their King has been intentionally stifling their population as a means of maintaining power to form their own nation ruled by popular vote and exploitative capitalist enterprise.

Physical Description: Ratkin generally look like humanoid rats, roughly gnome size with a rat’s head and tail and covered in hairy fur. This unfortunately makes them resemble were-rats and many small ratkin communities were wiped out during a were-rat infestation “just to make sure.”

Society: Ratkin tend to form small tribes or bands, living in areas that other races avoid. In the cities, ratkin congregate in slums or sewers or infest the walls of buildings making them excellent spies. While ratkin appreciate protective laws, they are unconvinced that the authorities have their interests at heart splitting their society between loyalist to their King and revolutionaries who seek democracy. The 'Lords' and their retinue are extremely well armed and equipped often with heavily enchanted items or masterwork equipment from their King ensuring their loyalty. Opposite of the upper crust those within the revolutionary forces are extremely poorly equipped and often seldom armed but ferociously passionate inspiring others to their cause. Of course, just like the Loyalist they often lax their efforts once they have enough support to make others do their dirty work for them often creating disloyalty within their ranks after some time or disillusioned rebels. In this way the Loyalist have managed to maintain control over the other ratkin who see to the slaves they have imported from Faerun to Maztica and other daily operations creating stratification of power between the peasant and ruling classes of their society. Regardless of their politics they believe that the institution of slavery enacted by the drow is inefficient due to their extreme cruelty. However, while treatment of slaves may be marginally better the expectations and working hours tend to be much more extreme as the ratkin often run experiments to try to improve productivity. Ratkin overseers will force their slaves to drink potions of haste to increase their speed or running trials to see how long a particular species can survive under certain conditions so that they can force the rest to work almost to the point of death. In ratkin society the whip will not be what keeps their slaves in line. A mind-altering scheme, alchemical solution, or Rube Goldberg type of social mechanism engineered from behind the walls of their colonies are their preferred sources of work motivation. As a society they are highly competitive and see obtaining wealth only to see it rot as the measure of someone’s worth resulting in rampant capitalist exploitation. The most esteemed ratkin may own enchanted items, often extremely rare ones that they have intentionally disenchanted and left to rust as a trophy. This does not mean that the ratkin will not keep items enchanted, quite the opposite as they are extremely progressive as Artificers due to being a species born from alchemy. However, those they do not need or objects of exceptional desire are reserved for decay. This includes their finest slaves whom they often force into working in competitions based on productivity metrics until they die.

Relations: Ratkin tend to get along with no one but will manipulate other “outcast” races, such as half-ogres, half-orcs, and saurians, or any race that is a minority in the geographic area through whatever means necessary to obtain what they want. As ratkin have a reputation for being dirty disease carriers, most races give them a wide berth. Still, a ratkin may be tolerated when isolated from other ratkin, and their skills often determine their worth.

Alignment and Religion: As a created race, the ratkin do not necessarily have a patron deity. Instead, ratkin worship a living progenorator known as the Rat King who took upon themselves the curse of immortal life along with his the Rat Queen. Due to a genetic mutation from the magical experimentation at the hands of their former 'Netherese' overlord they are the only two ratkin able to still produce offspring who can reproduce offspring creating a natural population bottleneck. Despite this the progenorator being generally believed and known by all ratkin they do not worship them as a deity. Instead, their approach formal religion as they do everything else; they generally worship deities that have been discarded or fallen out of favor within a particular pantheon. Ratkin priests occupy abandoned temples to such deities and fuse old remnants of rituals with ratkin philosophy. Ratkin tend to be neutral in alignment and very rarely good.

Adventurers: Ratkin favor speed and stealth over brute force and martial ratkin tend to be ranger and swashbucklers. This also accounts for there being more ratkin priests than clerics (and, since ratkin don’t feel a connection to the natural world, few are druid or shamans). As befitting a race of scavengers, a large number of ratkin are rogues. While magically created, ratkin have had little interbreeding and as such arcane casters tend to be wizards rather than sorcerers and warlocks who receive their powers through ancestry or from a patron. Favored most among ratkin however is the artificer as trades within this class are often completely intuitive for them.

Ratkin Traits

Extermination Survivor

Due to being carriers of various disease, to which they have an immunity, members of other races have constantly attempted to exterminate them throughout history. As a result, ratkin have developed strong resistances to the effects of poison as well as acid.

• You have Resistance to acid damage.
• You have Resistance to poison damage.
• You have Immunity to diseases.

Darkvision

This creature has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. A monster with darkvision can see in the dark within a specific radius. The monster can see in dim light within the radius as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. The monster can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Many creatures that live underground have this special sense.

Carrier

Emboldened by filth and illness the ratkin commonly carry and transmit plagues giving them a natural immunity to most diseases. If a ratkin loses a saving throw against disease, they become a carrier and can transmit the disease through contact. If an unarmed melee attack hits or a successful sleight of hand check is made, then the disease it is carrying is transmitted to the target. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw of DC 10 + the ratkin's Constitution modifier or become infected with the disease the ratkin is carrying. The carrier loses any disease they may be a carrier of once they have used this ability and may be a carrier of multiple diseases but will lose them all if they spend a short rest bathing in water with soap.