Homebrew Ratfolk Species Details

Small, clever, and seen as no more than another sort of vermin, the Ratfolk are a humanoid race that shares many features with the rodents they gain their name from.  With sharp wit and even sharper reflexes, these folk are adept at being able to analyze and react to any given situation, leading to a reputation of guile and survivability that is hard to match. Many that aim to adventure away from the relative comforts of their home find they are adept in finding hidden secrets and traveling easier than larger humanoids, finding riches to bring back to their clan as a scout, thief, or mage.

Clusters of Clans

Every ratfolk is born into a clan of familial bonds, usually in packs of half a dozen or more. Each of these clans can quickly grow in number, with the most expansive and stable clans containing thousands of ratfolk. Most clans don’t grow to more than a few dozen, as many of their young are unable to survive into adulthood from the dangerous areas they are forced to live in. To build stronger defenses, multiple clans will quite often band together to create a complex they call the Warrens, usually made of tunnels or other small connected rooms that are used as homes, shops, temples, and gathering halls. These warrens become mostly autonomous towns where each ratfolk tries to make their own way of surviving by independently finding ways to do jobs that wouldn’t seem out of place in a human farming village.  

Personal Treasures

In similarity to their bestial cousins, nearly all ratfolk have a tendency to gather small trinkets and baubles for their own collection. While some resort to using their natural talents in thievery to take things from others, much more of the ratfolk turn to bartering to gather items that catch their eye. Gold is much more of a tool for ratfolk to use in trade with the other humanoid races for the gems or trinkets they find more valuable. These small hoards of treasure not only provide satisfaction to its owner, but also sets that ratfolk up to gain more influence amongst their clan. The larger the treasure hoard, the more they can ask of other ratfolk.

Victims of Circumstance

While not lycanthropes themselves, the ratfolk’s similar appearance to wererats leaves many to assume that they were the origin of the curse and the spread of its malignant effect on society. This leaves the ratfolk few places to carve out as their own as they become ostracized from other locales, with swamps and underground tunnels of other humanoid cities the primary place where a clan can build their warrens. When they are found out by other races that occupy the area, the entirety of the clans quickly vacate the area to avoid any sort of attempt to exterminate them. In those circumstances however, they take advantage as best they can and usually make off with loads of foodstuffs or precious trinkets to use for trade in their new home.

 

Ratfolk Traits

Your ratfolk character possesses a number of traits that reflect their inclination to skullduggery and survival.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Age

Ratfolk age much quicker than most other humanoids, achieving maturity by the age of 6 and the eldest living up to, at most, 50 years.

Alignment

Shunned by almost all other societies and left to inhabit the more vile places of the world, all ratfolk tend to lead selfish lives that ensure their own survival and lean towards chaos but are not heavily influenced towards good or evil.

Size

Ratfolk take on much of the characteristics of the beasts they share blood with, typically only reaching 3 to 3 ½  feet tall and weighing no more than 50 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you 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.

Scamper

As a bonus action, your speed increases by 10 feet and you gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed. Until the end of your turn, squeezing into smaller spaces doesn’t cost you extra movement, and you can move through a hostile creature’s space regardless of their size. You can do this a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier (minimum of once), and regain spent charges after completing a short or long rest.

Natural Thieves

You gain proficiency with one of the following skills of your choice: Deception, Stealth, or Survival. You may choose to gain proficiency with Thieve’s Tools instead of a skill.

Plague Carrier

You have advantage on saving throws against poison and have resistance to poison damage.

In addition, you are immune to the effects of non-magical diseases, but can still be infected and spread them through natural means.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Undercommon. You can also communicate with other ratfolk or vermin by using “Gutterspeak”, which is a primitive spoken language of grunts, hisses, and squeaks that can communicate basic information or emotions.