Homebrew Rats in a Trenchcoat (RIAT/Riot) Species Details

As the bandits encircle the man in the trench coat, he stands bravely against the coming force. 

The Bandit Captain looks to him and says: "Any last words?"

The man says only one thing: "Rats..."

The coat falls, and the rats scurry away.

- Opal Feuerdottir, Observations on Species Vol. VIII

 Rats are generally fairly smart creatures, so when a group of them acquire a collective soul and a trench coat, things get a bit wild. Rats in a Trench coat, more commonly known as Riots, tend to live amongst normal people in large cities, and most would be hard-pressed to realize who among them is secretly just a mischief of rats. Riots main goal is just to be recognized as a part of normal society, and live with people. 

Secretive and Disguised

With their interesting build of a large mass of rats working together to appear human, riots appear very odd to humans and other races, a kind of uncanny valley situation. Their height and weight depend entirely on how many rats make them up, with their heights ranging from 4 ft. to 7 ft. tall, with a weight of anywhere from 80 to 140 pounds. Riots' genders are found to be based on which of the rats is the personality rat, and can fluctuate should that rat switch roles. 

A riot's "skin tone" is its constituent rats' fur color, ranging from various greys to browns and even the normal range of human skin tones. Rarely, riots have been found to be magically affected by the soul of the collective, with their fur colors becoming red, blue, green, and even pink. Their eye color ranges the standard human colors, alongside red and purple. They favor trench coats for clothing, but have been known to also inhabit suits of armor.

Soul-bound Aging

Riots age with the will of the soul that binds them, with a lifespan ranging anywhere from 50 - 180 years. Their collective intelligence amongst their rat constituents results in them often being akin to a human with ADHD, constantly scatterbrained and thinking of a million different things at once. When pursuing a goal for the good of the collective, however, riots are incredibly resourceful, finding infinite new ways to solve problems. Riots make friends easily, as those who would consider befriending them are often few and far between. Riots' soul is of fey origin, giving them the ability to speak with fey and exist with fey with little problems. 

In Plain Sight

Riots tend to dwell in cities with large amounts of people, allowing them to more effectively blend in amongst the masses. Riots hunt for scraps, but also get jobs and work for food and shelter. Most riots want only to be accepted into society and be treated as any other human. Riots are crafty and resourceful, and thus can do all kinds of jobs if they put their minds to it. 

Riots tend to become adventurers in the hopes that word of their exploits allows them to become accepted more easily as members of society. Their ability to become rats also helps them to sneak into areas not accessible by humans, making them good thieves and tricksters. They've also been known to dabble in magic, given that they are bound by a magical soul.

Riot Names

Riots tend to use names of places they've been or people they met in order to try to blend in more effectively. As a collective, they often use "we" and "us" when referring to themselves, even though they share one conscience. They also tend to name themselves single or double syllabic names, as they are easier to remember for the rats' brains.

Some common Riot names: Remy, Gary, Tim, Jeffrey, Ted, Bob, Jim

Rats in a Trenchcoat (RIAT/Riot) Traits

Your riot character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of being a collective of rats

Darkvision

Accustomed to dark sewers and the nighttime, your rats (and thus, you) have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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 colors in darkness, only shades of grey.

Natural Attacks

Your rats can bite and scratch with their teeth and claws. Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 + your Strength modifier slashing damage when you hit with them, instead of bludgeoning damage. 

Ability Score Increases

Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and one other ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Size

You are a Medium creature in human form, or a swarm of tiny creatures otherwise.

Speed

Your speed is 25 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.

Ah, Rats...

As an action, once per day, you can disassemble your body into its constituent rats and move uninhibited. You convert into a swarm of rats, and can move up to your movement without taking opportunity attacks. This also allows you to move through spaces as small as a rat can move (to your DM's discretion). You then reform into your humanoid form in your new space, holding any items you were previously, using the innate power of your fey soul to conjure them back to your being. 

Fey Soul

Your fey soul makes you, for all intents and purposes, a fey.