Medium humanoid (lycanthrope, shapechanger), lawful evil
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 33 (6d8 + 6)
Speed 30 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +2
Proficiency Bonus +3 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 15 (+2) | 12 (+1) | 11 (+0) | 10 (+0) | 8 (-1) |
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4
Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with silvered weapons
Senses darkvision 60 ft. (rat form only), passive Perception 12
Languages Common (can’t speak in rat form)
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Shapechanger. The wererat can use its action to polymorph into a rat-humanoid hybrid or into a giant rat, or back into its true form, which is humanoid. Its statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Keen Smell. The wererat has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
ACTIONS
- Multiattack (Humanoid or Hybrid Form Only). The wererat makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite.
- Bite (Rat or Hybrid Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage. If the target is a humanoid, it must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with wererat lycanthropy.
- Shortsword (Humanoid or Hybrid Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
- Hand Crossbow (Humanoid or Hybrid Form Only). Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
A wererat is a type of lycanthrope that can transform into a rat or a rat-humanoid hybrid. Wererats are usually found in urban areas, where they can blend in with the crowds or hide in the sewers. Wererats tend to be thin, wiry, and shorter than average in their humanoid form, with dark hair and eyes. They often have rat-like features, such as a pointed nose, whiskers, or a tail. In their rat form, they resemble large, black or brown rats with red eyes. In their hybrid form, they have a mix of human and rat traits, such as fur, claws, and teeth.
Wererats are often cunning, secretive, and greedy. They are loyal to their own kind, but distrustful of outsiders. They usually operate in gangs or clans, led by a dominant alpha. Wererats are adept at stealth, deception, and thievery. They often hoard treasure and valuables in their hidden lairs. Wererats have a strong sense of smell, which they use to communicate and track their prey.
Wererats are also called ratmen, and they delight in matching their superior intellects and meager physical skills against the more powerful and numerous humans. They are sly and evil, and often frequent sleazy taverns. Wererats are parasites that feed on humans and steal their riches. They see cities as their hunting grounds, and nothing can pass through the sewers and escape their attention.
COMBAT
Wererats are not very strong or brave, but they are quick and agile. They prefer to ambush their enemies or use hit-and-run tactics. They often fight in groups, using their numbers to overwhelm their foes. Wererats are skilled with shortswords and hand crossbows, which they often coat with poison. They also use their bite attack to infect their enemies with lycanthropy.
Wererats are immune to nonmagical weapons that are not made of silver. They also have resistance to some types of magic, such as charm and fear effects. Wererats can see in the dark, but they are vulnerable to bright light. Wererats can be detected by their distinctive musk, which they use to mark their territory.
If a battle is going against them, wererats will scatter, transform to rat form, and head for the sanctuary of the sewers. They won’t even defend their own lairs. Their attitude is that since they had stolen most of their belongings in the first place, they can always replace them.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
Wererats live in large cities, where they can find food, shelter, and opportunities. They often dwell in the sewers, catacombs, or abandoned buildings. They avoid direct confrontation with the authorities or other factions, but they are not above stealing, extorting, or blackmailing them. Wererats sometimes ally with other criminals or outcasts, such as thieves’ guilds or cults.
Wererats are social creatures that form tight-knit clans or families. Each clan has a leader, usually the oldest or strongest wererat. The leader decides the clan’s activities and goals, and settles any disputes among the members. The clan members share a common bond and a secret language based on rat squeaks and gestures. Wererats rarely mate with their own kind, but they often mate with humans. The children of wererat-human unions are always wererats.
Wererats prefer subterranean lairs hidden among the sewers and catacombs beneath cities. Their sewer’s stains and smells do not vanish when they assume human form. This effectively limits wererats to the less savory sections of town as well as reducing the number of humans who might unknowingly mate with a wererat.
ECOLOGY
Wererats are omnivorous scavengers that feed on whatever they can find in the city. They prefer meat, cheese, and grains, but they will eat garbage, carrion, or even corpses if necessary. Wererats often raid warehouses, markets, or farms for food. They also hunt rats, mice, birds, cats, dogs, and sometimes humans.
Wererats have few natural predators in the city, except for other lycanthropes or hunters who seek their pelts or bounties. Wererats often carry diseases or parasites that can affect humans or animals. Wererats also have a negative impact on the environment and the economy of the city, as they damage property, spread filth, and steal resources.
Wererats are followed by 1d6 giant rats that are instinctively drawn to them but are not controlled by them. Offspring of a female wererat resemble giant rats with human-like paws. These ratlings grow to maturity in two years and gain the ability to transform themselves into human children with an apparent age about three times that of the ratling’s actual age.
Wererats remind humans that no matter how strongly defended they think they are, monsters can still get in. Mothers describe wererats as bogeymen to scare unruly children.
Wererat’s parts are employed as material component to empower the following spells: