Masterwork Monsters: Rats in the Walls

Masterwork Monsters: Rats in the Walls

Dire rats and wererats make good d20 Fantasy
adversaries, both because of the strong reactions
they provoke from people and because the
evocative (and often disgusting) locations in
which they are often found are interesting places
to fight. This ensures that rats and rat-creatures
are among the first dangers faced by many
adventures at the beginning of their careers, with
dire rats occurring often enough that they seem
like the animal equivalent of the kobold and
rabid rat swarms serving as a believable
encounter in most environments.
As the adventurers advance in levels they
often get their first taste of lycanthrope enemies
when facing wererats, whose diseased bite is far
more dangerous than the filth fever carried by
their more mundane cousins. A favorite of many
GM’s because of the locations they favor for Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons, Third
their lairs, wererats often serve as a devious and Edition Core Books, published by Wizards of the
disgusting underbelly to urban adventures. Yet Coast, Inc.
after this rats almost seem to fade away,
forgotten in the mass of monsters that are Dungeons & Dragons and Wizards of the Coast are
available as opponents for high-level trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the United
States and other countries and are used with
adventurers. permission.
From new options such as the deadly tail
fighting feat, the crippling curse of gutgnaw or 'd20 System' and the 'd20 System' logo are trademarks
the supernatural powers of the Rattenkonig, Rats of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and are used according to
in the Walls offers all the tools you need to give the terms of the d20 System License version 6.0. A
rats and their kin a starring role in your copy of this License can be found at
www.wizards.com/d20.
campaign.

Design Assumptions
The material presented here reflects the following assumptions about rats and rat-like creatures:
• Rats in d20 fantasy games are generally associated with evil, darkness and disease.
• While western mythology has often used rats as a symbol for low and selfish behavior, they have taken on
slightly different roles in other cultures. Hindu myth associates the rat with cunning and foresight, while
Egyptian mythology uses them as a symbol of destruction.
• Historically rats have been responsible for plague and great devastation, with their prominent role in spreading
the black plague cementing their association with filth and disease.
• Although legends of lycanthropy are common, there are few if any where the victim transforms into rat: in
folklore, transformation into the form of a rat was usually the result of a specific curse or spell. This negative
association ensures that wererats are commonly associated with the same concepts as normal rats, and are often
found to lurk in sewers.
• New material for rats and rat-like creatures should reflect and enhance the mythological and historical
associations of rat, in addition to providing new ways for rats and wererats to remain viable opponents at higher
levels

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Secrets of the Rat: Feats
The following feats are designed to give rats and
rat-like creatures more options and powers,
reinforcing their stealthy, elusive nature and
their connection with infection, destruction and
raw cunning.
This section also contains a number of feats
originally designed for wererats that may be of
interest to other forms of lycanthrope.
Burrowing Bite
You can gnaw through most nonliving materials.
Pre-requisites: Must have a natural bite
attack
Effects: When you ignore the hardness of
any non-living, inanimate object with a hardness
of 5 or less while making a bite attack.
Contaminate Attack
You can contaminate a weapon with the disease
or poison from your bite.
Prerequisites: Int 7, must have a natural bite
attack that carries poison or disease as a
supernatural or extraordinary ability
Benefit: You can coat any slashing or piecing
weapon with your saliva, allowing it to poison or
infect the target of your attack just as if you had
bitten them.
Coating a melee weapon or single piece of
ammunition is a standard action that draws an
attack of opportunity. A contaminated weapon
retains its coating of spittle until it is used to
make a successful attack, the spittle is wiped off,
or two rounds have passed since the weapon was
last licked.
Subjects hit by a contaminated weapon must
make a saving throw against poison or disease
(as applicable) just as if you had bitten them.
Special: You can only contaminate your
weapon with one special attack at a time, even if
your bite is capable of inflicting poison and
disease. You may choose with which special
attack the weapon is contaminated each time you
use this ability.
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Masterwork Monsters: Rats in the Walls
You do not lose the ability to transmit poison
or disease through your bite while using this
feat. Creatures capable of making attacks with
their bite and a melee weapon may attack with
both weapons as normal, and could potentially
force opponents to make two different saving
throws in the same round.
If you have a natural attack other than a bite,
you can contaminate that attack instead of a
weapon.
Curse Carrier
You can replenish your strength from the ranks
of your enemies.
Prerequisites: Must be an afflicted
lycanthrope
Benefit: Your bite attack in animal and
hybrid forms carries the curse of lycanthropy.
Normal: Only natural lycanthropes can pass
on the curse of lycanthropy.
Hybrid Climbing
Your ability to climb in animal form carries over
to your hybrid form.
Pre-requisites: Must be a lycanthrope with
an animal form that has a Climb speed.
Effects: When in hybrid form, you have a
Climb Speed equal to your Climb speed in
animal form.
Normal: A lycanthrope can only use its
Climb speed while in animal form.
Hybrid Speed
Your hybrid form gains some of the speed of
your animal form.
Pre-requisites: Must be a lycanthrope with a
higher base speed in animal form than in hybrid
form.
Effects: You gain a 10 foot increase to your
base speed while in hybrid form, however your
base speed in this form cannot exceed your base
speed in animal form.

Special: You may take this feat multiple
times. Its effects stack.
Improved Tail Fighting
You have improved your ability to wield
weapons with your tail.
Pre-requisites: Dex 17, Int 11, base attack
bonus +6, Tail Fighting, must possess a tail at
least half as long as your body
Effects: You no longer suffer a -2 penalty on
your attacks when you make an extra attack with
a weapon held in your tail.
Special: A fighter may select Improved Tail
Fighting as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Mighty Tail Fighting
Constant training in the techniques of tail
fighting have made your tail as deadly as your
hands.
Pre-requisites: Str 13, Dex 17, Int 7, base
attack bonus +6, Tail Fighting, must possess a
tail at least half as long as your body
Effects: You are able to wield one-handed
melee weapons with your tail, rather than only
light melee weapons. Additionally, you gain
your full Strength bonus to damage on attacks
with weapons held in your tail.
Special: A fighter may select Mighty Tail
Fighting as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Nose for Danger
You can scent opponents at a greater distance.
Pre-requisites: Scent special ability
Effects: The base range at which you can
detect an opponent increases to 40 feet (80 feet
when downwind, 20 feet when upwind).
Additionally, the range at which you can
pinpoint an opponent's location via scent
increases to 15 feet.
Plaguebearer
You carry a more virulent strain of disease than
is normal for one of your species.
Pre-requisites: Must have a disease special
attack
Effects: Add +1 to the DC of all saving
throws against your disease special attack. In
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Masterwork Monsters: Rats in the Walls
addition, add +1 to the ability damage inflicted
by the disease. This bonus applies to each type
of ability damage. For instance, if your disease
inflicted 1d3 Dexterity and Wisdom damage,
then with this feat it would inflict 1d3+1 damage
to both abilities.
Regenerative Lycanthropy
Normal weapons cannot permanently kill you.
Pre-requisites: Must be a lycanthrope
Effects: You gain Regeneration 2. Silver and
fire inflict lethal damage on you.
Special: You may take this feat multiple
times. Each time you take it, your regeneration
rate increases by 2.
Sewer Rat
You have spent all your life in the sewers.
Pre-requisites: Con 11
Effects: Your body has grown used to living in
filth and squalor. You gain a +2 bonus to
Fortitude saves to resist diseases and poisons.
In addition, the stench of the sewers clings to
your body. Any creature which moves within 5
feet of you must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 +
1/2 your hit dice + your Constitution modifier)
of be sickened for 2 rounds. Creatures that
successfully save cannot be affected by your
stench for 24 hours.
A delay poison or neutralize poison spell
removes the effect from the sickened creature.
Creatures with immunity to poison are
unaffected, and creatures resistant to poison
receive their normal bonus on their saving
throws.
Special: If a creature with Scent attempts to
track you, they gain a +2 bonus to their Survival
checks due to your strong odor.
You take a –4 penalty to all Charisma checks
when interacting with creatures that may be
offended by your stench.
Your stench does not affect your own scent
ability, if any. You are used to the smell and can
tune it out.

Tail Fighting
You have learned to wield weapons with your
tail.
Pre-requisites: Dex 15, Int 7, base attack
bonus +1, must possess a tail at least half as long
as your body
Effects: You are able to wield a light melee
weapon in your tail. This allows you to make
one extra attack in a round at your highest base
attack bonus, but this attack takes a –2 penalty,
as does every other attack you make that round.
You get only half your normal Strength
bonus to damage, if any, on attacks with this
weapon.
Special: The extra attack from this feat stacks
with the extra attacks from two weapon fighting
feats, the monk's flurry of blows, and similar
abilities.
A fighter may select Tail Fighting as one of
his fighter bonus feats.
Tail Blades
Popular with certain bands of Ikrikit and
Wererat assassins, these weapons are dagger
or spear-like blades fitted with clasps that are
designed to fasten around the creature's tail.
Tail Blades come in two sizes. The lesser
tail blade is a light weapon while the greater
tail blade is a one-handed weapon. Both are
simple weapons for creatures with the Tail
Fighting feat, but should be considered as
improvised weapons for all other creatures.
Due to the fact that they are physically
clasped onto the wielder, tail blades gain a
+4 bonus to checks made to resist disarm
attempts.
Masterwork Monsters: Rats in the Walls
Trapped Rat
You fight with all the ferocity of a trapped rat.
Pre-requisites: Base Attack Bonus +1
Effects: You gain a +2 morale bonus to
attack and damage rolls when every square
adjacent to you is occupied by either an
opponent, or an impassable object such as a
wall.
Special: If you have a fly speed or burrow
speed, you only gain the morale bonus if you are
somehow blocked from using these abilities to
escape (such as if there is a ceiling in the way, or
the ground is too hard for you to burrow
through).
Water Rat
You are as at home in the water as on land.
Pre-requisites: Racial bonus to Swim checks
of +8 or better
Effects: You gain a swim speed equal to one
half your normal speed. You can always choose
to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or
endangered. You can use the run action while
swimming, provided you swim in a straight line.

Type of Tail Blade Lesser Greater

Cost 7 gp 15 gp
Damage (Small) 1d3 1d4
Damage (Medium) 1d4 1d6
Critical 20/x2 20/x2
Weight 1 lb. 2 lbs.
Damage Type Slashing or Piercing

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Secrets of the Rat: New Creatures
Although wererats and dire rats are well known
dangers in most campaign worlds, there are
other rat-like creatures who might also challenge
your adventurers. Two of these are described
below.
Ikrikit
1st level Warrior
Medium Humanoid
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+2 Dex, +2 leather armor,
+1 light wooden shield), touch 12, flat-
footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+2
Attack: Shortspear +2 melee (1d6+1) or Bite
+2 melee (1d4+1) or light crossbow +3
ranged (1d8, 19-20/x2)
Full Attack: Shortspear +0 melee (1d6+1)
and lesser tail blade +0 melee (1d4) and
bite -5 melee (1d4); or light crossbow +3
ranged (1d8, 19-20/x2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft.
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +2, Will -1
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 10, Wis
9, Cha 8
Skills: Climb +8, Jump +4, Swim +8
Feats: Tail Fighting, Trapped RatB
Environment: Any urban
Organization: Solitary, gang (2–8), pack (4–
24) or cult (10-100).
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1
This hunch-backed humanoid might be nearly
six-feet tall if it stood fully upright. A ragged
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Masterwork Monsters: Rats in the Walls
black cloak and hood does not entirely conceal
its whiskered, snout-like face nor the tufts of
thick brown fur on its arms. Its long, hairless
tail trails on the ground behind it, and is capped
with a sharp steel spike.
Ikrikit are a race of ratfolk who lurk in the
sewers and slums of large cities, living off the
waste generated by more industrious races as
well as whatever they happen to steal. They
usually follow Gasharak the Rat God, whose
teachings tell that the ikrikit are his chosen folk,
blessed to live off the efforts of lesser races.
Ikrikit plans and schemes reflect this belief: they
do not seek the destruction of the cities above
them, for that would deprive them of what they
consider their 'workers'. Instead they seek to
corrupt those in power so that more wealth will
come to them.
Looking much like an over-sized dire rat that
has learned to walk on its hind legs, an adult
ikrikit stands roughly 4-1/2 to 5 feet tall and
weighs 90 to 100 pounds. Their eyes are usually
red or yellow in color, and they have a narrow
and cunning gaze. Ikrikit are covered in bristly
fur, usually black though sometimes drifting
toward red-brown. They wear clothing of dark
leather, and favor long, hooded black cloaks that
conceal their inhuman appearance. Ikrikit put
great store in overheard secrets and snippets of
knowledge, and have adopted common as their
native tongue.
Most ikrikit encountered outside their tribal
nests are warriors or rogues; the information in
the statistics block is for a warrior of 1st level.
Ikrikit leaders are usually clerics or
cleric/rogues.
Combat
Ikrikit like to attack from ambush, preferably
with an advantage in numbers. They favor sites
that will allow them to attack from several
directions, since their numbers often include a

rogue or two who will benefit from the flanking
opportunities.
Ikrikit who find themselves overmatched flee
if possible and attempt to surrender if not. They
will make any promise necessary to coax mercy
out of their captors, though they do not intend to
honor any undertaking they make. Despite their
generally craven nature, an ikrikit who is
trapped with no hope of surrender fights with
surprising ferocity.
Skills: Ikrikit have a +4 racial bonus on
Climb and Swim checks.
Challenge Rating: Ikrikit with levels in NPC
classes have a CR equal to their character level.
Ikrikit As Characters
Ikrikit characters possess the following racial
traits.
• +2 Dexterity.
• An ikrikit’s base land speed is 40 feet.
• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• +4 racial bonus on Climb and Swim.
• Natural weapon: Bite (1d4).
• Bonus feat: Trapped Rat.
• Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus
Languages: Abyssal, Draconic, Goblin,
Infernal.
• Favored Class: Rogue.
• Level Adjustment: +1
The Ikrikit warrior presented here had the
following ability scores before racial
adjustments: Str 12, Dex 13, Con 11, Int 10, Wis
9, Cha 8.
Ikrikit as a PC Race
If you have a player who is interested in
playing an Ikrikit, but doesn't want to take
the level adjustment, you can easily change
these creatures so they have a +0 Level
Adjustment. Simply remove the +2
Dexterity bonus from their racial features,
and reduce their bite attack damage to 1d2.
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Masterwork Monsters: Rats in the Walls
Rattenkonig
Large Magical Beast (Psionic)
Hit Dice: 6d10+12 (45 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares)
Armor Class: 8 (-1 size, -2 Dex, +1 natural),
touch 7, flat-footed 8
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+11
Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d4 plus disease)
Full Attack: 6 Bites +6 melee (1d4 plus
disease)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Disease, psi-like abilities
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, multi-
mind, rat lord, rat-rider, scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +6
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 7, Con 14, Int 8, Wis
14, Cha 15
Skills: Concentration +11
Feats: Improved Initiative, Iron Will,
Plaguebearer
Environment: Any
Organization: Rat Kingdom (1; plus 10-60
dire rats and 20-400 rats)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Half standard
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 7-10 HD (Large); 11–20 HD
(Huge
Level Adjustment: —
This horrid-looking creature appears to consist
of multiple dire rats that have grown into one
tangled mass of tails, furry bodies and burning,
maddened eyes. Flecks of foam drool from the
creature's many mouths as it utters a piercing
shriek that seems to cut into your very mind.
The rattenkonig are formed when the tails of
young dire rats become glued together by filth
and ordure while in the nest. The knots are
pulled tighter when the rats attempt to extricate
themselves, eventually fusing the creatures
together into a single mass. Usually such
creatures perish due to their inability to forage
effectively, but a few experience a mental
merger alongside their physical bonding and

develop strange powers that allow them to
control the actions of the other rats around them.
They survive by using these lesser creatures as
their eyes, ears and paws, sending the rats out to
gather food and information.
Rattenkonig are almost invariably insane,
having been driven mad by the unnatural merger
of multiple minds and the terrible physical pain
that wracks their merged body. Usually this
insanity manifests itself in small ways: a child or
pet of a local family might be attacked by a pack
of rats dispatched by the rattenkonig, for
instance, but sometimes they descend into
pathological violence, attempting to drive out
every non-rat that lives in 'their' kingdom.
Combat
Rattenkonig are physically weak, with limited
ability to move. They can savagely bite any
creature which gets too close, but are helpless to
avoid the blows of a skilled warrior. They rely
on their psionic abilities and legions of rat
minions to keep their enemies at bay.
Disease (Ex): Filth fever—bite, Fortitude DC
16, incubation period 1d3 days, damage 1d3+1
Dex and 1d3+1 Con. The save DC is
Constitution-based, and the bonuses of the
plaguebearer feat are included.
Multi-mind (Su): A rattenkonig has multiple
physical brains that function as one intelligence.
This allows it to manifest one psi-like ability per
round as a free action, in addition to any other
actions it takes.
Psi-Like Abilities: At will—detect psionics,
mind thrust (DC 13), read thoughts (DC 14);
3/day—psionic blast (DC 15); 1/day—
beastmind (DC 16), fight or flight (DC 14),
inertial armor. Manifester level 7th. The save
DCs are Charisma-based.
Rat Lord (Ex): Rattenkonig can
communicate with any rat or dire rat within 200
feet. They gain a +8 racial bonus on checks
when influencing the animal’s attitude.
Rat-rider (Su): At will, a rattenkonig can
link its senses with any rat or dire rat within 200
feet. The target creature gets no saving throw.
The rattenknig can perceive what the subject
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Masterwork Monsters: Rats in the Walls
creature perceives using its sight, hearing, taste,
and smell. It make any skill checks involving
senses, such as Spot or Listen, as the subject,
and only within the subject’s field of view.
Once the rattenkonig has established a link
with an individual subject, the link persists even
if the subject moves out of the 200 foot range
(but the link does not work across planes). The
rattenkonig does not control the subject, but it
can communicate with it by means of this
power.
Rattenkonig in Non-Psionic Campaigns
Even if you don't use psionics in your
campaign, you can still use the rattenkonig.
Simply replace the creature's psi-like abilities
and multi-mind ability with the following:
Multi-mind (Su): A rattenkonig has
multiple physical brains that function as one
intelligence. This allows it to use one spell-
like ability per round as a free action, in
addition to any other actions it takes.
Spell-Like Abilities: At will—detect magic,
daze monster (DC 14), detect thoughts (DC
14); 3/day—shout (DC 16); 1/day—
confusion (DC 16), rage (DC 15), mage
armor. Manifester level 7th. The save DCs
are Charisma-based.
Ikrikit and Rattenkonig
Occupying similar territories and having
some physical connection, it might be
thought that these two creatures would be
allies.
In fact, ikrikit and rattenkonig are usually
bitter enemies, competing for the same food
sources and living environments. Ikrikit
leaders are always suspicious of a
rattenkonig's motives, knowing that the
psychologically unstable creature could
launch an attack on them or the city above at
any time. Ikrikit view such attacks on the
source of their wealth and food as reason to
destroy the offending rattenkonig, and it is
not uncommon for subterranean wars to be
waged between the two creatures.

Secrets of the Rat: Magic & Psionics
Wererats often use their lycanthropic powers to
mimic arcane or divine power, using them to
coerce gullible and power-hungry creatures into
following the wererat's directions. It is therefore
somewhat ironic therefore that many genuine
spellcasters have dedicated time and effort into
researching spells that allow them to mimic the
powers of rats and wererats.
Some of the most notorious spells and powers
developed by these spellcasters are described
below.
Rat Domain
Granted Power: You gain rat empathy. This
functions like a ranger's animal empathy ability
except that it uses your cleric level and only
affects rats or dire rats. Additionally, you gain a
bonus feat chosen from any of the feats in this
book for which you meet the pre-requisites.
Rat Domain Spells
1 Expeditious Retreat
2 Summon Swarm (Rat swarm only)
3 Hide of the Wererat
4 Ratbite
5 Baleful Polymorph (turn into rat only)
6 Curse of the Wererat
7 Gutgnaw
8 Plague of Rats
9 Moonrise
Beastmind
Telepathy [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Psion/wilder 4
Display: Mental
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Targets: One creature
Duration: 1 minute/level (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates
Power Resistance: Yes
Power Points: 7
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Masterwork Monsters: Rats in the Walls
Gasharak, the Great Rat
Worshipped by the rat-like Ikrikit, Gasharak
is a deity of trickery, theft and greed. His
priests teach that it is the role of others to
work and build, so that the true children of
Gasharak can live off their work. Cults to
this selfish and spiteful deity often flourish
in the slums and sewers of large cities, where
the Ikrikit have considerable influence. The
Ikrikit are not fussy about who worships
Gasharak (provided they respect the Ikrikit's
dominance of the cult) and readily accept
cultists from other races.
Some cults of Gasharak are led by
wererats, especially wererat rogues. In these
groups, infection with lycanthropy is often
viewed as a literal gift from the gods.
Gasharak is depicted by his followers as a
giant dire rat or hybrid man-rat, covered in
thick and spiky black fur and with red eyes.
His symbol is a rat's head. His alignment is
neutral evil and his domains are Knowledge,
Rats and Trickery.
You psychically re-route one creature's mind so
that its mental faculties become those of an
animal.
The subject’s intelligence is reduced to 2 for
the duration of the effect. They lose the power of
speech, and it cannot employ any supernatural
special attacks, psionic powers or psi-like
abilities it may possess. It also cannot use spells
or spell-like abilities. The creature can make use
of any weapons it has in its hands at the time the
spell is cast, but it cannot draw new weapons or
reload a ranged weapon.
The target's mental state is not changed in
any other way: it retains the same basic moral
and ethical code, personality, and loyalties it had
before the spell. A fighter afflicted by this
power would still fight to defend their friends,

for instance, and could still make use of any feat
that did not require an Intelligence of 3 or higher
to utilize.
For the purposes of mind-affecting spells or
powers, a creature under the effects of
beastmind is considered an animal, rather than a
creature of its actual type. For all other spells
and powers, it retains its normal type. This can
also suppress an existing mind-affecting effect.
For example, a fighter who is under a charm
person spell is subsequently subjected to
beastmind, the effects of the charm would be
suppressed for the duration of this spell.
Curse of the Wererat
Transmutation [Chaotic, Evil]
Level: Sor/Wiz 7, Rat 6
Components: V, S, F/DF
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Target: One helpless or willing humanoid or
giant
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
Originally developed by a wizard who had
contracted lycanthropy and wished to spread his
curse as widely as possible, this foul spell allows
you to afflict the target with the Curse of
Lycanthropy. An unwilling subject gets a Will
save to negate the effects.
A character that fails (or foregoes) their
saving throw immediately becomes an afflicted
wererat, exactly as if they had been infected by a
natural lycanthrope. Their alignment changes to
chaotic evil, and their attitude toward you
improves to friendly (if it was neutral or worse)
or helpful (if it was already friendly).
Curse of the Wererat can be removed in the
same ways as normal lycanthropy.
Arcane Focus: The pelt of a dire rat.
Fight or Flight
Telepathy [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Psion/wilder 2, psychic warrior 2
Display: Mental
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Masterwork Monsters: Rats in the Walls
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets: One shaken, frightened or panicked
creature per 3 manifester levels
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Power Resistance: Yes
Power Points: 3
You tap into the primitive fight or flight reflex
that present in the subconscious mind of every
intelligent creature, re-routing the subject’s
instinct to flee into an instinct to fight.
Each affected creature immediately loses any
fear conditions from which they may be
suffering (shaken, frightened or panicked) and
additionally gains a +2 morale bonus to Strength
and Constitution, a +1 morale bonus on Will
saves, and a –2 penalty to AC. These effects are
otherwise identical to a barbarian’s rage, except
that the subjects aren’t fatigued at the end of the
rage.
Augment: For every 2 additional power
points you spend, this power can affect one
additional target within range.
Gutgnaw
Transmutation [Evil, Fear, Mind-affecting]
Level: Sor/Wiz 7, Rat 7
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One living creature of large size or
smaller which possesses an organ structure
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates; see text
Spell Resistance: Yes
Gutgnaw is widely used by the clerics of
Gasharak the Rat God, who favor it for the
gruesome death it inflicts on those who
challenge them and the salutary way it cows the
members of their cult into blind obedience.
A creature targeted with gutgnaw must make
a Will save to resist its effects. If they fail, you
transform several of their internal organs into
dire rats, which then chew and claw their way

out of the victim's stomach and chest before
returning to their original form. The target takes
2d6 points of damage per caster level (to a
maximum of 40d6) in a gruesome and horrifying
fashion.
Living creatures with a clear view of the
spell's effects (generally any creature within 30
feet, but more if they are actively watching the
victim) must make a Will save. Those who fail
are shaken for 2d4 minutes. This portion of the
spell is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Material Component: A few hairs or drops of
blood from a dire rat.
Hide of the Wererat
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 4, Rat 3
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
The target of this spell sprouts patches of thick
fur on her body and gains resistance to most
blows, cuts, stabs, and slashes. The subject gains
damage reduction 10/silver. It ignores the first
10 points of damage each time it takes damage
from a weapon, though a silver weapon bypasses
the reduction.
Focus: A scrap of skin from a lycanthrope.
This item can be purchased for 100 gp provided
a source can be found; the sale of such an item is
generally illegal.
Moonrise
Evocation
Level: Sor/Wiz 9, Rat 9
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area: 5 ft. radius/level emanation
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes
Page 10
Masterwork Monsters: Rats in the Walls
You fill an area with a dim, pearly
luminescence.
Lycanthropes within the area of a moonrise
spell are subject to the following effects:
• Only weapons that are silver and magic can
penetrate their damage resistance, rather than
any silver weapon.
• Their attacks are considered to be both silver
and magical weapons for the purposes of
penetrating damage resistance.
• Any afflicted lycanthrope must make a
Control Shape skill check each round to
resist an involuntary change to their animal
form. The lycanthrope can choose to
automatically fail this check if they wish.
• Any injuries inflicted by an afflicted
lycanthrope carry the curse of lycanthropy,
exactly as if the afflicted lycanthrope was a
natural lycanthrope.
• Natural lycanthropes, and those afflicted
lycanthropes with the Curse Carrier feat,
gain a +2 bonus to the DC of their curse of
lycanthropy supernatural ability.
Creatures that become afflicted with
lycanthropy while in the area of a moonrise spell
are immediately subject to all effects of the
spell, potentially causing a horrific and nigh
unstoppable wave of lycanthropism.
Plague of Rats
Conjuration (summoning)
Level: Drd 8, Rat 8
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)/ 100 ft.; see
text
Effect: One swarm of rats per level
Duration: 10 minutes/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
When you invoke the plague of rats, you call
forth a mass of rat swarms (one per caster level,
to a maximum of twenty swarms at 20th level),
which need not appear adjacent to one another.
You may summon the rat swarms so that they
share the area of other creatures. The swarms

remain stationary, attacking any creatures in
their area, unless you command the plague of
rats to move (a standard action). As a standard
action, you can command any number of the
swarms to move toward any prey within 100 feet
of you. You cannot command any swarm to
move more than 100 feet away from you, and if
you move more than 100 feet from any swarm,
that swarm remains stationary, attacking any
creatures in its area (but it can be commanded
again if you move within 100 feet).
Ratbite
Transmutation
Level: Drd 4, Rat 4
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 minutes/level (D)
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates; see below
Spell Resistance: Yes; see below
Your posture becomes stooped forward, and you
grow a snout complete with sharp incisors. You
gain one bite attack each round, instead of or in
addition to any other attacks you have, that deals
Masterwork Monsters: Rats in the Walls
1d6 points of damage (assuming you are a
Medium creature) when it hits.
Your bite attack is a natural weapon, so you
are considered armed when attacking with it,
and it can be affected by powers, spells, and
effects that enhance or improve natural weapons.
If you bite as your only attack, you use your
highest base attack bonus on the attack roll, and
you can apply your full Strength bonus to
damage. If you bite in addition to making other
attacks, the bite is a secondary attack.
If you are not a Medium creature, your bite
attack’s base damage varies as follows: Fine 1,
Diminutive 1d2, Tiny 1d3, Small 1d4, Large
1d6, Huge 1d8, Gargantuan 2d6, Colossal 2d8.
In addition to hit point damage, your bite is
infected with a particularly virulent strain of filth
fever. Any creature bitten by you must make a
Fortitude save or contract the disease, which
strikes immediately (no incubation table) and
inflicts 1d3 points of Dexterity and Constitution
damage. From there the diseases runs its course
normally, just as if the target had contracted it
from a mundane source.
Material Component: A pair of incisors from
a dire rat.

Rats in the Walls

A Henchman Production for the Clockwork
Golem Workshop
Written by Adam Windsor
Edited by Peter M. Ball

For additional product support and details on

upcoming releases in the Masterwork
Characters series, visit our website at
www.clockworkgolem.com

Page 11

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Masterwork Monsters: Rats in the Walls
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System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the
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based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Rats in the Walls is copyright © 2005 Adam Windsor.
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