Dire Rat (3.5e Monster)

Author: Aarnott (talk) Date Created: 18:49, 17 August 2011 (UTC) Status: Working away Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Note

You may be looking for the Dire Rat from the SRD instead.

This monster is balanced to fit in a rogue level game. I have taken the liberty of not using the standard D&D rules for determining various statistics for this monster. As a result, it may seem a bit stronger (or weaker) than some SRD monsters of the same CR and that is fine. I think it will pose an appropriate challenge for rogue-level characters of its CR.

Dire Rat

Dire Rat

CR 1/2

	N Small Animal
Init/Senses	+3/Low-light vision, scent; Listen +4, Spot +4
AC	15, touch 14, flat-footed 13
hp	14 (1/2 HD)
Fort/Ref/Will	+3/+4/+2
Speed	30 ft. (6 squares), climb 20 ft. (4 squares)
Melee	+5 Bite (1d4 + Filth Fever)
Space/Reach	15 ft./10 ft.
Base Atk/Grp	+0/-1
Atk Options	Filth Fever
Abilities	Str 10, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 4
Skills	Swim +4, Climb +4, Hide +6*, Move Silently +6
Advancement	—
Filth Fever (Ex)	Dire rats' teeth are dripping with infectious pus. A single bite will cause an instant reaction to even the toughest warriors. Filth fever is a disease, but unlike a normal disease it uses the rules following this paragraph. For the purposes of combat, when a dire rat hits with a bite attack, the creature must make a fortitude save DC 13 or else take 3 damage, have its maximum hitpoints reduced by 3 (this can only happen once), and take a -2 penalty to attack rolls and DCs of abilities. See below for after combat effects. Whenever a creature is exposed to filth fever by a dire rat bite, it must make a fortitude save DC 13 or else immediately contract stage 1 of the disease and suffer its effects. Each day, the creature must make a fortitude save DC 13 + the stage of the disease they are in or else move to the next stage of the disease. A success by 5 or more reduces the disease by 1 stage. Bed rest reduces the DC by 2 and a heal check can be substituted for the saving throw in the case of long-term care. Stage 1: The subject develops an immediate infectious pus pocket on their skin, which is extremely painful and they break out into a mild fever. The creature takes 3 damage immediately and takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls and DCs of their abilities until the disease is cured. In addition, until the disease is cured, the creature's max hitpoints are reduced by 3. Stage 2: The infection has spread rashes all over the body and the skin is extremely fragile, tearing easily. Their fever becomes quite severe, accompanied by strong migraines. The creature takes a -2 penalty to all skill checks and their AC. Their max hitpoints are reduced by a further 2 points per HD they have. Stage 3: The white boils where the infection began have turned to necrotic tissues. The pus pockets burst occasionally, leaving a slimy residue all over the creature's body. The creature Their max hitpoints are reduced by a further 2 points per HD they have. The disease can easily spread at this stage. Any creature that tends to the diseased must make a saving throw or contract Stage 1 of the disease themselves. Stage 4: On entering this stage, the creature loses a random limb to the necrotic tissues. A leg reduces their base speed by 10 ft. An arm has the expected effect of forcing the creature to no longer use a shield or be unable to use two-handed weapons. Stage 5: The creature dies.

Dire rats are omnivorous scavengers, but will attack to defend their nests and territories.

A dire rat can grow to be up to 4 feet long and weigh over 50 pounds.

Strategies and Tactics

Dire rat packs attack fearlessly, biting and chewing with their sharp incisors.

Dire rats carry a very dangerous disease: filth fever, which can kill even a strong man in a matter of days and has immediate consequences. They are smart enough to try to spread disease to as many enemies as they can. By doing this, the rats often scare off predators with the immediately painful disease effects and can sometimes even follow their would be predator and wait for it to slowly die before feeding on its diseased carcass.

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