Ratkin Rites
Sources: PGttCB 146-147, Ratkin 68-73
| Type | Roll | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Mystic | Wits + Rituals | 7 |
| Accord | Cha + Rituals | 7 |
| Nest | Varies (Max. Gnosis) | 7 |
| Punishment | Cha + Rituals | 7 |
Ratkin Rites
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Level 1
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Level 2
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Level 3
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Level 4
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Level Varies
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Level 1
Contract Rite - This is the first rite a Knife-Skulker learns, although no lone wanderer would take to the road without it. The Contract Rite is a method by which a Ratkin can sell his skills to another group of supernatural creatures. A particularly skeptical wererat may even take out a contract with his own rat pack before he joins. Before working with any other group of individuals, a Ratkin always has the rite to ask "What's in it for me?" The most common types of compensation include safe passage through the domain, access to a sacred site, supplies, talens, and exchanges of favors.
When an area is overrun with Ratkin, swarms of wererats hire themselves out to anyone who can meet their demands. Retinues of courtiers and other traditional rat packs insist that their Tunnel Runner should approach a group initially, but their Knife Skulker should negotiate the final Contract Rite. Anarchist rat packs allow wererats of any aspect to perform this rite. There is only one overriding proviso: a rat cannot betray other Ratkin as a part of a contract. The Litany of Survival states that the wererat should betray others before betraying his own kind. Knife Skulkers enforce this dictum with brutal efficiency.
The rite serves as a declaration, with the spirits as witnesses, of what each party in the contract intends to get out of the alliance. With rat packs, this is largely a formality; a wererat who breaks a Contract Rite loses Cunning Renown and damages his reputation, but is still free to make other contracts. A Ratkin dealing with other supernatural creatures, however, takes a big risk when performing this rite. Breaking a contract will result in the wererat being hounded by Rat spirits until the terms are fulfilled. Wererats may dismiss such obligations as trivial, but other supernatural creatures often seek revenge for betrayal.
When other supernatural creatures enter into a Contract Rite with a Ratkin, the most common goals involve gathering information, stealing valuables, or assassination. ("If you steal that fetish from the sept leader, I'll burn down the insane asylum and kill the vampire inside of it" "Deal!") Ratkin can always sweeten any deal with a few carefully disclosed facts, giving their race a reputation, as one would expect, for "ratting" on former supernatural allies. This is considered sleazy by anyone other than Ratkin, who fully expect such behavior.
Two guidelines are essential for any outside species who want to make contracts with wererats: Never turn your back on a Ratkin, and never betray a contract. Other supernatural creatures who try to cheat wererats succumb to a very important clause: the rite of a Knife Skulker to seek redress. Any good contract includes a "punishment clause", and skulkers love to enforce them.
System: At the end of negotiations, the ritemaster spends one Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Rituals. The spirits witness this transaction; your totem will acknowledge your pact by giving a member of your deceit a brief vision. Some bastards like to leave a few loopholes in an agreement; the totem's vision often relates to at least one of the flaws in the contract. , as the Storyteller describes a scene that shows a situation where the contract could break down. The amount of detail and length of this vision depend on the number of successes on the final roll. If either party reneges on the contract, the totem will bless the ritemaster with a vision of the transgression.
If the contract is broken, the method of enforcing the punishment clause is left entirely up to the Knife Skulker. Some prefer to harry and harass those who refuse to hold up their end of a contract. A few favor ritual crippling (getting a victim alone and taking him down to Crippled with aggravated damage). The most effective method is simple assassination. Any of these tactics spreads the message that no one double-deals the rats. For Storytellers who are using Renown rules, fulfilling a punishment clause is a good way to gain Infamy, but only if your totem acknowledges its approval of your act with a vision.
Wererats trade favors with other supernatural creatures like pack-rats trade shiny things, but any staunch Ratkin roleplayer is advised to write down every pact he's made. No doubt the Storyteller will remember every deal you've made in just as much detail, if not more...
(Ratkin BB p68)
Dedication Rite - This is the first rite a Shadow Seer learns, but any wererat can learn it from a Shadow Seer. It temporarily binds a rat pack to their totem and defines the collective goals they want to achieve. The ceremony is performed by a pack of rats gathered in a circle. Each member places an object in the center of the circle that represents the role of the pack. The ritemaster then walks around the gathering and speaks to the heavens, describing the great quest the pack intends to fulfill on the Incarna's behalf. The items them vanish immediately; they do not return to the pack members until the quest is fulfilled or formally abandoned. Once the pack has fulfilled its goal, they also have the option of "renewing the pact" or declaring allegiance to another Incarna. Renewing the rite doesn't require another rituals roll; changing totems, however, requires the pack to perform this rite all over again.
System: The ritemaster spends one Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 6) at the climax of the ritual. Each success gives one temporary Background point of Totem, which is used to purchase the pack's totem. There's a chance the mystic may not get enough successes, so after the roll, each pack member may sacrifice one point of Willpower to add one extra success for each Willpower point spent. These Willpower points are not refreshed until the pack achieves or formally abandons its quest. Allying with a City Father or Mother requires 3 points; declaring a pack's allegiance to Rat requires 5 points; serving Grandfather Thunder requires 7. A few strange packs serve other Incarna; the cost required for these false gods are the same as those listed in the core rulebook.
Retinues of courtiers require Shadow Seers to perform this rite; in a formal, traditional rat pack, if a wererat of another aspect performs this rite, he will lose two temporary Obligation Renown.
(Ratkin BB p69)
Rite of Artifice Dedication (Mystic) - This rite allows a ritualist to bind an object or article of clothing to a fellow Ratkin. By laying paws on any mundane item, the ritualist can ensure that it will remain with the dedicated rodent while he shifts between forms. There is one major difference between this rite and Talisman Dedication: If desired, the size of the artifact can be greatly reduced when a wererat shifts, down to a size that even a ratling pup can use.
For instance, a Homid Ratkin's favorite battered hat might reform as a very, very tiny hat when the beastie is in Rodens form, or just disappear out of harm's way until the traveler is in Homid form again. One word of caution: Any rat in Rodens form who carries tiny items is advised to stay hidden as much as possible. At best, being seen might possibly invoke the Delirium (even if the wererat is not in Crinos; at worst, someone will call the bad men in lab coats to come and take you away
System: The ritemaster must be in Rodens form, and the recipient of this rite must be in Homid. Each of them spends one Gnosis; the ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). Normally, binding an object only requires one success, although particularly large objects may require more. If the roll is botched, the item is still bound, but becomes defective in some way. Other than these differences, the rite functions much as the Garou Rite of Talisman Dedication.
(Ratkin BB p69)
Rite of the Birthing Plague (Mystic) - Once a rat pack has learned to properly serve one of the three major Incarna, they are ready to help bring more lost children into the fold. After the fulfillment of a rat pack's first contract, a Rat Gaffling will seek out the pack and teach them the rite of the Birthing Plague. He may also immediately tell them where a prospective wererat might be found. Rescuing lost Kinfolk brings great Renown, and the rat pack will no doubt immediately school him on what they've learned so far. Plague Lords typically learn this ritual as their first rite.
Performing the ritual summons a Rat Gaffling to bite a prospective Ratkin and determine whether a new wererat can be created. The victim is usually either rat Kinfolk or human Kinfolk, or a newly spawned Metis wererat. If it is performed on a human, the results are deadly. Once bitten, the subject is ravaged by disease, which consumes mind, body, and spirit alike. If the victim dies, there's one less human or weakling rat in the world. If the victim survives, he slowly transforms into a full-blood Ratkin. Hallucinations from the plague offer revelations of the new wererat's life. Garou, other shapechangers and their Kinfolk are not affected by this rite; they've already found their calling. Humans can be wounded with this rite, but they wont become Ratkin unless they are Ratkin Kinfolk. Ratkin infected a second time with this rite are unaffected by it; they have already pledged to serve their aspect for the rest of their days.
System: First a Ratkin must successfully bite or claw a chosen victim. If the attack does any damage, the ritemaster then rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7) to spread the Infection. The virulence of the disease depends on the number of successes:
| Successes | Infection |
|---|---|
| 1 | Inflicts the victim with one aggravated health level of damage. |
| 3 | Inflicts enough aggravated damage to take her down to the Wounded health level, bestowing a fever dream of terrible visions and a full day of unconsciousness. |
| 5 | Inflicts enough aggravated damage to take the victim down to the incapacitated health level. The dreams continue until the victim is resuscitated. |
If the victim is a Ratkin Kinfolk, she then has a one-in-ten chance of becoming infected; roll one die against a difficulty of 10. If the roll fails, the Kinfolk may still survive. Roll Stamina (difficulty 6); three successes means the victim survives, but only after a protracted illness. If the roll scores fewer successes, the victim takes one additional level of aggravated damage each day until cured or killed.
Those who aren't actually Kin have a much rougher time surviving; normal mortals wounded by this rite make the Stamina roll to survive at difficulty 8.
Any Infected Kinfolk is continually on the verge of losing control. Kinfolk characters caught in the throes of the Birthing Plague have an effective Rage 4 and Gnosis 4 until they undergo the First Change. They cant spend these points, but they can make frenzy rolls and Rapture rolls based on these two traits.
(Ratkin BB p69)
Rite of the Bolthole - This is the first rite a Tunnel Runner learns. It does more than simply open a bolthole from the physical world to the Umbra; it also provides a short-cut for Ratkin who need to travel long distances. Spirit tunnels are a relatively safe form of travel, since only the smallest and most perceptive spirits can use them.
Any Ratkin who holds hands (or joins paws) with the ritualist and his fellow travelers can also enter the spirit tunnel, which closes behind the deceit of wererats. After the pack tunnels into the Umbra, the path changes behind them; they cannot turn back, nor can they follow the exact same route later on. A Ratkin doesn't have to use this rite to step sideways, but if he does, he may find traveling through the Umbra much easier.
System: Performing this ritual requires two components: A shiny thing and privacy, the two most valuable goals a rat can attain. Spend a point of Gnosis; a Perception + Rituals (difficulty 6) roll determines how well the rite succeeds. If you want to use an Umbral tunnel as a "short-cut" through the physical world, the Storyteller first calculates how long the journey would normally take on land. He then reduces that travel time based on the following table.
Short-cuts through the Physical World
| Successes | Travel time reduced by... |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1/5 |
| 2 | 1/4 |
| 3 | 1/3 |
| 4 | 1/2 |
| 5+ | 2/3 |
If the Ratkin is trying to travel from the physical world to a specific realm in the Near Umbra, the number of successes shows the chance of arriving at the specified destination. After you've made the initial Perception + Rituals roll, roll one die against the difficulty listed on the short-cut (or roll percentile dice against the listed percentage); on a successful roll, you arrive safely. If you miss the "accuracy roll", the Story teller gets to choose an umbra realm as your new destination. Good luck getting back.
Short-cuts through the Spiritual World
| Successes | Difficulty for 2nd roll ("accuracy") |
|---|---|
| 1 | 8 (20% accurate) |
| 2 | 6 (40% accurate) |
| 3 | 4 (60% accurate) |
| 4 | 2 (80% accurate) |
If you want to travel to the Deep Umbra, you can declare an Anchorhead as your destination, but after that, your travel time would be the same as for any other shapeshifter. Passing through an Anchorhead Realm requires the assistance of a Rank 3 Tunnel Runner, an Unearthly Ratkin, or any Munchmausen.
If a Ratkin botches on a Bolthole Rite (or botches a Gnosis roll to step sideways), the player rolls one more die. On a roll of a 1, the rite has botched so badly that a temporary Stairway Realm is created. On any other roll, the pack is just caught in the Gauntlet, just like the Garou stepping sideways. Ratkin, unfortunately,don't react as well to being caught in the webs between these two dimensions...
(Ratkin BB p70)
Rite of the Cardboard Palace (Mystic) - This classic rite is taught by Bone Gnawers. The ritemaster can transform something as flimsy as a cardboard box into a decent place to sleep. Rodens Ratkin don't need such palatial estates; a milk carton or tissue box provides plenty of room.
System: A roll of Intelligence + Survival (difficulty 7) can turn an ordinary shelter into a comfortable home for the night, keeping the people inside it warm and dry. It can be used on someone else's shelter, or your own. Of course, a home for one human can become a home for dozens of rats.
(Ratkin BB p70, Bone Gnawers TB p74)
Rite of the Pain Dagger (Mystic) - This is the first rite a Warrior learns, and only Warriors may perform this rite, regardless of whom they serve. The ritual creates a sacred dagger similar to a Garou Klaive. A Ratkin cannot join the Warrior aspect until she has successfully performed this rite. The ritual binds a War spirit, Pain spirit, Rat spirit, or Disease spirit inside a ceremonial blade. The dagger can be created out of any material, but it must have special spiritual significance to the creator. A Warrior cannot own more than one Pain Dagger at a time; if the weapon is destroyed, he loses Renown, but he can create a replacement.
The Pain Dagger is a sacred blade, an expression of the purity of a Ratkin's devotion. The blade is used ceremoniously in battle, once it is drawn, the Warrior's pride is at stake. If the Warrior uses his Pain Dagger irreverently (duct taping it to his boot, mounting it on the hood of his car, or using it to pry open cans of food, for instance), he will bring shame upon himself. The spirit inside the blade must be treated with respect; if a Warrior doesn't do this, the spirit will protest, and the wererat will lose at least two Obligation Renown.
System: Spent one point of Gnosis to create the dagger, and a second point to bond the dagger to the Ratkin. The Warrior then sits in meditation, reflecting on his martial training. Roll Intelligence + Enigmas, the difficulty is the local Gauntlet. If the Warrior's heart is pure, a spirit will Materialize and challenge the warrior to single combat. Once the entity is defeated, it takes up residence inside the blade.
Finish by rolling Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). If the wererat fails, the spirit will inhabit the blade for twelve hours before escaping. If the wererat succeeds, the binding is permanent and the "spirit blade" will inflict aggravated damage. A typical Pain Dagger inflicts Strength + 3 damage, but the weapon can inflict only non-aggravated damage to the Ratkin who is bound to it. Each time the weapon is unsheathed, it draws a point of Gnosis from its user; if the user has no Gnosis left, the damage is non-aggravated.
At the Storyteller's discretion, a particularly powerful spirit may also be able to use one or more of its Charms while bound inside the weapon, providing the Warrior also spends Background Points for these extra effects. For mathematically inclined Storytellers, the cost is equal to the Power cost of the Charm. (For instance, a War spirit who can inflict the Blast Flame Charm costs two extra Background Points for each die of damage possible.) If the Warrior hasn't set aside these points, she'll have to save up the experience points to pay for them. This spiritual power can only be used once each time the blade is drawn.
A Warrior can bind one of the following Charms into a Pain Dagger as long as he's summoned the right spirit: Airt Sense, Agony, Armor (2 points maximum), Blast Flame, Create Fires, Create Wind, Freeze, Ice Shards, Infection, Shatter Glass, Throw Glass, or Tracking. As one would expect, other Charms require special permission from the Storyteller; discretion is advised.
(Ratkin BB p70)
Level 2
Rite of Crash Space (Mystic) - While werewolves build elaborate caerns to support entire septs of Garou, wererats cant afford such ostentatious surroundings. If the Rite of the Cardboard Palace isn't enough for you, a ritualist can transform any hidden home where rats can nest, recover and meditate. These hidey holes are often used by rats who are about to give birth, establishing a peaceful site for raising dozens of pups. While Garou can meditate just about anywhere, wererats have to remain someplace relatively safe when meditating to regain Gnosis. The Shrine at a Ratkin colony or crash space blessed with this ritual are the two most common choices.
System: Creating crash space requires a point of Gnosis and an Intelligence + Survival roll (difficulty 7); the home is safe for one week for each success. After ten minutes of scurrying about and gnawing at the appropriate corners, the shelter is cozy enough to serve as a place of meditation. The wererat must also erect a shrine out of nifty stuff from around the neighborhood.
Once this is done, any Ratkin in calm meditation at this site can regain Gnosis. Any wererat can attempt this by rolling Intelligence + Enigmas; for each success obtained, the Ratkin gains one point of Gnosis after an hour of contemplation and quiet time. Under the optional Ratkin Psychology rules, a reflective and calm were rat will then appear saner and more stable to those who encounter her.
(Ratkin BB p71, Bone Gnawers TB p75)
Rite of the Purified Body (Accord) - This rite cleanses another's body of all poisons, whether magical or natural. It can counter the Rite of the Birthing Plague for those who haven't become Ratkin (after the final Stamina roll) or the effects of a Plague Lord Epidemic.
System: This is a Rite of Accord performed by a healthy Ratkin, who spends one point of Gnosis. The roll is Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7)
(Ratkin BB p72)
Level 3
Rite of the Fetish (Mystic) - As the Garou Mystic Rite: Rite of the Fetish - This rite allows a werewolf to create a fetish (an object with a spirit bound into it). To do so, the Garou must first cleanse the potential fetish by placing it under running water (sufficiently drinkable tap water counts), burying it in pure earth, exposing the object to constant breezes, or suspending it above flame for three consecutive nights. The Garou must then force or persuade a spirit to enter the prepared object. The Fianna claim that cajoling or flattering a spirit produces the best results, while the Bone Gnawers and Silent Striders claim that bribery (expending Gnosis) works best.
System: See the Fetish Creation chart for the steps for making a fetish.
(Ratkin BB p69, WWRevised p161)
Rite of Investiture (Nest) - This Shadow Seer rite marks the ascension of a Rat King, the unquestioned ruler of a Ratkin Nest. Because it is a very formal rite, only a Shadow Seer Mystic - a Seer who is at least Rank Three - may invoke it. If a wererat colony doesn't have a high-ranking Shadow Seer, they can either recognize him informally with a great feast, or summon a Mystic who can formally perform the appropriate rites. This rite spiritually binds the Rat King to his domain. Through the eyes of Rat spirits who inhabit his realm, he may see what transpires there (much like the user of the Garou Caern Rite: Badger's Burrow).
System: The new Rat King must have the support of all of the colony's elders (that is, the eldest Ratkin present of each aspect) before he can assume the throne. Elders typically perform contract rites with the heir apparent in return for this support; if not, they are typically killed by power-hungry rodens rivals. The Shadow Seer then spends a full fifteen minutes praising the new Rat King as he proceeds slowly from the local shrine to a throne in the largest chamber of the nest. At the end of this procession, she rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 6). If the spirits concur, all of the elders present receive a magnificent vision from the Rat Incarna proclaiming the glory of the new king.
(Ratkin BB p72, WWRevised p158)
Pact of Vengeance - This Knife-Skulker rite is performed when a member of his rat pack has been killed. If the Skulker belongs to a colony, he may also perform it when the local Rat King has been slain. The ritualist calls out to the spirits for justice and learns the identity of the murderer instantly. This rite is one of the reasons elders hire out assassination contracts to rats that are "just passing through" their domain.
System: The roll is Perception + Rituals; the difficulty is equal to 4 + the killers Rank. The amount of information revealed depends on the number of successes gained. Five successes summons an image of the murderer that everyone present can see; fewer successes will provide hints and clues that a rat pack may follow up on; a botch shows that the spirits wish for the murderer's identity to remain secret.
(Ratkin BB p72)
Rite of the Shopping Cart (Mystic) - This ritual is just as common among Bone Gnawers as it is among Ratkin. For Ratkin Engineers, it is their first rite. It increases the amount of stuff any cargo-carrying device can hold. Shopping carts are the most commonly used modes of transport, but some Tunnel Runners take to the road with cardboard boxes or backpacks bulging with unidentifiable possessions.
System: Roll Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7) and spend a Gnosis point. Each success allows you to carry another ten pounds of trash, junk, loot, or stuff.If you like, each success can also represent one hidden rat. Some humans object to anyone traveling cross-country with a rodent companion, this rite makes "rat smuggling" much easier.
(Ratkin BB p72, Bone Gnawers TB p75)
Rite of the Shiny Thing (Accord) - Rat packs disagree all the time. Through confrontation, the members of a pack drive up their Rage, turning anxiety into raw energy. When an issue desperately needs to get resolved, a Ratkin with this rite may invoke it to settle an issue once and for all. The mystic may use the Ritual of the Shiny Thing to resolve any dispute between wererats in her local nest, or find a temporary leader of a pack, if necessary. Performing the rite relieves angst and prevents pack members from turning on each other like... Well, you know.
The invocation is very informal, something along the lines of "I demand... The Shiny Thing!" At that moment, all the pack members bolt, looking for the shiniest, most impressive object they can find. The master of this rite waits behind, watching for the first three Ratkin who return from their quest. Only the first three rats who return have a chance of "resolving" the rite. Once the rest of the pack returns, they then vote on which item is the most impressive. That item becomes the Shiny Thing, a relic which must be carried (or displayed) by the new temporary pack leader. The keeper of the Shiny may then pass judgement on how to resolve the most immediate problem.
A pack may add additional restrictions on this rite when it's performed. In most packs, the Shiny Thing must not be given freely or stolen; it must be found. The item must be discovered after the rite is declared - no fair hoarding every shiny thing you can find for the next observance! Rat spirits watch over the Ratkin involved to make sure the proper rules are obeyed. As a side note, wererats may not use the Scrounge Gift to fulfill this ritual.
On rare occasions, the ritemaster may demand a specific object. For instance, some Munchmausen claim one of the most famous invocations of this rite occurred during a winter long ago, when a tyrannical Rat King wanted to find an heir to replace him. He promised his throne to the first Ratkin Warrior who could bring him... a shiny new nutcracker! The rest of the story has been told as a Christmas legend ever since, though with a decidedly different ending.
System: The ritemaster asks the spirits to watch over the poor fools who go dashing off in this mystical scavenger hunt. Each player announces where his character is searching, what he is looking for, and what dice pool he thinks he can use to find the item (e.g. "Frankie's going to use Perception + Medicine to find surgical tools in the doctor's office" or "Johnnie's using Manipulation + Subterfuge to seduce the clerk at the jewelry store.") The Storyteller may, of course, suggest an alternative dice pool. The Ratkin with the most successes on this roll are considered the "first ones back". The rest of the characters then vote on the most impressive shiny thing. Afterwards, whenever there is any doubt about who's leading the pack, the victor of this rite may gleefully hold the Shiny Thing aloft to proclaim his leadership.
(Ratkin BB p72)
Level 4
Rite of the Swarm (Punishment) - This maddening call may only be invoked by a Ratkin of the Warrior Aspect. Breeding armies of rats is a sacred duty; every rat Kinfolk in a colony dreams of spawning more soldiers for the Army of the Apocalypse. The Rite of the Swarm must be justified before the spirits will allow it. The Warrior must give a brief tirade about the victim who is to be overwhelmed by the swarm. This may include a call for justice, a statement of his crimes, or simply a series of insults about the crimes of his race.
System: The Ratkin first spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken. The first creatures to be called up by the swarm are the normal rats of the area. If the cause is just, Rat spirits will materialize in the host of rodents to direct it toward the appropriate victim. Roll Charisma + Rituals ; the size of the rats depends on the number of successes. The Storyteller consults the section on Swarms (Ratkin BB p 101):
Short-cuts through the Physical World
| Successes | Swarm type |
|---|---|
| 1 or 2 | Average rats |
| 3 or 4 | Huge rats |
| 5 | Big-Ass rats |
(Ratkin BB p73)
Varies
Rite of Warding (Nest) - Ratkin pride themselves on hiding their nests well; the Rite of Warding makes it difficult for any creature to find where a colony is hidden. This rite is performed every time the population of a Ratkin nest surges. The strength of a Ratkin sacred site depends on the number of wererats who live there, focusing chaos on the spiritual center of the nest. Once the local population has grown enough, the local mystic then performs this rite in tribute to the Rat Incarna. The ritemaster must be of a Rank equal to the new level of the nest.
Rat spirits will then invest the spiritual center of the nest. If the Rat spirits don't think that the site is a good one, they may demand that a local rat pack undertake an Umbral quest on behalf of the local wererats. Fulfilling this quest may decide the proper name of the nest, the name of a new tribe, or even the title of the next Rat King.
System: Roll Charisma + Rituals; the difficulty is equal to (5 + the size of the local colony). Remember the number of successes; it's the colony's "Concealment Rating". If anyone who is not a Ratkin tries to use a skill or supernatural ability to determine the location of the nest, subtract these successes from the roll. The rite must be performed once each month to maintain this effect.
(Ratkin BBp 73)
