Ratkin Gifts
Common Ratkin Gifts
PGttCB 144-145, Ratkin 107-110
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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 5
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Rank 1
Cloak of Shadows - The Ratkin can cloak himself, and anything he is touching, in shadows. This Gift is taught by a Night Spirit, which may demand secrets in exchange for its sacred knowledge.
System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Stealth. If a witness is present, the difficulty of this roll is the Perception + Alertness of that witness; if several are present, use the one who would present the hightest difficulty. The area cloaked depends on the number of successes, as listed below. If the Ratkin gets less successes than he thought he did, her reputation for trechery will increase - she might be the only one hidden!
| Successes | Area Cloaked |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Ratkin |
| 2 | ...and one other human sized person or object |
| 3 | ...and three other human sized people, or an object as big as a car |
| 4 | ...and eight or more humans, or an object as big as a van or SUV |
| 5+ | ...and twelve or more human-sized creatures, or an object as big as a tractor-trailer truck |
(PGttCB p144, Ratkin BB p107)
Darksight - All wererats possess a low level "night vision" that allows them to peer into the shadowy corners of the world. This Gift magnifies that abiluty. Highly perceptive Ratkin may pick up heat signatures, see sound waves, or possibly see through various methods of supernatural obfuscation. This Gift is taught by a Night spirit.
System: Roll Perception + Occult (difficulty 7); each success adds one die to all Perception rolls for the rest of the scene, up to a maximum of three extra dice. With five successes, he can perform amazing feats like seeing sound or sensing heat signatures. As described in Ratkin Breedbook Chapter Two, any Ratkin can spend a point of Gnosis to gain Night Vision for one scene; Ratkin with this Gift can use Night Vision at any time without spending Gnosis.
It's also possible for a highly perceptive wererat to see through supernatural illusions, like the Uktena Gift: Shroud, or the vampre Disciplines: Obtenebration, Obfuscate, or Chimerstry, but the Ratkin's Rank must be equal to or greater than the Rank of the supernatural creature (treat vampires as being Rank Two in general, modified for age and puissance; mages have a Rank roughly eqyuvalent to their Arete -2, minimum of Rank One). If the Ratkin's Rank is greater, success is automatic. If the wererat is the same equivalent Rank, he must make a resisted Perception + Occult roll against the subject's Stealth + Occult. If the wererat scores more successes, he sees through the supernatural obfuscation.
(PGttCB p144, Ratkin BB p107)
Resist Toxin - As the Garou Fianna Gift.
(Ratkin BB p108)
Snadow Throw - While vocally expressing his anger, the Ratkin can form a shadowy field of power around a dagger or other sharp object balanced for throwing. Knife Skulkers, for instance, may choose to call out a victim's crime ("Murderer!") while forming his instrument of revenge. When the Ratkin hurls his dagger at a foe, the blade is propelled by the darkness around it and strikes with supernatural force. This Gift is taught by a Night spirit, which will usually demand a tale of an unpunished criminal's dark secrets.
System: The Ratkin spends a Rage point and targets a single victim within line-of-sight; the player rolls Perception + Athletics to attack (difficulty 6, with the usual Firearms modifiers). The blade strikes with more force than the wererat can muster, inflicting Strength +3 aggravated damage. If the blade is already magical, it inflicts only +2 damage.
(Ratkin BB p108)
Smell Poison - As a survival skill, Ratkin have learned to sniff out poisons. When a Ratkin discovers that someone is trying to poison a member of his deceit, he may decide to return the "blessing" upon the wouldbe poisoner. This Gift is taught by a Rat spirit.
System: By spending a point of Gnosis, the wererat can sense any poisonous or toxic material nearby. A successful Perception + Medicine roll may give an insight into the nature of the poison involved; with five successes, it even reveals the identity of the would-be murderer. As another application, the Ratkin can seek out chemicals nearby that can be used as poisons.
(Ratkin BB p108)
Stash Cashe - Ratkin aren't usually big on personal possessions. Many prefer to keep everything they need in a knapsack, a briefcase, or their pockets. When they need to hide these meager items, some prefer to step sideways for just an instant, finding a little hidey-hole where they can stash their stuff. The hiding place might be a little Umbra tunnel, a hiding place guarded by Rat spirits, or just some space between the spirit world and the physical world. Rat spirits teach this Gift, but only if they can score a portion of the Ratkin's stash from time to time; they may well extract a slight "payment" from your first stash cache.
System: Roll permanent Gnosis; the difficulty is the local Gauntlet. If you succeed, you've found a clever little place to stash an object smaller than a backpack or knapsack. The number of successes suggests the number of days you can probably keep it there safely. Wait too long, and your valuables will likely either be snagged by a Wyld spirit, calcified by a Weaver spirit, or spoiled by Banes.
(Ratkin BB p108)
Rank 2
Crawling Chaos - As the Ragabash Gift: Fly Feet. Rats are remarkable climbers; they can dexterously grasp tiny surfaces using their curled paws and claws. With this Gift, their ability takes on supernatural proportions. Performing this in rat form is unnerving, doing this in human form is sumilarly nasty, and the sight of a Crinos Ratkin crawling along a sheer vertical surface can be terrifying.
System: Roll Dexterity + Athletics, the user can cling to vertical surfaces or even catch on to them while falling; the difficulty of the roll depends on the surface (5 for wood or stone; 9 for glass or ice). Defying gravity increases the difficulty by 1. Ratkin have been known to scurry up the sides of stone buildings in moonlight just for the sheer joy of it.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p109)
Deep Pockets - Cant carry enough stuff? This Gift allows you to store lots of little goodies in your pockets, far more than normal. This Gift is taught by a Packrat spirit.
System: Roll Wits + Enigmas and spend one Gnosis. Each success lets you hide an extra small item (no larger than your hand) inside a convenient pocket. If you're ever searched, none of these extra items will turn up, but if you lose the pocket or your clothes, you cant't retrieve the items inside. Each time you remove an item, you need to use the Gift to put it back again. If you need to recall an item instantly from your Deep Pockets, spend a point of Rage, and it's there.
(Ratkin BB p109)
Snitch - You've got a talent for gathering secrets. As long as you can see someone's face, you can read his lips. As long as someone is within line-of-sight, youcan hear her whispers. This Gift is taught by a Stormcrow, a Gaffling of Grandfather Thunder.
System: Just roll Perception + Alertness (difficulty 4) whenever one of these situations presents itself. The amount of information gathered depends on the number of successes; with five successes, you can even gather empathetic information or unspoken subtexts. If the roll fails, you can still spend a point of Gnosis to have a Rat spirit snatch up a small fragment of the conversation for you.
(Ratkin BB p109)
Rank 3
Backbite - The Ratkin can disappear into the Umbra and instantly reappear behind his opponent up to 50 feet away. The wererat then attacks his victim from behind, gleefully exploiting the benefit of surprise. Knife Skulkers have no qualms against using this Gift to fulfil an assassination contract.
System: No roll is necessary, but the character must spend one Gnosis and one Rage. This Umbral "leap" can be up to 50 feet, as long as the victim is within line-of-sight. If the Ratkin chooses to immediately attack, the strike is rolled at a -2 difficulty; the difficulty cannot be reduced below 4. This attack cannot be dodged unless the victim is using Danger Sense, Evasion, Persecution Complex, or a similar supernatural ability.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p109)
Bolt! - A Ratkin with this Gift can bolt out of any fight. Even if the wererat is totally surrounded, he will find a way to escape from his foes. This works roughly the same way as the Backbite Gift: the wererat "leaps" a short distance through the Umbra to a safe place. A wererat who returns to battle after bolting will lose two points of Cunning Renown; a wererat who chooses the better part of valor will no doubt escape.
System: Spend one Gnosis and one Rage; the Ratkin can appear up to 50 feet away, as long as his destination is within line-of-sight. The Ratkin may spend additional Rage in the turn he uses this Gift to gain exttra actions (usually to run away). The Gift: Halt the Coward's Flight doesn't prevent the initial 50-foot leap, but slows the Ratkin's speed by half. Returning to a fight after using this Gift to escape is foolhardy, resulting in a loss of 2 Cunning.
(Ratkin BB p109)
Squeeze - The rat can collapse part of his skeleton to fit through narrow openings. A typical Rattus Norvegicus can fit through an opening as small as a quarter. A Ratkin with this Gift is far more impressive, especially when he uses his spiritual talents to pass through seemingly solid objects. By briefly passing through the Umbra, the Ratkin can squeeze through solid walls, doors, or other obstacles. This Gift is taught by a Rat spirit, who often leads his protege on a chase through an infested building while teaching it.
System: The player spends one Willpower and rolls Dexterity + Enigmas (difficulty 6); "squeezing" through a solid object increases the difficulty to 8. Three or more successes allow the wererat to pull another person through with him.
(Ratkin BB p110)
Rank 4
Attunement - As the Garou Bone Gnawer Gift.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p110)
Gnaw - Similar to the Garou Lupus Gift of the same name.
System: Spend one Willpower and roll Stamina + Survival. If you succeed, your Ratkin can chew through just about anything. The difficulty depends on the material you're chewing (3 for wood, 6 for steel cables, 9 for titanium). Chewing through a live human torso is difficulty 5 and inflicts damage equal to the number of successes on the initial roll.
(Ratkin BB p110)
Mind of the Tunnels - Blood calls to blood. Using this Gift, a Ratkin can establish a mental link with any other wererat she knows. The mindsharing is complete: emotional, intellectual and spiritual understanding can be exchanged. The Ratkin has to have actually met the subject in the flesh at least once; "remembering" him through Blood Memory isn't good enough.
System: Spend one Willpower and roll Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty 7). One success allows you to commune completely with the chosen Ratkin. For each additional success, you can bring one more wererat into his psychic friends network". You remain the nexus of all information flowing through the network, and you can limit what sensations each Ratkin receives from the others. Wererats in the "tunnel mind" mode cannot contain information from the other Ratkin by force.
(Ratkin BB p110)
Rank 5
Perfect Poison - The wererat's spittle can be converted into an odorless, colorless, fast acting and nearly undetectable poison. She may even decide to lick her blade to coat it with the foul compound. When exposed to air, the toxin can last for up to three hours. This Gift can be taught by a Snake spirit, although it's easier to learn from a Spider spirit. Snake spirits may try to betray, exploit or eat the Ratkin who study under them.
System: The wererat must spend one Gnosis to poison her saliva. If she can introduce the poison to the victim's blood stream or make him ingest it, the toxin instantly takes effect. A victim takes two levels of aggravated damage each turn once infected; she may soak only with Stamina, soaking a health level with each success. Although Resist Toxin works against the saliva, Mother's Touch does not. If the victim can continue to resist damage for 10 turns and live, the poison is exuded from the body (choose the orifice or sweat gland of your choice). Any shapechanger with Rage can spend a Rage to resist - gaining an automatic success for each point burned - but the changer must immediately check for frenzy as a result.
(Ratkin BB p110)
Plague Bite - Long before the Plague Lords returned to Earth, Ratkin elders developed one of the most virulent diseases the world has ever seen. With one joyous bite, a wererat blessed with this disease can infect a victim's central nervous system. The symptoms of the disease are hideous. The victim cannot stop shaking, his mucous membrains ooze, and he drools continuously.
System: Spend one Gnosis, and your high-ranking Ratkin can transmit contagion through his incisors. A successful bite spreads this disease. Once bitten, the victim will take a health level of aggravated damage each hour. Since he will not stop shaking, all difficulties for his roll at at a +3 penalty. The plague can be cured by the Gift: Resist Toxin and similar Gifts; otherwise, the victim takes aggravated damage each hour until he is Incapacitated. When this happens, he's allowed a final Stamina rool - difficulty 8 (the +3 modifier does not apply to this roll). If he fails, he does. If he succeeds, he remains ill for another day or so, but the plague will not be fatal. If the victim is a shapechanger, the supernatural healing will eventually break down the disease, but in the meantime, the "shakes" will still be a pain in the ass... and everywhere else.
Of course, some Garou harbor a grudge over this sort of thing. Using this sacred knowledge too frequently will remind them of how much they hate your kind, and they'll resume killing every Ratkin on sight. This leads to the use of other insidious Gifts.
(Ratkin BB p110)
Riot - As the Garou Bone Gnawer Gift.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p110)
Survivor - Similar to the Garou Bone Gnawer Gift of the same name.
System: The Ratkin spends one point of Gnosis; the effects last for one day. The wererat also gains three points of Stamina (although this cannot be used to soak damage from direct physical attacks), ignores all wound penalties, and gains one Willpower if she is ever about to die.
(Ratkin BB p110)
Homid
PGttCB 145, Ratkin 110-112
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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 5
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Rank 1
Cooking - As the Garou Bone Gnawer Gift.
(Ratkin BB p110)
Eau de Rat - The intoxicating scent of rat is not fully appriciated by all mammals. In fact, most humans find it downright foul, as do the Jagglings of the Gafflings of the Weaver.
System: Spend one Rage point and roll Charisma + Primal Urge, (difficulty 7 if the target is downwind, difficulty 8 to waft the stench in a different direction). Humans and Weaver spirits who loses one die from their dice pools when within 20 feet. Weaver Gafflings who cant make a successful Willpower roll (difficulty 9) flee. The effects last for a scene.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p110)
Persuasion - The other breeds have a low opinion of humanity, but that's just because they don't know how to deal with people. You've got a talent for any social situation involving human beings. Of course, Ratkin also have a reputation for deception, since they have little regard for the human race. Remember, betray others before you betray other wererats!
System: This works a little differently than the Garou version of this Gift. Spend one Gnosis and roll Charisma + Subterfuge; each success lowers the difficulty of Social rolls by one (to a maximum modifier of -3 or a minimum difficulty of 4). The effects of this Gift last for one scene. Brooklyn accents are optional.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p111)
Rank 2
Instinct - Some little rodent beasties are known for their "impulse control problems". Homid Ratkin learn to contain these instincts as best they can. With a little ritual acumen, they can intensify these feelings in creatures around them. A victim overwhelmed by instinct will follow his basest impulse for a brief moment. (if this is a character, the roleplayer should name the first thing that comes to mind; if it isn't, the Story should immediately improvise something foul). Reactions can be petty or brutal, depending on the victim's initial frame of mind.
System: Spend one Rage and roll permanent Rage; the difficulty is the victim's Willpower. If the target is another player-character, the player must name the first petty or brutal act his character would perform; the Storyteller can choose to revise or modify it.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p111)
Sticky Fingers - Humans have too much damne stuff for their own good; you only take what you need, but you don't care who it comes from. This Gift uses misdirection and distraction to boost stuff from humans with just the most casual contact. Bump into them or talk to them, and you can take what you need. Just remember to use everything you take.
System: Any Ratkin with this Gift finds it easier to snatch little objects (items smaller than a human's hand) from the unaware. Roll Dexterity + Subterfuge and spend one Willpower to snag what you need. The difficulty depends on how well guarded the object is. This doesn't apply to the weapons wielded in combat, by the way.
| Difficulty | Object's Accessability |
|---|---|
| 6 | Sitting in plain sight |
| 7 | Clutched in someone's hand |
| 8 | In a pocket or on a wrist |
| 9 | Around someone's neck or prominently worn |
| 10 | Encased in something else (like a briefcase or wallet) |
If the scam involves talking to someone face-to-face, the difficulty is increased by 1 (to a max of 10). Just bumping into someone or "accidentally" knocking someone over is much easier.
(Ratkin BB p111)
Rank 3
Reshape Object - As the Garou Homid Gift, save that it's taught by a Wyld spirit (interestingly enough).
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p111)
Of Rat and Man - With a bit of practice, Homid breed Ratkin can learn to assume a form between Homid and Crinos, rather like a Garou's Glabro form. Though the critter still appears very human, his "ratlike" features become exaggerated enough that anyone can notice them. Beady eyes, a sharp nose, gnarled hands and a stoop are the most commonly displayed traits. Humans find this unnerving; rats find it charming. While in this form, many of the aspects of misleading and betraying humans become much easier.
System: Spend one Rage and spend one turn shifting. The following Attribute modifers apply while in "near man" form: Dexterity +2, Charisma +1 (to rats), Charisma -1 (to humans), and Perception +2. Best of all, while in this cunning form, your Subterfuge and Stealth rolls' difficulties are reduced by 2.
(Ratkin BB p112)
Rank 4
Attunement - As the Garou Bone Gnawer Gift.
(Ratkin BB p112)
Body Wrack - As the Garou Black Fury Gift.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p112)
Rank 5
Ugly Truth - Like the Garou Homid Gift: Part the Veil. The Ratkin must bite or claw a human to transmit this Gift. Moreover, his experience is "embellished" by visions similar to those granted by the Birthing Plague - usually torturous reminders of the dangers of human overpopulation. If the wererat wants to finish off the experience by punishing the guilty human, he can make the disease extremely toxic. At the end of the scene, the victim will then be ravaged by the last lingering effects of the infection.
System: The roll to bite or claw is made normally; the player then rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 6) and spends one Gnosis. The wererat has the option of inflicting damage with this Gift; he does not need to declare this until the end of the scene. If the human is worthy of punishment, he takes aggravated damage; the number of health levels he loses is equal to the number of successes on the initial Charisma + Empathy roll.
(Ratkin BB p112)
Metis
PGttCB 145, Ratkin 112-113
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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 5
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Rank 1
Cloak of Shadows - As the common Ratkin Gift.
(Ratkin BB p112)
Rat Mother's Touch - Metis spend a great deal of their formative years in nests where Rat Mothers breed. Almost every day they're growing up, metis have to patch the wounds their brothers and sisters inflict on each other.
System: Spend one Gnosis and roll Intelligence + Medicine (difficulty 6). If the Gift is used to heal Garou, the difficulty is 7. Each success heals one health level. There is no limit to the number of times you can use this Gift, but each use requires a point of Gnosis. The talent works on both aggravated and non-aggravated wounds.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p112)
Sense Wyrm - The Ratkin can detect the foul stench of the Wyrm through any of his senses; he can also whisper to nearby Rat spirits to find out what they know. Sense Wyrm always requires active concentration.
System: This works a little differently from the Garou version. Roll Perception + Occult (difficulty 7). The number of successes required is based on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence. (A fomor in an empty room, for instance, would only require one success.) Vampires can be sensed with this ability, but only if their Humanity is below 7.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p112)
Rank 2
Spirit of the Piny Rat - The South American spiny rat surrounds itself with sharp quills to protect itself against predators. This talent is similar to the Gift of the Porcupine, though not as deadly.
System: Sprouting spines requires a point of Rage; the Ratkin must be in Crinos or Rat Thing form. Anyone who grapples, body slams, or immobilizes the metis (or is on the receiving end of these moves) takes aggravated damage equal to the wererat's Strength +1. The spines last for one turn for every point of the rat's permanent Rage.
(Ratkin BB p112)
Stink - The Ratkin can emit a horrific odor dense enough to the saturate a ten by ten foot area. (Exactly how he does this is entirely up to you - players are not required to simulate this smell with bodily functions in any way during the game.)
System: Spend one Gnosis and roll Intelligence + Occult. Anyone wanting to remain in the area must make a contested Willpower roll (difficulty 7) and exceed the metis' successes.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p112)
Rank 3
Rat Thing - With a bit of practice, metis Ratkin can learn to take on a form between Crinos and Rodens, rather like the well known Garou Hispo form. The result is a giant, lumbering Rat Thing: a long, furry quadrapedal rodent about the size of a large dog.
System: Roll Stamina + Primal Urge, difficulty 7. Shifting from Rodens or Crinos requires one success, shifting from Homid form requires three successes. As usual, spending a point of Rage will automatically shift the character into this form. The Rat Thing's Physical Attributes are Strength +4, Dexterity +1, Stamina +1; the brute is far stronger than it is agile, but it can lumber along at three times normal running speed. If the rest of the pack is in Rodens form, they can easily ride on the back of this beast of burden. With absolute obedience, it will carry them through hell and high water on its furry back.
Unfortunately, size is traded off for intelligence. A wererat in Rat Thing form has an effective Intelligence of 1, and can only follow the simplest orders. it cannot speak, save for vague grumbling noises. Its Manipulation score is also effectively 0. Though it is too dense to be affected by any kind of supernatural mind control, it has the attention span of a two year old human child. Pity the stupid, stupid Rat Thing.
(Ratkin BB p112)
Sliver Tooth - The Ratkin's incisors splinter into nasty shards as they pierce flesh, imbedding deep and preventing healing.
System: After a successful, damaging bite attack, the Ratkin can spend a point of Rage to activate the Gift. Any damage that the target doesn't soak cannot be healed until the splinters of tooth are removed; Removing the splinters is very tricky work, as they can get pretty small. The victim must score 5 successes on a Dexterity + Medicine roll to remove them, and this takes a number of turns equal to (10 minus the number of successes). As usual, the bite counts as aggravated damage as well.
The Metis receives one automatic unaggravated heath level of damage; she cannot soak it, but can regenerate as usual. Until she does, she cannot make bite attacks.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p112)
Rank 4
Ratkin Lullaby - Few Wyrm creatures can be as foul or disobedient as Ratkin rugrats. Sometimes hyperactive ratlings would much rather climb the walls than submit to sleep. After years of helping little ones get ready for beddy-bye, metis learn skills useful for later in life. Through a combination of spiritual calmness, a raspy singing voice, and weird-ass Ratkin lyrics, a metis can make his enemies drowsy, or even force them into unconciousness.
System: Spend a point of Gnosis and roll Manipulation + Expression; the difficulty is either the victim's Rage +3 (if he's a shapechanger) or a 6 (if not). Success brings a shapechanger or vampire out of a frenzy, or calms down a human who's reacting violently to the Delirium. If the victim makes a simple Willpower roll; the difficulty is 3 plus the number of successes you scored (maximum of 9). If the roll succeeds, he feels sleepy, gaining a +1 difficulty to all die rolls for the rest of the scene. If it fails, the victim's difficulties are at +3 (to a maximum of 9). On a botch, the victim falls asleep.
(Ratkin BB p112)
Whelp Body - As the Garou Ragabash Gift.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p113)
Rank 5
War of Vengeance - Garou stalking through the deep wilderness use the Gift: Song of the Great Beast to call up the spirits of legendary creatures that stalked the Earth millennia ago. A rodens Ratkin with the Gift: War of Vengeance can do the same thing... but he can also call up the shades of ancient creatures slain long ago by werewolves and magi.
System: Spend one Gnosis and roll Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). The number of successes determines the spirits anger. It will remain summoned for one scene, during which it can betray long forgotten secrets or even attack if a werewolf or mage is present. If stats are required, take a number of points equal to the wererat's successes times ten, and divide it among the spirits four traits (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower, and Power); no traits save Power can be raised above 10. The spirit does not have Charms, cannot reform, and will not go into Slumber if destroyed.
(Ratkin BB p113)
Rodens
PGttCB 145, Ratkin 113-114
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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 5
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Rank 1
Absolute Balance - Rats have an amazing sense of balance: they can walk along clotheslines, the moorings of ships, and narrow rooftops with amazing agility. A rodens using absolute balance can maintain her footing on any solid surface, including ice, the slick bottom of a roverbank, a greased surface, or a snowdrift. The best part: the rat doesn't even leave tracks.
System: Roll Dexterity + Athletics, difficulty 6; extremely treacherous surfaces may raise the difficulty to 7 or 8. If climbing proves necessary, the speed-rate still depends on the Dexterity + Athletics roll, but the Ratkin cannot fall for the duration of the scene. If the feat is something an ordinary rat can normally perform, no roll is necessary; this applies even if the Ratkin is in Homid or Crinos form. The Storyteller, of course, can still proclaim some feats of balance impossible.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p113)
Leap of the Kangaroo Rat - A kangaroo rat can propel itself with leaps of six to eight feet at top speed. When surprised, it can leap up to 24 feet, a rather astounding feat for a beastie about 15 inches long. With the use of its tail, it can even change its direction mid-air. Now picture a none-foot tall Crinos wererat taking advantage of the same skills. Although kangaroo rats aren't members of the family rodentia (they're marsupials), this supernatural gift is still bestowed by Kangaroo Rat spirits.
System: There are two applications of this Gift. The Ratkin can leap once up to three times its normal jumping distance. Alternatively, she can "long run" with a series of smaller jump (up to twice its jumping distance). Using the Gift for one massive leap has no deleterious effects; just roll Stamina + Athletics (difficulty 7) and gain at least one success. Long-running, however, requires a point of Rage for each hour of travel. Each hour, the Ratkin should roll her Stamina; a failed roll inflicts a health level of non-aggravated damage that cant be regenerated until the wererat rests. Long-running allows an average of ten miles an hour.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p113)
Survival - The rat does not need food or water for a fill day. Just as the kangaroo rat can sustain himself with seeds he finds in the desert, the Ratkin can improvise a method of forstalling starvation. This Gift is taught by a Kangaroo Rat spirit.
System: This requires the use of one Gnosis and a successful Wits + Survival roll. The difficulty depends on the mere proximity of food, even inaccessible food (3 for the basement of a supermarket; 6 for an urban area or forest wilderness; 9 for a vast desert).
(Ratkin BB p113)
Rank 2
Devour the Dead - The user can call up a swarm of Rat spirits to devour a dead body and remove all physical evidence in the immediate vicinity. Rodens Knife-Skulkers often use this Gift to dispose of the bodies of their victims.
System: Spend one Gnosis; a swarm of Rat spirits appears from nowhere and consumes the dead body, bones and all, within three turns. Unfortunately, all items currently on the body will be carried off into the Umbra, where they'll be carefully hidden. Remember to loot the body first.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p113)
Scamper - This ability can make a fleeing Rodens Ratkin much harder to hit.
System: On the turn you decide to start Scampering, spend one Rage. To use the Gift, the rat must be using an "all-out dodge" during combat: that is, setting aside her entire dice pool for dodging. If she does, the difficulty for dodging starts out at a 4, regardless of whatever cover is available. The Gift will last as long as you keep dodging, up to the entire length of combat. Spending an extra Rage allows extra actions in a turn, but these must also be dodges. As usual, each additional attacker trying to hit the Ratkin in a turn raises the difficulty for dodging by 1 (unless you spend a point of Rage for each additional dodge). This cannot be used in conjunction with the Gift: Evasion.
(Ratkin BB p113)
Rank 3
Itchy - Years ago, a small pack of Rat spirits accessed the Television Zone in the Umbra. When they came back, the results weren't pretty. Local cartoon mice had taught them things Rats Were Not Meant To Know. The Itchy Gift allows a Ratkin in the Umbra to shapechange into a form that can employ many of the Cat-and-Mouse tactics used in classic cartoons.
System: "Taking Itchy Form" is not subtle; all of the colors of the Ratkin's fur become much brighter than reality can normally manage. The wererat even begins to move like a cartoon mouse, and any creature he decides to stalk will hear a macabre parody of cartoon music. Spend one Gnosis and roll Intelligence + Enigmas, difficulty 6. Itchy form Ratkin have the statistics of Rodens form, but can take ridiculous amounts of damage and live; the number of extra successes on the initial roll become temporary health levels for the duration of one scene. Those extra health levels only apply to non-aggravated damage; the claws and teeth of supernatural creatures remain just as deadly. By spending one Rage, you can also form a cartoon weapon for one scene; the none-aggravated damage it inflics is equal to your permanent Rage. You can only devise one cartoon weapon or trap at a time, which fizzles out at the end of the scene.
For some reason, cartoon rats have unusually elastic bodies, which can distort into all the shapes you'd expect in animation. An Itchy form Rodens' eyes can literally bug out, a heart pounding in your chest may swell several inches outside of your body, and so on. The Storyteller has control over this; toon out at your own risk. Since this Gift can only be used in the Umbra, no one needs to worry about shredding the Veil.
(Ratkin BB p113)
Sliver Tooth - As the Ratkin Metis Gift.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p114)
Rank 4
Command Metis - Ratkin Metis act as lackeys to the Rodens who dominate colony politics. Should one become disobedient, a high-ranking Ratkin can force him to obey his will.
System: Spend one Gnosis and roll Charisma + Leadership (the difficulty is the Metis' Willpower); the number of words in your command must equal the number of successes. Your command must be a complete sentence (including imperatives); one success means your command is one verb. By the way, this ability cannot be used on a Ratkin Metis who is of higher rank than you are, or on a Metis in a frenzy! The effects last for one scene; if the action strongly goes against the Metis' character, the Storyteller may allow a Willpower roll (difficulty 9) to modify the command. This cannot, however, override the Metis' survival instinct.
(Ratkin BB p114)
Mind of the Swarm - Once a swarm of rats has been summoned, or if you encounter them in the wild, you can control them through sheer force of will. You cannot motivate them to assault anything in their path (that requires the Rite of the Swarm), but you can direct their movements. This Gift can also be used to summon up a few extra rats or Rat spirits for the duration of one scene; oddly enough, it's taught by a Rat spirit.
System: The size of the swarm you can control depends on a Manipulation + Animal Ken roll. Spending a point of Gnosis and a point of Willpower isn't a big price to ask. The effects last for a number of hours equal to the rodens Ratkin's Willpower.
| Successes | Swarm Size |
|---|---|
| 1 | up to 13 rats (normal rats) |
| 2 | up to 20 rats |
| 3 | up to 30 rats (large rats) |
| 4 | up to 40 rats |
| 5 | up to 50 rats (big-ass rats) |
If the Rodens can gather all of these rats into one place before the Rite of the Swarm is invoked, the difficulty for the ritualist's final roll is decreased by 2. You cant summon up allies in addition to those summoned by Rite of the Swarm, but if you like, you can attract two extra rats for each success on your initial roll.
(PGttCB p145, Ratkin BB p114)
Rank 5
Furtive Gathering - In Ratkin infestations, high-ranking wererats become master of conspiracies and politics. Through this Gift, a Ratkin calls upon the spirits to surround a secretive meeting of rats and wererats. This must be done in privacy, but once undertaken, no one can comminicate with the conspirators... or even know they are there. Oddly enough, this Gift is taught by a Stormcrow spirit, since Grandfather Thunder sympathizes with the Ratkin race's need for revenge.
System: Spend one Gnosis and roll Intelligence + Occult; the difficulty is the level of the local Gauntlet. The Ratkin are sealed off from all interruptions; anyone who wanders into the area cannot sense any aspect of the furtive gathering. The wererats, one and all, are invisible to all senses.
(Ratkin BB p114)
Aspect
Tunnel Runner
PGttCB 146, Ratkin 114-116
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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 5
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Shadow Seer
PGttCB 146, Ratkin 116-117
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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 5
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Knife Skulker
PGttCB 146, Ratkin 117-118
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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 5
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Warrior (Blade Slave)
PGttCB 146, Ratkin 118-119
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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 5
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Freak Aspect
Engineer
Ratkin 120-121
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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 5
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Plague Lord
Ratkin 121-122
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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 5
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Munchmausen
Ratkin 122-123
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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 5
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Twitcher
Ratkin 123-125
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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 5
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