All goblins are foul-mouthed, and some are so rude and vulgar that their insults actually harm their targets. These nasty goblins are called Wiseacres.
A goblin Wiseacre knows 1d6 aggravating insults and can use any of them, in any combination, as many times as her Wisdom modifier.
To create a goblin Wiseacre, take an ordinary goblin and roll 3d6+1 to determine her Wisdom modifier. If the result is between 13 and 19, congratulations! You now have one of these nasty individuals.
1. Bristling Imbecile Duration: 1 turn Effect: The target receives an electric shock (1d4 damage), her hair stands on end, and her Wisdom is reduced by -1.
2. Sniveling Maggot Duration: Until one night’s rest Effect: Inflicts a minor disease upon the target, reducing her Constitution by 2 (this can actually kill!).
3. Wretched Oaf Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute Effect: Fills the target’s mind with self-doubt, imposing a -1 penalty on all rolls.
4. Mewling Coward Duration: 1 round Effect: Induces uncontrollable fear in the target, forcing her to use her combat action to flee as far as possible from the goblin. Save versus magic to negate.
5. Stumbling Buffoon Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute Effect: Causes the target’s coordination to falter, reducing her Dexterity by 2.
6. Mold-spewing Dimwit Duration: 1 round Effect: Creates a burst of mold and spores around the target, causing her to be blinded until the end of the goblin’s next turn (-4 to hit).
7. Slobbering Fool Duration: 1 minute Effect: Fills the target’s mouth with drool, making it difficult for her to speak, and impossible to cast spells.
8. Rat-brained Dunderhead Duration: Until one night’s rest Effect: Infects the target’s mind with confusion, causing her Intelligence to be reduced by 1.
9. Infested Dolt Duration: Instantaneous Effect: Releases a swarm of tiny maggots onto the target, dealing 1d3 damage and leaving her nauseated for one round.
10. Filthy Scoundrel Duration: 36 hours Effect: Covers the target in a vile stench, causing her to be detected easily (no surprise), and a -2 penalty to Charisma.
A trap, a power, an NPC and a Character Class for your rat-flavoured games using B/X stats.
New Trap | Rat Nest
You have fallen into a burrow full of rats, thousands of them.
Each round you suffer 3d4 points of damage, save vs paralyzation for half damage. In one round you can light a torch but that round you cannot save vs paralyzation. The light and fire keep the rats at bay for 1d4 rounds, after that, they get bold and rush at you.
New Power | Command Rats
Depending on the system you use and your preference, Command Rats can be a spell or an innate or acquired ability. The mechanics are less important than the effects.
Vancian Magic: Level-1 Spell. Duration: The Magic-User’s level in turns.
Otherwise: Innate, acquired, purchased, through an item, granted by King Rat, whatever. Duration: 1d10 turns or referee’s choice. User per day: Charisma’s modifier, minumum 1.
Effect: You can control a group of 1d6+9 rats to act in unison. The group has HP equal to the number of individuals, and will disperse when half of its members are lost or when the effect runs out. You can give them an order and they’ll carry it out to the best of their ability, as long as it’s not an order directly harmful to them.
Secondary Effect: When using this power, and for 1d4 days thereafter (cumulative), you’ll be constantly surrounded by friendly rats, they’ll climb on your shoulders, run around you, etcetera, but the intense light and fire will keep them away.
New NPC | King Rat
Leather Armor, HD 3, HP 12, Weapons 2 katara (push dagger) for a total of 1d8 damage (when attacking using only one, damage is 1d6).
King Rat is a man of about 45, handsome but slovenly, who lives in the catacombs, surrounded by rats who obey him and with whom he can talk, mainly about poetry, philosophy, politics and science; whether the rats understand or respond to him is open to debate. An anarchist, he doesn’t believe in authority but believes in fair exchange.
Command Rats: He can use this ability 5 times a day. How did he get it? If questioned and he decides to tell, he will say that it was given to him by God Rat, but will not give further details. King Rat doesn’t have any scarification.
Mark of the Rat: An adventurer can fulfill an assignment in exchange for the Mark of the Rat, which allows him to use Command Rats as described above. The Mark is a rat-shaped scarification on the left temple.
New Class | Rat Catcher
Only the man who cleans the public latrines has a worse job than you. But after all, you are not cut out for a glamorous life, nor are you cut out to rub elbows with the nobility or to know carnal love. But such trifles don’t matter to you, or at least you’ve managed to convince yourself of that. The alternative is very depressing.
A rat-catcher. [Source]Requirement: DEX 9 Prime Requisite: CHA HD: d6 Max Level: 14 Armor: Leather Weapon: Any Languages: Common, Thieves’ Cant
Combat
Poverty, or as you call it: freedom, is your motto. You are not used to wearing armor heavier than Leather; if for some reason you wear it, you can’t use your Knave, Track Vermin and Rat Senses abilities, and you lose 2 or 4 points of DEX while wearing it (Chainmail and Plate, respectively).
Gallows Humour
You get a +2 bonus to your rolls to resist psychological effects, magical or otherwise, related to fear, sadness or nihilism.
Knave
You know one Thief Skill of your choice (or randomly for more fun), except Find/Remove Trap and Pick Pocket. You can use it as a Thief of the same level.
Rat Senses I
You’re good at finding your way around sewers, catacombs, dark alleys and other artificial or semi-artificial structures. If you are the party’s cartographer, the referee is obliged to make at least one major correction or any number of minor corrections she wishes. When you come to a room or hallway that you have already visited, you always know that you have been there before and notice any relevant changes.
Rat Senses II
When you are in a dilemma between several possible paths, there is a 2-in-6 chance that you will instinctively know if there is any immediate danger (such as traps or an ambush).
Track Vermin
You can automatically detect and track vermin, including kobolds, goblins and the like (referee’s choice), and of course rat-folk. When you fight these creatures, your Thac0 receives a bonus of 1 (19 becomes 18, etc.)
9th Level
You can completely clear and control a major area of the city’s drainage system, subway tunnels or alleys, an area that will serve as your territory. You will be the leader of a gang of 2d6 thieves and 3d4 0-level beggars who will follow you and protect the territory, and will be happy to pay a small voluntary weekly tribute as long as you don’t show yourself to be a despot or start bathing more frequently than them, you fop!
Starting Gear (roll 1d30 three times)
1. Antivenom. 2. Dark clothes. 3. Stolen letter. 4. One-use lockpick. 5. Rope (10 m.) 6. Rusty knife (d4 dmg.) 7. Mud protecting boots. 8. Stinky wheel of cheese. 9. Book of satyrical and anarchist poetry against current authorities and the church. 10. Five rat traps. 11. Wooden plank (d6 dmg.) 12. A blood-stained nobility title. 13. Five flashing bomb flasks. 14. Flask of oil. 15. Five torches, tinder and flint. 16. Bronze key to a missing stash. 17. Valuable-looking book you can’t read full of demonic symbols. 18. Box containing five vials of mysterious sludge. 19. Old backpack. 20. Black hat. 21. Dog. 22. The sword of a nobleman (1d8 dmg), anyone who sees it will know it was stolen. 23. Eye patch. 24. Mantle. 25. Soft, stealth shoes. 26. Garish clothes. 27. Frying pan. 28. Crowbar. 29. Sling and ten stones (1d4 dmg.) 30. Cage of 1d4 live rats.
Chaos Magick-User 