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Wererat

• Size: Medium or Small
• Type: Monstrosity (Lycanthrope)
• Alignment: Lawful Evil
• AC: 13
• Initiative: +3 (13)
• HP: 60 (11d8 + 11)
• Speed: 30 ft, Climb 30 ft.

ATTR	VAL	MOD	SAVE
STR	10	+0	+0
DEX	16	+3	+3
CON	12	+1	+1
INT	11	+0	+0
WIS	10	+0	+0
CHA	8	-1	-1

• Skills: Perception +4, Stealth +5
• Gear: Hand Crossbow
• Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 14
• Languages: Common (can't speak in rat form)
• CR: 2 (XP 450; PB +2)

Actions

Multiattack. The wererat makes two attacks, using Scratch or Hand Crossbow in any combination. It can replace one attack with a Bite attack.

Bite (Rat or Hybrid Form Only). Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) Piercing damage. If the target is a Humanoid, it is subjected to the following effect. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 11. Failure: The target is cursed. If the cursed target drops to 0 Hit Points, it instead becomes a Wererat under the GM's control and has 10 Hit Points. Success: The target is immune to this wererat's curse for 24 hours.

Scratch. Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) Slashing damage.

Hand Crossbow (Humanoid or Hybrid Form Only). Ranged Attack Roll: +5, range 30/120 ft. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) Piercing damage.

Bonus Actions

Shape-Shift. The wererat shape-shifts into a Medium rat-humanoid hybrid or a Small rat, or it returns to its true humanoid form. Its game statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed.

Lore & Background

Wererats are lycanthropes cursed to transform between human and giant rat forms, representing a fusion of human cunning with rodent survival instincts. These shapeshifters typically live in urban sewers, cellars, and other hidden spaces where they can move freely between civilized society and their bestial nature. Unlike many lycanthropes, wererats are naturally inclined toward cooperation, forming extensive networks that span entire cities through underground tunnels and secret passages.

Living primarily in urban environments, wererats establish complex social hierarchies that mirror both human criminal organizations and rat colonies. They excel at gathering information, trafficking in secrets, and controlling underground economies through intimidation and infection. Their ability to shift between forms makes them ideal spies and infiltrators, allowing them to gather intelligence from the surface world while coordinating criminal activities through their underground networks.

Combat Tactics

Wererats prefer to avoid direct confrontation when possible, using stealth, numbers, and environmental advantages to overwhelm opponents. They employ hit-and-run tactics, striking from sewers and tunnel systems before retreating to safety. Their bite carries the lycanthropic curse, making each successful attack potentially devastating to their enemies' long-term survival.

In combat, wererats coordinate pack attacks while using their knowledge of urban terrain to control engagement terms. They set ambushes in narrow spaces where larger opponents cannot maneuver effectively while maintaining escape routes through hidden passages. Multiple wererats often attack in waves, with some maintaining human form to use weapons while others shift to rat form for mobility and stealth.

Encounter Ideas

1. The Sewer Network A wererat colony controls the city's underground infrastructure, demanding tribute from surface dwellers while secretly influencing municipal politics. The party must navigate both physical sewers and political intrigue to address this threat.

2. The Information Broker A wererat leader trades in secrets and information, offering valuable intelligence in exchange for services or immunity. The party must decide whether to trust this unreliable ally while protecting themselves from manipulation.

3. The Spreading Curse A lycanthropic outbreak threatens to transform ordinary citizens into wererats, creating panic and social collapse. The party must find the source of the infection while developing countermeasures to prevent its spread.

4. The Underground War Competing wererat factions clash for control of territorial boundaries, creating dangerous conditions in the city's lower levels while threatening to expose their existence to surface authorities.

Environmental Effects

• Tunnel Networks: Wererats create extensive underground passages that connect distant areas of cities
• Disease Spread: Their presence increases rates of plague and other diseases associated with rodent populations
• Information Flow: Wererat networks facilitate rapid communication across urban areas through hidden channels
• Criminal Activity: Areas under wererat influence experience increased theft, smuggling, and black market activity

Treasure

• Stolen Goods (varies): Items acquired through theft and smuggling operations, often marked with previous owners' information
• Information Networks (varies): Knowledge about criminal activities, political secrets, and underground movements
• Rat Pelts (25-100 gp): Thick fur from giant rat forms, suitable for crafting clothing and armor padding
• Secret Maps (100-500 gp): Detailed guides to underground tunnel systems and hidden passages
• Blackmail Material (varies): Documents and evidence that can be used to influence or control surface dwellers

Plot Hooks

1. The Lycanthrope Underground A wererat network offers to help the party infiltrate enemy organizations in exchange for protection from lycanthrope hunters who threaten their existence.

2. The Political Conspiracy Wererats have infiltrated local government positions, using their influence to protect their criminal operations while gathering intelligence on surface politics and law enforcement.

3. The Cure Quest A newly infected character seeks a cure for lycanthropy, leading the party to wererat territories where they must negotiate with creatures who view their condition as a gift rather than a curse.

4. The Tunnel Collapse Construction or magical events threaten to expose wererat tunnel networks, forcing them to either relocate their operations or eliminate witnesses to maintain their secrecy.