Species Name: Vermin, Rat men, Ratling

Vermin are bipedal human sized rats. Though not very strong, they are exceptionally quick, and their ability to blend effectively into the darkness makes the Vermin a difficult race to find. Thousands of years ago the Elves experiment with dark powers lead to the creation of the Vermin race and the first civil war within the Elven race. When they first achieved sentience, the Vermin could do little against their creators, and were left in their roles as magical test subjects. But in time the Vermin broke free, and killed the ones that had made them and tormented them for so long. Over the next two hundred and eighty years or so the newly born Vermin race grew rapidly. Eventually they began a war with the surface world which ended disastrously for them. Thereafter there was pressure to expand the tunnels under the city, as the surface world was too dangerous for the Vermin.

Type: Humanoid Rodent

Physical Traits: Vermin generally have rat-like faces, bearing an elongated skull and larger-than-average ears. They typically sport thin brown or black fur on their bodies, with the same colour for hair. This hair allows them to blend into dark environments more effectively. As they grow older, this fur begins to grey. They have long naked tails, snouts, pink ears, and pronounced incisors, just like their nonhumanoid kin. Though they have rat-like faces, rat-men are fundamentally human in body shape. A Vermin's bite and the claws on each hand do D4 damage.

Height: 4'5-5'6 ft

Weight: 100-130 lbs

Abilities: A Vermin’s saliva is powerfully corrosive and laced with disease from their rancid diets. Vermin frequently use their spit to enhance their weapons, potentially making even the slightest injury dangerously septic.

Mobility: Legs

Sensory Organs: Visual

Communication: Vocal

Reproduction: Sexual

INT: 3D6 +1, WIS: 3D6, STR: 3D6, DEX: 3D6 +1, CON: 3D6 -1, CHA: 3D6 -1, MR: 3D6, HPs: CON +D6

Orbit/Climate: See Earth

Feeding Habits: Carnivore

Lifespan: 80 years

Technology: 2

Culture: Malevolent. Truly malicious race with no redeeming qualities at all. Vermin are antisocial by nature, being far too concerned with bare survival to be concerned with anything else. When forced into social situations, many Vermin show themselves to be awkward and even quite shallow, never having developed much depth beyond what they do. They are very professional, though, and seldom let emotion get in the way of what needs to be done, though they can also be rather ruthless at times, and even quite savage when under duress. In almost all situations where they might have needed help, the Vermin have been on their own, and they know better than to expect assistance from other races who have not seen what they have seen or know what they know. Vermin have a penchant for lurking in sewers and underground and spending far too much time poking around places known for housing forbidden magic.

Vermin are a chaotic breed, lacking and not feeling the need for a society or a culture beyond the most basic interactions. As a rule, Vermin seem most drawn to places where few other races could possibly survive, especially places that have been polluted by waste from the castoffs of civilization, or tainted with the effects of magic, especially dark magic. What is more, they seem to thrive best in such harsh environments, being able to shrug off the effects of all but the worst diseases and toxins, and being able to stomach and even derive nourishment from substances that other races would find utterly inedible. Almost every city that has a working sewer system has at least one community of Vermin living in it, and many abandoned wizard’s towers or magic-infused dungeons will usually have a few Vermin making a living in the less dangerous areas, eking out a living and doing what they can to gradually destroy the twisted magic that is left in these places, gaining experience in recognizing and combating such magic later on in their lives. Vermin live in their twisting warrens underground. They often build directly below large cities, using the sewers as access points to send their spies into the city to execute their plans for domination. Their numerous tunnels reach across to distant lands, and their underground highways connect their cities. They have been known to construct their cities under any environment, including tundras and jungles. If a Vermin city is build beneath an above-ground city, it's name is often the same as the above city, but with the prefix "under" attached at the front of the name (such as "Under-Miami"). In their underground lairs, they are described as a teeming horde, well capable of conquering the world above if they would ever stop fighting each other. To take over the world is the Vermin's ultimate goal. Power is split between the Shamans and the rulers of the Warlord Clans, who vie for power among themselves. Clans are constantly at war with each other, fighting for slaves, territory and power in general. Vermin have a high breeding rate, but their tribes are frequently small, living in the sewers of major cities. Their odd culture and proneness to infighting means that a given tribe’s population and leadership is always changing, and political schisms and breakaways are common when a tribe gets too large.

Vermin culture is centred on theft, scavenging, and killing. They are generally slow-witted and cowardly, preferring to strike from the shadows or ambush in numbers. Most Vermin become rogues or fighters, preferring the simple methods of blade and sling to the unseen forces of divine or arcane classes, but some more ambitious individuals make pacts with dark creatures or infernal beings to enhance their own power ahead of their brethren. The Vermin feel that they are superior to all other races, and are often hostile toward other characters. Dwarves greatly despise them, as well as Elves, Gnomes, and many more. The Vermin tolerate assistance from Drow and other evil-aligned races. They also often try to covertly manipulate other races against each other such as humans, Goblins, Orcs, and Kobolds. Despite their numbers and the expanse of their Under-Empire, their existence is known to only a few races including the Dwarves and Elves.

Vermin adventurers are usually those individuals who expressed opinions contrary to their warband leader’s or took an interest in a path not favoured by the group such as a divine class, or simply wish for more for themselves rather than the tribe. These Vermin flee their tribe’s retribution to avoid becoming food, and follow their own path to riches and power.

Government: Tribal Council

Vermin gain all the following free;

Vermin Body - A Vermin can bite an opponent requiring them to save vs disease or catch something debilitating but non lethal. Further a Vermin can milk his fangs to put his venom on a weapon requiring anyone taking damage from it to likewise save vs disease. The weapon remains infectious for 1 day per CON.