Minds Eye Theatre: Ratkin

By Joe Harworth (vvlyricvv@aol.com)

Aspects

Ratkin have Aspects, equivalent to Garou Aupices

Soldiers bred for the armies of the Apocalypse; blade slaves

Initial Rage: 3

Bonus Rite: Rite of the Pain Dagger

Mystics devoted to studying the mysteries of the spirit world and the madness of human society

Initial Rage: 2

Bonus Rite: Dedication Rite

The mavericks, messengers, scouts and spies of the Ratkin

Initial Rite: Rite of the Bolthole

Initial Rage: 1

Enforcers and assassins who mete out justice in all its forms.

Initial Rage: 3

Bonus Rite: Contract Rite

Lab rats scrounging amidst the offal and wreckage of human cities.

Initial Rage: 2

Bonus Rite: Rite of the Shopping Cart

Hideous metis skulkers who master the dark arts of disease, the mysteries of the underworld and the rituals of plague.

Initial Rage: 3

Bonus Rite: Rite of the Birthing Plague

Conspirators, anarchists and revolutionaries who reflect the world's rage

Initial Rage: 5

Bonus Rite: Rite of the Cardboard Palace

Breeds

Ratkin have three breeds. Like the Garou, they are Homid, Metis and Rodens

You began life as a human, not knowing you were the cursed offspring of a human and a wererate. Before you were infected, you were human kinfolk.

Initial Gnosis: 1

You were the incestuous offspring of two Ratkin, raised in a Ratkin colony. All metis have a deformity visible in all three forms.

Initial Gnosis: 2

You were born as a rodent and raised by rats. One of your parents was an ordinary rodent; the other was a slumming Ratkin. Before you were infected, you were rat kinfolk.

Initial Gnosis: 3

Other Traits

Immunity to Disease: All Ratkin are immune to disease, a legacy of the Birthing Plague that enables them to change form.

Maze Memory: All wererats have a highly developed "tunnel sense," a feel for absolute direction that prevents a Ratkin from getting lost underground.

Acute senses: Hearing and scent become more acute, especially near the whiskers

Stepping sideways Same as the Garou.

Silver Vulnerability: Same as the Garou

Regeneration: Same as the Garou

Teeth and Claws Cause aggravated damage; both do 1 aggravated

Keening: The ability to warn other wererats of danger as long as they are in hearing distance

Speaks in Squeaks: All Ratkin can speak and understand the rodent language.

Backgrounds: Ratkin may not buy the Backgrounds: Pure Breed or Past Life.

Shape Changing: Ratkin have only two alternate forms: Crinos and Rodens (Rat). Common Traits exist in both non Homid forms. Traits in italics are Negative Traits.

Common: Wiry, Quick, Rugged; Vigilant, Bestial x2, Obnoxious

Crinos: Ferocious, Tough

Rodens: Small

General Ratkin Gifts

Cloak of Shadows: As The Ragabash gift "Blissful Ignorance," except that the Ratkin is hidden in shadows. By spending a Gnosis Trait, the Ratkin may enter into an Extended Static Mental Challenge. Each success allows the Ratkin to cloak one additional individual (or object of equivalent size).

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 ability. Highly perceptive Ratkin may pick up heat signatures, see sound waves, or possibly see through various methods of supernatural obfuscation. Static change against 7 traits, they can add 4 perceptive traits to the total for a scene. Vs. A supernatural obfuscation the Ratkin must beat the defender in an extended mental challenge (depending on the difference in gift, sphere, discipline level) the difference in level is the amount they have to win. 1 loss and the challenge is over.

Resist Toxin: As per the Fianna Gift

Shadow Throw: The Ratkin can focus his Rage into a shadowy field of power around a dagger or other sharp object balanced for throwing. When the Ratkin hurls his dagger at a foe, the blade is propelled by the darkness around it and strikes with supernatural force. Spend a Rage point and perform a physical challenge. If hit the item does 1 agg. If the item already does agg damage it does 2 agg when thrown.

Smell Poison: By passing a Static Mental Test, the Ratkin can detect the presence of any poison or disease in the immediate area.

Crawling Chaos: As per the Ragabash gift Fly feet

Deep pockets: Can't carry enough stuff? The gifts allows you to store lots of little goodies in your pockets, far more than normal. Each Gnosis spent lets you hide an extra item (no larger than your hand). If searched these items cannot be found, but if you lose the pocket or the clothes the items cannot be retrieved.

Back Bite: Similar to the Galliard Gift "Bridge Walker," except that the Ratkin spends a Rage Trait rather than a Gnosis Trait. Use of this Gift does allow for a surprise attack.

Bolt!: A wererat with this gift can call fair escape. Spend 1 Gnosis can get you up to fifty feet away. Once done you cannot rejoin the fight.

Call Kinfolk: Similar to the Lupus Gift "Beast Life," except that only rats (initially 5) are called. The Ratkin enters into an Extended Static Social Test, with each success doubling the number of rats called (10, 20, 40, etc).

Gnaw: As the Lupus Gift

Squeeze: By spending a Gnosis Trait, the Ratkin may bypass any door, wall or other obstacle by squeezing through the Umbra. For each success on an Extended Static Physical Test, the Ratkin may bring one other person along.

Perfect Poison: As Lupus Gift "Venom," except that the victim suffers one Health Level of damage per minute and the wounds are aggravated. In addition, the Ratkin may lick a blade to coat the weapon in this toxin, to the same effect. A weapon thus treated retains the toxin for up to an hour.

Plague Bite: As Lupus Gift the "Venom," except that the disease inflicted causes aggravated wounds.

Mind of the Tunnels: With this gift a wererat can link mentally with other wererats he knows. The mind sharing is complete: emotional, intellectual and spiritual understanding can be exchanged. Spend one Willpower and win a static mental challenge per Ratkin involved in this gift, not all the participants need to know the gift.

Riot: As the Bonegnawer gift of the same name.

Homid Gifts

Cooking: As the Bonegnawer gift.

Persuasion: As the Homid Garou gift.

Instinct: Spend 1 Rage and perform a social challenge vs the victim's Willpower. A victim overwhelmed by instinct will follow his basest impulse for a brief moment (1 scene).

Sticky Fingers: Any Ratkin with this gift finds it easier to snatch little objects (items smaller than a humans hand) from the unaware. It is a physical challenge and 1 Willpower to snag what you need. If the item is in someone's hand the difficulty is vs 6 traits, in a wallet or on a wrist it is vs the mental traits of the victim.

Reshape Object: As the Homid Garou gift

Of Rat and Man: With this gift a Ratkin can assume a form between Homid and Crinos, rather like the Glabro Garou. Spend one Rage and one turn shifting. You receive +2 lithe, +1 charismatic (to rats only), and the negative trait beastly to humans.

Attunement: As the Bonegnawer gift

Body Wreck: As the Black Furies gift

Metis Gifts

Cloak of Shadows: As the General gift.

Rat Mother's Touch: As per Mother's Touch

Sense Wyrm: As the Metis Garou gift

Stink: Th Ratkin can emit a horrific odor dense enough to saturate a 10 by 10 area. Spend 1 Gnosis. Anyone wanting to stay in the area must win a static Willpower challenge vs 6 traits.

Rat Thing: With this gift a Ratkin can assume a form between rodent and Crinos form. Spend 1 Gnosis and 1 turn to assume the form, a Ratkin receives +4 brawny, +1 lithe and +1 tough.

Sliver tooth: After a successful bite attack spend one Rage. The incisors splinter and are imbedded deep within the flesh, preventing healing until all pieces are removed.

Ratkin Lullaby: 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 unconsciousness. Spend 1 Gnosis and perform a static challenge against the victim's Rage +3 or the victim's Willpower (for those without Rage). This can even bring a werecreature or vampire from a frenzy, or calm a human from the Delirium.

Whelp Body: As the Ragabash Gift.

War of Vengeance: As per the Gift: Song of the Great Beast, but it can only summon the spirit of a beast slain by a Garou or Magi. Spend 1 Gnosis and perform a mental challenge vs 7 traits to summon the spirit, which can give long forgotten betrayals and attack Garou and Magi.

Rodens Gifts

Absolute Balance: Rats have great balance; with this gift the Ratkin can walk on just about any type of solid surface (including ice, a greased surface, a clothesline etc.) Even in Homid and Crinos forms. Perform a simple challenge against a difficulty set by the ST, this gift lasts for one scene.

Leap of the kangaroo rat: As per Leap of the Kangaroo, but can be used for "long running."

Perform a physical challenge against 8 traits. For "long running" do a physical challenge and spend 1 Rage per hour. This allows a Ratkin to travel at 10 miles per hour.

Survival: With this gift a Ratkin does not need food or water for a full day per Gnosis spent.

Devour the Dead: Spend on Gnosis and a swarm of Rat-spirits appears from nowhere to devour the body of the dead within three turns.

Scamper: This gift makes a Ratkin much harder to hit. By spending a Rage it gives a wererat the ability to "dodge" all attacks thrown at him. This ability gives the character one free retest per attack to him per turn. He cannot use this action to attack back, spending Rage for extra actions can only be used to dodge also.

Itchy: This gift allows a Ratkin to shapechange into a form that can employ many of the Cat and-Mouse tactics used in classic cartoons. This gift can only be used in the Umbra, the fur of the Ratkin become much brighter than reality can normally manage, the Ratkin begins to move like a cartoon mouse and any creature that he decides to stalk will hear an macabre parody of cartoon music. Spend one Gnosis and perform a mental challenge vs 6 traits. This form has the same stats as rodens form but 3 times the health levels as normal (these health levels are for non-aggravated damage only). By spending a Rage, you can also form a cartoon weapon that inflicts as much damage as you have Rage.

Silver Tooth: As the intermediate Metis gift.

Command Metis: Ratkin metis act as lackeys for the rodens who dominate colony politics. By spending a Gnosis and performing a mental challenge. This cannot be used on a Metis of higher rank, nor can it override a metis' natural survival instincts.

Advanced

Furtive Gathering: By spending 1 Gnosis and winning a mental challenge vs 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.

Mind of the Swarm: Once a swarm of rats is summoned, or if you encounter them in the wild, you can control them through sheer force of will. With this you can direct their movements but not motivate them to attack. Spend 1 Gnosis per dozen of rats.

Tunnel Runner Gifts

Danger Sense: With this gift a Ratkin can sense imminent danger. The ST performs a static challenge vs the player. If the player wins then he know that there is danger but not what the danger is.

Scent of the True Form: As the Philodox gift of the same name.

Hotwire: By spending a Gnosis and performing a static challenge you can circumvent the electrical system of any vehicle.

Sigil: By spending a Gnosis, a Ratkin can encode a message into the graffiti on a walk. This can be up to two sentences per Gnosis.

Urban Camouflage: Experienced Tunnelers do not like to look like beggars; instead they blend in. By spending 1 Gnosis and performing a mental challenge against anyone who is trying to look through the disguise, you become inconspicuous.

Evasion: Trapping a rat is difficult. During combat you can spend a Gnosis and get three automatic retests. A Ratkin cannot attack while using this gift.

Second Sight: By spending 1 Gnosis per the "temporary allies" rank, you can see through the eyes of another Ratkin. This effect lasts 1 day per effect. For each rank above 3 you can see through another wererat per Gnosis. This cannot be used on a higher ranking wererat.

Speak in Tongues: The Ratkin in can understand any human language for one scene per Willpower spent.

Cheese It!: With this gift, the Tunnel Runner can help his entire pack bolt from danger, although it tends to be risky. Everyone participating spends a Rage and performs a simple challenge against the Storyteller. If you win you can call fair escape.; if not the gift didn't work for you and your spent Rage point is gone.

Shadow Seer Gifts

Rat Mother's Touch: Same as the Metis gift

Sense Weaver: This gift aids Ratkin in finding nearby weaver-spirits. Perform a mental challenge against the spirit (if any are nearby.)

Sense Wyrm: Same as the Garou gift

Touch the Spirits: With this gift a Shadow Seer can speak to the spirits of inanimate objects. Spending a Gnosis allows the Ratkin to see back one day; each additional Gnosis allows the Ratkin to see back another day into the past to see, where the item was and who had it. This gift is very like "psychometry."

Protect the Swarm: Once this gift is learned, you can sense if a rat is being controlled by a supernatural creature by spending a Gnosis. With a mental challenge vs a ST you can try to overthrow the power controlling the rat, if more powerful than the controller.

Command Spirit: As the Theurge Gift of the same name.

Exorcism: As the Theurge Gift.

Pulse of the Invisible: As the Theurge Gift of the same name.

Feast of the Dead: It's said that some primitive tribes devour parts of their enemies to gain their strength. By eating the heart and brain of the victim you can temporarily gain three of his powers. Make three static challenges against the ST; if you win you get three of the beings power for the rest of the day. This gift cannot be used in conjunction with the Elegy gift or Devour the Dead.

Elegy: By speaking the last rites over a dying Ratkin you can guarantee his spirit will survive to serve Rat's cause. At the moment of death, he will be reborn as a rat-spirit, losing his gifts and goes scampering off into the Umbra as a rat jaggling. You can only proceed if the Ratkin fails a final Rage test to see if he can regain a health level. By expending a permanent Gnosis and making a Gnosis test you can do this.

Knife-Skulker Gifts

Death Mark: This Gift is not invoked lightly. The Skulker spends a Gnosis and makes a static challenge to create the death mark and store it in a black cloth. The Skulker can only maintain one at a time, which he can pass off to an emissary who will carry it to the intended victim. Once brushed over the forehead, the Skulker can tell the direction and how far away the victim is. Any Ratkin with this gift can tell the that creature is marked for death by the Skulkers (can also be seen with other magical means, e.g., Auspex etc.)

Sticky paws: The Skulker can grab a weapon out of his enemy's hands (or claws or paws) and use it against his enemy the same turn. By spending a Rage and winning a physical challenge you can grab the weapon and use it, without expending a Rage.

Truth of Gaia: As the Philodox gift.

Chitter: As the Get of Fenris gift Snarl of the Predator.

Stalk: As the Ragabash gift Sense of the Prey.

Doppelganger: As the Glasswalker gift.

Paralyzing Stare: As the Shadowlord gift.

Open Wounds: As the Shadowlord gift.

Wither Limb: As the Metis Garou gift.

Geas: As the Philodox gift.

Resist Pain: As the Philodox gift.

Slicing teeth: As the Ahroun gift Razor Claws but used with the Ratkin's bite attack.

Sticky Paws: As the Knife Skulker gift.

Curse of Hatred: As the Garou Metis gift.

Bolt!: As the Intermediate Ratkin gift.

Improvisation: With this gift anything can become a lethal weapon. By spending a Gnosis and naming the type of object that would be near the character in combat. This item can be used during the scene but each attack must be different. The damage is equal to your permanent Rage.

Persecution Complex: As the Stargazer gift Preternatural Awareness.

Treppelganger: By winning a mental challenge each turn you may split into three 9' tall Crinos Ratkin. You may attack with each, they each have +1 brawny and +2 lithe added to the Homid stats.

Pack Attack: With this gift a high-ranking Ratkin can coordinate entire Rat packs in attacks. Winning a Social challenge against another Ratkin in the pack makes that character automatically attack the next turn.

Control Simple Machine: Same as the Glass Walker gift.

Open Seal: Same as the Ragabash gift.

Scrounge: Ratkin Engineers have a talent for finding useable junk. By spending a Gnosis and winning a mental challenge you can find a specific item that would normally nut in the area. By winning 3 mental challenges you can name a general type of harder to find item (at ST's approval).

Hotwire: As the Tunnel Runner Gift.

Summon Electricity: Spend 1 Gnosis and you can summon an electricity elemental that will be bound to an electrical device for a short period of time. Even broken devices will be able to operate will a little judicious jury-rigging. Binding it to an item demands a mental challenge binding it to the device for one week.

Control Complex Machine: Same as the Glass Walker gift.

Battery: With this gift a Ratkin can "energize" himself or another Ratkin, temporarily adding physical traits. By spending 1 Gnosis and winning a mental challenge against 8 traits, you can add 2 brawny, 2 lithe or 2 tough to your physical traits for the rest of the scene per Gnosis and win, you cannot add more than 6 traits to any Ratkin.

Death Ray: You can discharge energy from your fingertips. By spending at least and hour "meditating" while attached to a power supply and spending an Gnosis and winning a mental challenge you gain a new trait called "Electricity." For each Gnosis you spend you may gain another "electricity" trait. To attack with the Death Ray perform a physical challenge, you must be touching or up to 20 feet away, you can inflict one aggravated wound per attack. Each attack removes one level of the "electricity" trait until recharged.

Poison Food: With this gift the Plague Lord can cause food poisoning under the right circumstances. By spending 1 Gnosis and winning a mental challenge you can cause two non-aggravated wounds. Multiple bites of contaminated food does not inflict damage multiple times.)

Sniffle: Having trouble with seeing an invisible enemy? To use this gift a Plague Lord places a pinch of dust on his palm and blows. By spending a Gnosis and winning a mental challenge against your victim, per turn that you wish to use it, will cause your victim to sneeze, cough and wheeze unless she spends a Willpower point per turn that the gift is in effect. This will help the Ratkin find and invisible enemy.

Virulent Curse of Hatred: As the Warrior gift Curse of Hatred, but it causes the effects of the Plague Lords favorite disease. This is an Epidemic Contagion.

Dredge the Spirit World: By spending a Gnosis point and winning a static challenge the Plague Lord can call a few select spirits of misery: those of Pain, Disease and Night. If the gift involves an appropriate sacrifice, it may also call up a wraith -- or Spectre.

Call a Spirit of Pain vs 6 traits

Call a Spirit of Disease vs 7 traits

Call a Spirit of Night vs 8 traits

Call a Wraith/ghost vs 9 traits

Catgut: By carefully curing the skin or internal organs of other Changing Breeds, the Lord can weave a highly durable skein. Catgut armor, unfortunately, really pisses off other shapechangers. Preparing the catgut armor requires an hour of work and the expenditure of Gnosis. By winning a mental challenge vs 9 traits bestows 3 durable traits for retesting vs damage. Shapechangers of the same Changing Breed as the armor must make a frenzy check or attack the Ratkin.

Lesions: Like the Garou gift Halt the Coward's flight. By spending one turn focusing the disease within you and winning a static challenge. If this succeeds your opponent will move at have speed for the rest of the scene. This is a Epidemic Contagion

Epidemic Contagion: With this gift a Plague Lord can make an Epidemic Gift highly contagious. If the victim of an Epidemic gift comes within touching distance of another person (one yard or so), there's a chance that the ailment will spread to that poor soul as well. The victim must make a physical challenge against 10 traits and must win to not become infected. Plague Lords and also inflict this on other Ratkin with this gift. They must win or tie to not be effected.

Firebug: By focusing anger and destructive emotions, the Twitcher can ignite flammable materials with ten feet. By spending a Rage and winning a static challenge you can "light things up." This can only light wood, paper or cloth.

Sense Angst: You know anger and bitterness so well you can smell it on others. By winning a static challenge you can tell if a human is calm or enraged. If calm you can tell what would most upset him at that moment. With winning a mental challenge against another shapechanger you can tell the relative Rage it possesses. Against a vampire you can tell how "human" it is.

Sense Weaver: As per the Shadow Seer gift.

Holdout: With this gift you can create a "pocket" in your flesh. You can smuggle a small weapon or package. By spending 1 Gnosis you create the pocket. Winning a mental static challenge determines if it is well hidden.

Self-Destruct: While students of the Weaver can control simple machines to stop functioning, a student of the Wyld can make the machine self-destruct in spectacular fashion. Spend one Rage and make a physical challenge against everyone around. If you win they take the amount of your Rage in damage. If they win they take no damage.

Pyrotechnics: While cowards cloak themselves in shadows; you a warrior of the Apocalypse walk in flames. By spending a Rage and winning a physical challenge, you can cause 2 aggravated wounds.

Sanctify: This gift is used in conjunction with the Rite of the Pain-Dagger; if you know this Gift you may also learn the Rite of the Pain-Dagger from a Warrior. This gift allows you to bind a spirit temporarily to any pointed or jagged object. First you must find an object to dedicate as your new Pain Dagger, then you must whisper your greatest crime that you intend to commit with this spirit and spend one Rage. This new weapon will inflict 1 aggravated wound and the spirit can whisper to the Ratkin and it must draw blood at least once a day, or it will turn on the "owner."

Keening of Swarm Panic: Expend a Gnosis and win a social challenge. If won a crowd will begin to force its way towards the nearest exit. With the expenditure of another Gnosis you can make the crowd panic and surge towards the nearest door, sweeping any non humans off their feet and causing two non-aggravated wounds.

ALL HELL: By summoning a swarm of Wyldlings and Rat-spirits, you can invoke sheer pandemonium. Spend one Gnosis and everyone must win a static challenge. If they fail they are affected by a state just like the Delirium.

Rites

In addition to some of the common Rites used by Garou, Ratkin have access to a few rituals unique to them. These are all Basic rites.

Birthing Plague (Accord): This Rite allows a prospective Ratkin Kinfolk to attempt her First Change by summoning the Rat Totem to bite the subject. It is entirely up to the Storyteller whether this Rite will be successful, or if the victim will die of the plague.

Purified Body (Accord): By spending a Gnosis Trait, the Ratkin may cleanse a target of all toxins. A variant of this Rite is thought to exist which instead cures all normal diseases (though the Birthing Plague is unaffected).

Bolt-Hole (Mystical): As the Glass Walker (Advanced) Gift "Long Running," except that the amount of reduction is determined by an Extended Static Mental Test. The Ratkin (and other others who travel with her) pass through secret Umbral tunnels and thus avoid all other Umbral traffic.

Contract Rite: With this Rite a Knife-Skulker can sell his skills to other supernatural creatures. At the end of negotiations, the ritemaster spends one Gnosis and makes a social challenge. The spirits will acknowledge your pact by giving a vision to the Ratkin if was performed for. If the contract is broken the Knife-Skulker may pay retribution to the contract breaker.

Pain Dagger (Mystical): This enables the Ratkin to enchant a specially prepared bladed weapon (sword, dagger, etc). Once enchanted the weapon oozes minute amounts of poison at all times, inflicting aggravated wounds. This Rite costs two Gnosis Trait to perform: one to enchant the blade and another to attune it to a particular Ratkin, who is thereafter not affected by the poison on that weapon.

Rite of Artifice Dedication: Same as the Rite of Dedication for Garou.

Rite of the Cardboard Palace: Same as the Bone Gnawer rite.

Rite of the Shopping Cart: As the Bone Gnawer Rite.