Fevered Rat
Rat Swarm (CR 1)
One rat is no threat to any adventurer. But a rat swarm isn't just one rat. It's hundreds and hundreds of rats, so many of them, piled so close atop one another, they form a single seething mass of dirty flesh. Rat swarms are so frenetically active they are almost fluids, flowing this way and that, no rat willing to break away from the safety of it's fellows.
This roiling, scrabbling, mass of teeth and claws is enough to be quite a nasty threat, and even the best-armored hero has no defense against a thousand claws and bites every minute. It's best to kill rat swarms as fast as possible, and from a good distance, to boot.
GENERAL
CR 1 Hit Dice 2
XP 400
N Tiny animal (swarm)
Init +1; Senses low-light 120 ft., scent, Perception +4
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +1 dex, +0 natural, +0 deflection)
hp 20
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +1
Aura: -
SR: -
Special Defenses: half damage from Slashing and Piercing weapons
Immunities:
- Critical Hits and Flanking
- Trips, Grapples and Bull Rushes
- any spell which targets a specific number of creatures, except mind-affecting spells (if this creature has an Int score).
Weaknesses: Vulnerable to area of effect spells (+50% extra damage)
OFFENSE
Speed 15 ft., climb 15 ft., swim 15 ft.
Single Melee swarm 1d4 + filth fever (disease) + Distraction
Full Melee swarm 1d4 + filth fever (disease) + Distraction
Ranged -
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks filth fever (disease), distraction
Action Points 0
STATISTICS
Str 2, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 2
Base Atk +1; CMB +3; CMD 15
Feats -
Skills -
Languages -
SPECIAL ABILITIES
- Filth Fever (Ex, Disease)
Swarm—injury; save Fort DC 10; onset 1d3 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d6 non-lethal hitpoints, 1d3 Dex damage and 1d3 Con damage plus 1d6 subdual damage which bypasses DR; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based. This save must be made every round you are inside of a swarm and take damage.
- Distraction (Ex)
Any living creature that takes damage from a creature with the distraction ability must make a Fortitude save, DC 10, or become Afflicted. If the creature makes the save, they are instead Sickened. If they take damage on any following round while still Sickened or Afflicted, they must make another DC 10 fortitude save, or move up one on the Status Array. While sharing a space with the swarm, you cannot get rid of the Sickened condition. At the end of any round in which you are outside of the swarm, you may make another DC 10 fortitude save to attempt to move down a step on the status array. (While outside of the swarm's space, you cannot go up on the status array if you fail the save, you simply remain at the status you currently have.)
Nauseated ==> Afflicted ==> Sickened
In addition, spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a caster level check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Will save.
TREASURE
Sell value of approximately 213 gp.
COMBAT TACTICS
Rat swarms wish to engulf you. They will charge as fast as they can to get into the space of their prey.
Note that multiple rat swarms can move into, stop and occupy up to half the spaces that other rat swarms occupy. No more than two swarms can inflict effects on a single target.