Burrowing Rat-beast
- Habitat
- Tunnels, cellars, and corridors beneath settlements
- Biomes
- +underground, +settlement
- Spawn
- pack, night
- Temper
- Ferocious and territorial; packs swarm intruders
- Threat
- Moderate
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Move
- run.
- Special
- Ambushes from hidden tunnels, hard to notice until it strikes; teeth dig through stone; loose hide is poor protection against a quick, agile attacker
- STR16
- DEX14
- CON14
- INT2
- Health132
- Damage30
- Armor12
The burrowing rat-beast is a giant, hairless rodent about the size of a small dog, distantly kin to the beaver. Its pale, almost colourless hide hangs in loose, pliable folds like soft leather, and its oversized jaws jut several inches past its muzzle, set with broad, spade-shaped teeth hard enough to gnaw through solid stone. Most run on six legs, though some bear eight or even ten. Small dark eyes, shielded by ridges of bone, sit close together above that monstrous bite. They riddle the ground beneath buildings with narrow tunnels, too cramped for a human to follow, and travel in chittering packs drawn to anything that glitters. Fearless and quick, they boil up from hidden burrows to ambush trespassers, then dig away when a fight turns against them.
Behavior
- Lives in extensive tunnel networks with cleverly hidden entrances.
- Erupts from concealed burrows to ambush passers-by.
- Hoards bright, shiny objects and defends them angrily.
- Flees into its tunnels when losing, gnawing a fresh escape if cornered.
- Travels and hunts in large, aggressive packs.
Abilities
- Crushing Bite. enormous jaws deliver a savage, bone-cracking bite.
- Stone-Gnawing. teeth sharp enough to tunnel through rock and earth.
- Burrow Ambush. surprises foes by digging up beneath or behind them.
- Pack Frenzy. grows bolder and more aggressive in numbers.
Drops & Crafting
- Soft, well-insulated hide for purses and warm coats
- Spade-teeth (digging tools and earth-magic components)
- Bone ridges and claws
- Sinew cordage
- Trinkets scavenged from its nest hoard