Ratlings
Homebrew
Ratling
The kings of derelict alleyways, the sultans of garbage: these realms are the ratling's only domain. They are the lowest caste wherever they are unfortunate enough to tread. In The Reaches, they scavenge for food. In the gnomish principalities, they are experimental subjects and menial laborers. Their race survives simply by replacing those lost en masse, outnumbering the naturally high death toll 3-1.
The Lords of Trash
Small, tiny creatures from an unknown island in the Reaches, the ratlings are frail and helpless. They are small, rat-like humanoids about waist-height for the average human. Their coats range from white, to spotted orange, to brown, or even pure black. Unphased by the garbage they live in, they often keep their favorite pieces close, or even use them as adornment. Their clothes are usually stolen, or hand-me-downs, and ratlings with the most wealth esteem themselves with the finest clothes that quickly tarnish in their rotten holes.
When the High Shogunate conquered the reaches, they discovered the land of the ratlings. It is said that not an arrow was fired; that the ratlings surrendered immediately and unanimously. This was the first contact with the ratlings, and within the century they inhabited every inch of The Reaches. Within another, they managed to reach the furthest countries of the mainland. No environment, no matter how deadly, is unlivable to the Ratlings. Even the underdark or the deadlands are ideal homes, despite the horrendous monsters that inhabit them.
Ratlings are happy to live anywhere, quickly raising communities in the alleys of cities or the piles of garbage. They will burrow into anything from soil to rocks, and live without any need to build complex homes. Populations can rise quickly, raising hundreds if not thousands before the locals even realize ratlings have moved in. Ratlings will band together into clans rather quickly, finding survival in high numbers by instinct due to their lack of any form of strength. In major society, crimelords will hire ratlings as cheap yet strangely reliable informants while cops hire them as cheap yet reliable snitches. Ratlings are not the best at making decisions or keeping allegiances, breaking quickly under pressure.
Ratling names
Ratlings do not take names, finding the idea of names strange and too fancy for realistic use. It is also possible they do not retain the brain power to remember names. They will simply yell until the correct ratling responds, which in some cases could take minutes. Any name that is given to a ratling is from a third party, who hired or works with more than one.
Teeth. Your teeth are natural melee weapons with the finesse property that you can use to make an unarmed bite attack. If you hit with them, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier. At 7th level this damage becomes 2d4, and at 15th level it becomes 3d4. If your teeth are broken, they regrow within 1 week.
Pack Defense. If you are within 5 feet of a friendly creature that is at least one size larger than you when a creature targets you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the hostile creature's melee weapon attacks against you on its turn.
Grovel, Cower, and Beg. As an action on your turn, you can cower pathetically to distract nearby foes. Until the end of your next turn, your allies have advantage on attack rolls against enemies within 10 feet of you that you can see. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Disease Resistance. When you would contract a non-magical disease, you can roll a d20. On a 10 or higher, you can ignore any effects this disease would have on you. Additionally, while you are diseased or poisoned, your teeth can deal poison damage instead of piercing.
Optional Lineage. You may choose the molerat subrace.
Molerat
Ability Score "Increase." All of your stats decrease by 4.
Light Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on all ranged attacks and perception checks while your target is in direct sunlight.
Pitiful Darkvision. You can see 10 feet in dim light, and 5 feet in total darkness.
