Rat Burglar

A rat burglar passes for a common black rat: grimy gray or black fur and beady red eyes. The difference is in its forepaws, which are nimble enough to grip a ring, a loose gem or a coin. It runs just as fast on three legs with loot clutched in the fourth as it does on all four, and it climbs well even without magic.

These rats avoid fights, staying in shadow and letting others do the brawling. If forced, a rat burglar bites for 1 point of damage, and since it is as filthy as any rat, the bite has a 5% chance of passing on a serious disease.

Its magic is all about getting away. Once a day it can use a form of charm monster that works only on rats, giant rats included, lasting 12 hours; the charmed rats either attack its foes or create a diversion while it slips off. It can also spider climb once a day and use ventriloquism twice a day. It understands and speaks the Common tongue, and its thrown voice usually steers intelligent pursuers astray, though now and then one uses it to lead a victim into an ambush.

Rat burglars live among packs of common and giant rats in the sewers and alleys of big cities, and they mate and raise young among the pack. Yet each also keeps several private lairs scattered across the city where it stashes its loot. No other creature may enter these dens, and the rat often lingers there for hours, gloating over its little hoard.

Every rat burglar descends from one black rat, Sootpaw, the familiar of a wizard-thief named Corvel Marrowby. Corvel spent years enchanting his pet to help him steal, and Sootpaw served well until his master died. Left alone, the rat went back to the sewers, took a mate and sired many young. About 5% inherited his powers, and he taught those few to speak and to burgle. Their descendants still train their young and hide stolen treasures all over the city.

Their abilities make them fine familiars, especially for greedy wizards. Thieves' guilds have tried and failed to train or keep them, and since the rats' thefts are often pinned on the guilds, some guilds now try to exterminate a rival they could not recruit.