King of The Rats!

[Orick]

I'm interested in making a character based on controlling swarms of rats.

Mundane or magical, he just needs to control swarms of rats.

The campaign is at 18th level but will (potentially) continue far into epic levels.


This character will call himself the Rat King and rely on a hoard of rats to fight for him.

Any ideas?

[Oxydeur]

Well, buying aPipes of th Sewers (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#pipesoftheSewers) is a good start.
But i don't think rat-swarm based strategy is reliable at ECL 18.
A simple fireball, even launch by a 10th level caster, will destroy your army in one standard action.

There may be some solutions :
- Animate dead to create rat skeletons swarm with the templates from Libris Mortis to get immune to cold, fire or electricity.
- Separate each of your rats to make a lots of creature (and a lot of attacks), and hire a DragonFire Inspiration optimized bard : +5d6 fire(or other) damage on each rat bite should be overkill. Sure they have very low to-hit bonus, but following probability, 1/20th of them will roll a natural 20 each turn !
- Ask your open minded DM to create a specific Prestige class (like Arachnomancer and such) to boost your swarms.
- Use the three solutions above

[Shinken]

Well, buying aPipes of th Sewers (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#pipesoftheSewers) is a good start.
But i don't think rat-swarm based strategy is reliable at ECL 18.
A simple fireball, even launch by a 10th level caster, will destroy your army in one standard action.

There may be some solutions :
- Animate dead to create rat skeletons swarm with the templates from Libris Mortis to get immune to cold, fire or electricity.
- Separate each of your rats to make a lots of creature (and a lot of attacks), and hire a DragonFire Inspiration optimized bard : +5d6 fire(or other) damage on each rat bite should be overkill. Sure they have very low to-hit bonus, but following probability, 1/20th of them will roll a natural 20 each turn !
- Ask your open minded DM to create a specific Prestige class (like Arachnomancer and such) to boost your swarms.
- Use the three solutions above

So Bard/Dirgesinger with Dragonfire Inspiration?

[Valtu]

How about this spell? Sounds like it'd help your swarms be deadlier at higher levels maybe, when the regular rats just won't cut it anymore:

Giant Vermin (http://dndtools.eu/spells/players-handbook-v35--6/giant-vermin--2820/)

It lists centipedes, spiders, and scorpions in the spell description, but it does say any vermin could be the subject of the spell. I imagine you'd just have to gauge whether or not it would work, or what the limits might be, by comparing their Hit Dice to those listed in the spell.

[Killer Angel]

Well, buying aPipes of th Sewers (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#pipesoftheSewers) is a good start.

So is to be a wererat... :smallwink:

[Orick]

How about this spell? Sounds like it'd help your swarms be deadlier at higher levels maybe, when the regular rats just won't cut it anymore:

Giant Vermin (http://dndtools.eu/spells/players-handbook-v35--6/giant-vermin--2820/)

It lists centipedes, spiders, and scorpions in the spell description, but it does say any vermin could be the subject of the spell. I imagine you'd just have to gauge whether or not it would work, or what the limits might be, by comparing their Hit Dice to those listed in the spell.


This spell is fantastic.

A wand or use activated item of this will be on my item list.

[Scarey Nerd]

First of all, you'll want to be playing a Jermlaine. They can speak with rats at will, and they are basically Kings of Rats already. As people have said, Pipe of the Sewers, maybe add the Were-rat template for added hilarity, and add classes that will allow you to control them as if they were people. Bard for morale boosts, etc, rather than arcane means to control them, since you speak their language.

And you'll be a Tiny Fey moving at 40ft a round. Whilst riding a Dire Rat.

[The Viscount]

You could also consider some refluffing with Master of Flies, since most swarms are pretty much the same.

[Diovid]

You could play an Animal Lord, the prc from Complete Adventurer. It has the following clause:

Eight animal lord types are presented here, but you can easily create others appropriate to your campaign, such as the sewer-dwelling ratlord, the gnoll hyenalord, or even the aquatic squidlord.

[Yogibear41]

First of all, you'll want to be playing a Jermlaine. They can speak with rats at will, and they are basically Kings of Rats already. As people have said, Pipe of the Sewers, maybe add the Were-rat template for added hilarity, and add classes that will allow you to control them as if they were people. Bard for morale boosts, etc, rather than arcane means to control them, since you speak their language.

And you'll be a Tiny Fey moving at 40ft a round. Whilst riding a Dire Rat.

Jermlaine can't be were-rats :smallfrown:(rules are for chumps though :smallsmile:)

[Scarey Nerd]

Jermlaine can't be were-rats :smallfrown:(rules are for chumps though :smallsmile:)

Why not? A Dire Rat is small, and a Jermlaine is Tiny, I can't see any other problems

[Yogibear41]

Its a fey not a humanoid or a giant.

[Scarey Nerd]

Fair enough, I couldn't see that in the "Creating a Lycanthrope" section, but it does mention it at the start of the entry. But, as you say, rules are for chumps, who can deny the wonder of the 11 inch tall Lord of the Rats.

[Chester]

Check out Weretouched Master (Ebberon).

Book of Vile Darkness has the Vermin Lord PrC: "Humanoid vermin lords work with monsters such as
driders, phase spiders, and other creatures associated with
vermin. Otherwise, they operate alone, for most other
humanoids will have nothing to do with them."