Making Europe into Europa

I've been trying to write this post ever since I first came up with a Fistful of Denars.  You see, I have a problem.  I often desire to run a historical campaign, but I worry over issues of accuracy so much that I never get one off the ground.  This is partially a function of the very thing that makes me want to run the setting in the first place: history is what I have my degree in and, God willing, what I will soon have an advanced degree in.  This gives me a crippling desire to get things right, because I'm "supposed to know that stuff."

So I need something to make me think of the setting in a different way - something like Jeff's Wessex.  He distanced his setting from real world England by using a fictitious map with the names changed.  I kept trying to figure out how to do the same, but the only headway I ever made was by changing the Auvergne to Averoigne, but that comes with certain tonal implications and also the added baggage of trying to represent one of CAS's settings faithfully.

I hit a brick wall, but last night I remembered this:

click to embiggen

That is a map of what would have been the Known World to the Greeks and Romans. Note that Asia is at the top and Jerusalem is roughly in the center as in a Mappa Mundi.  This map contains the parts of the world I'm likely to run a campaign in (Western Europe and the Mediterranean) but is still fantastic enough that I can distance myself from worries about accuracy.

Here is a list of historical games I could see myself running at some point:

Rome c. 150 - 100 BCE

PCs are ex-soldiers or otherwise homeless people who seek to make their fortune in the Eternal City.

Rome c. 400 CE

PCs are a comitatus of Germanic raiders, Roman mercenaries, or whatever else they want to be trampling the Roman Empire under their sandaled feet.

Britain c. 450

PCs are the leaders in a Briton community facing an invasion by some slightly inhuman Anglo-Saxons, weird forest gods, and other British groups.

Ireland c. 850

PCs as Viking settlers in Ireland.  I actually ran this one session or two in college, but the group ended up not being able to meet due to schedule stuff.

Southern France c. 1050

This is a Cthulhu Dark Ages idea I've been kicking around.  PCs work for the bishop of a cathedral town investigating reports of miracles, monsters, and banditry.

Byzantium c. 1050

PCs as mercenaries - Latin, Viking, or otherwise - in Constantinople or a fictitious Byzantine city.  Become emperor or get blinded trying!

Southern France c. 1221

See the above link to the Fistful of Denars Post.

England c. 1215

Can you say "Robin Hood?"  This one is a bit more half-formed than some of the others, but it'd be pretty awesome to run a game about medieval outlaws.

The Holy Roman Empire c. 1390

Robbers, cut-throats, and adventurers in post-plague Germany.  Think Darklands but with maybe a tinsy-winsy bit more fantasy elements.

Looking at that list, I see that I'll need to clean up Northern Europe a bit to make room for Scandinavia so that those vikings can come from somewhere.  The general rule will be that if you're in Western or Northern Europe or the Mediterranean it'd look more or less the same but with monsters and magicians.  The further afield you go, the more it gets like something John Mandeville would write about.

I'd set up each of these campaigns in the following way:

1) History before the start date of the campaign went more or less as it did in the real world - excluding those areas that are cut off on the map.

2) The PCs' actions will constitute the basis of a new, alternate history.

3) Later campaigns set after the events of one that's already been played will make references to events in that campaign.  So if you make your guy Roman Emperor, he'll show up on a list of emperors you find in the HRE game and you'll probably find coins with his face on him.

4) All of them will have way more monsters and dungeons on them than historical Europe did (i.e. they will have some).  This one probably goes without saying, but my wife was quite worried there would be no dungeons when I pitched this to her.  She loves dungeons.

One final note: I'm not getting rid of the Dark Country or anything.  This was more of mental exercise to see how I would run a setting where Romans were Romans and Vikings were Vikings without being filled with crippling doubt.

Lean Times in Middenheim

Yesterday's session got off to a bit of a slow start because I was expecting a few more players to show up than actually did,* but here are the highlights from once it got started.

• The party was composed entirely of people who hadn't played in the Middenheim session, so they decided to take a job from local underworld bigwig Johann Stallart.  He wanted someone to make sure someone working for a rival gang had a little "accident."  They thought they could deal with this quickly and then move on to another one of the hooks I'd thrown out.
• They were correct! They headed down to the Last Drop, where they found their mark.  One of the PCs got in a fight with him, but left as soon as he'd scored a good hit.  The other PCs stepped in to "break it up" and to calm their mark down.  Once they had gotten him good and drunk the took him to a nearby alley where the party's acrobat - a woman named Artemis - picked him up and attempted to take him to the roof.  Realizing he was about to slip, she just tried to direct him so that he fell on his head.  This he dead, perishing instantly.
• That night, there was a riot in Ulricsmund when Sigmarite protesters stood outside the temple of Ulric and demanded that the current Ar-Ulric step down.  The Graf's men opened fire on these men, and several were killed.  The party cowered in their flophouse.
• The next day, one of the party members went to the Drowned Rat to collect their reward.  They got 5 crowns for their trouble, but they were soon to spend it...
• Because two of the party members who had entered the Alchemist's murder-basement in the previous session had come down with a terrible disease.  The physician's student in the party, Wolfram Ambrose Hesselius von Karnstein, was able to determine - with a roll of a natural 01 - that the disease was the legendary Nurglish Rot!  There was no hope of a cure, and so the party purchased a large amount of monkshood to turn into a poison to give them a more dignified death.**
• After that the party debated what to do next.  At first they were terrified of returning to the murder-basement, but after determining what had given the other PCs had gotten it from the bed sheet they used as a rope in the previous session, the were less anxious.
• They did head to the alchemist's house in order to gain entry into his basement.  Artemis distracted the guards outside with a lovely dance, and the other PCs slipped inside.  After this was done, Artemis finished her dance, went around to the back of the house, climbed onto the roof, and entered through a balcony as the party had done in the last session.
• Once in the basement, the party began following the path of the previous group in the last session.  They made sure to destroy all the remaining pickled heads that they believed were connected to the headless bodies that had previously been encountered inside.
• They also explored a lot of new sections, encountered some large dogs that had had their own heads removed and replaced with the heads of women.  These had also had their teeth smashed out and replaced with dogs teeth.  They avoided them without any fighting.
• They found a room that gave off a strange smell that was a mixture of fire and rot.  Not the the smell of a rotten corpse burning, but rather a strange smell that was both and neither at the same time.  Whatever was inside cast out light, and they decided not to look in.
• Finally the found a room with tables designed to fit female bodies.  Each table had strange gemstones set into it, which the party duly plucked out to sell later.  Under these gemstones was a strange pane of glass that had below it something that glowed the color of radiation in a cartoon.  They took this as a sign that they should cut their losses and sell the goods they'd picked up.

It had its starts and stops, but on the whole I think it went well.  There were a few moments where we had to look up something, but I still find WFRP's system fairly intuitive.

*Undoubtedly, this is a karmic reward from the fact that I had missed two sessions I had said I would be in last week.

**I'm not entirely happy with the way that played out.  Originally, one of the infected PCs was scheduled to be in the session, but he had technical problems and couldn't join us on G+.  I had forgotten to account for Fate Points, which I believe can save you, and I'll need to discuss the matter with the parties involved.  However, it's likely that after my move, I'll be using WFRP to run the Dark Country.  This would mean I wouldn't have to worry about it.

The Nobility of Kars and Their Petty Amusements

A Typical Karslish Noble with His Servant

The head of Karslish nobility is, obviously, the King.  Centuries ago, the isles of Kars were home to hundreds of tiny chiefdoms.  Each worshiped its own patron god, and a almost constant state of war existed between them. That was before the coming of Rutha the Unconquered, an Averois noble who conquered the largest isle with an army of Averois knights and priests of law.  He used the religion of Law to unite the chiefdoms, and ever since Kars has been ruled by an Averois house.

King Dwarde II Walks Among his People

The current king, Dwarde II - also known as Dwarde the Hideous - is an especially deformed member of a long line of misshapen hunchbacks.  It is generally agreed that he is the most incompetent king in the history of the isles, worse even than Ethelray the Bungler.  Peasant revolts have been common during his reign, and the nobility have taken to slaughtering each other as the lack of central authority has caused old grudges - some stretching all the way back to the chiefdoms - to resurface.

Within his palace,  Dwarde the Hideous attempts to maintain an heir of omnipotence.  He has resurrected an old pagan custom that horrifies even the most sycophantic of his courtiers: all who wish to pay homage to the king must suckle his nipples.  He particularly enjoys making nobles wait in line for this "honor."

Oddly, there currently exists no plan to usurp the throne.  Dwarde's incompetence has given the nobles free reign to pursue their vendettas, and a new king would only be more competent.  Because of this, the nobles of Kars have allowed themselves to be humiliated in the kings court in Nindol, knowing that they are the ones who hold true power in the kingdom.

A Joust at the Great Nindol Tourney

During the few hours in which Karslish nobles are not killing each other, they spend their time coming up with increasingly bizarre amusements.  The diversion with which they are most enamored is, unsurprisingly enough, the tourney.  The most famous tourneys are those held in Averoigne; however, the popularity of tourneys on the Karslish Isles rivals or perhaps even surpasses that of the continent.

The greatest tourney in the land is the annual one held at the end of Spring in Nindol.  On this one day, Kaslish nobles eschew their personal heraldry and all don finery of the deepest red.  This is because the Nindol joust is done to the death, and it is not uncommon for blood to spray out onto the crowd.  In order to avoid the complete decimation of the chivalry of Kars, the Great Tourney of Nindol is actually a series of independent jousts.  Each knight will only compete in one event, but the purses for these are incredibly large.

n recent years, a few young knights have begun to buck tradition and wear white during their jousts.  If they live, they will wear their blood soaked garments to many a social occasions so that they may tell stories of their victory. This is considered gauche by most knights, but it is the ladies these jousters seek to impress.

The Burning of the Imbeciles

Another annual event that delights the nobility is the Feast of St. Ralph the Liar.  His feast day is of course celebrated in all lands that have seen the Light of Law, but no other kingdom enjoys it so thoroughly.  Since the time of Rutha IV - known as Rutha the Impotent - the feast has been ended with an event known as the Burning of the Imbeciles.  Village idiots are rounded up from all around Kars and brought to various courts preparing for the feast.  They are then dressed as various exotics - cynocephali  has been the most popular in recent years - and allowed to dance around the dining hall.  When the dinner is just about to end, the idiots are corralled into the center of the room and lit aflame, much to the delight of all present.*

The other men of the West view the Burning of the Imbeciles as an act of barbarism.  An Averois scholar studying the phenomenon concluded that it must have begun with a terrible accident and then have continued due to the mixture of amusement and superstition that surrounds it.  Karslish nobles believe that if the imbeciles are not burned for the feast, a bevy of unlucky things might transpire.  One year, the king decided to forgo the burning and skip straight to the after-diner cake.  He found it to be so dry that he gave it to his dogs, and ever since the imbeciles have been burnt at the proper time.

The High Pontiff has forbade both tourneys and the Burning of the Imbeciles, believing both are pagan rituals in disguise.  This has had little effect on the religious climate of Kars, as both the Archbishop of Tenkerbury and the priests of Bury St. Ralphs fully support these events.  It is perhaps no accident that they also make quite a bit of money off of them.

The Northern Isles are home to a different sort of noble.  While some of the younger generation attempt to imitate the courtiers of Nindol, most cleave to their old way of life.  They are nominally loyal to both the king and to the God of Law, but little has changed since the days before Rutha the Unconquered.  Warriors raid each other's cattle, and village priests perform rites once reserved for pagan druids.

A Pit Fight on One of the Northern Isles

In the North, both nobles and peasants alike enjoy watching pit-fighting.  These fights to the death are believed to be the origin for the Grand Tourney of Nindol; however, they never take the form of jousts.  Instead two men fight in a muddy pit, either with hand weapons or their bare fists.  In either case, the winner is the one that walks away.

Competitors are typically captives from nearby settlements who have chosen this over more conventional forms of slavery.  On rare occasions, nobles or even chieftains will deign to fight, though they usually only do so if their opponent is also a noble.  This is sometimes used as a way to settle disputes, though it is comparatively rare.

*Except, one assumes, the idiots.

Dark Country Delicacies

This post is the expanded version of an earlier post from G+.  It was inspired in part by my being hungry and by Chris Kutalik's jokes about white gravy.  The original contained references to maize and corn whiskey, which have been excised.  However, I have retained references to other New World crops because they do not clash with my image of the Dark Country.  Plus, the wonder-crop that is the potato allows me to devote less land on my map for farming and more for wilderness.

My goal is to establish exactly what the different categories of food available for purchase in WFRP mean in the Dark Country, as well as to deepen the setting's sense of place. 

Food per Day (Poor) represents the food commonly eaten by a Dark Country peasant.  It is typically a mixture of wheat, Harnic potatoes** - often mashed - and fermented cabbage.  Eggs provide the vast majority of the peasant's protein, but on some rare occasions, this will include the parts of animals that the middle classes and nobility find particularly disgusting, such as chicken’s feet or head cheese.  Peasants occasionally supplement their food with the small crayfish that live in the freshwater swamps created by the Dark River.

  

Food per Day (Average) represents food typically eaten by the Dark Country’s merchants and wealthy freeholders.  It is much the same as Food per Day (Poor), but too that is added bread and a considerable amount more meat - pork and chicken are the most common as they are the easiest to raise in the forests of the Dark Country.  These are typically fried and served with gravies of one of two varieties: rich and dark or white and lumpy.   In some parts of the Dark Country, this may also include goat cheeses.

Food per Day (Good) is what is considered a feast by the lower and middle classes but is a common sight on the tables of the wealthy.  Meat, including imported beef, is in great abundance as are wines, cheeses, and pies.  Pumpkin pie is particularly popular in harvest festivals.

All three categories presented above would be supplemented with hunting and fishing.  Deer and rabbit are common enough to regularly grace the tables at an inn or tavern in a village.  Sausages are also common, but their precise makeup varies depending on the quality of the meal.

Rations are typically made of hard biscuits and salted meat.  Travelers from Zenopolis may also be carrying dried figs or dates.

Cheap Pie is commonly eaten in urban areas, and comes in two varieties: meat and crayfish.

A Loaf of Bread is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin.

Side of Meat chicken, goat, and pork are by far the most common meats in the Dark Country.  The West has cattle and sheep, but constant raids by beast-men and worse mean that prime grazing land for such animals is all but uninhabitable.  Pigs are considerably lower maintenance.

Delicacies in the Dark Country usually amount to imported beef, but there is a growing demand for Frogling cuisine.  This typically comes in the form of large insects from Hopland, but the buyer should be warned that they are often poisonous to humans if prepared improperly.

Peppers - both of the chili and bell varieties - a remarkably common in the Dark Country.  The kinds found in the World of Nightwick are hardier and more resistant to cold temperatures than those of our Earth, but otherwise look and taste the same.  Peasants use it to mask the flavor of what they're eating, while gentry use it to give what they're eating some flavor.  It is a strange world.

Robber's steak is a common meal among bandits, trappers, and woodsmen.  It consists of the meat of a game animal, typically venison, wrapped in bacon and spiced with red peppers.  It is sometimes eaten in the West by those who feel they can add a bit of adventure to their dinner table.

Alcohol is consumed in great quantities in the Dark Country.  Even those wishing to remain sober will merely water down wine rather than drink pure water.  The danger of the flux is too high.  Mead is surprisingly common because of the large amount of beekeepers, and most ale is imported from Hopland or Dwarf-Land.  The most common spirit in the Dark Country is whiskey, which was distilled by the pagans even before the coming of the Sword Brothers.  Newly converted communities often still make their own cheap whiskey that corresponds to WFRP's rotgut.

Hashish is rare, but not unknown to the Dark Country.  It is imported from Zenopolis, which also possesses a bewildering array of opiates.

The Church's position on intoxicants, both alcoholic and otherwise, is that one can imbibe as much as one wants until one vomits.  Vomiting is a sign from the God of Law that one has engaged in a sin of excess, and thus requires an act of penance and a confession.

*Harnic potatoes are considered a luxury item in the West, but are common as dirt in the Dark Country proper.

Nightwick Area Map and Region Descriptions

In preparation for reviving the Nightwick Abbey game using WFRP 2e I've decided to use Rob Conley's article How to Make a Fantasy Sandbox - in addition to a number of other tools - to help flesh out some of the campaign area.

First, here's a map:

click to embiggen

The scale is six miles to a hex.  The farmland hexes represent only those areas that are heavily cultivated, and isolated homesteads can be found throughout the less dangerous areas shown on this map.

The Western settlements on this map are...

0513 Road’s End
0715 Blackleg Mine
0815 Blackleg (Town)
0816 Blackleg Castle (Fortress)
1002 Lychgate (City)
1112 Frogguts (Village)
1303 The Ruins of Hommlet (Former  Village)
1309 Knightpath (Village)
1503 The Witchfort (Fortress)
1506 Nightwick Village (Village)
1607 Nightwick Abbey (Ruin)

Road's End, Blackleg, Frogguts, and Knightpath have all been in the throes of a peasant rebellion for the past few months, while the farmland around Lychgate has been subjected to beast-men raiding out of the Witchwood. These raids have destroyed Hommlet and have also prevented the bishop from being able to stamp out the revolt. The Oriental Adventures event charts have determined that 1988 AF is a shitty year for the people of the Dark Country.

Below are descriptions of the different wilderness regions of the southeastern portion of the Dark Country. Some of these have been mentioned in previous posts, while some are wholly new.

The Fog-Bound Forest is a conifer forest that lies in the southeastern portion of the Dark Country, just before the foothills of the Nameless Mountains.  As its name suggests, it is perpetually shrouded in a blanket of thick fog.  While it is rich in game, it is also exceedingly dangerous - being home to large packs of direwolves, bands of goblins, tribes of beast-men, and even a few pagan resistance groups.  Loggers brave enough to enter also believe their to be a small village inhabited entirely by werewolves somewhere deep within the forest.  Much of the forest products sold in the West are produced here.

The Forest of Nooses lies in a small valley in the southern portion of the Nameless Mountains.  It is not as teeming with dangers as its fog-bound cousin, but this is not to say it is safe.  Loggers, trappers, and hunters from Road’s End enter the woods to ply their trade.  The goods are then moved up the Long Road to Lychgate, before traveling down the Dark River.  The forest is named for the strange, hanging moss-like plant that grows in its trees.  Aside from the more typical sorts of dangers one might find in a Dark Country forest, the Forest of Nooses also houses a species of man-eating plant the same color and texture as the aforementioned moss.  These will strangle unwary woodsmen who pass too near them.

The Great Swamp lies just west of Lychgate and is formed by the merging of the River Deep with the Little Dark to make the Dark River.  While the rivers are well traveled, the Great Swamp is often used as a hiding place by those who seek to avoid the prying eye of the law or the Church.  Bandits and pirates patrol the rivers, and there are at least a few daub huts that serve as homes for witches.  During the winter, the wet ground of the swamp typically freezes allowing armies to cross, and occasionally the Bishop Notker the Unshaven will send out troops to deal particularly troublesome brigands.

The Little Heath is a small area east of the Great Swamp but west of the Long Road that was once used by the pagans for farming and pastureland.  Isolated farms and houses may still be found here, though many were destroyed by beast-men during the recent incursion by the forces of the White Lady.

The Mire of Princes is a haunted bog that has been the site of several battles.  According to legend, it was originally the site of a battle between two great pagan armies and so much blood was spilled that the ground as sumed its current, marshy state.  Since then, it has seen a statistically improbable number of battles - including one between the Sword Brothers and the crusading forces of the West.  The Mire is avoided by most sane men and is purported to prowled by all manner of undead.  Those who have traveled near it during the day report seeing no signs of any animal life whatsoever.

The Nameless Mountains encircle almost the entire Dark Country.  Their foothills are dotted occasionally with small copses of evergreens, but their peaks are high and bare.  They are typically only snowcapped in the Winter, but their summits are notoriously cold.  A few pagans are believed to still live among the foothills.

The Stretch is a small area of pastureland that lies to the east of the Witchwood.  It was once used by pagan shepherds and farmers, but Western colonization of the area has proven difficult due to raiders from the Witchwood.  It is believed that their remain a number of pagan farmsteads that go unmolested by the beast-men.

The Stony Wood lies in the shadow of the Bald Mountains and seems to have been at one time a major center for pagan worship.  It is named for the large number of carved stones that dot the forest - shrines to tree spirits and deities long forgotten by the men of the West.  Very little logging is done here, but a few trappers have semi permanent camps along the edges of the Stony Wood.  Those living in the Seven Cities believe a number of pagans still reside here as well, due to its comparative remoteness.

The Witchwood lies just north of the Witchfort and is a thick tangle of large oaks and thick brambles.  Regardless of the season, the trees of the Witchwood are dry and their leaves are either crimson or their branches bare.  It is the most famous haunt of groans, but far worse is the mistress of the forest: the White Lady.  It is the only forest in the Dark Country that neither hunters noor loggers will enter, and it is shunned by all decent folk.  Even in pagan days few but druids dedicated to the White Lady would enter the forest, and even they would sometimes fail to leave.

Froglings for WFRP 2e

Froglings
Froglings are frogs that walk and speak in the manner of men.  They are short, only about 4' in height on average, and range between thin and stout.  Froglings make their home in a distant, marshy country known as Hoppland; however, they are found throughout the World of Nightwick as brewers, merchants, and adventurers.  Their skin ranges between slick and bumpy, and is usually a dull green or brown - though more exotic colors and patterns are not unheard of.  They favor flamboyant clothing and jewelry in garish colors.

Frogling Characters
A Frogling character gains the following skills and talents:
Skills: Common Knowledge (Froglings), Gossip, Speak Language (Croakish), Speak Language (Common), Trade (Brewer), Swim
Talents: Jump (see below), Luck, Night Vision, and Sixth Sense

Jump
You gain the ability to make incredible leaps. When making a running leap, the maximum distance you can cover, in yards, equals your Movement times your Strength Bonus on a successful Strength Test. When making a standing leap, your maximum height equals your Movement plus your Strength Bonus.

Frogling Characteristic Generation

Characteristic	Starting Score
Weapon Skill (WS)	20 + 2d10
Ballistic Skill (BS)	20 + 2d10
Strength (S)	10 + 2d10
Toughness (T)	20 + 2d10
Agility (Ag)	30 + 2d10
Intelligence (Int)	20 + 2d10
Will Power (WP)	20 + 2d10
Fellowship (Fel)	30 + 2d10
Attacks (A)	1
Wounds (W)	Roll 1d10 and consult the table below
Strength Bonus (SB)	Equal to the first digit of your Strength
Toughness Bonus (TB)	Equal to the first digit of your Toughness
Movement (M)	4
Magic (Mag)	0
Insanity Points (IP)	0
Fate Points	Roll 1d10 and consult the table below.

Frogling Wounds and Fate Points

d10	Wounds	d10	Fate Points
1-3	9	1-4	2
4-6	10	5-7	2
7-9	11	8-10	3
10	12	-	-

Frogling Starting Career

Career	d% rolll
01-02	Agitator
03	Apprentice Wizard
-	Bailiff
-	Barber-Surgeon
04-09	Boatman
-	Bodyguard
-	Bone Picker
10	Bounty Hunter
11-15	Burgher
12	Camp Follower
13	Charcoal Burner
14-19	Coachman
20-22	Entertainer
-	Envoy
-	Estalian Diestro
23-24	Ferryman
-	Fieldwarden
25-26	Fisherman
27	Grave Robber
28	Hedge Wizard
29	Hunter
-	Initiate
-	Jailer
-	Kislevite Kossar
-	Kithband Warrior
-	Marine
30	Mercenary
31-32	Messenger
33-36	Militiaman
-	Miner
37-38	Noble
-	Norse Berserker
39-41	Outlaw
42-47	Peasant
-	Pit Fighter
-	Protagonist
48-49	Rat Catcher
-	Roadwarden
50-52	Rogue
-	Runebearer
53-54	Scribe
-	Seaman
55-60	Servant
-	Shieldbreaker
61-66	Smuggler
67	Soldier
-	Squire
68-69	Student
70-75	Thief
76	Thug
77-79	Toll Keeper
80-81	Tomb Robber
82-87	Tradesman
-	Troll Slayer
87-92	Vagabond
93-98	Valet
99-00	Watchman
-	Woodsman
-	Zealot

Monster Monday (Again): Awful Rats

Since most of my readers probably don't play WFRP 2e, here's another monster for Labyrinth Lord.

Awful Rats
No. Encountered: 3d6 (3d10)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 120’
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 1d4
Attacks: 1 (Bite)
Damage: 1d6
Save: F1
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: XX
XP: 15

Awful rats are a strange breed of creature found only in the most demon-haunted ruins of the Dark Country - though rumors say that varieties may be found in the Desert Lands and far off Cathay.  They are extremely large rats, though not as large as giant rats, that possess the heads and intelligence of crows.  They tend to be social animals, building large nests in subterranean environments.

Awful rats leap up to attack their opponent’s face. On a to hit roll of 20, it has struck the opponent’s eye, and a second to hit roll must be made.  If this second roll is a hit, the rat has taken the eye right from its socket.  It will typically then scurry away to eat its prize in private.  If using death a Death and Dismemberment or Critical Hit table, this mechanic may be replaced with assuming that any time such a table would normally be consulted, the awful rat snatches out an eye.