Rookroost, The Heart of the Bandit Kingdoms, Part 18

In this 18th installment for the City of Rookroost we take a look at unique monsters in the city. The stats that I have use this time are for 1st/2nd editioon. Once again thanks to everyone that have given me inspiration from Nigel Findley, Erik Mona, Gary Holian, Sean K. Reynolds, Frederick Weining, Casey Brown, and all the fabulous BK authors and lastly Gygax himself.

Art by LeFedere

​Rookroost Hound
CLIMATE/TERRAIN:    Any
FREQUENCY:              Uncommon
ORGANIZATION:        Solitary/Pack
ACTIVITY CYCLE:        Any
DIET:                        Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE:          Semi- (2-4)
TREASURE:                Nil
ALIGNMENT:              Neutral
NO. APPEARING:        Variable
ARMOR CLASS:           7
MOVEMENT:              16
HIT DICE:                  3
THACO:                     17
NO. OF ATTACKS:       1
DAMAGE/ATTACK:      2-8 (2d4)
SPECIAL ATTACKS:     Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSE:     Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE:  Nil
SIZE:                        M (4’-6’ long)
MORALE:                   Steady (11-12)
XP VALUE:                 75
 
In a town such as Rookroost, protection is something that does not come easy. With so many rogues and cutthroats skulking about through the streets finding good, and affordable protection is a hard thing to do, and that is where the Rookroost Hound comes in.

Originally hounds and war dogs were common amongst the raiding parties that would spill over into neighboring lands. It was common for a raiding party to have a pack to help with hunting and herding targets that the raiders might wish to take back as slaves. Back home in Rookroost, however, they served a different purpose, guard dogs.

To be effective guard dogs, loyal and not easily duped, Hound Masters in the city were continually breeding them to come up with a hound that served all those needs. After several hundred years, we have the common Rookroost hound. While cheaper than hiring a man at arms to guard your home or business, Rookroost Hounds cost double the amount of a regular war dog.

Highly trained, Rookroost Hounds know who their masters are and what people they can trust. Rookroost Hounds will not eat food given to them unless they are starving or it comes from their master. Through several weeks of training, Rookroost Hounds learn to recognize one human as their master and obey their commands without question. Rookroost hounds will willingly give up their lives to protect their master and or follow their orders.

It is common for shop owners and merchants to have one or two hounds guarding their businesses after dark, especially if they do not live on the premises. Those who can afford to might have a pack of them for guarding the grounds of estates.
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While it is common, especially in Outwall, to see packs of stray dogs, Rookroost Hounds are never among their numbers. If a Rookroost Hound is seen to have gone rogue or feral, they are killed immediately to help ensure that their DNA does not become mixed among the general dog populace, creating packs of formidable dogs. The city pays a bounty of 5gp for the carcass of rogue or feral hound.

Art by Jim Holloway

​Ratling
CLIMATE/TERRAIN:    Any
FREQUENCY:              Uncommon
ORGANIZATION:        Tribe
ACTIVITY CYCLE:        Any
DIET:                        Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE:          Average (8-10)
TREASURE:                J,O(Qx5)
ALIGNMENT:              Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING:        5-20 (5d4)
ARMOR CLASS:           8
MOVEMENT:              6
HIT DICE:                  1
THACO:                     20
NO. OF ATTACKS:       1
DAMAGE/ATTACK:      1-4 or 1-6 (by weapon)
SPECIAL ATTACKS:     Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSE:     Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE:  Nil
SIZE:                        S (3’ tall)
MORALE:                   Unsteady (7)
XP VALUE:                 10
 
Ratlings are native to Rookroost, although groups of them, are called a mischief, have begun turning up further afield from the city. There are reports of them appearing in the Fellreev, Stoink, the Rift Canyon, and as far south as Redspan. Generally accredited to the former Archmage Asenneas, a member of the Rookroost Wizards Guild between 459-466 CY, Ratlings were another of his creations. 
 
Ratlings are small, halfling sized, rodent humanoids. They are intelligent but have many of the same characteristics as normal rats.A few of the creatures escaped Asenneas’ laboratory and made their way into the Rookroost sewers and underground. Once there, they began multiplying at an alarming rate.

• Ratlings are only surprised on a roll of 1 
• Ratlings also have a 45% chance of tracking a target by their scent. 

The lifespan of a Ratling under the best of circumstances is 5 to 10 years. Still, average Ratlings in the wild live from 1 to 3 years. With such short lifespans, they do not really have much of a culture of their own besides finding food and reproducing. They try and steal what they need and can use rudimentary tools and weapons, but they do not craft anything themselves.
 
Ratlings have developed their own language, but it is little more than a sophisticated series of squeaks, squawks, and hissing. The language is too rudimentary to convey complex ideas. A comprehend languages spell will not work on them, although a speak with animals spell will. 
 
While they can be encountered in the sewers or the undercity at all times of the day, they are rarely seen in the city during the day. After sundown, groups of Ratlings some out into the city to scavenge whatever they can find before returning to their homes under the city before dawn.
Ratlings dwell in clans with ever-changing dynamics. Leaders are usually the strongest Ratling in the clan, but this might only be for a few days, weeks, or months before being killed by a rival, the kobolds, or ratcatchers. 
 
The city pays out a bounty of 5sp for each Ratling tail that is turned in. Because of this, there are groups of ratcatchers that roam the streets at night looking for them. These groups generally number around 4 to 6 people armed with crossbows and spears.

Art by Linda Apple

Rookroost Ravens
CLIMATE/TERRAIN:    Any
FREQUENCY:              Uncommon
ORGANIZATION:        Flock
ACTIVITY CYCLE:        Any
DIET:                        Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE:          Average (8-10)
TREASURE:                J,O(Qx5)
ALIGNMENT:              Neutral
NO. APPEARING:        2-8 (2d4)
ARMOR CLASS:           6
MOVEMENT:              1, FL 27 (C)
HIT DICE:                  1-1
THACO:                     20
NO. OF ATTACKS:       1
DAMAGE/ATTACK:      1-2 (1-4 special)
SPECIAL ATTACKS:     Special see below
SPECIAL DEFENSE:     Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE:  See Below
SIZE:                        S (2’ long)
MORALE:                   Average (10)
XP VALUE:                 55
 
The Ravens of Rookroost are a common sight everywhere in the city. Flocks of the birds called either a congress, an unkindness, horde, or a murder are found everywhere. The birds predate the city's founding, having lived upon the small hill upon which the city was built. A myth has even grown up around them, stating that the city of Rookroost will never fall so long as the ravens roost there.

Living among these flocks is a larger raven variation far more intelligent than the average raven. A Rookroost Raven has a normal human's intelligence and can speak and even use rudimentary tools that can fit in their talons.

Picking them out from among the hundreds of thousands of regular ravens in the city is not too hard if trained in what to look for, but communicating with them is difficult. Rookroost Ravens are reluctant to make contact with humans, demi-humans, or humanoids and keep their distance. However, one can win the trust of them by feeding them regularly and talking to them over time.While Rookroost Ravens live amongst the larger raven population, they usually live in small family units.

Rookroost Ravens generally live by scavenging what they need, and their diet is the same as a normal raven. They love to play practical jokes like stealing small items from one person and placing them in another persons' home. Stealing laundry left out on a line to dry, or heckling people in crowds to try and cause fights.
Rookroost Ravens pick up languages easily and speak up to eight of them. They also can imitate perfectly voices that they hear. Even if they only listen to the person speaking for as little as a minute, they can perfectly replicate it.
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The Guild of Wizardry has a large number of Rookroost Ravens that work for them as spies. These ravens will hang out in places where they might overhear important information. Thus, it is general practice to have all conversations of a sensitive matter indoors if they can be. Despite this, many people forget because the city is crawling with them, and they are just part of the background.