Source Player Core 2
Ratfolk are small, clever, and adaptable humanoids with ratlike features and a love of community.
Ysoki are beings that most surface-dwelling humanoids refer to as “ratfolk.” They are a communal people who prefer cramped conditions, with up to 100 individuals living in a given home. If they can't find homes in town, ratfolk may instead live in caves and cavern complexes, as these provide great storage for the many and varied goods they bring back from trading expeditions.
Ratfolk love to travel, and they can often be found on the road in merchant caravans. They're good with their hands and have a keen eye for spotting anything out of the ordinary, from threats to treasures. They're also inveterate hoarders; ysoki warrens are crammed full of unusual odds and ends gathered by previous generations and stowed away in preparation for some future emergency.
If you want a character who is smart, fast, well-traveled, and adaptable, try playing a ratfolk!

You Might...

• Have pride in your large extended family, and stay in contact with everyone in it.
• Like to travel near and far in search of new experiences, likely collecting trinkets along the way.

Others Probably...

• Have pride in your large extended family, and stay in contact with everyone in it.
• Like to travel near and far in search of new experiences, likely collecting trinkets along the way.

Physical Description

Ratfolk have whiskered snouts, large ears, and hairless tails, and typically have red eyes and short brown or black fur. A common ratfolk is 4 feet tall and weighs around 80 pounds. Ratfolk vary considerably, however; even a single family group can exhibit substantial variation in hair color, eye color, or size.
Instinct drives ratfolk to maintain cleanliness, though this is also reinforced through their strong social structures. Because their appearance is often considered disturbing by other humanoids—and people may even mistake them for wererats—ratfolk often conceal their physical features with layers of clothing when moving through spaces dominated by other ancestries.

Society

Ysoki culture values cooperation and community. Every ratfolk learns—through communal games, social occasions, and sports—to forge fast friendships and connections with ratfolk outside their family. With a long tradition of working as traders and tinkers, ratfolk travel frequently from one town to another. Their wagons are usually grouped into caravans of up to half a dozen vehicles. Ysoki wagons are pulled by exceptionally large giant rats, and many ratfolk can speak to such animals.

Beliefs

Ratfolk care more about their family than abstract concepts of good and evil. Their warrens might be chaotic dens filled with hoarded knickknacks, but they also obey strict social codes.
Though ratfolk revere their ancestors and tend to acknowledge whatever deity is prevalent in their local area, Lao Shu Po has a special role in ysoki culture. Grandmother Rat embodies many things that are otherwise antithetical to ratfolk—she urges followers to put their own interests above others. To most ratfolk, Grandmother Rat accomplishes all those things they need done, but which they would not wish to do.
Popular Edicts put your community's interests above your own, maintain a cleanly appearance, be honest in your dealings
Popular Anathema throw away something that might be useful

Names

Every ysoki family has perhaps two dozen names that have been passed down from generation to generation, sometimes with minor alterations or alternative nicknames. Ratfolk are often assigned nicknames and sobriquets by humanoids they interact with, but most find these names distasteful and endure them only when outside their communities.

Sample Names

Barnan, Chikis, Chonan, Deto, Jass, Jix, Knagi, Kubi, Lolo, Ninnec, Nos, Rak, Renzi, Skigim, Tali, Zess

Ratfolk Mechanics

Hit Points

6

Size

Small

Speed

25 feet

Attribute Boosts

Dexterity
Intelligence
Free

Attribute Flaw

Strength

Languages

Common
Ysoki
Additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive). Choose from Aklo, Draconic, Dwarven, Gnomish, Goblin, Halfling, Kholo, Orcish, Sakvroth, or any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent in your region).

Low-Light Vision

You can see in dim light as though it were bright light, so you ignore the concealed condition due to dim light.

Sharp Teeth

Your prominent incisors offer an alternative to the fists other humanoids bring to a fight. You have a jaws unarmed attack that deals 1d4 piercing damage, is in the brawling group, and has the agile and finesse traits.