Pindar and Redtooth Broods

By Keith Baker

The Complete Guide to Wererats describes a number of a final recourse, the Pindar will seek to infect critical personnel
wererat broods – hidden nations of shapeshifters bound togeth- with lycanthropy, bringing them fully into the brood. If the tar-
er by blood and tradition. Two broods that are mentioned in gets are gnomes or halflings, the Pindar will start with infection
passing are the Pindar and the Redteeth. This article looks into as opposed to offers of gold. It is important to the Pindar to
each one in more detail. maintain their racial heritage, and they dislike infecting mem-
bers of other races unless there is no other alternative.
THE PINDAR BROOD The Pindar empire is a shadow corporation – it is a con-
Masters of Monetary Manipulation glomeration of dozens of smaller guilds and companies, most of
which have no idea that they are part of a larger entity (except,
The gnome Percival Pindar was a talented alchemist, but of course, for the wererats running the operation). So it is no
his greatest gift was a flair for managing gold. Pindar was the simple matter to identify a Pindar operation; any successful
treasurer of the Council of Flesh; he managed the finances of trade guild could be a secret arm of the Pindar.
the magi, and also obtained any goods or services that the While the wererat broods are engaged in a constantly shift-
Council required, from food to guards to mystical supplies. ing series of feuds and vendettas, the Pindar often stay above
The wererats of the Pindar brood are the descendants of these conflicts. Many of the broods exchange favors for Pindar
Percival’s family and his assistants. Largely gnomes and mercantile services; in particular, the Pindar have a close rela-
halflings, the Pindar have continued to develop the skills of tion with the Oath of Flesh, who help the Pindar kidnap victims
their ancestor. They believe in the goals of the Council, and they wish to infect in exchange for supplies and economic assis-
Pindar Weavers continue to experiment with wererat potential. tance. The Pindar also maintain economic ties to other subter-
But they also believe in the power of gold. The Pindar have a ranean races, like the dark elves and deep gnomes. The one
mercantile empire that stretches across the known world, and implacable enemy of the Pindar is the Graykin brood. The
they are constantly working to increase their influence through Graykin also seek to influence the human world; they focus on
subversion and infection. When the Pindar discover a guild or political power as opposed to economic influence, but they
tradesman that would be a valuable addition, they will begin by view the Pindar as their most dangerous opponents. As a result,
approaching the target openly and attempting to arrange an the Pindar and the Graykin are constantly engaged in secret
above-board merger. If this fails, they will turn to blackmail; struggles, each one attempting to disrupt the operations of the
wererat and half-rat spies excel at sniffing out dirty laundry. As other without revealing their power to the world at large.

1
 Pindar warrens will have slightly fewer warriors than those the disease. And with the wererat instincts overriding the chaot-
of other clans, with a higher number of mole rats scattered ic nature that keeps orcs and their kin from organizing in large
throughout the urban area. The Pindar respect Weavers and bands, the Redteeth could soon be able to field armies of hun-
shifters, and a Pindar Exemplar will have some shifter levels; dreds of wererat hybrids – creatures all but immune to damage
but he will also be a skilled diplomat with a strong understand- from normal weapons. The natural broods despise the Redteeth,
ing of economics. but most wererats dislike direct combat and few are willing to
Here are a few suggestions for encounters involving the challenge the vicious orcs. The Oath of Flesh will eliminate
Pindar: Redtooth outposts when an opportunity presents itself, but they
• Like the Graykin, the Pindar make excellent patrons for are better prepared to conduct commando strikes than full-scale
groups of adventurers. The Pindar have access to vast military campaigns.
wealth and recognize the value of human tools; as a result, The Redtooth brood shares few traditions with the natural
a Pindar merchant lord could certainly hire a group of broods. There are no Weavers among the Redteeth; instead,
adventurers to deal with a rival or disrupt the activities of there are a few scattered adepts. Redtooth adepts occasionally
another wererat brood. explore the powers of lycanthropy, but these are random exper-
iments, typically involving attempts to infect other humanoids
• If the adventurers have any friends or allies involved in (such as trolls and ogres). Redtooth priests continue to worship
trade or mercantile business, these friends could be placed the traditional goblinoid gods as opposed to the Rat.
under pressure to join the Pindar “family.” Redtooth warrens have twice the number of warriors as a
• The wealth of the Pindar is spread between a number of normal warren, but the Redteeth do not bother with mole rats.
heavily secured vault warrens. A Graykin agent could pro- Shifters are rare among the brood; they appear only when latent
vide the party with the location of a Pindar vault. If the gifts spontaneously emerge. Redtooth leaders are typically the
adventurers managed to loot the vault it will be a signifi- strongest warriors.
cant blow to the Pindar – but they will certainly seek Physically, Redtooth wererats in hybrid form tend to be
revenge. more muscular than those of human descent. They tend to be
• The party discovers that someone is smuggling dark elf scruffy and slightly sickly-looking; many have patches where
goods into a city. Can they track down the Pindar source? fur has fallen out, revealing warty gray-green skin.
Here are ideas for stories involving the Redtooth brood:
• A friend of the party is tricked into selling an heirloom arti-
fact. After the sale, she realizes the true value of the artifact • The Redteeth can make a good long-term threat in a cam-
– but by then, it is on its way to a Pindar undercity. Can the paign. First adventurers may hear about conflict among the
heroes track it down before it’s too late? local goblin and orc tribes. Next they many encounter a few
unusually aggressive, scruffy wererats. As rumors abound
about massive numbers of goblinoids uniting under a sin-
THE REDTOOTH BROOD gle banner, heroes may encounter wererats hidden among
Orcs and Goblins and Wererats, oh my! goblin or orc populations. What do they do when an army
of a hundred hybrids begins marching on the surrounding
The origin of the Redtooth brood is a matter of some mys- human villages? Can they find enough silver to fight the
tery. It is said that the Weavers of the Asyra brood captured an Redtooth wererats?
entire tribe of orcs to use as fodder in what they expected to be
a particularly lethal series of experiments. According to this • A unit of the Oath of Flesh approaches the party and offers
tale, the orcs overpowered and slaughtered their captors, fleeing to help eliminate a local Redtooth nest. The members of the
to the mountains and taking the taint of lycanthropy with them. oath may or may not reveal that they themselves are wer-
The Asyra vehemently deny these tales – but many of the muta- erats…
tions manifested by Redtooth shifters are traditional Asyra abil- • A goblin child seeks out the heroes and beg for help.
ities. Redtooth orcs have taken over his village and are infecting
The Redteeth have only been in existence for about fifteen the inhabitants; his parents have been affected, and he
years, but the brood is spreading rapidly. Under the influence of wants the adventurers to rescue them. This is a good way to
lycanthropy the orcs became considerably more organized; the reveal the existence and nature of the Redtooth brood. But
lawful instincts of the wererat caused them to form a more will the party help the goblin?
structured society. At the same time, they maintained their orig- • A berserk wererat-troll – the result of Redtooth experi-
inal aggressive nature – and the Redtooth orcs were using their ments – can be an interesting challenge. Combining the
lycanthropic gifts to conquer and assimilate the surrounding speed and damage reduction of the wererat with the raw
goblin tribes. Left unchecked, the power of the brood could rap- strength and regenerative abilities of the troll, such a crea-
idly spread out of control. Unlike most of the natural wererats, ture can be an extremely dangerous opponent.
the Redteeth wererats have no compunctions about spreading

2
 The Work of the Weavers
By Keith Baker

Dorian Plagues A few common Dorian plagues are outlined below:

Burning Plague
The Dorian brood is one of the most dangerous of the wer-
Infection Method: Injury or Contact. DC: 18. Incubation:
erat clans. For centuries they have studied mystical diseases in
1d3 day. Damage: 1d6 Con.
a quest to perfect lycanthropy itself. In the process they have The Burning Plague is traditional wererat weapon; the
developed terrible biological weapons. These mystical afflic- Dorian Weavers have created variants that target specific races,
tions have many advantages over their mundane counterparts: but most broods have a few plaguebearers holding the basic
• A magical plague is extremely difficult to treat through form of the plague. The disease is usually released through rats
mundane methods. When a character attempts to treat a and fleas, but can also be spread through contact with a victim.
magical plague using the Healing skill, his skill check has It manifests as a vicious fever; red welts spread across the vic-
a –4 circumstance penalty. However, most magical plagues tim’s body, occasionally bursting and releasing contaminated
do have underlying flaws. A character who succeeds at a blood and pus.
Fleshweaving check (DC 20) can come up with a special-
ized treatment plan that negates the –4 penalty. Knowledge Foulmouth Fever
(arcana) can be used in place of Fleshweaving, but the DC Infection Method: Inhaled. DC: 14. Incubation: 1 day.
is increased to 26 and the character must possess at least 5 Damage: 1d3 Con + 1d4 Cha
ranks of Healing in order to attempt the check. Foulmouth fever is an airborne disease that affects the vic-
• Magical plagues can be cured by remove disease or break tim’s mind. The symptoms include a high fever and remarkably
enchantment. Dispel magic alone is not effective. bad breath, but the most notable symptom is odd social behav-
• Magical plagues can be targeted to only affect certain types ior. A victim of foulmouth fever spews obscenities without
of individuals. A magical plague can be keyed to affect noticing what he is doing; he also loses the ability to control the
people of a certain race, gender, or age, or even stranger volume of his voice and tends to shout. Initially these problems
traits – like the possession of sorcerer abilities. So an air- only occur when the victim tries to speak; as the disease pro-
borne infection could be set to only affect female elves over gresses, the victim will constantly rave, shouting filth at the top
100 year of age. A character who doesn’t meet the require- of his lungs.
ments of a plague can still carry it; he simply won’t show Once a victim has lost four points of Charisma to foul-
any symptoms. If an individual is a carrier, the gamemaster mouth fever, it becomes difficult for him to cast spells requiring
should make saving throws for him as usual, just to see if verbal components; in order to cast the spell without swearing
he manages to fight off the infection (even though he does- and breaking the incantation, he must succeed at a
n’t know that he has it!). Concentration check (DC 12 + the number of points of
Charisma he has lost to the disease).
• Magical plagues can also be given unusual vectors of infec-
tion. In addition to the standard methods (ingestion, inhala-
tion, injury, and contact), the Dorians have created sexual- Magebane
ly transmitted diseases, emotionally transmitted diseases (a Infection Method: Spellcasting. DC: 16. Incubation: 1d6
psychic vector that transmits the disease to individuals days. Damage: 1d4 Int + 1d4 Wis.
whom the victim feels a particular emotion towards), and Dorian Weavers created magebane to cripple communities
plagues that are transferred to anyone the victim casts a that rely on priests and other spellcasters. Magebane has a slow
spell on – a particularly cruel trick to play upon a priest, incubation period, but it is viable and can be transmitted during
who will infect people as he heals them. If you can think of this time. Whenever a victim casts a spell, the target of the spell
a strange method of transmission, the Dorians have proba- must make a separate Fortitude check to see if he is infected
bly thought of it too. with magebane. When the disease finally strikes, its effects are
powerful and disturbing; victims are overcome with delirium
• Many magical plagues can be transmitted during the incu-
and terrible hallucinations. Within days, a victim is stripped of
bation period, before a victim has shown any symptoms of
his reason and becomes a virtual vegetable.
the disease. This can make it extremely difficult to track the
Magebane can be targeted to affect a certain group – for
source of a particular plague.
example, elves. However, it can still be carried and transmitted

3
by other creatures; the carriers just won’t display any symp- or animal form, its true power is revealed. The victim is imme-
toms. diately forced into her human shape, and cannot shift form for
1d6 rounds. After this time has passed, she can take a standard
Magic Items action to attempt to shift form; this requires a successful Control
Shape skill check (DC 25) or Will saving throw (DC 23). When
she successfully makes the check, she regains full control of her
Most who know of the Weavers think of them as mystical abilities.
geneticists; the monsters of the Asyra and the Dorian plagues Every time a prison of flesh is used against a lycanthrope,
are certainly their most spectacular creations. But Weavers can there is a 50% chance that the dart will shatter after delivering
enchant wood and steel as well as flesh. This section looks at its effect.
two magic items found among the wererats. Caster Level: 7th; Weight: 1/2 lb; Prerequisites: Craft
Magic Arms or Armor, 8 ranks in Fleshweaving, poly-
Ratbone Special Ability morph other; Market Price: 4,200 gp

One of the greatest problems for a wererat spy is the fact

that shifting to rat form forces him to leave all of his human
Monsters
equipment behind. Graykin Weavers developed ratbone items
as a solution to this problem, and the Pindar and Oath of Flesh The Complete Guide to Wererats discusses the organic cre-
were quick to steal this discovery. ations of the Asyra brood and other wererat Weavers. But the
A ratbone item is designed to shift forms with a lycan- Weavers are not the only beings experimenting with lycan-
thrope. When a lycanthrope shifts from human or hybrid form thropy. The Redtooth troll is the creation of the Redtooth brood,
into his animal form, any ratbone items that he is carrying are a clan of lycanthropic goblinoids.
absorbed into his body and disappear. The size of the original
object doesn’t matter; a wererat carrying a ratbone greatsword REDTOOTH TROLL
can conceal the weapon in his dire rat form. When shifting form
with ratbone items, an injured lycanthrope only recovers half The wererats of the Redtooth brood were created by the
the usual number of hit points; absorbing the items disrupts the Asyra Weavers. Being orcs and goblins, the Redteeth managed
healing process. If a lycanthrope is killed in animal form, he to overpower their captors and escape from the research facili-
will return to his human form and any ratbone objects will reap- ty where they were being tortured. In recent years, a few
pear. Redtooth adepts have begun to replicate the experiments they
The ratbone ability can be applied to any object. If it is observed during the Asyra captivity. These adepts lack the skill
applied to a magical weapon, it has a +1 cost modifier. For any and sophistication of wererat Weavers, but they have had a few
other magic item, it increases the cost by 20%. It can also be successes – the most notable of which is the Redtooth troll.
applied to any sort of mundane item, such as a piece of cloth- Giants are normally immune to lycanthropy. In the case of
ing; this adds 500 gp to the cost of the object and requires the the Redtooth troll, the adepts successfully infected a regular
Craft Wondrous Object feat. The ratbone ability must be troll with a modified strain of lycanthropy. The beast cannot
applied when the object is created; it cannot be added to an infect others, nor can it shift shape; it is trapped in a permanent
existing object. hybrid form. But it possesses the strength and regenerative
Despite the name, ratbone items will work for any sort of powers of a normal troll combine with the speed and near-
lycanthrope. As an additional bonus, ratbone weapons ignore invulnerability of a wererat, making it a deadly opponent.
lycanthropic Damage Reduction. This ability does not transfer Further, its ratlike nature makes it vulnerable to Rat Empathy –
to missiles fired from a ratbone bow, crossbow, or sling. a critical factor that allows Redtooth handlers to keep these
Caster Level: 8th; Weight: -; Prerequisites: 10 ranks in creatures under control.
Fleshweaving, polymorph other; Market Price: See A Redtooth troll is giant caricature of a normal wererat
description hybrid. In spite of its bent spine and hunched posture – even
more stooped than that of a normal troll – it still stands almost
nine feet in height. For the most part it is completely hairless,
Prison of Flesh revealing rubbery gray skin; occasionally there are patches that
appear to be covered by fur, but these are actually fleshy fibers
This weapon is a creation of the Oath of Flesh, whose that writhe and flex. It has the head of a dire rat, but its eyes are
members dedicate their lives to the eradication of other lycan- yellow and seem to bulge out of their sockets, and its snout is
thropes. A prison of flesh is a battle dart with a black shaft and filled with oversized, jagged teeth. Like a regular troll, its arms
a silver head inscribed with mystical runes. For combat purpos- are long and drag about on the ground, and its gangly form
es, it is treated as a +1 dart. When it hits a lycanthrope in hybrid belies its immense strength and speed.

4
 Redtooth Troll
Large Shapeshifter
Hit Dice: 6d8+42 (69 hp)
Initiative: +9 (+5 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 30 ft.
AC: 23 (-1 size, +5 Dex, +9 natural)
Attacks: 2 claws +9 melee, bite +7 melee
Damage: Claw 1d6+6 damage; bite 1d6+3
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Rend 2d6+9
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 15/silver, regenera-
tion 5, scent
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +7, Will +5
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 20, Con 25,
Int 6, Wis 9, Cha 6
Skills: Climb +15, Hide +7, Listen + 8, Move
Silently +13, Spot +13
Feats: Alertness, Iron Will, Multiattack,
Improved Initiative
Climate/Terrain: Any land or underground
Organization: Solitary or Patrol (1 Redtooth troll with
2-6 wererats)
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful evil
Advancement: By character class

Redtooth trolls possess the following special abilities and

qualities:
Damage Reduction (Ex): The damage from any physical
attack is reduced by 15 points (to a minimum of 0) unless the
attack involves a silvered or magical weapon.
Regeneration (Ex): Fire and acid deal normal damage to a
Redtooth troll. All other attacks are treated as subdual damage.
The troll recovers five points of subdual damage at the start of
each round. It can regrow severed limbs in 3d6 minutes or reat-
tached a severed limb instantly by holding it to the stump.
Rend (Ex): If a Redtooth troll hits with both claw attacks,
it tears at its opponent and inflicts an additional 2d6+9 points of
damage.

www.goodman-games.com
5