This pdf is 9 pages long, 1 page SRD, leaving 8 pages of content, so let's check this out!
This racial ecology presents us with the options we'd need to play ratlike humanoids and after a brief introduction, we are presented with 3 different kinds of ratfolk - small ratlings, small ratfolk and the Nezumi.
Ratlings:+2 Dex + 2 Wis, -2 Con; small and base speed 20ft, option to run on all fours for 30ft base speed, Darkvision, light sensitivity a bonus to climb, perception and stealth and affinity with rodents as well as the ability to swarmfight with other ratlings.
Ratfolk: +2 Dex and Int, -2 Str, small size, darkvision, +2 to Craft (Alchemy), Perception and use Magic Device as well as Rodent Empathy and again swarm fighting.
Nezumi: +2 Str and Dex, -2 Cha, medium size, a natural bite attack for d6 damage, +2 to Survival, Perception and Stealth as well as Rodent Empathy.
It should be noted that lore section, age, height & weight tables etc. are included. After these basic racial traits, we get 4 alternate racial traits, which include Prehensile Tails, Scent and a resistance against disease. 4 racial feats are also presented: A feat to capitalize on their enmity with dwarves, a feat that enables you to better use weapons and armor you're not proficient with, halving the penalty, one to grant you improved pack fighting and a feat called "Artful Dodge". I have a problem with this one. Not only is the name a misnomer, the feat enables you to make 2 five foot steps as part of a full-round action instead of one. Every feat that grants you additional actions is extremely prone to abuse. Not gonna happen in my campaign.
The pdf also features 3 new items, a sewer hood and cowl, the nauseating filth bomb and the eye-stinging bone dust. I really liked the items.
Finally, the pdf offers a new creature, the CR 3 Rat Ogre - disease-ridden, deadly and frenzied creatures.
Conclusion:
Editing and formatting are ok, but not great - I encountered a lot of glitches like Rat Empathy not being bold, capital letters in the middle of words etc. The layout adheres to a 3-column standard and is rather interesting in that the background is full-color and the artworks are awesome. The pdf has no bookmarks. I'm a huge fan of the idea of Ratfolk - Warhammer's Skaven, Scarred Land's excellent Vigil Watch: Warrens of the Ratmen - I LOVED them. Unfortunately, while the items and the ogre are cool, the overall pdf feels painfully short. Essentially, the pdf, when compared to similar books by Rite Publishing and other 3pps is just short and suffers from said shortness. The 3-column layout is a bit unfortunate and makes reading the pdf a bit harder to read than necessary. The options presented herein are mostly nice, but none truly stood out, not once did I really want to play a ratfolk as per these rules. I might be spoiled by aforementioned sources, but the igniting spark never came while reading this one. Add to that the rather above average quota of glitches, and I'll settle for a final verdict of 2.5 stars - due to the low price, I'll round up for the purpose of this platform.
Endzeitgeist out.
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