TEXT: Cult of the Rat God | EN World EN5idEr
  CulT
  of the
  Rat God
  A 
  foolish innkeeper seeks 
  to compete with a famous 
  establishment that features a grand 
  dungeon down the street. He’s 
  created a tunnel into the sewers 
  below and promises adventure to 
  any who enter, but unfortunately 
  it’s created a rat infestation and
   WRITING Jacob Gobhar
   COLOR ART Savage Mojo
   
  MAPS Dyson Logos
   
  EDITING Mike Myler
   
  LAYOUT Frank Michienzi
  A 5E urban mini-adventure for  4-5 characters of 3rd level
  
  Cult of the Rat God | EN World EN5idEr
  Open Game Content | The game rule information in this 
  article is designated Open Game Content. All other material 
  in this article, including maps and illustrations (including 
  illustrations in the public domain), in-character and out-of-
  character narrative and descriptive text, character and place 
  names, trade dress, “EN Publishing,” “EN World,” “EN5ider,” 
  EN Publishing product and article titles, and  
  EN World and EN Publishing logos, are designated 
  Product Identity.
  now patrons are complaining of stolen coin--and 
  those who have sought their fortune within have 
  not returned. Things have gone beyond his control 
  and he’s willing to pay to figure out what is going 
  on below his tavern. In the sewers underneath a 
  druid seeks to overthrow society with an army 
  of rats, creating a false deity worshiped by a cult-
  like following who dwell below the streets, none of 
  them realizing that their Rat God can be replaced 
  at any time.
  Background
  Veisin (CN) is a wood elf druid (use the statistics for 
  a druid) whose people were displaced by the city’s 
  settlers millennia ago. He was exiled for trying to 
  raise an army to assault the settlement, and decided 
  instead to infiltrate it to bring it down from within. 
  He soon fell in love with rats, believing them to be 
  the key to overthrowing civilization, and about a 
  year ago established a modest base in a forgotten 
  catacomb within the sewer where he began to build 
  his army of befriended vermin.
  Half a year past Veisin crossed paths with a 
  human wererat going by the alias of Seck (N). Seck 
  was conflicted about her lycanthropy and fell into 
  the mad elf’s influence because of his confidence, 
  hoping to come to terms with her affliction by 
  joining his cause. She convinced Veisin to use his 
  magic to establish the Cult of the Rat God, aiming 
  to make both rats and lycanthropy more acceptable. 
  The elf saw the value of having humans as fodder 
  for his revolution and enthusiastically agreed--now 
  all of his army sneak into the city, pilfering what 
  they can to fund the revolution.
  Recently the relationship between Seck and 
  Veisin has strained. Seck has realized that the elf 
  doesn’t care about normalizing her condition, only 
  destroying the city that she’s grown fond of--and 
  he seems more interested in his rats than he is 
  in her. She continues contributing to the cause 
  for now hoping that things will change, but any 
  serious challenge to the Cult of the Rat God could 
  be enough to spur her departure.
  A month ago a dwarf innkeeper named Martin 
  dug a hole into the sewers not far from Veisin’s base 
  of operations. The mad elf views this as a personal 
  assault and has instructed his rats to harass the 
  denizens of the establishment. Seck has advised 
  a cautious approach which has been prevented 
  Veisin from murdering Martin and seizing the inn 
  for his own purposes, and now the beleaguered 
  tavernkeep is getting curious and asking for aid…
  Plot Hooks
  These are a few ways to incorporate this mini-
  adventure into a campaign.
  • The adventurers have seen handbills or heard 
  rumors of an innkeeper willing to pay well for 
  the removal of a rat infestation.
  • An associate of one of the adventurers had 
  something of sentimental value stolen from 
  them at the Brisque Inn.
  • The adventurers are merely visiting the Brisque 
  Inn when they notice the rats, and any inquiries 
  prompt the innkeeper to offer them the quest.
  Overview
  This sidequest begins when the adventurers accept 
  an offer from the innkeeper to explore what lies in 
  the sewers below. Traveling through the passages 
  to Veisin’s lair involves random encounters with a 
  limited number of rat swarms (15; the GM should 
  keep track of how many are destroyed). There are no 
  safe places to rest within the sewer so PCs that try it 
  face the possibility of more rat swarm encounters. 
  Within the Temple of the Rat God the party 
  faces several cultists, a giant rat, and summoned 
  
  Cult of the Rat God | EN World EN5idEr
  rat swarms. It may seem that putting an end to 
  this subterranean shrine will nullify the threat, 
  but further investigation reveals there are higher 
  powers behind the infestation--should they leave 
  and return, the Rat God reappears. Further into 
  the lair the adventurers discover the wererat and 
  druid responsible for the cult, both of them able to 
  summon more of their tiny defenders.
  1: The Brisque Inn
  The Brisque Inn is run by a dwarf commoner 
  named Martin (N) that desperately needs to solve 
  the rat infestation that has plagued his tavern 
  since he dug a tunnel into the sewers a month ago. 
  Boarding over the hole has not helped as the rats 
  find other ways of entering his establishment, and 
  no matter how many he kills more reappear soon 
  after. He offers 50 gold to anyone that can make the 
  rats go away for good and “won’t ask any questions” 
  about anything brought back from below--and 
  recently many customers have complained of items 
  that went missing in his tavern, things he figures 
  have been taken underneath the tavern.
  Describing the Inn: The furniture and bar are 
  of decent construction but much of it appears to be 
  soiled or in disrepair. There is an obvious effort to 
  keep things presentable in some areas, but there are 
  also spots scratched up with marks or still bearing 
  offal--there are too many rats for the short-staffed 
  PESKY RODENTS
  Adventurers that use magic to communicate with 
  any of the rats discover that they have a fondness for 
  Veisin, describing him as their kindly benefactor. A rat 
  could potentially be commanded with magic to take 
  the party to Veisin’s lair, but the other creatures along 
  the way (cultists, rat swarms, and the like) can sense 
  the rat is charmed and do not trust it.
  
  Cult of the Rat God | EN World EN5idEr
  inn to keep up. There are 2d4 patrons (commoners) 
  in the inn at any time, many of them oblivious to the 
  rat infestation. When the PCs arrive, there is a 25% 
  chance that anyone with a passive Perception of 11 
  or higher notices a rat crawling through the inn.
  Spending Time There: After spending 1 hour 
  observing things in the inn, any adventurer that 
  makes a DC 11 Wisdom (Perception) check notices 
  a rat attempting to chew through a customer’s coin 
  purse. Any member of the party that chooses to 
  drink at the bar instead of doing lookout is targeted 
  by the rat, making the check with disadvantage. On 
  a failure, they find their coin purse has been eaten 
  through and 1d4 coins are missing. Martin doesn’t 
  stop any PCs who attempt to kill the lone rat, but 
  if they spend more than an hour investigating the 
  inn he grows impatient and says, “the same thing will 
  keep happening if you don’t do anything about it!”
  2: Entering the Sewer
  The distance between the Inn and Area 3 is a 
  quarter mile (much greater than indicated on the 
  map). Each time the PCs move through this space 
  (whether entering from the tavern or returning to it) 
  check for an encounter by rolling a d20. On a result 
  equal to or lower than the number of rat swarms 
  left, the party encounter with 1d4 rat swarms.
  3: Temple of the Rat God
  This room has full 10-foot tall ceilings with torches 
  on each wall for illumination. It is as filthy as the 
  rest of the sewers. A very large rat is inside of a 
  golden cage about 2-feet in diameter sitting on a 
  rickety table in the center of the area, bolted to the 
  floor by a 10-foot long iron chain. In front of the 
  table lay a dented gilded plate bearing a few coins. 
  There are three doorways from the chamber, all of 
  them little more than bits of wood dangling from 
  rusting hinges.
  As soon as the PCs enter, the Rat God begins 
  chittering, calling forth 6 Cultists that emerge from 
  the side room and defend it with their lives.
  The Rat God: The Rat God is a giant rat with 
  the following changes: it has 12 total hit points, 
  on each of its turns it can use a bonus action to 
  FEATURES OF THE SEWER
  As the adventurers move through this space use 
  descriptions of dank, dripping sewers with the 
  constant chattering of rats in the background. 
  On occasion they might see hundreds of eyes just 
  beyond their vision staring back from the shadows, 
  or hear the scratching footfalls of tiny creatures 
  nearby. These all intensify as the PCs move deeper 
  into Veisin’s territory.
  Corridors: Unless otherwise indicated the corri-
  dors are 5-feet wide by 5-feet tall square passages. 
  The walls, floors, and in some cases ceiling are 
  covered in filth and accumulated waste. There is a 
  groove in the floor through which disgusting water 
  and waste flows. 
  Light and Sound: There is no source of illumination 
  through most of the sewer, and the sound of skit-
  tering and chittering rats is ever present.
  Difficult Terrain: Unless otherwise indicated the 
  sewers are difficult terrain due to the slippery footing, 
  but the GM may select a few locations to be especially 
  troublesome--a successful DC 10 Dexterity (Acro-
  batics) check is necessary whenever a creature takes 
  an action while in one of these squares, falling prone 
  on a failure. Creatures who fall prone might then be at 
  risk of contracting a disease (such as sewer plague).
  Cultists & Rat Swarms: There are 6 cultists and 
  15 rat swarms loyal to Veisin (whenever any are 
  destroyed, reduce their totals). These might be 
  encountered randomly in long passageways, or 
  because they are summoned by one of the other 
  creatures. As long as there are any remaining rat 
  swarms, neither Veisin nor Seck can be surprised in 
  the sewers. If the PCs take a long rest, Veisin uses the 
  time to replenish 1d8 rat swarms (up to a maximum 
  of 15). When all of the rat swarms are destroyed, the 
  sewer takes on a sudden eerie quietness and the 
  other encounters in this mini-adventure need to be 
  played with this deficiency in mind.
  
  Cult of the Rat God | EN World EN5idEr
  summon a rat swarm to its defense (summoned 
  rat swarms arrive and take their actions imme-
  diately before the Rat God’s next turn), and it 
  gains additional abilities from its gilded cage. 
  Gilded Cage: The cage is attuned to the rat inside it until 
  that rat leaves the cage. While a rat is inside, the creature 
  gains +3 bonus to AC against attacks made from outside 
  the cage, advantage on saving throws, and it gains 2 
  temporary hit points at the beginning of each of its turns 
  if it starts its turn inside the cage.
  Tactics: The Rat God is unwilling to leave 
  the cage, summoning rat swarms each turn 
  and attacking anyone that gets within 5 feet, 
  although when no targets are available it takes 
  the Dodge action instead. Attempts to reach 
  inside the cage to grab it provoke opportunity 
  attacks, and when removed from, the Rat God 
  takes the Disengage action and flees to Area 5.
  Cultists: The cultists defend the Rat God to 
  the death, focusing their attacks on anyone who 
  has harmed their deity. They are sometimes 
  sent to the surface to steal gold for their master 
  although they do not know its origins, only that 
  whatever gifts they bring are taken away by rat 
  swarms every day. The cultists know about Area 
  4 but not about Seck.
  Treasure: While it has no magical value (the 
  benefits to the Rat God are from a ritual enacted 
  by Veisin) if it can be removed from the room 
  the gilded cage is worth 25 gold. Seck and Veisin 
  each have a key to the lock, but it could also be 
  picked with a DC 20 Dexterity (thieves’ tools) 
  check. Should anyone attempt to break the 
  chain, Seck arrives in the next round and attacks 
  with rat swarms. The tray was once valuable but 
  now might only fetch about 2 gold. The word 
  ‘Benevolence’ is written on it in Elvish and it 
  holds some coins (3 silver and 55 copper).
  Barracks and Side Chambers. There are 
  several moldering cots in the larger of these 
  rooms, and the smaller one shows evidence of a 
  cookfire and stacks of rotting food. Nothing of 
  any worth can be found in either chamber and 
  anyone that eats the food is afflicted by cackle 
  fever. Despite what it contains Area 3 is not safe 
  for resting--clever adventurers might construct a 
  barricade using items in the room, but it is unable 
  to keep out rat swarms. If the PCs attempt to take 
  a short rest in here, before it is complete Seck 
  arrives with 1d4 rat swarms. Should the party 
  leave the sewers for a short rest and return, a 
  dead Rat God is replaced with another giant rat 
  that has the same bonuses (though there are no 
  cultists to defend it).
  4: Seck’s Place
  This room has 15-foot high ceilings and is margin-
  ally cleaner than the temple, with a staircase that 
  ascends to an upper doorway where sunlight 
  pours through the cracks onto several barrels, bags, 
  and boxes strewn about the stone floor. Veisin’s 
  companion Seck lives here and as of late, she has 
  grown cunning and begun to focus on her own 
  survival. The revolution she’s been fighting for-
  -and a society less revolted by her lycanthropy--is 
  
  Cult of the Rat God | EN World EN5idEr
  no closer to realization, and her dedication wanes 
  as it becomes more apparent that the mad elf is 
  more interested in his pet rats than he is in her.
  In addition to the normal statistics for a wererat, 
  on each of her turns Seck can use a bonus action 
  to summon a rat swarm (summoned rat swarms 
  arrive and take their actions immediately before 
  Seck’s next turn), and she is invisible to any of the 
  cultists though they can hear her voice. They ratio-
  nalize any actions Seck takes as being a miracle 
  caused by the Rat God.
  Tactics: Seck is in her hybrid form and hiding 
  under the staircase when the PCs arrive. She 
  does not interfere if they simply leave through 
  the staircase, but if they return to the sewers 
  or descend the staircase she makes a surprise 
  attack against whoever is last in the marching 
  order. She attempts to fight in a bottleneck where 
  only one of the adventurers can reach her at a 
  time, and uses her bonus action to summon rat 
  swarms to flank the party. When reduced to half 
  health, Seck tries to parlay with the PCs--she’s 
  willing to tell them where to find Veisin if she 
  is allowed to flee into the city. If this offer is not 
  granted, she fights to the death.
  If the adventurers follow the staircase, it leads 
  into an alleyway in the city above. Seck observes 
  them leaving through the staircase, spending an 
  hour boarding over the doorway 
  and luring any remaining cult-
  ists here to guard this entrance. 
  Entry through the boarded over 
  doorway requires breaking the 
  door down (Strength DC 19, AC 7, 
  14 hit points).
  When all of the rat swarms are 
  defeated, Seck changes into her 
  human form, gathers her belong-
  ings, escapes into the city above, 
  and abandons the revolution, 
  returning to her previous life as a 
  cobbler.
  Loot: Searching the area reveals 
  bedding underneath the stairway. 
  Seck also has some personal 
  belongings hidden here (absent if she left in 
  human form) including a purse containing 15 
  gold and a silver locket worth 20 gold (a picture 
  of a mother and her child is inside--the child 
  bears a striking resemblance to Seck).
  Investigation of the boxes reveals foodstuffs 
  weighing 50 pounds and worth 5 gold. While 
  some are about to spoil, they are in better condi-
  tion than those in Area 3.
  5: The Rest of the Sewers
  When the PCs journey beyond Veisin’s territory 
  the chattering of rats subsides. With a successful 
  DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check they realize this 
  before they have strayed too far from the lair and 
  can return without consequence. Should all the 
  adventurers fail this check, they have gone around 
  a quarter mile beyond the area before they realize 
  it and may have random encounters (roll a d20 to 
  determine if they cross paths with a rat swarm, as 
  described in Area 2.)
  6: Veisin’s Lair
  This room is larger and cleaner than any of the 
  others yet the musky odor of rats is stronger here 
  than anywhere else. The ceilings rise to a height of 
  15 feet, there are 5 openings a foot off the ground 
  along the south and west walls, and a doorway 
  
  Cult of the Rat God | EN World EN5idEr
  on the northern wall. The stone floor has a large, 
  soiled rug with a repeating pattern of rats chasing 
  their tails. There is no illumination in the chamber 
  unless the PCs have a light source. In the center of 
  the area an elvish man stands holding a small rat in 
  one hand and a wooden staff in the other. When he 
  sees the adventurers he hisses at them as giant rats 
  emerge from the walls to attack!
  This is the madman behind the Cult of the Rat 
  God. In addition to the normal statistics for a druid, 
  Veisin has darkvision, on each of his turns he can 
  use a bonus action to summon 1d4 rat swarms 
  (summoned rat swarms arrive and take their 
  actions immediately before Veisin’s next turn), 
  once per day Veisin can use his reaction to cast a 
  spell when one of his giant rats is slain, and Veisin 
  is invisible to the cultists. Finally, he can perform 
  a ritual to attune any giant rat to the gilded cage, 
  transforming it into the Rat God.
  Tactics: Veisin has prepared for the 
  party by casting barkskin on himself 
  and shillelagh on his staff. He casts 
  thunderwave as a readied action as 
  soon as they enter the room. When 
  combat begins 4 giant rats come to his 
  aid and attack anyone within 5 feet of 
  him. Veisin generally tries not to use 
  an attack that might harm any of the 
  giant rats, but when his favorite rat is 
  killed he uses his reaction to lash out 
  at whoever killed it with another thun-
  derwave--even if it hurts other rats. If all 
  of the remaining rat swarms have been 
  summoned and none of the giant rats 
  are left, Veisin uses entangle and long-
  strider to flee.
  Area Details: Searching the area 
  reveals that the openings lead into cells 
  where bedding has been prepared for 
  each of the giant rats. More immaculate 
  bedding is behind the door to the north, 
  and an adjoining somewhat larger cell 
  is where Veisin humbly resides.
  Treasure: The immaculate bedding 
  has 2d6 gems sewn into it (each worth 
  10 gp) but is otherwise worthless. Nestled in its 
  corner however is a bag of holding that contains 
  2,500 copper, 500 silver, 30 gold, a potion of fire 
  breathing, and an item stolen from a PC or an 
  associate (if the party came here looking to 
  reclaim one).
  Concluding  
  the Adventure
  When Veisin is defeated the rat infestation goes 
  away. Martin waits a week before making his 
  payments to be sure the rats are gone for good, 
  though he can be convinced to offer half immedi-
  ately with a successful DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion) 
  check. If Veisin escaped, he attempts the same thing 
  again in another part of town, while Seck tries to 
  reintegrate into regular life and ignore her lycan-
  thropy as best as possible.
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/EN World EN5ider/EN5ider 292 - Mini Adventure Cult of the Rat God.pdf