A dire rat is a fictional animal from the Dungeons & Dragons RPG. They can be found on any land or underground, and are either encountered individually, or in packs of 11-20 individual creatures. Being of animal intelligence, they carry no equipment or treasure.<ref>[1223] The D20 System Reference Document</ref>

Appearance

Dire rats look basically the same as a normal [[rat, but they can grow up to 3 feet long and weigh over 60 pounds (27 kilograms). According to the general description of dire animals, they have a 'feral, prehistoric look'. They are adept swimmers and climbers, relying on their dextirity ability score rather than their strength for these skills. They also have better vision and scent than humans.

Combat

Dire rats attack in packs. Their only weapon is their dangerous bite, which, as well as physically injuring the recipient, can pass on the desease carried by dire rats, known as filth fever.<ref>The 3.5 Edition Monster Manual</ref> This is an ability that dire rats share only with otyughs, although it can also be caught by anyone who is injured in a dirty enviroment. The desease temporarily lowers the ill creature's constition and dexterity ability scores, therefore weakening their immune system and phsical toughness, as well as slowing their reflexes, lessening their flexibility and lessening their accuracy.<ref>The 3.5 Edition Dungeon Master's Guide</ref>

Relation with other monsters and characters

Wererats, a type of lycanthrope, are dire rats in their animal form.

Vampires can summon forth a swarm of dire rats as part of their Children of the Night ability.<ref>The 3.5 Edition Monster Manual</ref>

Low level druids can choose to have a dire rat as an animal companion, as can mid-level rangers.

Dire rats can be summoned in various forms with numerous spells, including Summon Natures Ally I.<ref>The 3.5 Edition Player's Handbook</ref>

Dire rats in other publications

Dire rats have appeared in numerous other publications, including many Dungeons & Dragons novels. They have also appeared in official released adventures and adventure paths, such as The Sunless Citadel.<ref>[http://www0.epinions.com/content_221381168772] A review of 'The Sunless Citadel' from epinions.com</ref> Wizards of the Coast has also released two dire rat models in their new batch of official ranges- the 'Dire Rat' from the Giants of Legend range and the 'Diseased Dire Rat' from the War of the Dragon Queen range.<ref>[1224] A list of all models released by Wizards of the Coast in their new ranges.</ref>

Sources

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