| Rescued article requiring attention |
|---|
| This article was rescued from The Annex, a repository of pages deleted from Wikipedia for lack of notability. Please edit it to conform to this wiki's style guidelines before removing this notice. |
A wererat is a fictional creature akin to a werewolf, but shapeshifting into the form of a rat instead of a wolf. This type of therianthrope is rare in historical legends, but has become common in modern role playing games and fantasy fiction inspired by them. They are commonly portrayed as sewer-dwelling scavengers and opportunistic thieves.
Mythology[]
There are some references to "goblin rats" or rat-themed yōkai in some Japanese myths that may or may not be the source for the wererats in games and novels. Brad Steiger has written about wererat sightings in Oregon, mostly by children. Some of the Benandanti were supposed to change into mice.
Games[]
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the wererat is one of several different types of animalistic forms. Not lycanthropes, for the word reflects a lupine, or wolven, form, but other transformations of the "were" species. They are also found in various games based on Dungeons & Dragons such as Neverwinter Nights.
References[]
- Ecology of the Wererat, Dragon, p.. . (Temporary fix for {{cite journal}}, please update to use {{cite dragon}} and similar templates.)
- Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume One (TSR, 1989).