Author Topic: The Barovian Ratter's Handbook Volume I, by Radovan Krezkova  (Read 583 times)

bestbardna

  • Undead Slayer
  • ***
  • Posts: 128
The Barovian Ratter's Handbook Volume I, by Radovan Krezkova
« on: February 05, 2022, 02:29:24 PM »
//Volume II can be found here: https://www.nwnravenloft.com/forum/index.php?topic=70759.0

The Barovian Ratter's Handbook Volume I
by Radovan Krezkova




I have been a ratter for most of my life. It is a dirty, smelly, thankless work. However, it is honest, and you can hold your head up high knowing that you are keeping Vallaki cleaner and safer through your efforts. There is no shame in being a ratter, despite what the Outlanders would have you believe. Without you, the city would be overrun with vermin, eating good Barovian folk out of house and home. With luck, you might find wealth and success being a Ratter. For those of you who do not wish to rely on luck, you can instead rely on this Handbook.

There are five chapters in this volume, each dealing with a particular subject. The first Chapter is Equipment. A list of everything a successful Ratter keeps on his person when delving into the sewers.

The second chapter is Best Practices, a series of guidelines that will ensure that you not only survive your shift with nary a scratch, but will find your pockets heavy with coin to spend to keep the wife happy and flush with milk and honey.

The third chapter is on Training Helper Animals, detailing what animals are helpful in a hunt, and which ones are likely to get you in trouble with it's ineptitude. Or worse, with the Garda.

The fourth chapter is on Sewer Dangers, outlining the threats and perils that will likely cut short your shift and your very life.

The fifth and final chapter is on Maximizing your payouts, to squeeze every last coin out of your hard work.



Chapter One: Equipment

Too often have I seen witless Outlanders venturing into the sewers clad in heavy steel and wielding giant swords, only to hobble home half-dead with their coinpurses gone and their prides broken. You will avoid this fate through careful planning and maintenance of your equipment.

A solid Basher or Sticker: The rats in the sewers are cowardly by nature, but in large numbers they are emboldened and will pick a man clean in minutes if he doesn't have some sort of weapon to ward them off. Whether it's a thick club or a sharp blade, keep it clean and in good repair, and it won't let you down.

A prodding stick: Useful for poking through the piles of garbage that rats use as nests, these practice batons can also be used to ward off groups of rats attempting to nip at your heels if swept along the ground as they make their approach.

A bow, crossbow, or sling: Some rats are far larger and more dangerous than their common cousins, and in packs they can bring down a full-grown man in moments. A bow or other implement can help you thin the group as they rush towards you, saving you the worst of it.

A full quiver or bullet pouch: A ranged implement is useless without ammunition. Make sure you are well stocked.

Thick Leathers: Encasing yourself in steel and iron will slow you down and wear you out. Avoid it if you can. If you must wear armour, then the lighter the better. If you can afford it, the Vistani (and sometimes Outlanders) sell thick leathers that will protect you from all but the worst ratbites. Most think them useless for real combat, and they are correct. Against the sharp teeth of a rat however, they provide an almost impenetrable defense (Shirt of Chains, Shirt of Bones, Shirt of the Treant).

Medicines and Tonics: The sewers are a filthy place, and unless you want to suffer from dysentery and consumption, you would do well to keep medicines and tonics on hand. On a long shift where you can't get away to a Temple for healing, they can save your life. Some tonics sold by herbalists can even make you faster or stronger for a time, so it's useful to keep a few of these in your bag.

A thick leather bag: This bag is for putting your kills in. Keep it clean, and make sure it's tightly tied shut. You aren't trying to announce your presence through the stench of death hanging off you. Rats are keen to avoid things that reek of their dead cousins.




Chapter Two: Best Practices

Some of you might think that ratting is an easy profession. That anyone can do it with nary a thought about process and care. Those of us who don't think such foolish things will be sure to pass along our condolences to your widows. Those of you who follow these guidelines will find success and ease in the work we do, and are less likely to succumb to accidents along the way.

 Close sluice gates and doors behind you as you work: The reasoning for this is simple. When rats decide to flee, they scatter in all directions. If you leave the doors and gates open like witless Outlanders, they will be much harder to track down and dispatch. Every minute you spend tracking an escaped rat is coin lost.

Clear the infestation fully: You might be possessed of the foolish notion that you should just kill a few rats in a Quarter and call the job finished, moving on elsewhere. This is not only lazy, but it's incredibly rude to your fellow Ratters. They may waste time searching for Rats in a half-swept area and make far less coin than they would have if they had seen the area had already been completely cleared. Once you start working an area, finish the job, or else another Ratter might bash you over the head and take the coin from your purse that they might have made sweeping another area.

Don't leave your kills behind: If you think you can just start sweeping an area and come back to collect the bodies later, think again. What's more likely to happen is that another Ratter will happen by, and just pick up the coin you're leaving on the ground. In addition, the stench of death is likely to attract other dangers in the sewers. Pick them up, and put them in your kill-bag.

Poke through every Rat's Nest: The rats nest in heaps of garbage and refuse that they gather from the drains. You can usually find a few coins in there, or sometimes trinkets lost by noblefolk that fall through sewer grates. Make sure to check each one thoroughly, or you may be leaving a hefty sack of coins down in the muck.

Finish the Job: To reiterate rules two, three, and four, Finish the Job! Don't leave it half-done. The job's not over just because you found some nobleman's ring. Once you start sweeping an area, take it to completion. Leaving the area half-swept is rude to your fellow Ratters.

Pick up herbs, lichen, and fungi:You may think it's outside of your job duties, and you would be correct. However, the various plant matter found in the sewers is highly sought after by herbalists. You can make a healthy sum of coin by gathering them up and selling them.

Be friendly with the Garda and the Temples: This should be common sense more than anything. The city pays our wages, so being friendly to our 'Cousins' in the Garda is good for business. In addition, when accosted by thuggish Outlanders in the sewers or in the Outskirts, it pays to have friends in the Garda. In regards to temples, when you are wounded or afflicted with some sewer disease, their healing magics will not only save you coin on tonics and medicines, but may also save your life. Ratters in good standing never charge local temples coin for Ratting services. They provide their services free of charge to us, and we provide ours to them.

Stay light on your feet: More common sense, but common sense has become uncommon in recent years. The less junk you carry, and the less your equipment weighs, the more areas you can sweep, and if you run into any real trouble in the sewers, you can run away.



Chapter Three: Training Helper Animals

Although I myself don't use trained animals on the job, many Ratters do, and I've gleaned some useful knowledge from them in regards to handling animals.

Of course, most of this is going to seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised at how witless young folk can be. When choosing an animal for the job, you should Choose something you can carry up and down a ladder!. Dogs, cats, snakes, lizards, and other small predators like ferrets are ideal. A bear? Not so much. There's only one stairwell leading from ground level to the sewers, and it's in the Warehouse district. If it's not an animal you could take into the city without raising eyebrows, then it's not a good idea to bring them into the sewers!

If you see a giant wild animal in the sewers, it's likely some werebeast. Report it to the Garda. If it approaches, fire off a few warning shots and beat hasty retreat using one of those speed tonics you should already be carrying.


Chapter 4: Sewer Dangers

There are three major dangers in the sewers, and you should avoid all of them like the plague. If you don't, it's your head.

The Northern Quarters: The Noble Quarter, Residential Quarter, Government Quarter, and Dockside Quarters are deathtraps to new Ratters. There's not much coin to be made from Ratting, and you're likely to find your end here. There are worse than rats down in the sewers, and they tend to stay to the Northern Quarters. Volume II of the Barovian Ratter's Handbook will outline how to safely perform your duties in these quarters, but until you're ready, Do not venture there! Better an empty pocket than a full grave.

Caliban: Unless you want to be killed, robbed, and probably eaten, steer clear of these creatures. They're rumoured to hole up in the abandoned sewer tunnels in the Market District, and the area is clearly marked with signs from the Garda. Steer clear!

So-Called "Adventurers": Glory-seekers and risk-takers, these witless Outlanders are likely to ruin your work in short order by riling up large packs of rats, or leading worse dangers from the Northern Quarters to where you're sweeping. On the other hand, when they inevitably get in over their heads, they tend to leave behind ample coinpurses, so pick them over if it's safe to do so.


Chapter Five: Maximizing Payouts

You've finished your shift, and you've a hefty sack of dead rats, trinkets, and abandoned equipment. What's next? Well that's simple. It's time to collect your payouts.

Trinkets and Equipment: When you find these in the sewers, you can usually sell them to the Vistani for a nice sack of coin. Be polite, be respectful, don't over stay your welcome, and don't leer at their women.

Herbs, lichen, and mushrooms: As indicated in Best Practices, you can make a fair bit of coin selling these to herbalists. If you've a little skill though, you can brew them into potions yourself and sell them or use them.

Bounties and Rats: Rulinus will pay good coin for the rats you bring him, and the Sergeant in the Bounties office will pay you for the nobleman's trinkets you find. You can make a damned healthy living off rats and bounties alone, but it's best to maximize your payouts using the other methods in this chapter so you can buy the tonics, medicines, and equipment you need for even greater success.




In closing, so long as you follow the guidelines in this Handbook, you can make a good, honest living as a Ratter. In the next volume, we will discuss the dangers of the Northern Quarters, and how you can best survive the perils there. I'll see you in the sewers.

Radovan "The Ratter" Krezkova,
Vallaki Ratter.
« Last Edit: February 15, 2024, 11:48:25 AM by bestbardna »