Characters of Den of the Wererat

I own every Dungeoneer set released by Thomas Denmark and Atlas Games, and I'm detailing the lore, story, and characters in each one. In this post, I'm looking at the characters and monsters of the Den of the Wererat deck.

For background about the world of Den of the Wererats, read my post about its setting.

Non-player characters

Den of the Wererats, like Haunted Woods of Malthorin, is a half-deck Dungeoneer set. It has only 3 player characters (although you can use player characters from other decks) and 55 cards. It's packed with atmosphere though, and that starts with non-player characters.

Baal Berith

A demon summoned (probably by a Wererat Mage, or by the Master Wererat directly) from the infernal realm to serve the Master Wererat.

Durik

The quest card Free Durik says:

Durik is the high priest of Omnisus.

It doesn't say that Durik is one of many high priests, but the high priest. This suggests that Durik is an extremely important religious figure.

Unless it's an aberration that Durik happens to be in Lethom, this also suggests that Lethom is a major religious centre, at least for followers of Omnisus. On the other hand, it could be that Durik was only visiting Lethom when he was abducted by wererats.

Lily

The quest card Rescue Lily identifies Lily as the serving wench, probably at the Inn of the Wily Wench included in this set. The flavour text says:

Our serving wench Lily is missing, and we're thirsty!

Master Wererat

We don't know the name of the Master Wererat, but it's clear that the Master Wererat is the singular entity in charge of the Lethom infestation. The Master Wererat card confirms that all other wererats in the city serve the Master Wererat:

My minions warned me about you, but you should have been warned about me.

The Master Wererat is equally adept at Melee and Magic, but the presence of the Master Wererat gives all Vermin +1 Melee.

Zum

The Zum's Dancing Arrow card allows you to potentially hit more than one target with a single attack.

Zum is (or was?) almost certainly a magic user. Whether he invented the Dancing Arrow spell or only brewed supplies of it, he had planned to transplant his brain (presumably to lengthen his lifespan?). There's every indication that Zum is now dead or in stasis, because in Tomb of the Lich Lord, you find Zum's preserved brain in a jar.

Player characters

There are 3 player characters provided in Den of the Wererats. None have flavour text.

Bel Brewspirits, Human Alchemist

A human alchemist also appearing in Wrath of the Serpent Goddess, Bel is a skilled magic user. She starts at Magic 1 at Level 1 and jumps to 3 at Level 2, and then steadily progresses to 5 at Level 4. As an alchemist, she can pay 3 Glory to take a Potion card from the discard pile.

Durin Ironthumb, Dwarf Guard

Durin Ironthumb is a dwarf guard with strong Melee progression that jumps to 3 at Level 2 and reaches 5 at Level 4. Durin is likely a native of Lethom, and probably works as a member of the city guard. He clearly has experience with combat against vermin, which seems like a specialisation you'd gain quickly in a city that's host to a den of wererats.

Durin's Vermin Halt ability allows him to pay Glory to entirely nullify an attacking vermin (mechanically, it goes straight back to the player's hand.)

Sela Shadowknife, Darkling Thief

Sela Shadowknife is a darkling, which I assume is the Dungeoneer equivalent to a halfling (it's hard to tell without context for size in the artwork.) Sela is a thief, and from her attire it's possible that she combines acrobatics with stealth to gain the upper hand. She's average in Melee and Speed, but her Streetwise ability allows her to draw and keep an additional card when ending her turn on an urban tile.

Gods

No new gods are revealed in this set. If anything, there are minor revelations confirming what I've suspected about Omnisus from other sets. Here's a list of all the gods, for completeness.

• Umbar: Thorn god who provided deadly plants to serve Malthorin.
• Nepiron: God of fortune. The Roll the Bones quest in Call of the Lich Lord spells it out: "Fortune depends on the whims of Nepiron, the god of luck."
• Omnisus: An important god of Tarnys, known for healing, but also known to help primarily (or exclusively?) those who serve him.
• Oriella: Queen of Dimensions and ruler of the Ethereal Void.
• Gwildor: A paladin possibly ascended to godhood, known for slaying more demons than any other paladin in the history of Tarnys.
• Yondara: Mother of Gwildor and revered by even the high priests of Omnisus.
• Hala: Possibly a messenger diety, famous for boots of speed.

Creatures, plants, and monsters

This deck is unsurprisingly packed with vermin, but there are a few surprises, too.

• Hideous rat beast: The target of the Slay the Hideous Rat Beast quest, the card asks "Is this the mother of wererats?" It's unclear whether that's rhetorical or genuine.
• Rat Swarm: A low-powered swarm of rats that's made stronger by its free extra attack.
• Sprite, Urban: A magical creature probably from the Garden of Shadows or further afield. Mechanically, an Urban Sprite costs Glory rather than Peril. The card's flavour text says "Sprites are rarely caught in the city, but they can be quite mischievous when they are."
• Vampire, Alluring: There's a vampire in Lethom, maybe incidentally but possibly just making the most out of the wererat infestation. There's no indication that this vampire is an ally of the Master Wererat.
• Wererat: The rank-and-file wererat, good at Melee and in service to the Master Wererat.
• Wererat Chief: A powerful wererat that can use its opponent's Level against it in combat.
• Wererat Mage: Like the Master Wererat, the Wererat Mage is equally skilled with Magic and Melee.

Den of the wererats

For such a small set, the Den of the Wererats provides great atmosphere for adventure, and some nice insight into a city of Tarnys. Lethom has fallen on hard times, but with the help of some heroes it's possible to relieve some pressure. Thanks to 4 portals you can hook up to additional Dungeoneer sets, you can use Lethom as a springboard for a larger campaign.