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Giant Rat (Diseased)

Small · Beast · CR 1/8 · Unaligned

Source. 5e 2014 Rules

7 (2d6)

1/8

Ability Scores

Core attributes and their modifiers.

STR

-2

DEX

CON

INT

-4

WIS

CHA

-3

Overview

Category Monsters

Size Small

Type Beast

Alignment Unaligned

XP 25

Initiative Bonus +2

Movement

Walk 30 ft (9.1 m)

Swim 15 ft (4.6 m)

Climb 15 ft (4.6 m)

Crawl 15 ft (4.6 m)

Senses

Darkvision 60 ft (18.3 m)

Passive Perception 10

Environments

Caves Forest or Jungle Ruins Sewer Swamp or Marsh Urban

Actions

Bite

Cost 1

+4 to hit, reach 5 ft (1.5 m). Hit: 1d4 thunder damage.

Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or contract a disease. Until the disease is cured, the target can't regain hit points except by magical means, and the target's hit point maximum decreases by 3 (1d6) every 24 hours. If the target's hit point maximum drops to 0 as a result of this disease, the target dies.

About Giant Rat (Diseased)

Giant Rat (Diseased) is a small beast with a Challenge Rating of 1/8. It has a unaligned alignment.

In combat, this creature maintains an Armor Class of 12 and possesses 7 hit points (derived from 2d6).

GM Tips: Using Giant Rat (Diseased)

2 tips available

When using Giant Rat (Diseased) in your D&D 5e campaign, consider these tactical approaches:

Minion Strategy: Use as scouts or minions for larger threats
Group Tactics: Group 3-4 together to pose a moderate threat

Player Guide: Facing Giant Rat (Diseased)

2 strategies available

When your party encounters this creature, keep these strategies in mind:

Easy Target: This creature is weak - focus on other threats
Group Threat: Multiple can be dangerous - use area attacks

Encounter Building Calculator

Standard Party Encounter (4-5 characters):

This creature is a medium encounter for a party of 4 characters of level 1.

Solo Encounter:

A single character of level 2 (up to level 20) can face this creature in a medium to hard encounter.

Experience Point Thresholds:

Medium: 14 XP
Hard: 21 XP
Deadly: 28 XP

Based on D&D 5e Dungeon Master's Guide encounter building guidelines. CR roughly equals party level for medium encounters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the challenge rating of Giant Rat (Diseased)?: Giant Rat (Diseased) has a Challenge Rating of 1/8, making it appropriate for parties of level 0.125.
What type of creature is Giant Rat (Diseased)?: Giant Rat (Diseased) is a Small Beast, which affects how certain spells and abilities interact with it.