Today, we’re continuing our look at the monsters of Sword Coast Legends, due out later this month. There are a whole host of baddies you’ll be playing against as heroes, and as when you’re the Dungeon Master. Today, we’re shining a light on the Gelatinous Cube and the Wererat!
The former, seen below, is probably what my fears would look like if they came to life. I’ve spent the larger portion of my adult life (this may or may not be hyperbole) deathly afraid of the classic horror movie, The Blob. The Gelatinous Cube of Dungeons & Dragons fame is the WotC embodiment of this terror incarnate.
THE GELATINOUS CUBE
Gelatinous cubes scour dungeon passages in silent, predictable patterns, leaving perfectly clean paths in their wake. They consume living tissue while leaving bones and other materials undissolved. A gelatinous cube is all but transparent, making it hard to spot until it attacks. A cube that is well fed can be easier to spot, since its victims’ bones, coins, and other objects can be seen suspended inside the creature.
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What’s crazy about the Cube is that they’re rather sneaky. They can often surprise unsuspecting players, even engulfing them and causing Acid damage over time while the player is stuck in the cube. They’re nasty, tough, far more intimidating than they look monsters, and you’ll be wise to approach them with caution in Sword Coast Legends.
THE WERERAT
And you thought Werewolves were bad? Not only can these carnivorous shape-shifters turn into giant actual-give-you-the-plague bonkers rats, but in their humanoid forms they can wield swords, bows, wear armor, and rough you up but good. Let them get to close, and they’ll bite you. Plus, they can see in the dark. And as we all know, they move in packs.
Wererats are cunning lycanthropes with sly, avaricious personalities. They are wiry and twitchy in humanoid form, with thin hair and darting eyes. In their humanoid and hybrid forms, wererats prefer light weapons and use ambush tactics rather than fighting as a pack. Although a wererat can deliver a nasty bite in its rat form, it favors that form for stealthy infiltration and escape rather than combat.
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A wererat clan operates much like a thieves’ guild, with wererats transmitting their curse only to creatures they want to induct into the clan. Wererats that are accidentally cursed or break loose from the clan’s control are quickly hunted down and killed. Wererat clans are found throughout urban civilization, often dwelling in cellars and catacombs. These creatures are common in the sewers beneath major cities, viewing those subterranean areas as their hunting grounds. Rats and giant rats are commonly found living among wererats.
