Creature Feature #17: Aw...rats!

Elyssar · Sep 22, 2001

Multiple creatures will be the focus of this Feature, family rodentia!

Well, everyone has to start small, and rats are no exception! Town rats give positive karma, about 7 GP, 1 raw rib, and are nonagressive. Sewer rats are the same, except they attack on sight.

Moving up in the food chain, we have the average ratman. Only a difficult foe for a new character, he carries around 30-45 gold, items like lettuce and spy glasses, reagents, and 8 hides. These fellows can be found in t2a, Ilshenar, Ice Dungeon, and as spawn on level 1 treasure maps.

Made famous by Belan's Death by Rats episode, the rat archer is indeed a formidable foe. Firing on sight, his arrows will punch holes in mages, and even in warriors. Easily recognized by their purplish blue coats, they give aroun 200 gold, arrows, and sometimes gems or reagents.

The top of the rodent food chain! Recognizeable by their red coats, these ratman mages have high eval and on average adept to master magery. They are found in the ice dungeon with their archer and ratman families, as well as in Ilshenar. Ratman mages give statues, 300 gold, regs, and 8 hides when carved along with the occasional magic item.

Now it's your turn to add information on this family of rodents, or just retell stories of your adventures with them! /php-bin/shared/images/icons/biggrin.gif

Goal complete: 100.0% cartography
Total maps used: 654
Thanks to everyone who helped with maps or gave encouragement!!

Joe_Swift · Sep 22, 2001

Ratman statue = best ratman yet

Darkassassin901 · Sep 22, 2001

Don't forgot about those gaint rats.

Switch · Sep 22, 2001

Ratmen mages are very good for training Resist on Frenzies. There is a ratman camp northeast of the shrine of compassion in Ilsh, and I take 2 Frenzies down there to hunt ratman mages, then I take them up the mountain pass for training with Wyverns and Drakes.

Socializer 60% Killer 53%
Achiever 46% Explorer 40%

The early bird gets the worm,
but the second mouse gets the cheese

Jaybe · Sep 22, 2001

I hate the ratmen archers!

My first encounter with them was not long after taking delivery of my UOTD upgrade disk. It was my first forray into Ilshenar. I can't remember the name of the shrine I went to, but I had only travelled a short distance away from the gate when they set upon me. I legged it back to the gate but my character got entangled in some trees and it was curtains! Unfortunately, they followed me as far as the gate and if I got killed once, I got killed 4 times! In the end a friend came to my rescue and lured them away! I should point out that I was a very inexperienced tamer (and player) at this stage and didn't really have much in the way of defence!

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<center>Created to Order by Crimson Bolt</center>

Kittensmitten · Sep 23, 2001

I had a bit of fun a couple of years ago. A friend of mine started UO purely to make a GM chef (he is a chef in real life as well). So one day when he wasn't online I tamed a TON of rats and giant rats and infested his kitchen

it was back when you could lock animals down (well block them in) So i locked some, left the rest shut in the kitchen and waited.

It was quite fun.

Kainz · Sep 23, 2001

Ratmen Archers=Devestating in groups. Even in 2's they're a pain for a warrior or mage easily. I avoid them at all costs, even though their loot is pretty good.

Ratmen Mages: Great for resist training. They'll take you upto 95 resist and you'll gain from them well after that too. Sweet loot, just a shame they don't give out t-maps.

I once took my first White wyrm (m00) to the Ratman Fort in the Ice Dungeons. I managed to lose conn but when I got back on I was alive, but my Wyrm was right in the center of the fort being pummeled to death by those archers and a huge spawn. I rushed in there and for 10 solid minutes vetted like crazy with my 60 vet. 160 bandages later I managed to get m00 out of there. At one point his health bar was red, but with magic and vet i healed him just enough to survive.

Kainz Of Europa
We are Borg Moocows, Resistance is futile, you will be...oh look fresh grass
Austin Flowers - Dumb mage & Scribe
Elvis Parsley - GM Crafter & Smithy
Indianna Jones - T-Hunter & Rogue
Catalina - GM Tamer & Fisher

Guest · Sep 23, 2001

Well, besides from opening random gates to the center of the rat men fort in Ice, I don't have much of a story about rats.

I will, however, be hosting a rat based event soon. /php-bin/shared/images/icons/rainbow.gif

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Sorceress - Oracle (Scribe, Tamer)
a tropical bird - Enchanted Bard
Pandora - Undead Lady of the Shadowlords
Anck-su-Numam - Training Craftswoman
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Puppy · Sep 24, 2001

The first thing my tamer tamed was a rat, right after I switched him from being a scoundrel noble killer to tamer/bard. This was also right after the stable changes so I stabled my rat (I think I named him Ratty) to check out the changes. When I unstabled him in Skara someone nearby said, "Who the hell stables a RAT?"

And don't forget those giant rats! If I had room in my stables for one I'd tame one and keep it.

Rats are cute!

Vote for my new horse hue idea <a target="_blank" href=http://uodr.stratics.com/ideas/messages/9970528725653.html>here</a>

Prettyme · Sep 24, 2001

I hate them, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH RATSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS YUKE!!!!!!!!!

Crimson Bolt · Sep 24, 2001

Well besides being almost killed twice by ratmen mages while battling artic ogre lords, I really have no strange/funny story about the ratmen. But on the other hand, I remember when my friend Adam came over my house, and I let him make a guy on UO. He went into the brit sewers, thinking he was gonna kill all the rats down there, and after being swarmed by about 20 giant rats, he died. IT was very funny, he was complaining and whining, saying what kind of game has rats that can kill humans. I told him UO.

'Only the Honorable Truely Live'

DeadCal · Sep 25, 2001

Ratman mages sometimes have statues...The same statues as pixies. Er, that's it. Hate the bloomin' archers though.

Lady DeadCal - Warrior/healer - kill or cure
Lady TerminalCal - Tamer/Mage
Kitty DeVine - Entertainer
Jones - Miner, smith, alchemist, inscriber, all round reg furnace

Lady_of_Light · Sep 25, 2001

i have this great rune in my "Dangerous Places" book
its marked right smack bang in the middle of the ratman fort in the ice dungeon
i had a fancy that i should like some statues one day
and decided to take my new wyrm to the fort
cast gate, walked through and all i heard was the "plink" of a few bowstrings
it was over so quick i managed to run my ghost back through my own gate
healed
and returned this time via the front door of the ice dungeon
just in time to see my lovely wyrm fall under an overwhelming horde of rats
cant say ive ever used that rune again..

Gold will buy you a pretty good Dragon, but it wont buy you the wag of his tail.

Elyssar · Sep 25, 2001

I have the same Death by Rats rune marked...and it's in one of my common runebooks. I should take it out before I accidentally Kal Ort Por to my doom...

Goal complete: 100.0% cartography
Total maps used: 654
Thanks to everyone who helped with maps or gave encouragement!!

Switch · Sep 25, 2001

When you cut up a rat, you get a different type of rib than normal. It looks the same, but it can't be stacked with other ribs, and you can't feed it to pets. I haven't played in awhile, not sure if this is still true, but it wasn't a month ago.

Socializer 60% Killer 53%
Achiever 46% Explorer 40%

The early bird gets the worm,
but the second mouse gets the cheese

Guest · Sep 25, 2001

hehe... I once opened a gate, teleported over it, and let my WW go through.. thought I'd waited long enough.. went through... "OOOOoooOOOo" hehe.. then ONLY my WW followed me back through.. my mare died :|

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Sorceress - Oracle (Scribe, Tamer)
a tropical bird - Enchanted Bard
Pandora - Undead Lady of the Shadowlords
Anck-su-Numam - Training Craftswoman
<center>(insert beautiful sig. pic here!)</center>

imported_Kral · Sep 26, 2001

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He went into the brit sewers, thinking he was gonna kill all the rats down there, and after being swarmed by about 20 giant rats, he died. IT was very funny, he was complaining and whining, saying what kind of game has rats that can kill humans. I told him UO.

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When I was a newb, I had to run from the frogs down there.

Of course, I started with 10 strength so that was a factor..

Guest · Sep 26, 2001

sum guy @ wbb did the same thing and i went thru with my warrior

the fort was full of rats

but *suprise here* I GOT OUT!!!!

i swear that GM parry is the best skill sometimes... a gm kite shield and a few G heal pots and i got back thru the gate again

Bladron the Hated

Full Ranger Armour - 600k
Pure Black Sandles - 60k
Glorious Lord - 4 Hours at Daemons
Flamestriking Yourself to Death - PRICELESS!!!

James_Pendragon · Sep 26, 2001

hmmm. When I was new, I used to tame myself a rat and named it "Bugsy". And that's about all I have to share regarding rats... as I tend to avoid yucky rat mages that e-bolt me off my nightmare /php-bin/shared/images/icons/wink.gif

However, isn't the giant rat part of the rat family, too? Or is it just one big fat sewer rat? /php-bin/shared/images/icons/wink.gif

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Dragondeva · Sep 26, 2001

I still have a tamed giant rat....They are so cute, when you feed them they curl[sp?] up and look so happy. Call me odd if you like but they are fun.
And about the rat fort... Late one night a group of friends [me included] gathered and ventured into the fort. There were 6 warriors and a tamer with 2 dragons and myself [tamer-archer]. We wiped to fort clean and kept it that way for quite awhile with no loss of life. As no other players were there it was a fun time.

In all things do no harm

Dragondeva GM Archer, GM Tactics, GM Anatomy, Tamer in training
Dragonfaye Mage/Inscribe
Dragonkiss GM Fisher
DragonLight T-Hunter in training

Guest · Sep 30, 2001

1 tamer with lots of pets or 2 tamers each with 1 or 2 ww's can hold it

i had my warrior in there, 2 WW's were in there, it was a race to actually get to kill sumfin

Bladron the Hated - 42.7 Taste ID and rising....

Full Ranger Armour - 600k
Pure Black Sandles - 60k
Glorious Lord - 4 Hours at Daemons
Flamestriking Yourself to Death - PRICELESS!!!

PacificDamien · Oct 3, 2001

((as you can see.. I really REALLY love rats! the giant rats remind me of gambian giant pouched rats.. which happen to be something I REALLY REALLY want IRL... I own 3 rattie girls right now.. sweethearts they are.
I'm getting close to GM taming on ImaRatcatcher.. in which case I'll have two GM tamers on Pacific shard.. I GMed blacksmithing on a character named "a rat" and am in the process of GMing tailoring and tinkering on him as well.. he goes hand in hand with the ImaRatcatcher character.

if you know your history on rats as pets.. you will know that rat catchers, in fact, were one of the first to domesticate the species of rat that is domesticated today. they caught them and bred and kept them as pets.. even a king kept rats as pets (I'd have to research to find out which one it was.. I can't remember anymore). and Aztecs apparently kept rats as pets, but they were tree rats, not the norwegian ones that are domestic today.. the tree rats were thought to be extinct but some have been found still living in mountain regions in s. america.

well enough for history lessons... ))

rats are wonderful! I knew someone who kept two giant rats and used to kill nobles, artists, and brides with them all the time. I'm keeping a giant rat and wander around britain once in a while with him.. been training him lately trying to see how strong he can get. he's my baby and I love how he stands up on his hind legs once in a while like he's begging. I wish they responded to their names like that like they used to back in the old days....

Damien- Suicidal *GM* tamer/warrior
Alexander- the wandering healer
ImaRatcatcher- trap, relocate, release
a rat- GM blacksmith

Guest · Oct 4, 2001

Whiskers twitch at sound
Rodent reaches for arrow
Hunter stalks the prey

Thaqui, Grandmaster Tamer of Catskills
Dreafor, Lvl 4 Treasure Hunter and recovering alcoholic /php-bin/shared/images/icons/pint.gif
Retired

Creature Feature #17: Aw...rats!

Elyssar

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Joe_Swift

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Darkassassin901

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Jaybe

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Kittensmitten

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Kainz

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Puppy

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Prettyme

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Crimson Bolt

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DeadCal

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Lady_of_Light

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Elyssar

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imported_Kral

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James_Pendragon

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PacificDamien

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