So people can have some creative licensing I'll touch on our current prey here rather than the standard Bestiary.
The Rat Hosts are one of the weirder enemies in this game. They start off like any other rat, but with glowing eyes with an evil intelligence behind them. These rats instinctively gnaw at the gauntlet and will consume one another to become larger and more powerful (hosts are shattered fragments of ancient and powerful being, killed by Father Wolf in the time before the Sundering).
They also will take over a person's body by gnawing their way into the person, consuming his heart and filling him up with a swarm of disgusting spirit-rat monsters. They look like people at first, but a Belishu doesn't exactly understand the world around him.
Eventually this person will become more and more like a disgusting version of Master Splinter from TMNT. Gross and dangerous rat-hybrids. These ones are intelligent, and in large enough numbers they can threaten Werewolves. They're smart enough to lay traps, study patterns and the like. They hate you, and want you to die. They'll also align themselves with spirits of plague and disease. All bad.
The most dangerous part of all, is that when you kill these hybrid monsters, they explode into smaller rats who do their best to escape. Just one escaped rat is enough to create a new infestation. Common knowledge is bring fire when dealing with hosts.
As far as the swarms of rats and the humans claimed by a Belishu, don't bother rolling. You can kill them no problems in this prelude.
The Hybrids and Disease Spirits however I want you to use the rules for "Down and Dirty Combat"
The Swarm's leader, Red Minister, we will fight using the full combat rules.
DOWN AND DIRT Y COMBAT
The Storyteller might decide that your character can get what she wants without focusing on the details of the fight. Maybe she’s picking on people weaker than her, like a Gauru werewolf faced with a mob of normal people. Maybe she’s internalized the mechanics of violence. Or maybe the fight’s not the important thing going on with regards to the character’s intent. If that’s the case, the Storyteller can opt to use a Down and Dirty Combat. This system resolves the entire fight in a single roll. Storyteller characters might deal some damage, but they’re never able to initiate a Down and Dirty Combat.
Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive Dice Pool: Combat pool (Dexterity + Firearms, Strength + Brawl, or Strength + Weaponry) versus either the opponent’s combat pool (as above) or an attempt to escape (Strength or Dexterity + Athletics). Ignore Defense on this roll.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The character’s opponent gets the upper hand. This usually includes the opposite of the character’s intent — if she wanted to disable the guards so she could escape, she is stunned instead.
Failure: The opponent wins the contest. If the opponent used a combat pool, deal damage equal to the difference in successes plus weapon modifier. Also, the opponent escapes unless he wants to press the combat.
Success: The character wins the contest. She deals damage equal to the difference in successes plus her weapon modifier and achieves her intent — if her intent includes killing her opponents, then she does so.
Exceptional Success: As a success, and the character also gains a point of Willpower from the rush of inflicting violence on an inferior opponent.
The Rat Hosts are one of the weirder enemies in this game. They start off like any other rat, but with glowing eyes with an evil intelligence behind them. These rats instinctively gnaw at the gauntlet and will consume one another to become larger and more powerful (hosts are shattered fragments of ancient and powerful being, killed by Father Wolf in the time before the Sundering).
They also will take over a person's body by gnawing their way into the person, consuming his heart and filling him up with a swarm of disgusting spirit-rat monsters. They look like people at first, but a Belishu doesn't exactly understand the world around him.
Eventually this person will become more and more like a disgusting version of Master Splinter from TMNT. Gross and dangerous rat-hybrids. These ones are intelligent, and in large enough numbers they can threaten Werewolves. They're smart enough to lay traps, study patterns and the like. They hate you, and want you to die. They'll also align themselves with spirits of plague and disease. All bad.
The most dangerous part of all, is that when you kill these hybrid monsters, they explode into smaller rats who do their best to escape. Just one escaped rat is enough to create a new infestation. Common knowledge is bring fire when dealing with hosts.
As far as the swarms of rats and the humans claimed by a Belishu, don't bother rolling. You can kill them no problems in this prelude.
The Hybrids and Disease Spirits however I want you to use the rules for "Down and Dirty Combat"
The Swarm's leader, Red Minister, we will fight using the full combat rules.
DOWN AND DIRT Y COMBAT
The Storyteller might decide that your character can get what she wants without focusing on the details of the fight. Maybe she’s picking on people weaker than her, like a Gauru werewolf faced with a mob of normal people. Maybe she’s internalized the mechanics of violence. Or maybe the fight’s not the important thing going on with regards to the character’s intent. If that’s the case, the Storyteller can opt to use a Down and Dirty Combat. This system resolves the entire fight in a single roll. Storyteller characters might deal some damage, but they’re never able to initiate a Down and Dirty Combat.
Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive Dice Pool: Combat pool (Dexterity + Firearms, Strength + Brawl, or Strength + Weaponry) versus either the opponent’s combat pool (as above) or an attempt to escape (Strength or Dexterity + Athletics). Ignore Defense on this roll.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The character’s opponent gets the upper hand. This usually includes the opposite of the character’s intent — if she wanted to disable the guards so she could escape, she is stunned instead.
Failure: The opponent wins the contest. If the opponent used a combat pool, deal damage equal to the difference in successes plus weapon modifier. Also, the opponent escapes unless he wants to press the combat.
Success: The character wins the contest. She deals damage equal to the difference in successes plus her weapon modifier and achieves her intent — if her intent includes killing her opponents, then she does so.
Exceptional Success: As a success, and the character also gains a point of Willpower from the rush of inflicting violence on an inferior opponent.
Disease Spirit
Rank: 2
Power 5, Finesse 5, Resistance 4, Willpower 9, Essence 15
Initiative: 9
Defense: 5
Speed: 14
Size: 4
Corpus: 8
Influences: Disease 2
Ban: Dematerialize in the presence of a Healer
Bane: Medicinal Plants
Manifestation: Discorporate, Materialize, Reaching, Twilight Form
Numina: Awe, Blast, Drain, Hallucination, Innocuous
Rat-Hybrid
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 4, Resolve 3, Strength 2,
Dexterity 4, Stamina 2, Presence 4, Manipulation 4, Composure 3
Skills: Crafts 1, Investigation 1, Occult 2, Athletics 2, Brawl (Close Quarters) 3, Larceny 1, Stealth 1, Animal Ken (Rats) 3, Intimidation 3, Persuasion 2, Streetwise (Scavenging) 1, Subterfuge (Laying Traps) 2, Weaponry 1
Merits: Direction Sense, Fleet of Foot 3, Iron Stomach
Willpower: 6
Morality: 5
Essence: 4
Health: 7
Initiative: 7
Defense: 4
Speed: 14 (with Fleet of Foot)
Dread Powers: Gnaw Gauntlet, Discorporate, Armored Hide 1, Burrow,
Natural Weaponry 2
Red Minister
Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 5, Strength
7, Dexterity 6, Stamina 8, Presence 5, Manipulation 2,
Composure 2
Skills: Academics 3, Investigation 2, Medicine 3, Occult
3, Athletics 3, Brawl 5, Stealth 2, Science 2, Survival 3,
Animal Ken 2, Expression 3, Intimidation 4, Persuasion 3,
Subterfuge 4
Merits: Allies 4 (Disease Spirits), Iron Stamina 3, Parkour
5, Trained Observer 3
Willpower: 7
Essence: 20
Health: 14
Initiative: 8
Defense: 7
Size: 6
Speed: 18
Dread Powers: Armored Hide 2, Burrow, Discorporate,
Gnaw Gauntlet, Monstrous Resilience, Natural Weaponry
3, Venomous Ichor, Warp Shard
Rank: 2
Power 5, Finesse 5, Resistance 4, Willpower 9, Essence 15
Initiative: 9
Defense: 5
Speed: 14
Size: 4
Corpus: 8
Influences: Disease 2
Ban: Dematerialize in the presence of a Healer
Bane: Medicinal Plants
Manifestation: Discorporate, Materialize, Reaching, Twilight Form
Numina: Awe, Blast, Drain, Hallucination, Innocuous
Rat-Hybrid
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 4, Resolve 3, Strength 2,
Dexterity 4, Stamina 2, Presence 4, Manipulation 4, Composure 3
Skills: Crafts 1, Investigation 1, Occult 2, Athletics 2, Brawl (Close Quarters) 3, Larceny 1, Stealth 1, Animal Ken (Rats) 3, Intimidation 3, Persuasion 2, Streetwise (Scavenging) 1, Subterfuge (Laying Traps) 2, Weaponry 1
Merits: Direction Sense, Fleet of Foot 3, Iron Stomach
Willpower: 6
Morality: 5
Essence: 4
Health: 7
Initiative: 7
Defense: 4
Speed: 14 (with Fleet of Foot)
Dread Powers: Gnaw Gauntlet, Discorporate, Armored Hide 1, Burrow,
Natural Weaponry 2
Red Minister
Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 5, Strength
7, Dexterity 6, Stamina 8, Presence 5, Manipulation 2,
Composure 2
Skills: Academics 3, Investigation 2, Medicine 3, Occult
3, Athletics 3, Brawl 5, Stealth 2, Science 2, Survival 3,
Animal Ken 2, Expression 3, Intimidation 4, Persuasion 3,
Subterfuge 4
Merits: Allies 4 (Disease Spirits), Iron Stamina 3, Parkour
5, Trained Observer 3
Willpower: 7
Essence: 20
Health: 14
Initiative: 8
Defense: 7
Size: 6
Speed: 18
Dread Powers: Armored Hide 2, Burrow, Discorporate,
Gnaw Gauntlet, Monstrous Resilience, Natural Weaponry
3, Venomous Ichor, Warp Shard
Moderators: Rashid Mosley (played by cyranax) The Storyteller (played by Gingerkid88) Tanya Barnes (played anonymously)