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Tunnelrat

Tunnelrats are the elite scouts and patrollers of the Underdark, able to negotiate cramped tunnels and chambers, and operate as peerless guides, scouts, and spies in the dark tunnels under the surface. They even hire out to patrol mines and infested sewers, if the price is right, and no small number find their unusual talents particularly suited to adventuring.

They wear thick, tough, tight clothing, and light armor, for mobility, and avoid loose straps, belts, cords, and anything else that might snag on projections when the Tunnelrat is traversing a narrow tunnel. Beards are tucked away and covered with a cloth, and thick leather pads are worn on knees and elbows as protection when crawling. A thick leather helmet with metal plates sewn inside is often worn for protection.

Tunnelrats combine courage with practical ruthlessness; in the cramped and dangerous confines of the Underdark, they cannot afford to take prisoners. This profession originally sprang up in the most desperate of the besieged dwarfholds, but has since spread as other relatively-small subterranean races, such as gnomes, svirfneblin, and duegar have produced similar specialists.

Rogues and Fighters find themselves drawn to this prestige class, as do many Cavers (dwarf Rangers). Few others find this prestige class particularly suited to their mindset.

Hit Die: d6.

Requirements
To qualify to become a Tunnelrat, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +3
Hide: 8 ranks
Move Silently: 8 ranks
Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Mobility
Race: Any subterranean-dwelling race, no taller than a dwarf.

Class Skills
The Tunnelrat's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Int), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Rope (Dex), and Wilderness Lore (Underground)(Wis). See Chapter 4: Skills in the Player's Handbook for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the tunnelrat prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Tunnelrats are proficient with the dagger, dart, hand crossbow, and short sword. Tunnelrats are proficient with light armor, but no shields. Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, and Tumble.

Blind-Fight: At 1st level, gains the Blind-Fight feat. The Tunnelrat trains to use all their senses in the darkness of the subterranean world.

Iron Heart: At 9th level, the Tunnelrat adds a bonus of +4 to any saves they must make against fear, magical or mundane. The monstrous terrors are the Underdark are many and terrible, but they are not the only fears the Tunnelrat must face: Daily, they risk becoming trapped in the tiniest of crevices and tunnels, drowning in labyrinthine submerged tunnels, suffocating in pockets of poisonous gas, falling to their dooms. Being a Tunnelrat requires great and unfaltering courage, and the most experienced members of this profession seem almost immune to the sensation of dread.

Iron Lungs: At 5th level, tunnelrats develop an astounding capacity to hold their breath, and can do so for a number of round equal to four times their Constitution score before they must begin to make Con checks to avoid drowning/suffocating. Use of this ability can add a +1 bonus to Hide or Move Silently checks when appropriate, at the DM's discretion. Pockets of stale air or gas, submerged tunnels, opponents with exceptionally keen hearing, all are threats the Tunnelrat must face.

Rathead: At 8th level, Tunnelrats learn extraordinary abilities of contortion, and are able to squeeze through any opening large enough for their head to fit through, because they must navigate and bypass some extremely difficult tunnels and crevices. However, the tunnelrat may only make one quarter move while performing this technique. Moving through such a small opening can be an extremely slow process, as the Tunnelrat gradually inches through, dislocating and rearranging limbs as he does so.

Scuttle: At 4th level, the tunnelrat develops an the extraordinary ability to scuttle move fast while croushed. Stealth is one of the Tunnelrat's primary survival traits, and they learn to make use of every bit of available cover, while remaining as mobile as possible. A tunnelrat can crawl on her hands and knees making better use of what little cover may be available while moving at her full walking speed.

Sneak Attack: At 3rd level, the Tunnelrat learns to be ruthless when facing opponents, and take every advantage of ambush. If the Tunnelrat can catch an opponent when she is unable to defend herself effectively from his attack, he can strike a vital spot for extra damage. Basically, any time the Tunnelrat's target would be denied her Dexterity bonus to AC (whether she actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), the Tunnelrat's attack deals +1d6 points of damage. This extra damage increases by +1d6 points at 6th and 10th level. Should the Tunnelrat score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. It takes precision and penetration to hit a vital spot, so ranged attacks can only count as sneak attacks if the target is 30 feet away or less.

With a sap or unarmed strike, the Tunnelrat can make a sneak attack that deals subdual damage instead of normal damage. He cannot use a weapon that deals normal damage to deal subdual damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual -4 penalty, because he must make optimal use of his weapon in order to execute the sneak attack.

A Tunnelrat can only sneak attack living creatures, with discernible anatomies-undead, constructs, oozes, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Additionally, any creature immune to critical hits is similarly immune to sneak attacks. Also, the Tunnelrat must be able to see the target clearly enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach a vital spot. The Tunnelrat cannot sneak attack while striking at a creature with concealment or by striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach. If a Tunnelrat gets a sneak attack bonus from another source (such as Rogue levels), the bonuses to damage stack.

Tunnel Fighter: The Tunnelrat learns to fight effectively in even the most restrictive of spaces, and suffers no attack or AC penalties in areas as small as 2 feet across, when fighting unarmed, or using a dagger or shortsword. He can even fling darts for full effect with only 1 foot of throwing space in front of him or to one side.

Statue Stealth: At 5th level, the Tunnelrat learns the value of endless patience, and the technique of remaining utterly immobile for many hours. He can lie perfectly still for a number of hours equal to his Constitution score, and may gain a +2 bonus to Hide checks if appropriate, at the DM's discretion. This ability, when coupled with Iron Lungs, enables the Tunnelrat to feign death with alarming accuracy.

Stonecunning: The Tunnelrat quickly becomes intimately familiar with the subterranean world. At 3rd level, they get a +2 bonus on checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction, unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. He can also notice unusual stonework, and intuit depth, just like a dwarf. If the Tunnelrat already has Stonecunning, his check bonus when using this ability increases to +3.

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Original content ©1999–2001 Brian D Swedorski. New content ©2025–2026 Jeff. User-submitted material remains the property of its respective authors.