Skaven



Firing arrow after arrow at the undead legion, an Aarakocra soared over the battlefield. He was desperately trying to turn the tide of battle, although deep inside he knew it was already lost. One skeletal giant turned around and hurled a rock at him. The eagle faced man was hit and fell. Not an hour later, his adventuring party comes looking for him. They killed the necromancer, and as a result the undead army their companion kept in check was reduced to bones scattered over the battlefield. His body wasn't hard to find, but all his belongings were missing, and so were parts of his body. Less than a mile away, in a little burrow under the forest, a brown furred, ratlike humanoid was preparing his dinner.

Survival above All

Fear is fundamental to the Skaven psyche. It drives their two main ambitions; surviving and achieving higher status. Surviving is the primary concern of any Skaven. They will go to any length to do so, caring little for their family and allies in the end. Skaven will seek to climb higher up in society so they can more reliably feed themselves each day. Skaven do not live long, so they are inherently impatient. They will seek the quickest way to power and glory, or more importantly: food and safety.



A low status will ruin whatever little satisfaction or comfort a Skaven may have in life, so they will do near anything to avoid getting demoted. However; they must not draw too much attention to themselves, because to do so may spell an early death. Whatever plans Skaven make, they will more often than not go horribly wrong. In the Skaven mind the cause must be some other Skaven plotting against them, or even a whole conspiracy. The aforementioned fear, therefore, often takes the shape of paranoia.

Empire of Slums

The Skaven have built a vast empire in the Underdark. As a result, they may be the main rival to the Drow. They do not have their cunning, but they have vast numerical superiority to make up for it. They breed faster than any humanoid race in existence. Due to the massive population, food is scarce in the Skaven empire. Skaven are normally underfed and weakly as a result. A single Skaven will rarely be able to stand up to a human or Drow, but several Skaven stand a good chance. When they do stand alone, they have the agility to get away.

Fur and Strength

The colour of a Skaven's fur is no ordinary matter. Most have brown fur, and must rely on their own cunning and strength to get on top. Those born with black, grey or white fur have an inherent advantage. Whatever colour their fur may be, however, a weak or dim-witted Skaven will always be beat by those that are more cunning and strong.

The Horned Rat

The deity of the Skaven is not worshipped out of admiration. He patiently awaits for its children to take over the world above, but in the meanwhile it is hungry. He won't get full any time soon and he doesn't care if its diet must consist of his own children.



Skaven know their ultimate goal is to swarm all other peoples. They may never have met a human, dwarf or elf, but they know they are inferior and worthless. Their conviction of Skaven superiority, however, does not mean the Skaven race is unified. The complete chaos and dissaray of Skaven society is perhaps the only thing keeping them from pleasing their god and waging war against all other races.