I am currently developing a race of rodent people called Rah'T'An for the Ska'Lah'Seh universe. They have human bodies and faces. However they stand about 4-feet tall, have the ears and tail of a mouse or rat, and have larger than normal eyes and buck teeth. They are very cunning and intelligent. Most are cowardly, however those among them who overcome their fears are among some of the bravest heroes in SKa'Lah'Seh.

I've got them pretty much fleshed out. However I am having one issue. All my non-human races have some power that is unique to them. Only members of that race can do it, but not all of members of the race know how to use their power. The Wol'V'An shape shift into animals, the Kah'T'An are telepathic, ect. I would like to know what special power, if any, I should give the Rah'T'An.

Any ideas?

Some possibilities:

Able to see in the dark.

Able to squeeze through small spaces.

Able to chew through most things, even steel.

I didn't mention this before but all three beast men races already have the ability to see in the dark.

The ability to chew through anything was funny but not exactly what I had in mind.

I second the 'ability to fit through small spaces' or perhaps a broader version the 'ability to change in size.' Unless that is too similar to the shapeshifting...

Wol'V'An turn into mammalian animals.

The size change might be interesting, but I don't know?

Their ears might give them the ability to hear things from far away, listen to conversations through walls, and that sort of thing. Their tail might be able to wield another weapon.

I think them being able to change their size to the size of a normal rat would be neat. Maybe they can climb anything, even sheer vertical drops.

I was thinking more along the lines of something mystical. Like the Wol'V'An's shape shifting and the Kah'T'An's telepathy.

Perhaps levitation is more what you are looking for?

What about the ability to become invisible?

Know where talking!

I assume you meant that to read: Now we're talking!

Yes...

Good. I thought so. Do you need any more ideas?

Yes.

Wow it got quite too quiet...

I have decided to just allow the race to produce altered like Hum'An and Mon'An. However I would like some suggestions for real world ethnicity and cultures that I could pull from to give them some more flavor.

Could you expound on that a little?

^^Yeah. I'm not quite sure what you mean by altered human beings...

An "Altered" is a Hum'An Mon'An or Rah'T'an born with psychokinetic abilities. Telekinesis, psychokinesis, ect...

Moving with complete silence? The ability to sense intentions? Through smell perhaps?

They should probably be really good at camoflauge/hiding type stuff, since you said they're one of the more cowardly races... Whackem's suggestions seem to fit in with that theme... If you were looking into what their culture would be like, I'd think they'd be found predominantly in caves/deep forests/places that it's really easy to hide so that they can mostly stay away from the fighting and conflicts that are going on in the rest of Ska'Leh'Seh...

Does that help? Or am I going down the wrong track?

I already have them living in labyrinthine mountain tunnels. Sometimes hollowed out hills and even sewers. I was thinking more along the lines of what they might be like. And no, they are not the most cowardly of my races. They're the bravest. Though I know I said otherwise earlier, I decided to make them vary courageous and clever, like the warrior mice in Narnia. Rah'T'An grow up in a world that is so much bigger than them. They have to learn not to cower from things bigger than them and when just about the whole would is bigger than you it takes courage to face the day. The way I have them right know they are also excellent inventors and have a fondness for traps.

I'm thinking about not letting them have any supernatural powers. I mean, it would set them apart from the other races a lot and could be really cool. I'm thinking about making them this resilient clever race who have overcome a lot and aren't afraid to shy away from a challenge. I think a lot of the other races look down on the little guys/gals but they always prove everyone wrong.

I'm actually thinking about making it where maybe they are the most cowardly race but tha'ts what makes them so brave. You learn fast that giving into your fear only hurts you when you're scared of everything.

I'm also thinking they are attracted to shinny things, not necessarily things of value. They may decorate their homes with bottle caps and even broken glass (Out of their children reach of course) and love to wear jewelry, often sporting many piercings on their big mouse ears. They also live in big close family units. It is not uncommon for Rah'T'An in cities, human or their own, to pack more than 20-30 or so family members into a single house.

Speaking of which they build their buildings as big as humans do because it "feels natural" and teaches their children not to fear big things. They also don't like their clothes touching them to much so they tend to wear baggy clothes that you might say don't fit them.

What I'm asking for know are some ideas about different ethnicity and cultures I can add to the race to give it some diversity.

Usually the things that shape a culture are what it takes to survive, if they are a prosperous people, they might be more drawn toward more whimsical pursuits, but if they have to fight to survive, they will probably be more practical.

I can't remember if anyone had already suggested this but...

I already had a precedent with Wol'V'An shape shifting into animals and then something hit me. I wanted to gift the Rah'T'An with their own special power a form of shape shifting I already have them associated with the earth particularly with stone why not let them change their bodies into different stones and minerals. They do not change shape or size per say but instead change their physical composition. They might have to be more careful when they do this not to change anything that might become to complicated like their heart or lungs. They might be able to change the shape of their hands however. Like blades or other tools. How does this sound?