10,000 rats vs Helm's Deep

[Postmania]

Think the rats size gives them a chance?

Bonus: 10,000 rats with human level intelligence and a day to plan vs Helm's Deep with a day to plan

[The MunchKING]

Oh everyone knows rats have what it takes to kill humans.

[Hiromi]

be annoying and more or less impossible to completely exterminate them but at the end of the day there's not a whole lot the rats can do against a humanoid army that's relatively close to them in numbers, I mean the first rule of a siege like Helm's Deep is you have to be able to keep the besieged from just leaving, and rats aren't really going to be good at stopping a galloping horse for instance

[Ptrvc]

Are the rats already in Helm's Deep or are they laying siege?

With little catapults? Ratapults?

[Sharpandpointies]

So...there were ~2000 defenders of Helm's Deep.

This works out to roughly 5 rats per defender.

Not liking the rats' odds.

[Postmania]

So...there were ~2000 defenders of Helm's Deep.

This works out to roughly 5 rats per defender.

Not liking the rats' odds.

Idk, some of those are kids. And I wouldn't want to fight 5 rats

[Sharpandpointies]

Idk, some of those are kids. And I wouldn't want to fight 5 rats

^_^

Armored and armed? You'll get some bites. Maybe. But five rats? You'd need to sit there and LET them kill you, and it would be a long, drawn-out, painful experience.

I'm thinking the rats are toast, here.

[The MunchKING]

^_^

Armored and armed? You'll get some bites. Maybe. But five rats? You'd need to sit there and LET them kill you, and it would be a long, drawn-out, painful experience.

I'm thinking the rats are toast, here.

Or you catch the super plague and die horribly later.

[Sharpandpointies]

Or you catch the super plague and die horribly later.

Rat-bites don't give plague, unless it's D&D rat-bites.

It's the damn fleas.

Granted, either way the fight will be looooooong over before that's an issue!

[Guy1]

Think the rats size gives them a chance?

Bonus: 10,000 rats with human level intelligence and a day to plan vs Helm's Deep with a day to plan

Well this should be epic.

[wjowski]

If asymmetrical warfare isn't off the table I could see the rats doing very well, actually.

[Nik Hasta]

^_^

Armored and armed? You'll get some bites. Maybe. But five rats? You'd need to sit there and LET them kill you, and it would be a long, drawn-out, painful experience.

I'm thinking the rats are toast, here.

Human level intelligence for the rats though. Why go for direct confrontation when you can attack their food supplies, gnaw through every wooden structure you can find - including bedframes and stuff and generally shoot for a starve/morale break kind of victory.

I mean, rats can presumably live off the land for as long as it takes and there's no way that the defenders can block every hole/passage or crack that a rat squeeze through with just a day's notice. Remember any hole that is the width of a rat's skull is an entry point and they can chew through a lot of stuff given enough time and motivation. they can also swim well underwater so any water channel is a point of entry.

[Hiromi]

but again that supposes the Rohirrim remain in Helm's Deep. If the rats decide to devote their bulk to infiltration the defenders might just notice there's nothing in front of the walls and just leave, resulting in a failure of the siege.

[Sharpandpointies]

Human level intelligence for the rats though. Why go for direct confrontation when you can attack their food supplies, gnaw through every wooden structure you can find - including bedframes and stuff and generally shoot for a starve/morale break kind of victory.

I mean, rats can presumably live off the land for as long as it takes and there's no way that the defenders can block every hole/passage or crack that a rat squeeze through with just a day's notice. Remember any hole that is the width of a rat's skull is an entry point and they can chew through a lot of stuff given enough time and motivation. they can also swim well underwater so any water channel is a point of entry.

Helm's Deep, of course, is also given a day to plan (with knowledge of their enemies, there's nothing in the OP saying that they don't know it's rats). To set up the food in specific areas, to prepare properly, to figure out where the rats are likely to come, to set up potential traps involving flammables (not in any area that's going to burn down), etc.

I'll grant that the rats might be able to win a very long, drawn out victory, though. Good points.

[The MunchKING]

Rat-bites don't give plague, unless it's D&D rat-bites.

It's the damn fleas.

Well that's the Bubonic Plague sure, but I thought they could carry other diseases like rabies that could be spread by biting.