Sorry if this has been answered already, I tried searching and did not find anything direct..

Does killing rat packs count against the Clean Hands achievement?

Specifically, on the mission "The Royal Physician" there is a survivor underneath the bridge that is trapped by a rat pack and I'd like to free her, but it appears the only way to do so is to kill the rats and I don't want to jeopardize my "Clean Hands" playthrough.

Rats do not count. Throw one of the bodies and swing away until they're all dead.

Good to know... however, I was thinking a well placed explosive crossbow bolt......

Rats, Hagfish, Wolfhounds, and River Krust do not count as kills.