TSR 2437 Thri-Kreen of Athas.pdf

Official Game Accessory

Thri-Kreen of Athas

by Tim Beach and Dori Hein

Credits

Sourcebook Design: Tim Beach

Adventure Design: Dori Jean Hein

Editing: Jon Pickens

Cover Art: Ned Dameron

Interior Art: John Dollar

Art Coordination: Peggy Cooper

Graphics Coordination: Sarah Feggestad

Cartography: Diesel

Typography: Angelika Lokotz

Thank You: Tom Prusa, Kari Landsverk, Wolfgang B aur, Bill Slavicsek, Rich Baker, Kim Baker, Michele Carter,

William W Connors, Colin McComb, Skip Willams, Lisa Smedman, Andria Hayday, Tim Brown, and Bruce Heard.

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Introduction ............................................. 3

Learning About Thri-kreen .............................. 4

Definitions .............................................. 5

Pronunciation ........................................... 5

Glossary ................................................. 6

Raiding Packs ......................................... 76

Special Packs ......................................... 76

Thri-Kreen Nations ................................. 7 8

Related Species of Kreen .............................. 78

Between North and South ............................. 81

The North ............................................ 8 2

The Empire ........................................... 8 4

Thri-kreen of Other Worlds. ........................... 8 4

Chapter One: Psychological Nature ..................... 8

Clutch, Pack, and Nation ................................8

The Great Race for Kacha ........................... 10

The Law of the Clutch ............................... 12

The Hunt. ............................................. 14

Mentality and World View ............................. 17

Thri-Kreen and Other Races ........................... 19

Thri-Kreen Magic and Psionics ........................ .22

Chapter Six: Thri-Kreen PCs .......................... 8 5

Character Classes ..................................... 8 5

Character Kits ......................................... 88

Tik (hunter) ........................................ 90

Tik-Tik (guardian) .................................. 91

Kalak (scout) ....................................... 92

Kik (raider). ........................................ 9 2

Tekchakak (pack psionicist) ......................... 9 3

Kiltektet (student missionary) ....................... 9 4

Chapter Two: Physical Nature .......................... 23

General Physiology ..................................... 23

The Body ............................................... . 24

Healing ................................................ 27

Vulnerabilities ......................................... 28

Reproduction .......................................... 28

Stages of Life ........................................... 30

Table 2.1: Stages of Growth ......................... 31

Molting ............................................. 33

Venom and Crystal ..................................... 35

Chapter Eight: The Taste of Fear ....................... 95

OverviewMap............................................................... 97

ToMourn KaCha ................................... 100

Memories of Horror .................................. 107

Race of Destiny ...................................... 114

Nonplayer Characters. ............................... 120

Player Handout #1 ................................... 123

Player Handout #2 ................................... 124

Chapter Three: Combat and

Special Abilities ..................................... 37

Basic Abilities ......................................... 37

Developed Abilities .................................... 41

Proficiencies ........................................... 43

Chatkcha (and Kyorkcha). .............................. 45

Other Thri-Kreen Weapons ............................ 48

Table 3.2: Thri-Kreen Weapons ..................... 47

Combat Skills .......................................... 50

M agic and Psionics .................................... 55

Appendix: New Monsters ............................. 125

Jalathgak ............................................ 125

Trin.................................................. 12 6

Zik-trinak ........................................... 127

Note: Occasional references are made to other products. While

these are not generally required for play, they often expand on

specific topics. References include: PHB, Players Handbook

(#2101); DMG, D UNGON M ASTER ® Guide (2100); Rules

Book (boxed set: #2400); Dragon Kings (hardbound: #2408);

Complete Psionics Handbook (PHBR 5: #2117); Complete

Gladiators Handbook (#2419); Sourcebooks Earth, Air, Fire,

and Water (#2422); The Will and the Way (#2431); Elves of

Athas (#2423); Dune Trader (#2407); Adventure D RAGON S

C ROWN ® (#2416). Other PHBR - series of interest include:

Complete Fighters Handbook (#2110); Complete Priests

Handbook (#2113); Complete Rangers Handbook (#2136);

Complete Druids Handbook (#2150); and Complete Book of

Humanoids (#2135).

Chapter Four: Thri-Kreen Society...................... 58

Guiding Principles ..................................... 58

Lifestyle ................................................ 61

Customs and Practices ................................. 65

Without the Clutch .................................... 68

Language and Communication ........................ 70

Equipment ............................................. 73

Chapter Five: Pack and Nation ........................ 74

Hunting Packs ......................................... 74

We are now in the Brown Times, the age of our kind, when the

world is dry. The kreen are matchless in the dry times.

Long ago, were the Blue Times, when the world was new, and

there was water everywhere, so much water that it appeared blue.

The kreen of the Blue Time lived on pieces of land that floated

in the water. It is said that early kreen had great, gossamer wings,

which they used to fly between the pieces of land. They knew

nothing of tools and building, but even then they hunted. In

that age were only kreen and animals, and a few plants, on the

pieces of land.

Then, so slowly that no one could notice until it had already

happened, the water went away. The pieces of land grew roots,

and the roots grew together, until land covered most of the

world, and water stood in only a few places. Plants grew in profu-

sion over the new land. This was the Green Time.

During the Green Time, more animals were born, and hunt-

ing was good. The kreen, able to travel to more of the world, dis-

covered wondrous animals, kinds they could not have imagined.

During the Green Time, the kreen, much to their surprise, met

mammals who could talk. Not quite kreen, they became known

as dra-trin, the sleepers-like-people. Now we call them dra, and

we reserve the term term for those who are more similar to kreen.

The dra were small, but they, over time, gave rise to larger dra,

and the many kinds of dra filled their part of the world.

To resist the many races of dra, the kreen had to learn new

skills. It was during the Green Time that kreen learned the way

of fighting with the mind, and with weapons. The kreen fought,

and they built, and they learned to change themselves to

become better warriors and hunters. They survived.

Then came the beginning of the Brown Time, when dra

turned on dra, and they used terrible forces on one another.

These killed many plants and animals, and the world withered

and turned brown. Hunting became poor, but the kreen were

wise and skilled, and they could find prey where no others

could. And th kreen became more numerous and more power-

In the now-times, still part of the Brown Time, there are still

many kreen in the world. In the south, the dra turned against the

kreen offer of peace, and the nations of the kreen fell. The kreen

of the south, where you live, run free, caring for little but the

hunt, living near the dra. And to the north? Well, you would be

surprised at the kreen of the north . . .

the history of the kreen,

as told by Klik-Chekada

zik-trinta, tohr-kreen scout

ful, and formed great nations. The kreen of these before-times

built cities, and they made beings of power as well. Many kreen

were found in the world. Some stayed in the north, while others

went south, to live among the dra who were left, to work with

them and share knowledge with them.

Though his perspective is skewed toward the kreen point of view,

Kliks telling of history is essentially a true one. Long ago, the

planet of Athas was covered with water, the non-kreen races call

this time the Blue Age, and during that time the halflings had a

great and powerful civilization. However, most people do not

realize that kreenthe mantis people, usually called by their

more specific names, thri-kreen and tohr-kreen lived during

that age as well.

During the Blue Age, the kreen were primitive, their develop-

ment stunted by their environment. The Blue Age ended and

the waters retreated, largely due to the actions of the ancient

halflings. Plants grew, and all manner of life spread across the

surface of Athas. The kreen met the halflings, as well as many of

the races that sprang from the halflings, among them dwarves,

elves, humans, and giants. The kreen evolved, they developed

weapons and a civilization. They honed their mental powers,

and many became masters of the Way.

Then came the Time of Magic, the age of Rajaat and of the

Cleansing Wars he launched to eliminate the offshoots of the

halfling race. The kreen did not study magic, nor were they a

part of the Cleansing Wars. Because they were not descended

from halflings, Rajaat saw the kreen as little more than ani-

mals.

At the end of the Cleansing Wars, Rajaat was imprisoned by

his champions, who then became the Sorcerer Kings of those

lands later called the Tyr Region. For a time, during the Cleans-

ing Wars, the kreen lived in peace with some of the non-kreen

peoples, but the ascension of the Sorcerer Kings ended that

peace. The kreen of the Tyr Region became the nomadic

hunters known as thri-kreen, the mantis warriors.

Learning About Thri-Kreen

This sourcebook describes thri-kreen in great detail, from their

mindset to their abilities; including rules and clarifications for

fitting them into a campaign, and tips for role-playing this

unique player character race. This is the story of the mantis war-

riors as told by a tohr-kreen explorer from the far north, Klik-

Chakada, the teacher of the Way and the Worship.

Chapter Four offers details about thri-kreen society, how they

live in the wild and how they occupy their time. This chapter is

for the role-player who wants to add depth and detail to a thri-

kreen character.

Chapter Five describes special social structures of the thri-

kreen: the hunting pack; the rarer raiding pack; and several

unusual packs. The focus then shifts to the mysterious lands of

the far north, and the related races: the six settled tohr-kreen

species (Jeral, Jez, Jhol, Toksa, Tondi, Tkeech), the savage trin,

and the cold and manipulative zik-chil.

Chapter Seven covers player character options for thri-kreen:

classes, kits, and combinations, with six new kits especially for

thri-kreen.

The last section of the book presents a special adventure,

A Taste of Fear, for thri-kreen characters-and playable with

their non-kreen friends as well.

Chapter One describes the thri-kreen mindset, what they

think and even how they think, the things that set them apart

from other intelligent life.

Chapter Two details kreen physiology, describing how their

bodies are put together, how they grow, and how they function in

the harsh deserts of Athas.

Chapter Three is in many ways the heart of the book; it col-

lects all the game information about thri-kreen combat, magic

and psionics use, proficiencies, and weapons, along with much

that is new.

Prepare to encounter the exotic, the Thri-Kreen of Athas.

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