Human [Dark Sun]

The desert world's cities run on slave labor, from mending wagon wheels to producing the art freemen admire but consider beneath them. Masters are often cruel, and many slaves choose the barren wilds instead. Most who flee die of thirst or hunger; the rest find one of hundreds of slave tribes.

Ex-slaves have varied skills but most know basic fighting and carry a mix of weapons. Per 10 there is a sergeant: a 5th-level fighter (AC 7, THAC0 16) with 1d6 throwing spears and even odds of minor psionics as a 1st-level psionicist. Per 50, add a 7th-level gladiator (AC 5, THAC0 14) wielding a dejada (1d8/1d6) plus two other weapons. A tribe of 100 or more is led by a 10th-level gladiator (AC 3, THAC0 11, 75% chance of a wild talent), and 75% of such tribes also have an 8th-level preserver (AC 8, THAC0 18, staff 1-6) plus a psionicist of 8th level (AC 8, THAC0 16).

Cultures differ widely. Some tribes farm and hunt in settlements of 50-500 people, some send out raiding bands of 4-24, and others hire out to towns for food and gear; governance ranges from rigid codes to near democracy. Chiefs are almost always former soldier-slaves or gladiators with real tactical skill. A chief whose leadership brings lasting hardship is challenged by another fighter, and if he survives (never a safe bet) he leaves to try his luck alone.

Freedom is everything to them. They live for the moment and feast whenever a harvest, hunt or raid allows, yet they guard that freedom fiercely, trust only those who earn it, and usually kill intruding strangers at once or later as captives. The tribe's good outranks any individual's wants, and offenders are punished or exiled by severity. Disputes are settled with fists and swords.

Nomadic herders live in douars, clans of no more than about a dozen families, each tending only one kind of beast, most often scale-runners, otherwise dune hulks, pack insects, scream-hoppers (small upright lizards) or goldpelts (small furry mammals). Raids have taught them to fight hard. They use obsidian-tipped spears, thrown or in hand (1d6/1d5), and herding staves (1d6).

Each douar keeps up to 36 HD of trained attack beasts (more would grow too willful): 2-12 scale-runners, 1-3 dune hulks, 3-18 pack insects, 3-18 scream-hoppers or 6-36 goldpelts. On command they fight as a coordinated unit, but should the trainer die, be silenced or fall unconscious, they stampede in a random direction, and anyone fighting nearby must save vs. petrification to avoid 3d4 trampling damage.

A 7th-level preserver leads, supporting with spells and missiles, and half of them have the psionics of a 3rd-level psionicist. A shaman who is an elemental priest of 5th level, present 30% of the time, adds spells and serves as advisor, healer and diviner.

Their whole culture revolves around the herd. Each douar's dialect resembles the common tongue but carries sounds and meanings outsiders find alien, often conveying complex ideas with no translation. They dress in hides, shells, bones and hair from their animals and wear their musk to hide their human scent, which outsiders find foul and which makes them seem bestial. Deeply reverent of nature, they hold near-religious ceremonies, deny that land can be owned, and gladly host druids, preservers and anyone else who nurtures the land. Defilers rarely leave a douar alive.

Hundreds of merchant houses move legal and illicit goods across the deadly wastes between cities. Commoners welcome their wares and news, while sorcerer tyrants and their templars see the houses as rivals but tolerate them as a necessary evil, because their subjects depend on the trade.

Traders treat everyone courteously and avoid fights, but must be ready for those who would rob them. In town they carry only small concealed weapons so as not to signal valuable cargo; in the wilds they add a larger weapon and always a missile weapon, usually a longbow or light crossbow. They fight to disable, since corpses are bad for business: 75% of their slashing and piercing weapons are coated with a paralytic that incapacitates for 1d12 rounds on a failed save vs. poison. They wear leather (AC 8) and use the skills of a 3rd-level thief, attacking on the thieves' table.

Though each house has its own rules, most require traders to renounce city citizenship, treat the house as family and swear allegiance; to deal honestly in the house's interest; to obey local laws and keep trouble from the house's door; and to work with fellow merchants, rival houses included, while making anyone who wrongs a merchant pay dearly. Breaking the code can mean expulsion. They trade fairly with every intelligent race, humans, dwarves, elves, half-giants, halflings, mantis warriors and gethrak alike, and never pass up a profit. In poor villages they may accept food, lodging or a future safe haven as payment, reasoning that favors repay themselves in time.

The arena is the desert world's favorite entertainment. Gladiators may be slaves, purpose-bred fighters or volunteers, and survivors live in comfort far above the common lot, yet many veterans grow bored or disgusted by pointless slaughter and escape seeking a higher purpose. Many end up as key figures in slave tribes and villages.

Trained in every facet of combat, no weapon gives them a penalty, favor two arena weapons, and attack at +1 with them. Unarmed, they gain +4 to punching and wrestling rolls, which they may apply up or down after rolling. A dirty trick, such as sand in the eyes or a faked wound, works if the foe fails a Wisdom check at -2, granting the gladiator +1 on one of initiative, attack or damage, or imposing -1 on the foe's; each further trick on the same target gives the victim a cumulative +2 to the check.

On a 1d20 result of 10 or under, a gladiator spots a foe's weakness, such as a clumsy style or damaged armor, and for one round can try a called shot at -4 to hit but +1 on initiative, and a hit doubles that round's damage. Most smart opponents then cover the flaw, though the DM may let several gladiators exploit it. Leather and quickness give AC 7, and active dodging improves that by 1. To them fighting is an art; they study every style, drill with new weapons for hours, and admire strategy and tactics.

Nobles own the farmland and water that keep the city-states alive and are easy to spot in silks with an entourage. They loathe fighting and, if forced, defend themselves with a short sword; half possess 3rd-level psionicist powers. Traveling, a noble has 2d6 slave-army bodyguards (3rd-level fighters, leather, long sword and shield, AC 7) led by one sergeant, a 5th-level fighter in chain with shield (AC 5) carrying long sword and light crossbow. They will die defending their master, driven by terror of the consequences should he be hurt.

This hereditary class holds land legitimately, a rare privilege, and may openly read and write. New nobles are almost never created, and only legendary service to the sorcerer tyrant could earn it, though the tyrant might just as easily execute such a person as a threat. Each family sends one member to an advisory council that mostly preserves the status quo, objecting only when a royal decree threatens noble influence; those who oppose the ruler tend to suffer convenient accidents. Because nobles defend the city to protect their own interests, they may keep private slave armies, which the ruler can call up in emergencies and and which often clash with templars or other houses, though never with the tyrant.

Templars are priests of their city's sorcerer tyrant. Like elemental clerics they receive spells for their devotion, but the power comes from the tyrant, draining both ruler and land, so templars are granted fewer spells than other priests.

Unless surprised, they prefer spells that disable, such as charm person or hold person, capturing criminals to be tried and sentenced to the arena for the king's pleasure and their own prestige. All undergo hard physical training first and may use any weapon or armor, though most wear leather (AC 8) and carry short swords (1d6/1d8). A quarter of the time 3d4 soldiers escort them (2 HD, AC 8, one attack for 1-8), commanded by a sergeant (5 HD, AC 5, one attack for 1-8).

City folk fear and hate them. They enforce the king's laws blindly and often unjustly, the most powerful can pursue, arrest, charge and condemn anyone from slave to noble, and they take bribes, with complaints vanishing into bureaucracy. Allowed to read and write themselves, they zealously keep that knowledge from others, seeing it as power that would weaken them if shared.