Khaasta

Khaasta somewhat resemble lizard men: scaly humanoids with long, strong tails, blunt reptilian snouts and flaring head crests. Their bright scales form intricate patterns unique to each individual. Unlike their primitive cousins, they wear bronzed plate and carry exotic weapons.

Every khaasta, male or female, considers itself a warrior and is always ready to fight. Scales give AC 5, and the usual bronze breastplate, greaves and half-helm improve that to AC 2. In the same round a khaasta can deliver a nasty bite and swing a big weapon, typically a halberd, greatsword or battle axe, gaining +1 damage from its great Strength. Nearly all are also good archers with composite long bows, mounted or afoot.

They prefer fighting from giant lizards, which grants +1 to hit foes on foot and adds the mount's own attacks, though a mounted khaasta cannot bite.

These raiders, slavers and smugglers trouble the neutral planes and the chaotic ones. They prize only wealth and prestige, and while wealth is simple to gather and show off, their prestige code is a tangled set of rules that rewards treachery, scheming and betrayal. Nothing delights a khaasta more than robbing a powerful foe and living to mock him.

A khaasta's band is its home. Bands roam the planes like caravans, trading or plundering as opportunity allows, and can turn from honest trade to kidnapping, extortion or smuggling in an instant. Lacking any natural ability to cross planes, they rely on portals, conduits and the great planar roads. Each band keeps giant lizards as mounts and pack animals numbering one and a half times its members.

Bands are chaotic and disorderly, run by the strongest amid endless challenges and plots. Since the race once nearly dueled itself out of existence, such disputes are now settled by ritual combat that stops short of death.

Dealing with khaasta is risky but can pay off; they are good sources of information, hired muscle and contraband for anyone who can meet their price and prove, by force, that he is too tough to cheat. Their code holds that the weak are to be robbed, not bargained with, so a khaasta that feels stronger simply grabs. Never trust its promises: the code also demands challenging the strong by any means, so a khaasta that cannot beat someone today will plot an ambush for tomorrow.

With few friends on the planes and often near the bottom of the food chain, khaasta live for today. Nothing is too good for their cookpots, including fellow travelers or locals if they are the easiest meal around.

Parents guard their young closely until age 7-10. A typical band has young equal to half its adults, tending lizards or serving as noncombatant scouts and lookouts, and roughly half the grown warriors stay with the wagons and beasts while the others go raiding or trading.

A band's leader is usually unusually large, strong and cunning, with THAC0 15, Hit Dice anywhere from 4+4 up to 6+6, +3 weapon damage from Strength, and a useful magic item or two for holding onto power.

Bands of at least 15 have a 50% chance of including a wise one, a shaman and counselor to the chieftain who stands outside the challenge code. It casts spells as a 4th-level cleric and is guarded by 2-4 warriors. Wise ones claim no interest in the power struggles, but often secretly steer the chieftains they advise.