Plainsjan

Plainsjan belong to the same family as gremlins and imps and look much like them: small, devilish beings with pointy, elf-like ears, very sharp teeth and claws large for their size. Their short, sturdy tails help them balance when they climb on taller prey to feed.

Their favorite meal is freshly slain tunnel brute, though they eat other humanoids and creatures too. They only attack when their numbers make victory certain, swarming a target and biting and clawing from as many sides as possible, usually with all three attacks every round.

The bite is mildly intoxicating. A save vs. poison at +1 throws it off; otherwise the victim fights at -1 and loses 1 point each of Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom and Intelligence for 2d4 rounds. These effects stack with each bite, so a fight that drags on grows dangerous fast. Their claw wounds also bleed, causing 1 extra point of damage in each of the next two rounds unless treated at once.

Plainsjan live in close-knit clans of family and friends who hunt and fight as one, and they guard their territory jealously. They favor dry country where water is scarce. Most live near the equator of the scorching innermost planet, but a few have appeared in the deserts of a prime world, carried there by careless starship crews or perhaps by someone's spite. Wherever they spread, they run wild, killing all they can.

Plainsjan are always born in pairs, either one set of identical twins or several. Twins stay together their whole lives, sharing mates and food.