Tarek

Tareks are massive, hairless, heavily muscled bipeds. Their blocky heads have sloping foreheads, jutting brows, flat flared noses, and domed muzzles crowded with sharp teeth. Their arms are so long that their knuckles scrape the ground, and their musky scent carries up to 15'. At rest they lurch along clumsily, but in battle they move with surprising, almost dancelike grace, a beautiful sight unless you are the target.

They speak their own harsh, guttural tongue and the common trade language of the region, and their voices are as intimidating as their looks.

Tareks are brutal and honor physical might above everything. They never wear armor, trusting tough hides and agility instead. Their strength adds +2 damage with weapons, and their fists alone deal 1d4.

Warriors favor two weapons. The handfork, used both to parry and to slash for 1d6, is usually obsidian, though 10% are iron or steel. The heartpick, typically bone, is a hammer with a flat head on one side and a jagged spike on the other, dealing 1d8.

Their real menace is teamwork. Each tarek attacking the same foe or group improves every participant's THAC0 by 1, so a pair attacks at 18 instead of 19 and a group of five at 14. The bonus vanishes when they split up to fight separate enemies. They are also incredibly tough: a tarek fights on with no penalties until it reaches -10 hit points, and only then dies.

Each band of six has a leader (3 HD, THAC0 18). Groups of 20 or more include a hero (5 HD, THAC0 16), and each tribe answers to a chief (7 HD, THAC0 14). Tareks have psionic powers: in clairsentience, the science true sight and the devotions combat mind, martial trance and psionic sense; in telepathy, the science mind link and the devotions contact, invisibility, mind thrust and psionic crush.

Tarek tribes live in small hill and mountain settlements of the region, supported largely by raiding. Visitors are attacked or driven off unless an elemental cleric is plainly among them. Now and then a tribe sends members to trade with caravans, but experienced merchants are wary, because these traders often serve as bait while a hidden war party closes in.

In the city-state arenas, tareks are favorite gladiators thanks to their teamwork and fury. They often compete as mated pairs, and for special shows up to six may face one gigantic beast from the wastes. One city-state's templars keep its arena stocked with tareks and opponents for a monthly festival.

Tareks loathe all wizardry. They hunt life-draining wizards and even drive off life-respecting wizards who cast spells near their homes. This spills over into hatred of elves, who trade in spell components and love magic; raiders often attack elf tribes that stray near simply because magic is probably close by. Priestly magic, by contrast, earns their deep respect, and they revere the elemental forces as much as their violent nature allows. Yet only earth clerics may live among them. Tareks see themselves as children of the earth, bound to their hills and mountains, and their shamans sing that the tarek is solid and strong as the earth and as plentiful as its soil.

A tarek lives about 50 years, though few creatures on the desert world die of old age. Tareks fight great wars against the gethrak, who want the same lands. Where elves are hated for their magic, the gethrak are seen as an affront to elemental earth, lairing under sacred peaks and fouling them, at least by shamanic teaching. Keeping them out is a sacred duty.

Shamans are always elemental earth clerics, living just outside the village to stay close to nature, which gives them an air of mystery. They counsel chiefs, guide spiritual life, preserve legends, heal the sick, and lead the many ceremonies of tribal life. Most are 2nd to 4th level, the highest reach 6th, and a tribe usually has one and never more than three. A 6th-level shaman is honored as a great holy figure and is found only with the biggest tribes; there is a 50% chance that 2-8 (2d4) lesser shamans are studying with one, and otherwise it works alone or with 1-2 apprentices.

Shamans use only stone or obsidian weapons. From 3rd level up, a shaman can bless one stone weapon a year for the chief or champion, making it magical for one year: +1 at 3rd level, +2 at 4th, +3 at 5th, +4 at 6th. Taken from its intended wielder, it fades back to a plain weapon over 1d6 weeks.