Dark Sun Gazetteer v3

Dark Sun Gazetteer

Dark Sun Gazetteer

Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1

Chapter 2: Character Creation ................................................................................................................ 4

Chapter 3: Character Advancement ....................................................................................................... 8

Chapter 4: Healing .................................................................................................................................. 8

Chapter 5: Races of Athas ....................................................................................................................... 9

Chapter 6: Wild Talents......................................................................................................................... 19

Chapter 7: Core Classes......................................................................................................................... 21

Chapter 8: Dark Sun Classes .................................................................................................................. 22

Chapter 9: Backgrounds ........................................................................................................................ 25

Chapter 10: Organisations in Allanak .................................................................................................... 30

Chapter 11: Weapon Styles................................................................................................................... 33

Chapter 12: Equipment ......................................................................................................................... 35

Chapter 1: Introduction This is an introduction to Dark Sun. All of the images are from the TSR Dark Sun books while some of

the text comes from TSR’s Dark Sun books and Wizard of the Coast’s D&D Next playtest. As such

Wizards of the Coast own the copyright to those items. Portions of text are from the online roleplay

intensive game called ArmageddonMUD located at www.armageddon.org and as such are owned by

them. These copyrighted materials are used in good faith with no copyright infringement intended.

Athas Athas is a harsh world where only the fittest survive, and competition over extremely scarce

resources causes constant strife, struggle, and bloodshed. Deserts cover most of the Known World

and the great red sun can bring temperatures as high as 150 degrees during mid-day and as low as

60 degrees at night. Your character will face hardship often, and will probably even be killed. If your

character dies, he or she is dead -- permanently. A new one must be rolled up to continue playing.

The City-State of Allanak Allanak is a large city-state located in the southern portion of the Known World. The city itself is

divided into five main "quarters" -- The Magickers’ Quarter, the Commoners' Quarter, the

Merchants' Quarter, the Nobles' Quarter and the Templars' Quarter. The Magickers’ Quarter is a

ghetto where those born with a connection to one of the elemental planes are permitted to live

when they aren’t doing the bidding of the Highlord. The Merchants' Quarter contains a large bazaar

and various merchant estates within. The Templars' and Nobles' Quarters, located on the south-west

and south-east sides of the city respectively, each contain residences of the city's rulers. Lastly, the

Commoners' Quarter contains houses belonging to the city's common people.

http://www.armageddon.org/

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Life in Allanak The life of an Allanaki citizen is one of strife--expensive and degenerate living conditions, a nearly

omnipotent ruler and His Templars watching your every move. Everyone accepts it though as the

only option is to go out into the terrible wastelands beyond Allanak’s walls where giant lizards,

poisonous insects and worse lurk under every rock and over every sand dune.

Most Allanaki are slaves belonging to the nobles and Templars, and the commoners are usually of

the merchant class or soldiers in Tektolnes’s army. The rest of the population earn their living in less

honest ways.

Templars are His Gloriousness's elite soldiers and spellcasters. Their power comes from Tektolnes

Himself rather than from the elements, more deadly but with few applications aside from destroying

people who pose a threat to Him. Templars basically have the power to do anything they want, and

don't hesitate to use it when threatened, intimidated, or annoyed.

The nobles spend their careers gathering popular support, serving in the senate, or otherwise

advancing the goals of their houses. Nobles are accustomed to a very luxurious lifestyle, far beyond

the means of the commoners. Many commoners may have little idea what a noble's life really

entails, but they know that nobles are simply a better breed than they.

History of Allanak Almost everyone within the Known World is illiterate. The only exceptions are the nobility, Templars

and those few who are born into the Great Merchant Houses. Given this, your average person is

hazy on the details or timeframes for history, but there are some things everyone knows.

Legend has it that at the dawn of time Athas was a fertile land with grass and plants spreading as far

as the eye could see. Then The Dragon came. This creature declared war on all the people that lived

in these lands. The Dragon used powerful magicks, fuelled by the life energy of plants, animals and

even people, leaving nothing but ash in its wake. By the time the Dragon was finished, the land was a

wasteland and everyone was either dead or enslaved by The Dragon.

After some time, The Dragon left, leaving Dragonthralls to act as rulers in his place. These

Dragonthralls were powerful people who had learned the terrible defiling magicks of The Dragon.

For generation after generation these Dragonthralls ruled the Known World. Until one day, the

Highlord Tektolnes rose to power.

Uniting the southern tribes, he led a warband against the Dragonthralls, defeating them and freeing

his slaves. The people repaid the Sun King by building him a city. The City-State of Allanak. Tektolnes

continued his war against the other Dragonthralls, ridding the world of them once and for all. When

Tektolnes returned to the southern deserts to rule over his people, false kings clawed their way from

the ashes and built cities of their own. These false kings angered Tektolnes. But he allowed them to

rule over these far off lands as they were too far away for Tektolnes to try to rule.

And so for generation after generation the people of Allanak have lived in the city, protected by the

Highlord from the beasts of the desert, from elves who would rob everyone of their goods and

worse threats that lurk just beyond the city’s walls.

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Magick in Athas Wizards are known as defilers. They are people who draw energy from plants and people, turning

them to ash in the process. Once filled with this energy, defilers are able to unleash it in the form of

terrible spells.

There are few laws which are universal in Athas, however the law that condemns all defilers to death

upon first sight is one of them. Even elven tribes outlaw such magick, condemning those who

practice it to death. If they can be killed.

In contrast elementalists are permitted to exist within Allanak so long as they register their abilities

with the Templarate. Once registered, they are permitted to use their abilities whenever they so

desire. As long as they do it within the confines of the Magickers’ Quarter. Despite elementalists

being permitted by the law, commoners still fear and despise them, dubbing these people and their

Quarter magickers. Commoners will even turn on their own parents or children, forcing them out of

home and into the Magickers’ Quarter where they remain for the rest of their lives.

There are six elemental planes, which are:

Suk-Krath: The plane of fire that also shares the

same name as the sun.

Ruk: The plane of stone.

Vivadu: The plane of water.

Whira: The plane of wind.

Drov: The plane of shadows

Elkros: The plane of electricity.

In addition there are Nilazi. Nilazi are said to have a

connection to the Void Plane, a plane where nothing

exists. This plane is poorly understood and is the only

type of elementalist that isn’t welcome in the Magickers’

Quarter. Although technically they are permitted under

the law, the other elementalists will quickly try to kill the

Nilazi and the templarate rarely intervene.

In order to be easily identified, elementalists are forced

to wear a dull green gem around their neck. It is believed

these gems somehow allow the Allanak Templarate to

control the magickers, which makes them viewed with

great suspicion in other city-states.

Metal Metal is extremely rare in Athas with obsidian being

used as both a coin and a weapon material.

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Ability Score

Modifier Ability Score

Modifier

1 -5 12-13 +1

2-3 -4 14-15 +2

4-5 -3 16-17 +3

6-7 -2 18-19 +4

8-9 -1 20 +5

10-11 0

Chapter 2: Character Creation This campaign uses the playtest rules for D&D Next.

Ability Scores Ability scores are determined by rolling 4d6, discarding

the lowest die and then adding the rest together. Do

this 6 times and then assign those numbers to the

ability score of your choice. If the total value of your

ability score modifiers doesn’t equal at least +1 with at

least one stat equal to 13 or higher, discard these

scores and start again. Athas is a harsh world and such

a character would have died very early in their

childhood.

Races Select 1 race. The possible races are:

Dwarves

City Elves

Desert Elves

Gith (must choose the gladiator background)

Half-Elves

Half-Giants

Halflings (must choose the gladiator background)

Humans

Muls

Thri-Kreen

These races are detailed in Chapter 5 as the races of Athas differ quite a bit from standard fantasy

settings.

Wild Talents Every character begins the game with 1 psionic ability. Some, such as psions and thri-kreen, have

more than one ability that they gain through either their race or class. Roll 1d10 and consult the

table below. Further details on these wild talents can be found in Chapter 6 after the races.

Result Wild Talent

1 Attraction

2 Barrier

3 Contact

4 Danger Sense

5 Heightened Listening

6 Heightened Smell

7 Mind Over Body

8 Know Direction

9 Object Reading

10 Retrospection

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Classes Select 1 class to begin with at level 1. The possible classes you can choose are:

Athasian Ranger

Barbarian

Cleric (Templar)

Elementalist

Fighter

Rogue

Psion

For further details on what options for each class are available see Chapter 7 and 8.

Backgrounds Select 1 background. Only backgrounds detailed in this document are permitted. You’ll find them in

greater detail after the classes in Chapter 9.

Note: All characters must have lived in Allanak their whole lives for this campaign. Future campaigns

will allow for greater background choices.

Skills You gain training in 4 skills from the table below. Each background has suggestions on which skills to

take.

Skill Associated Attribute Description

Administer First Aid Wisdom Trying to stabilise a dying creature or quickly diagnosing a common illness that is afflicting them.

Balance Dexterity Attempting to keep your footing on a narrow or slippery surface.

Bluff Charisma Attempting to deceive someone either through words or actions.

Break an Object Strength Breaking an object such as a door or rope that has you bound.

Climb Strength Moving up a cliff or wall and hanging on despite any attempts to knock you off.

Conceal an Object Dexterity Attempting to planting an object on someone, retrieve an item without being seen or hiding an object without being seen.

Craft Intelligence Creating items and recalling information related to a particular craft.

Drive Dexterity To control a wagon or carriage.

Gather Rumours Charisma Trying to find information from people.

Handle an Animal Wisdom Keeping an animal calm or trying to get them to do something.

Intimidate Varies Trying to influence someone through overt threats, hostile actions and physical violence.

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Jump Strength Attempting to jump a long or high distance or perform a stunt midway through a jump.

Listen Wisdom Trying to hear something in the distance or eavesdrop on a conversation.

Perform Charisma Performing for an audience with either music, dance, acting, storytelling or some other form of entertainment.

Persuade Charisma Attempting to convince someone through reason, tact or social grace.

Recall Cultural Lore Intelligence Remembering information about different cultures and their customs and laws.

Recall Forbidden Lore Intelligence Remembering information about defilers.

Recall Historical Lore Intelligence Remembering information from long ago.

Recall Military Lore Intelligence Remembering information about battles, weaponry, fortifications and tactics.

Recall Natural Lore Intelligence Remembering information about terrain, plants, animals and weather.

Recall Planar Lore Intelligence Remembering information about magick and the various planes.

Recall Political Lore Intelligence Remembers information about the numerous Noble and Merchant Houses.

Ride Dexterity Attempting to stay atop a mount in difficult circumstances.

Search Intelligence Looking for clues that point to a hidden object, such as a trap, secret door or hints of a creature’s passage through an area.

Sense Motive Wisdom Attempting to determine the true intentions of another person such as determining if they’re lying or attempting to guess what they’ll do next.

Sneak Dexterity Attempting to move without being spotted.

Spot Wisdom Seeing something that is obscured, easy to miss or a creature that is trying to hide from you.

Tumble Dexterity Performing an acrobatic stunt such as dives, rolls, somesaults or flips.

When you gain training in a skill you get a +4 bonus to that skill. When you level you get the option

of Further Skill Training. You can either increase your bonus to a currently trained skill by +1 or you

can get a +4 bonus in a new skill.

Feats You may choose any feat as long as you meet the pre-requisites. Certain feats aren’t legal due to

flavourful reasons. Those feats are:

Arcane Dabbler

Find Familiar

Herbalism

Magical Rejuvenation

Restore Life

Use Magic Device

Furthermore the following feats have been modified as follows:

Healing Initiate: has the additional prerequisite requiring that you be able to cast at least

one spell from the cleric’s spell list.

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Languages Below is a table that lists which languages each race starts with knowing.

Race Languages

Athasian Dwarf Sirihish and Mirrukim

City Elf Allundean and Sirihish

Desert Elf Allundean and either Sirihish or Bendune

Gith Heshrak and either Allundean, Sirihish or Bendune

Athasian Half-Elf Allundean and either Sirihish or Bendune

Half-Giant Sirihish

Grey Forest Halfling Kentu and one other racial language except Nrizkt

Human Sirihish

Mul Sirihish and Mirrukim

Thri-kreen Nrizkt and either Allundean, Sirihish or Bendune

Sirihish is the common language in each of the City-States, while Bendune is the tribal tongue

spoken by most nomadic humans. The other languages listed are racial languages spoken by

members of that particular race. Most races can learn each other’s language, except for Nrizkt. Only

Thri-kreen possess the appropriate anatomy to speak this language.

There are are additional restricted languages. These are Cavilish which is the merchant tongue,

spoken only by members of the Great Merchant Houses. The other secret language is Tatlum which

is believed to be the language spoken before the coming of the Highlord Tektolnes. In modern times

only Templars are able to speak this language.

Equipment You start 1st level with 400 ‘sid.

Hit Points At 1st level you receive the maximum number of hit points.

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Chapter 3: Character Advancement Below is a table that represents how much XP is required to advance to each level and what is

gained at that level.

XP Level Benefit

0 1 Race, Background, Feat, Skills

250 2 -

950 3 Feat

2,250 4 +1 to two ability scores

4,750 5 -

9,500 6 Feat

16,000 7 Further Skill Training


38,000 9 Feat

56,000 10 -

77,000 11 -

96,000 12 +1 to two ability scores, Further Skill Training

120,000 13 -

150,000 14 -

190,000 15 -


280,000 17 Further Skill Training

330,000 18 -

390,000 19 -


At each level after 1st, you can determine your hit points by either rolling or taking the average of the

dice (half the maximum value, rounding up). If you roll, always reroll a 1.

When you gain further skill training you can either increase your bonus to a currently trained skill by

+1 or you can get a +4 bonus in a new skill.

Chapter 4: Healing At each level you gain hit dice. The type of hit die you gain is determined by your class. After a 10

minute rest you may spend hit dice by rolling them and regaining that many hit points. Once a hit

dice has been used it is spent until you complete an 8 hour rest. You may only regain your hit dice in

this manner once in a 24 hour period.

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Chapter 5: Races of Athas

Athasian Dwarven Stats +1 Constitution, +1 Strength: Dwarves are strong and

sturdy.

Speed: 25 feet. They aren’t slowed from carrying a

heavy load or wearing heavy armour they’re proficient

with.

Dwarven Resilience: Dwarves have advantage on

saving throws against poison and are resistant to

poison.

Dwarven Resistance: Dwarves are resistant to magick.

They only take half the damage to their Hit Points

from spells and only heal half the damage to their Hit

Points from spells.

Dwarven Focus: Due to their focused nature, dwarves

gain training in 1 bonus skill and always have advantage when making a checks related to that skill.

Languages: Mirrukim and Sirihish.

Dwarven Physical Appearance

Uniformly a short and stocky lot, dwarves possess heights of endurance often unattainable by other

races. Physically, dwarves stand between 52 and 58 inches in height and are nearly as thick across

the shoulders as they are tall. All Athasian dwarves are completely hairless, with slightly pointed ears

and great masses of muscle.

Dwarves in Allanak

Although something of a minority in population, the dwarven nature is well known among all races.

They universally live within the human controlled city-states as either commoners or slaves.

Although dwarves can fill a number of roles in the Allanak ranging from mercenaries to independent

merchants or even crafters, they are never employed by either the city militia or the noble houses.

Dwarven Focus

A dwarven focus is something that a dwarf becomes fixated on by the time they become an adult. It

is a goal they will never abandon and strive to achieve their whole life. A dwarf may do things

unrelated to the focus - but it will always be at the back of their head, nagging them. A dwarf will

never do something contrary to their focus, ever. A dwarf likely does not refer to their focus in terms

of "this is my focus." To them, it is entirely natural to want to complete this goal, just like breathing

or eating.

Given that a dwarf’s focus is the overwhelming nature of their life, should a dwarf achieve their

focus it is likely they will become fixated on a new focus directly related to the previous one. In this

way a dwarf can appear to pursue a single goal their entire life to an outsider. It takes someone that

knows the dwarf very well to realise how their goals have been achieved over the years.

Dwarven Aging

The average life expectancy of a dwarf is 100 years. They’re considered adults at 26.

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Elves

City Elven Stats

+1 Charisma, +1 Wisdom: City elves are born liars adept at bargaining their way out of trouble.

They’re also good at spotting other creatures’ belongings.

Low-Light Vision: If there is no light within 30 feet of an elf, they treat shadows in that radius as

normal light, and they treat darkness in that radius as shadows.

Speed: 30 feet.

Keen Senses: City elves have advantage on all checks to listen and spot.

Distrustful: Naturally distrusting of outsiders, city elves are immune to charm effects and others

have disadvantage when attempting to persuade, lie or intimidate an elf.

Child of the Streets: City elves can never get lost while in a city they’re familiar with and have

advantage when trying to sneak in a city.

Languages: Elves begin play speaking Allundean and Sirihish.

Desert Elven Stats

+1 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom: Desert elves are nimble.

Low-Light Vision: If there is no light within 30 feet of an elf, they treat shadows in that radius as


Fast: Desert elves have a base speed of 35 feet.

Keen Senses: City elves have advantage on all checks to listen and spot.

Distrustful: Naturally distrusting of outsiders, desert elves are immune to charm effects and have

others have disadvantage when attempting to persuade, lie or intimidate an elf.

Child of the Sands: Desert elves have advantage on all checks to sneak and and obscure their tracks.

Languages: Desert elves begin play speaking Allundean and either Sirihish or Bendune.

Elven Physical Appearance

All elves stand between around 75 and 96 inches in height and tend to have slim, light frames. Elvish

features tend to have less variation than do human features, but a large range does indeed exist:

skin color usually falls in the dark, dusky browns to pale cream-colors; hair is typically darker but

shares a similar range of hues. Eye colour among elves, however, is a matter of extraordinary

variability. Elven ears are always pointed, and the shape of the eyes is always that of an almond.

Elves in Allanak

Elves are universally considered thieves, a reputation they not only deserve but are proud of. Were

they not the most populous race in Athas (by a very small margin) they would most likely be

banished from the city-states. As it is, they are shunned from polite society, but allowed to live there

nonetheless.

Most elves live in the wastelands, coming to the City-States only to ply their trade. Whether that

trade be dealing in goods or attempting to trick people out of their coin. Some elves actually make

their home within a city-state. Often these degenerate souls are more often than not the remnants

of a tribe that fell to the many dangers of Athas. Some elves are slaved, but aren’t highly valued. due

to their unreliability. Elves in this campaign must have lived in Allanak all their lives.

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Tribal Nature

Elves, all elves, are deathly loyal to their tribe, if they should belong to one. You can almost attribute

a sort of 'hive mind' to elves, in that most of them consider the welfare of their tribe above their

own personal welfare. An elf would tell you that they would give up their own life without hesitation

to protect or serve their tribe. Not all of them have that much willpower, but all of them wish they

did, and certainly all of them will claim they do.

Elves also naturally trust their tribemates. They know that every elf in their tribe feels the same

loyalty they do - so they have a strong ingrained trust and even reliance upon all of their kin. To act

in a harmful way against a tribemate is an unthinkable act in an elven tribe. As a general rule, a

harmful act against a tribemate would be one that betrays them to an outsider - this would be the

ultimate crime among elves. Sometimes harmful acts occur entirely within the structure of the tribe

which are important for the strength of the tribe as a whole - these are not truly harmful, to an elf.

Finally, all elven tribes have an "us and them" philosophy of the world. As elf sees their tribemates as

being essential to their self-image - they are part of a tribe more than they are an individual.

Similarly, elves see anyone not of their tribe as being a complete outsider. This extends even to

other elves and other elven tribes. There is no reason why an elf would feel any closer to an elf from

another tribe than they would to a human or dwarf. Indeed, elven tribes war among each other as

much, or more, than they war with other races.

Individual elves may provide outsiders tests to gain their trust and loyalty. These tests are dangerous

for both the elf and the outsider as the elf places themselves in more and more vulnerable situations

to see if the outsider takes advantage of them. All elves assume outsiders will always take advantage

of them; they would if given the chance, and so rarely perform these tests.

Elven Culture

There are two ideas that are true in all elven tribes. An elf would rather die than ride on a mount and

all elves highly respect thievery. In elven culture, a gifted thief is given the same respect as a gifted

artisan would be given in a human culture. In this sense, robbery is considered a precious skill among

elves - it is something to be cultivated, something to hope your children possess, something which

you yourself strive after, and the reason you look up to those more gifted than you. A clever

pickpocket is indeed a fine example of an elven thief - but there is so much more to the art.

Con-artists of any sort are thieves. Muggers are thieves, albeit less subtle ones. Even traders are

thieves - indeed, many elves consider trading to just being a sophisticated form of theft. This makes

many elves become merchants, but they tend to be the least scrupulous merchants around.

The only person an elf wouldn’t steal from is a tribemate. To do so would be to betray the tribe.

Elven Aging

The average life expectancy of an elf is 92 years. They’re considered adults at 24.

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Gith Stats +1 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom: Gith are quite agile and are good at spotting things.

Speed: Gith have a base speed of 30 feet.

Low Light Vision: If there is no light within 30 feet of a gith, they treat shadows in that radius as


Gith Weapon Training: Gith are proficient in improvised weapons, dealing either 1d4 with one

handed weapons or 1d6 for two handed weapons and retain their attack bonus.

Gith Toughness: Somewhat more hardy then elves, Gith increase all their Hit Dice by one step. At

first level they get 1 extra hit point.

Born Foragers: Gith have advantage on all spot and search checks.

Languages: Gith begin play speaking Heshrak and either Allundean, Sirihish or Bendune.

Gith Physical Appearance

Gith are a race of hunched-over humanoids which are apparently descended from elves. Any such

evolutionary branching assuredly occurred sometime in the very distant past, for there are few

similarities between them save their long-limbed frame and great height. Gith skin is yellow to dark

brown, rough and perhaps a little scaly as though some reptilian anscestry may exist. Average height

is approximately 84 inches, with weight similar to that of elves. Eye colour is typically black and dark

brown.

Gith in Allanak

Relegated to the wastelands, gith are not tolerated within the city-states. As such all gith within

Allanak were either captured in a raid or born into slavery. They live short lives in either the obsidian

mines or in the arena as gladiators. Gith in this campaign must have lived in Allanak all their lives.

Gith Culture

Gith society is highly tribal, much like nomadic elves. However, gith tribal culture is extremely

ritualistic and sometimes cruel. Symbolism, tradition, and attention to correct processes marks gith

society apart from others (with the possible exception of thri-kreen culture, from whom the gith may

have learned). Tests of merit by combat are common among gith, but other measures such as ritual

performance are also frequently used to settle disputes. For example, as there is no gain from

fighting an obviously weaker tribesman, the stronger gith may just as easily demand a contest of

storytelling or a fire-ritual

judged by peers.

Aging

The average life expectancy

of a gith is 45 years. They’re

considered adults at 13.

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Half-Giant Stats +1 Strength, +1 Constitution: Half-Giants are

large and powerful.

Speed: Half-Giants have a 30 foot base speed.

Slow Witted: Often too stupid to understand

when to be afraid, half-giants are immune to

effects that would make them frightened.

Keen Senses: Keenly aware of those around

them, half-giants are trained in the Spot and

Listen skills.

Half-Giant Weapon Training: When wielding a

heavy weapon deal 1d12 damage instead of

1d10. Greatswords also 2d6 damage instead.

Armour Mastery: While wearing medium or

heavy armour they gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Languages: Half-Giants begin play speaking

Sirihish.

Half-Giant’s Physical Appearance

Half-giants appear much like a human, but with

highly exaggerated features, and with skin tones

which sometimes go into the reds. Half-giants

stand between 120 and 150 inches tall. Due to

their large size, half-giants must drink twice as

much as other races and eat four times as much.

Half-Giant Culture

Half-giants have no culture to speak of.

Suffering from great difficulty in formulating

original ideas, half-giants very willingly adopt

the customs of those nearby. They will do their

best to emulate a particular person in the best

way they know how. However if the half-giant

leaves that person’s presence for long, they

start emulating someone else. Given this, half-

giants are able to switch their loyalties very quickly, and some races (such as elves) find this to be

intolerable.

Half-Giants in Allanak

Technically half-giants aren’t normally slaves under the law. A half-giant that’s killed someone

powerful might be sent to the obsidian mines to mollify the family. But most people don’t see the

point in owning a half-giant. They’re quite loyal and easily fooled. Most Half-Giants work for either

one of the Great Merchant Houses, the Allanak militia or a noble family as soldiers and guards.

Aging

The average life expectancy of a half-giant is 82 years. They’re considered adults at 21.

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Half-Elf Stats +1 to two ability scores: The half-elf’s human half makes them quite versatile.

Low-Light Vision: If there is no light within 30 feet of the half-elf, they treat shadows in that radius

as normal light, and they treat darkness in that radius as shadows.

Speed: 30 feet.

Keen Senses: Half-Elves have advantage on all checks to listen and spot.

Reckless Abandonment: Eager to please anyone, half-elves often take foolish risks, but somehow

manage to survive them. When they roll a natural 1 on an attack, ability check or saving throw, they

can reroll but must take the new result.

Stubborn: Half-elves are immune to effects that would make them frightened as they doggedly go

about their current course of action with no regard for their safety.

Languages: Half-Elves begin play speaking Allundean and Sirihish.

Half-Elves’ Physical Appearance

Born of mixed elvish and human parentage, half-elves share many of the traits of both races. Tall,

between 70 and 82 inches in height, and possessed of deeply etched features, half-elves resemble

their elven parents. On the other hand, half-elves are bulkier and somewhat more durable than

elves, and so resemble their human parents. Regardless of these attributes, however, half-elves can

virtually always pass for either humans or elves, and share the skin tones and hair-and-eye colours of

both parents.

Half-Elven Culture

Born from either a disgusting and unnatural union between an elf and a human, or as a result of an

assault, half-elves are reviled by all, considered untrustworthy thieves by humans and weak and

tribeless by elves. As a result all half-elves have a strong need for acceptance as they seek to find

somewhere in the world where they belong.

Half-elves will often do anything to gain attention such as buying drinks, lying or taking great risks to

draw attention to themselves. They’ll take whatever traits belong to the culture they’re seeking to

gain acceptance in and go out of their way to prove they can hate elves or steal from others just as

well as anyone else. These attempts are quite transparent and so rarely work in actually gaining

acceptance for the half-elf.

If anyone should actually show some degree of kindness or acceptance to an elf, they’ll immediately

become distrustful expecting that they’re the butt of a joke or that the person is trying to swindle

them somehow. They’ll scorn the person and immediately turn on them, thinking the person views

them as weak and pitiful. They’ll go out of their way to then prove they don’t need anyone else and

that they can survive just fine on their own.

Half-Elves in Allanak

If a half-elf’s mother is human, it’s likely that their mother is a native to Allanak. Half-elves whose

mother are an elf could either be born to a city elf or a desert elf who abandoned their child in the

streets of Allanak at an early age.

Aging

The average life expectancy of a half-elf is 78 years. They’re considered adults at 20.

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Grey Forest Halfling Stats +1 Dexterity, +1 Consitution: Halflings are quite nimble

and hardy.

Speed: Halflings have a base speed of 25 feet.

Eat Anything: A Halfling can eat the leftovers of a

creature after it’s been skinned and get enough meat for

1 day and two quarts worth of water. A Halfling can also

eat uncooked meat without ill effect.

Halfling Nimbleness: You can move through the space of

hostile creatures that are larger than you.

Naturally Stealthy: Halflings can hide behind creatures

that are larger than them.

Reckless Abandonment: Halflings have little disregard for

themselves and so often succeed where others would fail. When they roll a natural 1 on an attack,

ability check or saving throw, they can reroll but must take the new result.

Languages: Halflings begin play speaking Kentu and one other bonus language.

Halfling’s Physical Appearance

Halflings can often be mistaken as children of other races at first glance. Standing between 36 and

44 inches in height, halflings are indeed the smallest of the humanoids. Skin and eye colour among

halflings tends to vary between a pale cream and a muddy brown, although other colourations are

not uncommon: pale blue, greenish, or coppery skin can all be found. Halflings are virtually hairless

except for the typical unruly mane of hair which tops their heads.

Halfling Culture

Native to the Crescent Forest, halfling culture is extremely different than the societies of elves,

dwarves, and men. Among the attributes stressed in halfling society are tolerance, learning and an

oneness with nature. Aggressiveness, a desire to steal, or a will to deceive would be foreign qualities

to a typical halfling. While seemingly an eminently desirable race to befriend, there are several

aspects of halfling life which set them forever apart from other races. Foremost, halflings are

extremely carnivorous and will readily consume nearly any freshly killed creature--a practice which

tends to turn the stomach of others. However if that wasn’t enough, halflings don’t differentiate

between intelligent and unintelligent animals and see them all as sources of food.

By the standards of other races, halflings are a backward and savage people (not to mention

dangerous). Not only do they lack anything but the most basic ability to create equipment, they have

no understanding of the concept of trade.

Halflings in Allanak

Halflings are killed on sight when within the human controlled city-states. As such all halflings in

Allanak are kept as slaves. They are trained to fight in the city’s arena as gladiators where they lead

short, but brutal lives.

Aging

The average life expectancy of a halfling that doesn’t fight in the arena is 120 years. They’re

considered adults at 31.

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Human Stats +1 to all ability scores: Humans are much less specialised than other races.

Speed: Humans have a base speed of 30 feet.

Languages: Humans begin play speaking Sirihish.

Human Physical Appearance Most humans stand between 68 and 78 inches in height and vary tremendously in skin and eye

colour (hair colour tends to range between light blond to black, but peculiar variations on even this

feature are entirely possible). Eons of life on Athas has warped the human appearance enough so

that physical anomalies are somewhat commonplace: webbed fingers or toes, hairlessness, pointed

ears, long or short limbs, or skin tones in the faint blues or greys are all possible mutations upon the

human form. It is said in Allanak that such people are descendants of the mutants who followed the

Sun King over the northern mountains. Somehow though, that doesn’t seem to grant them respect

or acceptance within society.

Humans in Allanak Humans are the most predominant race in Allanak. They are either natives to the city-state or

they’re travellers from the wastelands. They could either be people born in another city-state or a

member of a tribe that lives within the harsh conditions of the desert itself. In this campaign PC

humans must either have lived in Allanak all their life or be from one of the local tribes.

Those native to Allanak could either be a slave, a commoner, a gemmed magicker, a member of a

Great Merchant House, a noble or a Templar. These organisations are detailed later in this

document.

Aging The average life expectancy of a human is 68 years. They’re considered an adult at 18.

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Mul Stats +1 to two ability scores: The mul's human half makes them

quite versatile.

Speed: Muls have a 30 foot base speed.

Born to Fight: Muls have advantage on recall military lore and

intimidate.

Fearless: Muls are immune to becoming fightened.

Beserker: Muls can continue fighting even when they drop

below 0 hit points. Each time they take damage that causes

them to be in negative hit points they can choose to fall

unconscious or continue fighting. If they continue fighting they

must make a wisdom save equal to 5 + the damage they took.

On a failed save they go into a homicidal rage and for 1 minute

will attack the closest creature.

Mul’s Physical Appearance Physically, muls bear most of the bulk of their dwarven parent,

being extremely strong and rugged. Most of the height and

cunning of their human ancestry is preserved as well--from a

purely intellectual point of view, a much better product than

half-giants. Mulish ears are always pointed, and muls never

grow hair. Skin tones are widely varied, from light tan to

copper to greys and even blues to dark browns. Usually, a

mul's eyes are slanted. Muls are slightly shorter than humans.

Mul Culture Being sterile, and thus outside of the typical chain of reproduction, muls often suffer from a sense of

meaninglessness. This is compounded when they learn (often too young) that they were born as a

tool or bargaining chip. This tends to make many muls into angry people, full of distrust and hate.

Muls in Allanak Muls are sterile crossbreeds of dwarves and men, bred solely by House Borsail for combat in the

arenas of Allanak. It is quite likely that muls did not exist prior to the founding of Allanak, when the

earliest known experimentation of this nature was recorded.

Muls are always slaves and are usually gladiators. Some nobles and merchants are brave enough to

keep them as personal bodyguards, sometimes with disastrous results. Muls who prove themselves

in the arena as not only powerful warriors, but brilliant tacticians are sometimes taken into the

Nakkie militia as Captains. Although technically slaves of the templarate, they command a unit and

are given great latitude in the training of their men.

Mul Aging The average life expectancy of a mul is 60 years. They’re considered an adult at 15.

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Thri-Kreen Stats +1 Dexterity, +1 Strength: Due to their insectoid nature, thri-kreen are quite

agile and strong.

Speed: 30 feet.

Low-Light Vision: If there is no light within 30 feet of a thri-kreen, they treat

shadows in that radius as normal light, and they treat darkness in that radius as

shadows.

Extra Arms: Thri-kreen have four arms and can use these extra hands to hold

different items such as a weapon, shield or parrying dagger.

Hive Mind: Thri-Kreen have a greater psionic connection then other races. By

spending a week in close proximity to other creatures it can establish a

connection that allows the group to communicate with each other

telepathically when within a range of 100 feet of the thri-kreen. The other

creatures have to be willing to accept this psionic connection for it to work.

Insect Biology: Thri-kreen can survive on 1 pint of water a day. This cannot be lessened by being in

the shade during the day. Furthermore thri-kreen are incapable of sleep.

Languages: Thri-kreen begin play speaking Nrizkt and either Allundean, Sirihish or Bendune.

Thri-Kreen’s Physical Appearance Thri-Kreen are hulking insectoids who generally stand about 85 inches in height at the shoulder (they

are nearly 48 inches longer than they are tall). They are six-limbed exoskeletal creatures, covered by

a hard, sandy yellow-to-ruddy brown carapace. Their heads are wedgelike, with two black

compound eyes on either side and a laterally-working jaw at the front. Two antennae grow from

between their eyes, and serve as aids to movement when in darkness.

Thri-kreen Culture Thri-kreen are utterly foreign in manner and thinking to all other intelligent races. The single thought

which dominates the mind of a thri-kreen is the hunt for food. Active all day and night, thri-kreen

travel with their packs (or clutches) endlessly, searching for prey, killing, and eating. The pack-

mentality is so strong within thri-kreen that they act as one, losing all independent thought. Thri-

kreen regard most other races as lazy (because of their sleeping habits) and have great difficulty

distinguishing the non-insectoid races. As such wild thri-kreen will often hunt down and eat the

intelligent races for food. Among some thri-kreen clutches elven meat is considered a great treat.

A strictly carnivorous species, thri-kreen can only eat freshly killed meat. Thri-kreen refrain from

hunting when they approach other races to trade, lest they accidentally kill the creatures they wish

to trade with. Thri-kreen do not normally craft goods, they instead with other races for such items.

Thri-kreen in Allanak Thri-kreen do come to the city to trade, and might even stay there if they are without a pack. They

recognise that as a single creature they are vulnerable and will often hire on as a guard in a

merchant’s caravan until they find a new pack to run with. Thri-kreen are also kept as gladiators in

the arena and the Great Merchant Houses even keep some slaves as personal guards.

Thri-kreen Aging The average life expectancy of a thri-kreen is 24 years. They are fully matured at 6.

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Chapter 6: Wild Talents Every character begins the game with a single wild talent. Some characters, such as a psionicist or

thri-kreen, have additional psionic abilities. These are detailed under the race or class that grants

those abilities.

Using wild talents requires a wisdom check with the DC depending on the wild talent. Failure to

make this check results in you taking subdual damage equal to your classes hit die. This represents

the mental strain it takes to use your psionic abilities untrained and doesn’t actually mean you’ve

taken physical damage. If your HP reach 0 it means that you have passed out. Any damage taken this

way can be restored through rest and spending hit die or magick.

Attraction This wild talent helps you in dealing with other people. It is a DC 10 wisdom check to use this ability.

If you succeed you gain advantage on the next roll you make to affect someone’s mood towards you.

Every additional time you use this ability the DC increases by +2. The DC resets to DC 10 after you

have an extended rest.

Barrier This wild talent protects you from psionic attacks. It is a DC 10 wisdom check to erect the barrier

initially which lasts for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes you must make another wisdom check with +1

to the DC or lose the barrier. The DC resets to 10 after you have an extended rest.

If you’re attacked with a psionic attack while you have the barrier running, you and the attacker

must make opposed wisdom checks to see if the attack succeeds (automatically causing you to lose

the barrier). You have advantage on this check.

Contact This ability allows you to communicate psionically with someone else. The table below determines

the DC depending on how far away they are from you:

DC 10: 100 feet

DC 15: 1 mile

DC 20: 18 miles

This contact lasts for 10 minutes during which time you can communicate with them one way. After

10 minutes you must sever the link or make an additional wisdom check with +2 to the base DC. The

DC resets after an extended rest.

Danger Sense This wild talent warns you when danger is coming. When you roll initiative you can make a DC 10

wisdom check to either avoid being surprised or to gain advantage on the initiative roll.

Heightened Hearing This wild talent allows you to overhear other conversations much more easily. When you make a

listen check you can gain advantage be beating a separate DC 10 wisdom check. This DC increases by

+2 every additional time you use it. The DC resets to 10 after an extended rest.

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Heightened Smell This wild talent allows you to track someone by scent. Make a DC 10 wisdom check and you gain the

ability to follow someone based on their scent. This ability lasts for 10 minutes at a time, after which

you must make an additional wisdom check with +2 to the DC before or lose this ability. The DC

resets to 10 after you have an extended rest.

Mind Over Body This wild talent allows you to go without food and water for 24 hours without suffering any negative

effects. The initial wisdom check is a DC 10. Every day you make an additional check without eating

or drinking the DC increases by +1. You cannot attempt to use this ability if you are suffering from

the effects of dehydration or starvation.

Know Direction This wild talent helps you avoid becoming lost. You can imagine a place that you are quite familiar

with and then make a DC 10 wisdom check to work out which direction it is. Every time you make

another check before resting for the day, the DC increases by +2.

Object Reading This allows you to pick up impressions left on an object by its previous owner. Listed below are the

DCs you must meet to get the relevant information. When attempting to gain particular information

you must declare the DC you’re attempting to meet. If you fail this check then you take damage as

normal:

DC 10: Last owner’s race

DC 13: Last owner’s sex.

DC 16: Last owner’s age.

DC 19: How the last owner came to gain the item and how they lost it.

DC 22: All this information about all past owners.

Retrospection This ability allows you to try harder to recollect a lost memory. If you make a DC 10 wisdom check

you can reroll a failed lore check. If you beat the wisdom check by 5 or more you can reroll the failed

lore check with advantage.

Each time you use this ability in a day the DC increases by +2. The DC resets to 10 after an extended

rest.

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Chapter 7: Core Classes There are heavy modifications as to what classes are available and the options available to them.

Below is a detailed list of what is and isn’t available to each class.

Barbarians Often associated with muls, in reality muls are trained heavily to avoid them utilising the tactics

employed by barbarians. Those who fail the training typically become gladiators. Halflings are also

commonly barbarians, although in reality any race can become a barbarian. Most barbarians found

within Allanak are gladiators of one kind or another.

You may select any of the current features available to barbarians. Future abilities that have a strong

supernatural theme may be restricted.

Clerics (Templars) The iron fist with which the Highlord rules Allanak, templars are selected from the ranks of Allanak's

nobles and as such are only available to humans.

To qualify for the cleric class you must be a human and choose the Templar background. It may be

possible to multiclass into a Templar at later levels, but this is extremely unlikely.

Beyond that all options are available as written in the playtest guide. You may co-ordinate with your

DM in determining which domain you may choose.

You can prepare any of the spells on the Cleric’s spell list.

Fighters All races can become fighters, although half-giants are almost always fighters.

You may use any options available to fighters from the playtest.

Rogues City Elves, humans and half-elves make up the bulk of rogues. Although any race can become a

rogue, dwarves aren't typically suited to this calling while half-giants are normally too stupid to get

away with it.

You may use any options available to rogues from the playtest.

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Chapter 8: Dark Sun Classes

Athasian Ranger Able to survive in the wilderness with nothing but a waterskin and their weapons, rangers are highly

sought after by anyone who leaves the safety of the cities. Found amongst any number of races such

as halflings, thri-kreen, elves and even human. Almost anyone can become a ranger.

Creating a Ranger

When you create a character whose first class is ranger, you gain these benefits.

Ability Adjustment: +1 to your Strength, Dexterity or Constitution score. You use Strength or

Dexterity for attacking, and a high Constitution provides extra hit points.

Starting Hit Points: 10 + your Constitution modifier.

Armour and Shield Proficiencies: All armour and shields.

Weapon Proficiencies: All simple and martial weapons.

Class Features

A ranger gains the following class features.

Hit Dice: 1d10 per ranger level.

Hit Points: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per ranger level gained.

Level Weapon Attack Class Features

1 +1 Favoured Enemy, Track

2 +1 Favoured Enemy Benefit

3 +2 -

4 +2 Wary

5 +2 Camouflage, Deadly Strike (roll twice), Multiattack

6 +2 -

7 +2 Desert Stride

8 +3 Favoured Enemy Benefit

9 +3 -

10 +3 Feral Senses, Deadly Strike (roll three times)

11 +3 Combat Surge 1/day

12 +3 -

13 +4 -


15 +4 Deadly Strike (roll four times)

16 +4 -


18 +5 -

19 +5 -

20 +5 Combat Surge 4/day, Deadly Strike (roll five times)

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Level 1: Favoured Enemy

Rangers are hunters, and as a hunter you must know your quarry. The wilderness you travel through

is rife with savages and beasts. You have become particularly skilled at fighting one type of beast.

Benefit: You gain a favoured enemy of your choice. Your choice grants you the relevant benefit at

the specified level.

Savage Hunter

You have faced elves, gith, halflings and thri-kreen that infest the wilderness of Athas. Such savages

rely on numbers to overrun their victims. Thus you have learned how to fight well when

outnumbered.

Savage Lore (1st level): You have advantage on intelligence checks to recall lore about elves, gith,

halflings and thri-kreen.

Pack Awareness (1st level): If you are not surprised at the start of combat, creatures of your choice

within 25 feet of you are also not surprised, provided those creatures are conscious.

Weave through the Fray (2nd level): Opportunity attacks against you have disadvantage.

Whirlwind of Death (8th level): You can use your action to make a special attack. If that attack

reduces your target to 0 hit points or fewer, you can make another attack as part of the same action.

If the attack was a ranged attack then the target must be within 20 feet of the previous target;

otherwise, the next target must be within your reach. If the subsequent attack also reduces the

target to 0 hit points or fewer, you can make a third attack as part of the same action with the same

restrictions as the previous attack.

Behemoth Killer

The land is filled with large creatures that most would be wise to flee from. You, however, are skilled

at facing such challenges head on.

Beastial Lore (1st level): You have advantage on Intelligence checks to recall lore about beasts that

are at least Large in size.

Small Target (1st level): When you are hit by a melee attack from a creature that is at least Large in

size, you can use your reaction to halve the damage.

Slayer of Great Beasts (2nd level): If you damage a creature with an attack but do not reduce it to 0

hit points or fewer, you deal 1d6 extra damage to that creature the next time you deal damage to it

before the end of your next turn.

Avoid Reach (8th level): Creatures that are not within 5 feet of you have disadvantage on melee

attacks against you.

Level 1: Track

You gain Track as a bonus feat.

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Level 4: Wary

You get advantage on Wisdom checks to avoid being surprised.

Level 5: Camouflage

You can spend 1 minute camouflaging yourself, allowing you to hide even without concealment. You

must be outside of a city in order to use this ability. After spending 1 minute, you can hide by placing

yourself flat against a surface that is at least as tall and wide as you are. You are automatically

hidden from all creatures as long as you remain motionless, taking no actions and not moving.

Level 5: Deadly Strike

Once per turn when you roll damage, you roll the damage twice and add the rolls together. At higher

levels you can roll the damage even more times: three times at 10th level, four times at 15th level and

five times at 20th level.

Level 5: Multiattack

Choose either the Volley or Whirlwind attack options.

Volley: As an action you can use a longbow or a shortbow to shoot a volley of arrows. Choose two

creatures that are within 40 feet of each other and make two separate attacks on both. These

attacks cannot benefit from deadly strike.

At certain levels you can make attacks against additional enemies. At 10th level you can target three

creatures within 60 feet of each other. At 15th level you can target four creatures within 80 feet of

each other. At 20th level you can target five creatures within 100 feet of each other.

Whirlwind Attack: As an action you can attack two enemies that are within your reach and make

two two separate attacks on both. These attacks cannot benefit from deadly strike.

At certain levels you can make attacks against additional enemies: at 10th level you can target three

creatures, at 15th level you can target four creatures and at 20th level you can target five creatures.

Level 7: Desert Stride

You are so experienced in moving through the desert that difficult terrain no longer costs extra feet

of movement for you.

Level 10: Feral Senses

Through subtle changes in the ground, your keen sense of smell and your sensitive hearing, you are

able to detect hidden creatures.

Benefit: Being unable to see the target does not impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it.

Additionally, as long as you are conscious and are not defeaned or blinded, you are aware of the

location of any invisible creatures within 25 feet of you, provided the creature isn’t hidden from you.

Level 11: Combat Surge

Once per day you can use a combat surge which allows you to take a second action on your turn.

You cannot take another combat surge until you’ve had an extended rest. At level 14, 17 and 20 the

number of combat surges you can use each day increase by 1. However you can only ever use 1

combat surge per turn.

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Chapter 9: Backgrounds

Allanaki Militia Soldier Prerequisites: Human, Dwarf or Half-Giant.

Suggested Skills: Bluff, Intimidate, Sense Motive, Spot

You applied to join the militia and were accepted. You underwent the basic training and have been

stationed in Allanak ever since. You walk a beat and have quickly learned a few of the local

undesirables, the smart ones give you regular payouts to look the other way while you get to shake

those who aren’t smart enough down for any contraband they might have.

Trait - Known Fences: You know the criminal parts of the city pretty well and have often had to

frequent fences in order to transform the stolen goods you receive into cold hard coin. In cities or

large towns you are quickly able to find a fencer and sell and buy goods that would otherwise be

illegal. Such fences may also be able to put you into contact with shady types for a price.

Bard Suggested Skills: Bluff, Gather Rumours, Recall Cultural Lore, Tumble

You ply the trade of a performer, knowing many tales and songs to entertain people with. However

along the way you’ve picked up quite a bit of information on a number of topics and can also talk

your way out of trouble.

Trait - Researcher: When you attempt to learn or recall a piece of lore, if you do not know that

information, you can spend 1d6 hours when within a large city to find someone who does have that

information.

Blue Robed Templar Prerequisites: Human

Suggested Skills: Diplomacy, Intimidate, Recall Political Lore, Sense Motive

You were born into a noble house of Allanak where you were raised until the age of sixteen. Upon

reaching sixteen years of age a Red Robed Templar met with the leaders of your house, at which

time you were brought forward and informed that you were to be joining the Templarate. You had

to work hard to survive the training but five years of hard service you were finally handed the blue

robes of a Templar where you have served ever since.

Trait - Immediate Obedience: When within lands that recognises you as a member of the military,

you are able to call upon the service of commoners to assist you in minor tasks such as fetching you

an item, delivering a message or watching over a corpse. Furthermore as a Templar you know how

to speak, read and write sirihish and tatlum.

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Caravan guide Suggested Skills: Handle an Animal, Persuade, Sneak, Spot

Caravan Guides are skilled in desert travel and can help deal with the local tribes they come across.

Trait – Trade Routes: When travelling along a trade route you can always find a cave, crevasse or

otherwise sheltered area to rest within a day’s travel. Furthermore as a caravan guide you gain

training in either Allundean, Bendune or Kentu which helps you deal with the local savages.

Commoner Suggested Skills: Craft, Gather Rumours, Persuade, Spot

You worked as a simple farmer, servant or laborer. You find it easy to blend in wherever you go, and

you possess a folksy wisdom that can sometimes help you out of a bad situation.

Trait – Trade: You know a trade or you practice a profession befitting a commoner. Choose a

common trade (such as armourer, cook, furniture maker, grebber, hunter, jeweller, tailor, weapon

crafter) as your profession. You can earn wages to support a standard of living fitting for that

profession. Additionally, others who share your trade recognise your skill and experience and might

be willing to share information with you.

Con Artist Suggested Skills: Bluff, Conceal an Object, Gather Rumours, Sense Motive

With a glib tongue, you’re an expert at taking advantage of people.

Trait – Comfortable Bed: When within a settlement you can find suitable lodging for you and your

friends, often by preying on the lonely and elderly.

Gang Thief Suggested Skills: Balance, Bluff, Search, Sneak

You made a living by stealing as a member of a gang or tribe. The gang is similar to a modern

organized crime syndicate. It exacts protection money from criminals and businesses alike, and uses

its influence to keep the militia happy.

Trait – Thieves’ Cant: Among thieves, there is a secret language, a combination of jargon words and

secret signs that members of the criminal underworld know and use. Creatures hearing you

converse in Thieves’ Cant might think you say one thing when you are actually saying something else

entirely. You have learned the secret language of thieves and can communicate in this manner to

others familiar with this language.

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Gladiator Suggested Skills: Intimidate, Recall Military Lore, Sense Motive, Tumble

You were either born into slavery or captured at a very young age. You were sold into the Arena

where you’ve been most of your life, learning how to fight. You have been trained to go up against

large dangerous beasts from the wilds as well as other slaves or even criminals.

Trait – Fighting Prowess: When in a settlement you are able to earn a small amount of coin using

your fighting skills. You are either able to fight other creatures for sport or train others in how to

fight. After a couple of hours work you gain enough coin to feed you and put you up somewhere

somewhat comfortable to sleep during the night. Additionally soldiers and mercenaries might be

willing to share information with you.

Great Merchant House Family Member Prerequisites: You must be human to take this background.

Suggested Skills: Bluff, Drive, Persuade, Recall Political Lore

A member of one of the Great Merchant Houses, you’ve lived a much easier life than ordinary

commoners. Not only do you know how to read and write cavilish, an ability that is jealously guarded

by all of the Great Merchant Houses, you have access to wagons and are skilled at driving them.

Trait – Connected: You are the member of a powerful House and are able to use your connections to

get you out of any trouble you might find yourself in. Your family can bribe Templars to overlook any

transgressions on your part and also help you if you find yourself short on coin. However such aid

comes at a price and a family member that consistently found themselves calling upon their family

for help might find the senior merchant members feel it’s cheaper to simply provide you with a

dagger in the back then constantly bail you out of whatever trouble you’ve gotten yourself into.

Furthermore as a family member of a Great Merchant House you can speak, read and write in

Cavilish.

Guard Suggested Skills: Intimidate, Listen, Ride, Spot

Whether you guard independent merchants or grebbers (people who forage for stones or other

valuable goods outside of the city) or if you’re a guard for an important noble house, you earn your

coin by protecting people. You’ve become quite adept keeping a lookout for trouble, often spotting

it before your charge is even aware of it.

Trait – Steady Employ: Regardless of whether or not you belong to one of the important Houses,

you can gain steady coin protecting people from the dangers that lurk both inside and outside of the

city walls. Not only do you earn enough coin to see you through each day, you can sometimes turn

to the contacts you make to take advantage of the services or goods they provide.

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Hunter Suggested Skills: Recall Natural Lore, Spot, Survival, Track

At home in the wilderness, you can survive off the land, knowing where to locate enough water and

food for yourself to get by. You can either work for a Merchant House, bringing in much needed

supplies for the wares they make, or operate independently caring for no-one but yourself.

Trait – Survivalist: When given the opportunity to concentrate and reflect, you’re able to identify

the carcass of a freshly killed animal to learn more about it such as what it is and which parts of it

would fetch a good price. You can also identify any poisons or special attacks it has and recall how to

cure these afflictions. In instances where you simply do not know anything about an animal, you do

know where you can go to for more information.

Minor Merchant Suggested Skills: Bluff, Gather Rumors, Ride, Sense Motive.

Not belonging to any of the Major Merchant Houses, you lack the backing or education of a Great

Merchant House family member. Instead your organisation, if you even have one, struggles to

survive on a day to day, always on the verge of being swallowed or taken out by a Great Merchant

House.

Trait – Good Bargain: When spending more than a month in a city, you’re able to sell goods for full

value.

Noble Suggested Skills: Bluff, Persuade, Recall Political Lore, Sense Motive

Born into a noble family, you’ve had a learned upbringing, taught both how to read and write in

sirihish and also taught about a particular area of study. As a noble your above the law, but should

you be too crass or obvious in flaunting the law you’re likely to find yourself sanctioned by your own

family.

Trait – Retainers: You have the service of three loyal retainers to do your bidding. They can perform

mundane tasks for you, but have little fighting capabilities. Should they die, your family is unlikely to

replace them with any haste. Furthermore as a noble you can read and write in sirihish.

Scribe Suggested Skills: Recall Folklore, Recall Historical Lore, Recall Political Lore, Sense Motive

You were either born into slavery or captured at a very young age. Luckily for you, your fate wasn’t

to end up in the obsidian mines but instead to live a life of relative luxury. You could be owned by a

merchant house, the templarate or a noble house.

Trait - Lost in a Crowd: As a slave you are easily overlooked. You are able to slip into crowds quite

easily where you easily go without notice unless you draw attention to yourself. You’re also able to

hide yourself in large groups of slaves with the masters being unaware or the other slaves ratting

you out. Furthmore your training as a scribe allows you to speak, read and write in either sirihish,

tatlum or cavilish.

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Spy Suggested Skills: Bluff, Listen, Search, Sneak

You can learn information that others attempt to keep secret. You collect rumors, whispers, stories,

and hard won evidence. Then you use that knowledge to aid your own endeavors and, when

appropriate, to sell to those willing to pay a premium.

Trait – Contact: You have a contact who acts as your liaison to a network of other spies. You know

how to reach your contact and can typically exchange information you have gathered for

information you seek from your contact.

Thug Suggested Skills: Gather Rumors, Intimidate, Spot, and Use Rope.

Years of being a street tough have given you an aura of menace. Your look communicates a basic

message to those who annoy you: You’d as soon break their knees as receive an apology. Threats

and bullying tactics come easily to you. Your demeanor has landed you jobs with less than reputable

organizations in the past, where you’ve provided both protection and muscle.

Trait – Bad Reputation: No matter where you go, people are afraid of you due to your connections

to the dangerous criminal underworld or your history of violence. When you are in a place of

civilization, you can get away with minor criminal offenses, such as refusing to pay for food at a

tavern or breaking down doors at a local shop, since most people will not report your activity to the

authorities.

Untrained Slave Suggested Skills: Administer First Aid, Climb, Intimidate, Use Rope

You were either a worker in the slave pits, worked in the fields or another labour intensive job. Your

life has been hard and unforgiving with those all around you succumbing to disease and weakness

while you struggled to survive.

Trait - Endurance: You can perform strenuous physical activity, such as forced marching or holding

your breath, for twice as long as normal. In addition, you can carry twice as much as your strength

would allow without being encumbered.

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Chapter 10: Organisations in Allanak

Allanak Militia The boot that keeps people in line, the Allanaki militia are famously corrupt with criminals given the

freedom to ply their trade as long as they pay their due. Led by Templars, nobles who the Highlord

Tektolnes has bestowed great powers, there are very few who are willing to challenge the militia,

lest they earn the wrath of a Templar.

Great Merchant House Inika Founded in the city-state Gulg to the far north, House Inika trades in exotic foods, seasonings,

feathers, wooden furniture and precious gemstones. With holdings in each of the major city-states,

House Inika is able to operate small caravans whose goods yield a high profit.

House Inika’s banner shows a plain gold circle on a black field.

Great Merchant House Salarr Perhaps the largest Merchant House in existence, House Salarr is the premier dealer in arms and

armour in Athas. The House's overall prosperity should come as no surprise, given the level of

physical conflict encountered in the world, and subsequently, the continual demand for armour and

weapons. Whenever war erupts, the coin rolls into House Salarr’s coffers.

House Salarr’s symbol is a pair of crossed black scimitars on a white field.

Great Merchant House Vordon One of the wealthiest Merchant Houses in Athas, House Vordon exclusively trades in iron from the

city-state of Tyr. The only source of metal in the entire Known World, Vordon drives the price of iron

high so that even nobles are conservative with how much they purchase. Although famous for

trading in iron, House Vordon also trades in slaves. Of late it has been buying as many slaves as it can

and transporting them to Tyr.

House Vordon’s symbol is a black diamond on a red-brown field.

Haruch-Kemad The Haruch-Kemad are a tribe of city elves that live within Allanak. Secretive, business-oriented,

subtle and proud, these elves are commonly thought to survive within Allanak’s walls through shady

means. They are best known for their dealings through the black market, and for their ability to

acquire goods from outside Allanak's walls.

House Borsail Ever conscious of their position as the topmost noble House in Allanak, Borsails generally exemplify

the stereotypical noble, arrogant and wealthy. The House's income is derived from their slave

trading, and the Borsail brand on a mul is generally considered a mark of excellent breeding and

training. They have major ties with the templarate, and generally are influential political players.

Borsail's colors are crimson and black; their emblem is two wyverns engaged in battle, biting each

other's tails.

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House Fale Renowned for their entertainments and extravagant festivals, Fales are sociable, giddy creatures,

experts in matters of style, food, wine and spice. They are generally superstitious, or at least fond of

pretending to be so when it amuses them, and dislike magickers of any ilk. The normal Fale reaction

to any crisis situation is to throw a party and hope whatever it is either blows over or goes away.

Nonetheless, due to their popularity with the lower classes, the Fales exert an uncommon amount of

influence.

Fale's colors are purple and green; their emblem is a woman's hand, holding an overbrimming

wineglass, surrounded by a coil of ivy.

House Jal This House oversees much of city maintenance, and was responsible for creating the vast sewage

system beneath Allanak. They also handle water distribution, and the fountain in the Noble's

Quarter is a Jal effort at public relations.

Jal's colors are white and yellow; their emblem is a white triangle.

House Kasix Generally considered imitations of Borsails, this noble House finances itself with slave trade,

particularly the slave labor used to perform city maintenance, a lucrative contract which augments

their Senate stipend.

Kasix's colors are green and black; their emblem is a green jakhal fighting a black snake against a

sand dune

House Oash This noble House, ever conscious of not being the premier House, despite all their pretense to the

contrary, deals primarily with the Merchant Houses. Oash are born politickers and schemers. Their

House nourishes a strong hatred towards elves. Oash are somewhat more accepting of magick than

the other Houses. They are usually on bad terms with the templarate due to their constant

embroilment in various plots.

Oash's colors are azure and black; their emblem is an azure dragon surrounded by five golden coins.

House Rennik The nobles of this House oversee the villages around Allanak and conduct much of the practical

matters involved in foreign affairs. The Rennik greenhouses, filled with exotic plants culled from

across the world, are famous. They often send out trade missions or expeditions to sites outside the

city

Rennik's colors are gold and purple; their emblem is a hawk over a wagon.

House Sath The Sath are scholarly creatures, who conduct much of the City's recordkeeping. Their library is

rumored to rival that of the Templarate.

Sath's colors are black and silver; their emblem is a purse overspilling with coins.

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House Tor Military down to their stiff little toes, the Tors rose from the ranks of Tektolnes’s army. Obsessed

with weapons and matters of martial honor, the Tors participate in the city's defense as well as

attacks on other areas. They are generally unsubtle and given to blunt speeches, though just as

prone to getting involved in political tangles as any other House. They run the Military Academy in

Allanak which teaches the art of warefare to those who can pay.

Tor's colors are red and silver; their emblem is a scorpion, its tail upraised.

House Valika Uncannily good with matters of finance, this noble House is a major player in city-finances as well as

initiating many of the trade laws. Their ties to merchant houses are strong, and it's rumored that

they play some part in determining tax laws as well. Valika tend to be somewhat lower key than

most of the other Houses, preferring to operate behind the scenes.

Valika's colors are green and silver; their emblem is a winged creature hovering between two cacti.

Minor House Kadius As the exclusive trader in silk, House Kadius has managed to withstand the efforts of the Great

Merchant Houses, particularly House Inika, who have sought to wrest the secret away from the

House. Based out of Tuluk to the north-west on the edge of the Grey Forest, Kadius has small

holdings in Allanak, Gulg and Tyr. Despite the high price that silk commands, House Kadius is taxed

quite heavily and has thus far only managed to attain the status of a minor merchant house. As such,

its members do not know the secret reading and writing in cavilish.

Minor House Kurac Based out of Tyr, House Kurac trades in sandcloth. Despite the competition that the nomadic tribes

present House Kurac with, it has managed to establish small holdings in both Allanak and Steinal to

the far east on the other side of the Salt Flats.

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Chapter 11: Weapon Styles Athas is a world full of conflict, and nowhere is this conflict more apparent than in the mortal

combat that happens somewhere in it at any given time. Over the Ages each of the city-states have

developed their own style of fighting. While a particular style is favoured in one city-state, almost

any fighting style can be found in a particular location if you look hard enough.

Allanak Weapon Styles Weapons in Allanak are by and large dependent on obsidian as their principle component. Short and

medium-length cutting blades are the most common types of weapons produced in the region, for

they make best use of the weight and sharp edge-holding property of obsidian. Clubs and axes are

available, but not in so much favor with Allanaki warriors. Both are limited by the availability of

wood for the haft. Similarly, polearms are relatively rare in Allanak, though they can appear in the

armories of large military organizations due to their considerable purchasing power.

With the intense heat of the desert, warriors favour sandcloth and light leathers as heavier armours

increase their water consumption. The one exception to this are large military organisations who

operate exclusively in the city (e.g. the militia or guards who work for the noble houses) as their

water supply is provided by the Highlord.

Allanaki fighting styles typically concentrate on striking quickly and striking often. With the

possibility of an obsidian weapon shattering, most Allanki warriors fight wield two weapons rather

than wielding a weapon in conjunction with a shield. The most common pairing is a larger weapon,

primarily for offense, with a smaller weapon, primarily for defence. If a weapon breaks, the fighter

then still has another weapon ready with which to present a threat to the opponent whilst a

replacement is drawn.

Gulg Weapon Styles Located within the Grey Forest to the far north of Allanak, Gulg weapons tend to be made from

either wood or bone, or a combination thereof. Given the greater robustness of the materials they

use, northern weaponsmiths are far freer to experiment with different forms of weaponry, so there

tends to be a wide variety of weapon types compared to those found in Allanak.

While it is still hot in the north, the bushes and trees of the region afford some shade, as well as

ameliorating the effect of fierce winds. Many Gulgan warriors thus wear heavier armor, constructed

from bone and thick hides. Gulgan armors also tend to be a bit more colorful than their southern

counterparts utilising both paints and feathers. This isn’t solely due to the artistic flair found in Gulg,

as it provides the practical benefit of providing camouflage with the surrounding forest.

With much fighting occurring in the forest where trees and cover are all around, an extra weapon or

a shield tend to get in the way more than they help. As such many Gulgan warriors will simply wield

a weapon in one hand with their body turned so as to present a minimal target to the opponent. The

off-hand is then free to draw another weapon if needed, or else be employed for striking or

grappling if the combat enters very close quarters. The wristsheath hidden beneath a sleeve is a

common tactic here, for a previously empty hand might suddenly have a poisoned dagger in it, at a

most inconvenient moment for the opponent. Exponents of this one-weapon style usually spend a

lot of their time on extremely quick footwork.

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Finally many Gulgans cut down trees for a living, so it is only natural that they should develop an

affinity for axes. The relatively heavy head of a chopping weapon demands the utmost care in timing

a stroke, so that the wielder is not left unbalanced and at a disadvantage. Chopping wood is also an

excellent exercise for developing raw strength and intense concentration. We thus see some

axemasters amongst the weapons experts of Gulg.

Steinal Weapon Styles Located to the far east of Allanak beyond the Salt Flats, Steinal faces the same harsh conditions as

Allanak and has found other ways of dealing with it. Lacking a ready supply of obsidian, Steinal

weapons are typically made of bone and as a result which are more expensive (although less prone

to breaking). As a consequence warriors tend to focus on wielding a heavy weapon that deals as

much damage as possible. The principle of 'one strike, one kill' is taught by many in Steinal.

Tuluk Weapon Styles Located to the far north-west of Allanak, Tuluk is the smallest of the city-states and is considered to

be on the very edge of the Known World. Located on the western edge of the Grey Forest, Tuluk is

surrounded by grassy plains with little to obscure enemies approaching.

Tuluki warriors have adapted to this landscape, employing ranged weapons such as longbows that

allow them to attack an enemy from afar rather than getting into close contact where their lived are

put at greater risk. When forced into melee a Tuluki warrior will either employ weapons that have

reach to try to keep their enemy as far from themselves as possible or they’ll utilise weapons that

can also be thrown in the event they find their opponent suddenly attempting to flee.

Tyr Weapon Styles Located in the Tablelands to the north-east of Allanak, Tyr has the only known source of metal in all

of Athas. As a result Tyr is a rather rich city-state and is able to import more expensive weapons

from places such as Gulg. As such warriors tend to be less concerned about their weapons

shattering.

Tyrian warriors typically fight with a one-handed weapon and a shield in the other. They employ a

wide variety of tactics in order to put the opponent in such a position that an attack can get past

their shield. The use of complex sequences of maneuvers is common, often being treated as art

forms in their own right. Spears and thrusting swords are especially effective for this type of combat,

and for those who have the strength, clubs and warhammers.

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Chapter 12: Equipment All item costs are in obsidian pieces which is the only coin in the Known World. Merchants will often

trade in high value goods while the Great Merchant Houses give their family members promissory

notes that can be redeemed at any of their enclaves.

Armour Name Cost Armour Class Speed Stealth Category Weight

Erdlu leather 10 11 + Dex mod - Disadvantage Light 15 lb.

Padded sandcloth 20 11 + Dex mod - - Light 15 lb.

Leather 1,000 12 + Dex mod - - Light 15 lb.

Mekillot Hide 10,000 13 + Dex mod - - Light 20 lb.

Armoured Coat 20 12 + Dex mod (max 2) - - Medium 25 lb.

Hide 50 13 + Dex mod (max 2) - - Medium 20 lb.

Studded Hide 100 14 + Dex mod (max 2) - Disadvantage Medium 25 lb.

Scale 1,000 14 + Dex mod (max 2) - - Medium 30 lb.

Chainmail 10,000 15 + Dex mod (max 2) - - Medium 40 lb.

Breastplate 60 14 -5 feet Disadvantage Heavy 40 lb.

Splint 150 16 -5 feet Disadvantage Heavy 45 lb.

Banded 1,000 17 -5 feet Disadvantage Heavy 50 lb.

Half-Plate 1,500 17 - Disadvantage Heavy 50 lb.

Full Plate 10,000 18 -5 feet Disadvantage Heavy 50 lb.

Shield 20 +2 - - Shield 5 lb.

Parrying Dagger 20 +2 - - Shield 3 lb.

Erdlu leather: Made from erdlu leather, this vibrant purple armour provides some added protection

over mere clothing, but does make swishing sounds whenever the wearer moves.

Padded Sandcloth: Sandcloth is a very loose weave of cotton, often used for desert wear. Padded

sandcloth is reinforced to provide more protection.

Leather: Commonly worn by hunters who work for the Great Merchant Houses who can afford this

armour, it is carefully constructed from the tanned hides of various creatures such as erdlu and carru

in a manner that doesn’t restrict the wearer’s manoeuvrability while offering protection for the

wearer.

Studded Leather: Bone or obsidian studs have been masterfully interwoven with the leather armour

to ensure that they provide a real benefit to the wearer without restricting their maneuverability.

Armoured Coat: Much more sturdy then padded sandcloth, an armoured can be made from the skin

of any number of animals. It does come at the cost of restricting some manoeuvrability.

Hide: Hide armour is constructed from the hide of creatures that are particularly thick skinned such

as braxat and inix. This does come at the cost of losing some manoeuvrability.

Studded Hide: Made from the same material as hide armour, studded hide has bone or obsidian

studs in it providing a bit of extra protection. This does come at the cost of losing some

manoeuvrability.

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Scale: Constructed from the scales of some of the most dangerous creatures including dujat worms

and mekillots, scale provides more protection for the wearer than any of the light armours. However

this is at the cost of manoeuvrability.

Chainmail: This is composed of smaller scales that have been linked together much more expertly

then scale armour, although at a significantly higher cost.

Breastplate: Covering only the torso, breastplate is normally made from the shell of creature. Most

commonly this is from a scrab in the Allanak region. Wearing it does offer quite a bit of protection,

however it does increase the amount of water the wearer needs to consume. As such, it is normally

only worn by the Allanaki militia who have their water and food provided to them for free.

Splint: This is constructed from bone or obsidian that is embedded into leather armour. This is done

much less expertly then studded leather as it severely inhibits the manoeuvrability of the wearer.

Banded: Constructed from the same materials as splint armour, this is more expertly crafted. This

provides a bit more protection, but still inhibits the movement of the wearer considerably.

Half-Plate: Half-Plate takes elements of breastplate and scale armour to provide greater protection

then just scale armour. It incorporates breastplate, but provides a helm to protect the head in

addition to sleeves and gauntlets made from scale armour.

Full Plate: Where full plate incorporates breastplate and scale armour, full plate incorporates

breastplate and chainmail with much finer scales used to protect the arms, head and legs of the

wearer. Unlike traditional breastplate, the torso protective armour can be constructed of obsidian

rather than shell.

Shield: In Allanak shields are constructed from shell or bone and leather.

Category Time to Don Time to Remove

Water Requirements

Light 1 minute 1 minute No effect

Medium 5 minutes 1 minute No effect

Heavy 10 minutes 5 minutes Increases water consumption requirements by half.

Weapons Below is a list of the various weapons and the categories they’re split into. Weapons can have

various properties which are as follows.

Double: A double weapon is held in both hands and can be used to make multiple attacks with. The

first damage value is considered the primary attack, while the second value is the secondary attack.

Finesse: When attacking with a finesse weapon you can choose to either use strength or damage for

the attack and damage rolls.

Heavy: Heavy weapons are so large that small creatures have disadvantage whenever they use it.

Loading: Because of the time it takes to load this weapon, you can only fire one bit of ammunition

when attacking with it.

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Light: This weapon is so easy to use that it’s ideal for two-weapon fighting with it.

Missile range: This is a weapon that can be used to make a range attack. The first value is its normal

range while the second one is its maximum range. When using a weapon beyond its normal range

you have disadvantage on the attack roll.

Reach: When using this weapon your reach increases by 5 feet.

Special: There is something unique about this weapon which is detailed in its entry after the

weapons table.

Thrown range: You can use this weapon to either make melee or ranged attacks. When making a

ranged attack you use your strength modifier.

Two-Handed: This weapon requires two hands to use.

Versatile: This weapon can be wielded in either one hand or two hands. The first damage value is for

when wielding it in one hand while the second is for two hands. Small creatures can only use this

weapon as a two-handed weapon.

Name Cost Damage Weight Properties

Simple Weapons

Club 1 1d4 bludgeoning 3 lb. Light

Crossbow, Light 50 1d8 piercing 6 lb. Loading, missile, range 80/320,

two-handed

Dagger 5 1d4 piercing 3 lb. Finesse, light, thrown range

30/120

Greatclub 2 1d8 bludgeoning 15 lb. Two-Handed.

Javelin 10 1d6 piercing 4 lb. Missile range 30/120

Improvised object 0 1d4 varies -

Improvised object 0 1d6 varies - Two-Handed

Mace 10 1d6 bludgeoning 8 lb.

Quarterstaff 2 1d8/1d6 bludgeoning 4 lb. Double, finesse, two-handed

Shortbow 50 1d6 piercing 2 lb. Missile range 80/320, two-handed

Sling 1 1d4 bludgeoning ½ lb. Missile range 30/120

Spear 5 1d6 piercing 5 lb.

Spiked Glove 2 1d4 piercing 1 lb. Thrown range 20/60

Quabone 0 1d4 slashing -

Unarmed Strike - 1d4 bludgeoning -

MartialWeapons

Carrikal 20 1d10 slashing 15 lb. Heavy, Reach, Two-Handed

Chatkcha 6 1d6 slashing ½ lb. Missile, Range 30/120,

Two-Handed, special

Datchi Club 10 1d10 bludgeoning 25 lb. Heavy, Reach, Two-Handed

Bastard Sword 70 1d8/1d10 slashing 10 lb. Versatile

Heavy Crossbow 100 1d10 piercing 10 lb. Loading, missile range 100/400,

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two-handed

Greatsword 60 1d12 slashing 15 lb. Heavy, Two-Handed

Gythka 10 1d10 slashing 15 lb. Heavy, Reach, Two-Handed

Impaler 10 1d10 piercing 5 lb. Heavy, Reach, Two-Handed

Labrys 20 1d8/1d6 slashing 2 lb. Double, two-handed

Longspear 10 1d8 piercing 5 lb. Reach, two-handed

Longbow 100 1d8 piercing 3 lb. Missile, range 150/600,

two-handed

Longsword 30 1d8 slashing 5 lb.

Miner’s Pick 10 1d6 piercing 6 lb.

Morningstar 30 1d8 bludgeoning, piercing 12 lb.

Parrying Dagger 20 1d4 slashing 3 lb. Light, Finesse, Special

Shield 20 1d6 bludgeoning 5 lb.

Short sword 20 1d6 slashing 3 lb. Finesse

Stiletto 50 1d6 piercing 2 lb. Finesse

Sickle 2 1d6 slashing 5 lb.

Spiked Chain 30 1d6 piercing 5 lb.

Throwing axe 10 1d6 slashing 7 lb. Thrown range 20/60

Throwing hammer 4 1d6 bludgeoning 7 lb. Light, thrown range 20/60

Warhammer 30 1d8 bludgeoning 8 lb.

Whip 4 1d4 slashing 2 lb.

Wrist Razors 60 1d6 slashing 6 lb. Special

Special Weapons

Blowgun 1 1d4 piercing ½ lb. Range 30/120

Carrikal: The sharpened jawbone of a large creature is lashed to a haft. The jagged edges are

sharpened, forming a sort of battleaxe with two forward-facing heads.

Chatkcha: This is a thri-kreen throwing weapon. It is made up of bone wedges that are lashed

together with sinew. Due to its spin and affect upon the air, it returns to the thrower if it misses the

target.

Crossbows: Normally it takes an action to reload a crossbow. You can load and fire a crossbow in the

same action, however doing so gives you disadvantage on the attack roll.

Datachi Club: A datchi club has reach. You can strike opponents 10 feet away with it, but you cannot

use it against an adjacent foe. This weapon, generally found in the arenas, is made by affixing a 4-5

foot length of dried insect hide or roots to a three-foot long shaft. Teeth, claws, or obsidian shards

are embedded into the head of the weapon.

Gythka: This thri-kreen polearm has wicked blades at either end. The weapon’s thick shaft allows it

to be used like a quarterstaff against similarly armed opponents. The use of this weapon has actually

been mastered by desert elves, the long sworn enemies of thri-kreen.

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Impaler: An impaler is a weapon developed for arena combat. It has a single shaft about 4 feet long

with a pair of long pointed blades, splitting to each side and forming deadly “T” The weapon can be

swung horizontally or vertically, over the head.

Parrying Dagger: This weapon is constructed much like an ordinary dagger, although it isn’t

weighted for throwing. Instead it’s designed to help someone defend themselves from attacks.

When wielding a parrying dagger, the wielder gains a +1 shield bonus. This bonus doesn’t stack with

any other shield bonuses the character has.

Quabone: This weapon is constructed from four identical shanks of bone, lashed together to form a

radially symmetrical, sword-length rod. With its lightness and crudely sharpened end, the quabone is

a fairly ineffective weapon. The quabone is used in arena situations where combat is intended to

draw out for a long period of time.

Wrist Razors: Wrist razors consist of a trio of blades that protrude from a heavy arm band. The

razors project out over the back of the hand, are extremely sharp, and can be up to 6 inches long.

Wrist razors can be worn on one or both forearms. Due to the fact they’re worn on the forearms, it

is impossible to disarm someone wearing wrist razors. However it does take a minute to don them

or remove them.

Weapon Materials Weapons can be made from different materials. These materials impact how much it costs, weighs

and the likelihood it breaks during combat. In order to determine if a weapon breaks, after you’ve

rolled a natural 20 as part of an attack roll, roll a second time. If the d20 roll is within the break range

for that weapon, the weapon shatters as it deals maximum damage to the enemy.

Material Cost Multiplier Weight Break Range

Obsidian x1 x1 1-10

Bone x1.5 x1 1-7

Wood x2 x1 1-5

Fire Hardened Wood x10 x1 1

Metal Cannot be bought x2 Cannot break

Wages Type of Work Daily Wage Type of Work Daily Wage

Unskilled Labourer .......................................... 30 Crafter ............................................................ 40

Hunter ............................................................. 40 Guard ............................................................. 45

Minor Merchant ............................................ 130 Militia Soldier ................................................. 45

Food and Water Items Cost Items Cost

Gallon of water ............................................... 11 Pint of ale ......................................................... 2

Glass of cheap wine ........................................ 10 Glass of good wine ......................................... 20

Plain meal at a tavern ....................................... 3 Merchant’s meal at a tavern ........................... 9

Noble’s meal at a tavern ................................. 20 Days travel rations ......................................... 10

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Gallon of water: A gallon of water is how much water the average race needs a day if they’re

performing physical activities out in the sun (it’s halved if they are in shade all day or rest during the

day and work during the night). Half-Giant’s need four times as much while thri-kreen only need 1

pint a day (there are 8 pints in a gallon).

Ale: This is the common drink served in most bars for commoners.

Cheap wine: Commoners will break out the wine on special occasions.

Good wine: Nobles, merchants and Templars alike drink this.

Plain meal: This is roots and tubers supplemented with small portions of heavily salted meat,

typically chalton meat, a six-legged antelope-like creature. If the ingredients are bought and cooked

personally then the cost is halved.

Merchant’s Meal: This relies less on salt and is often seasoned by ocotillo powder, which has a sour

oniony flavour beloved by nakkies. The meat will typically range from scrab to tarantula. If the

ingredients are bought and cooked personally then the cost is halved.

Noble’s Meal: These vary the most, and can often involve meat and seasonings imported from

neighbouring city-states. A local delicacy is to eat a scrab’s head, with various tubers, roots and bulbs

surrounding it. If the ingredients are bought and cooked personally then the cost is halved.

Days Travel Rations: This is heavily salted meat that can last a long time without spoiling.

Clothing Items Cost Items Cost

Slave’s outfit ...................................................... 5 Commoner’s Outfit ........................................ 10

Artisan’s outfit ................................................ 20 Traveller’s Outfit ............................................ 20

Gypsy outfit ..................................................... 40 Noble’s Outfit .............................................. 750

Belt Pouch ......................................................... 2

Slave’s Outfit: Commonly loincloth and sandals, houseslaves or guards may be outfitted in finery or

armour.

Commoner’s Outfit: Commonly made out of sandcloth, this is a very loose weave of cotton.

Artisan’s Outfit: Commonly made out of cotton, this material can be stylised with patterns such as

geometric shapes and stripes.

Traveller’s Outfit: This includes a leather duster and boots, along with a sandcloth shirt and a

sandcloth scarf that can be worn over the face during a sandstorm. It also includes sandcloth wrap-

pants that stop at just below the knees, with strips of cloth wound tightly around the lower leg to

deter sand from entering the wearer’s boots.

Gypsy’s Outfit: This is often made from linen and lace and consists of bright patterns and jarring

colours. Wealthy gypsies occasionally incorporate silk in their garments for twice as much obsidian

coin.

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Noble’s Outfit: Composed entirely of silk, this often incorporates designs that hinder the noble’s day

to day activities such as sleeves whose cuffs extend beyond the fingertips or slippers that are far too

thin to allow the wearer to walk the city streets with them. These demonstrate that nobles who

wear such clothing don’t need to do things for themselves and have slaves to cut their food for them

or to carry them in palanquins throughout the city.

Belt Pouch: A small leather or silk pouch that can hold coins inside.

Household Items Items Cost Items Cost

Backpack ........................................................... 3 Bedroll .............................................................. 3

Heavy Blanket ................................................... 5 Candle .............................................................. 1

Chest ................................................................. 3 Dried dung ....................................................... 1

Flint ................................................................... 2 Flask of Oil........................................................ 2

Hooded lantern ............................................... 11 Mug .................................................................. 2

Pitcher ............................................................... 2 Cooking Pot ...................................................... 8

Sack ................................................................... 1 Soap ................................................................. 5

Torch ................................................................. 4 Empty waterskin .............................................. 2

Tools Items Cost Items Cost

Artisan’s tools ................................................. 50 Bone crowbar .................................................. 2

Climber’s Kit .................................................. 160 Healer’s Kit ................................................... 100

Manacles ......................................................... 15 Masterwork manacles ................................... 50

Miner’s Pick ....................................................... 3 50 ft of Rope .................................................. 10

Shovel ................................................................ 2 Simple musical instrument ............................ 10

Masterwork musical instrument ................... 200 Tent .............................................................. 100

Thieves’ Tools .................................................. 60 Masterwork Thieves Tools’ .......................... 200

Mounts and Barding Items Cost Items Cost

Erdlu ................................................................ 25 Untrained kank ............................................... 50

Trained kank .................................................. 120 Inix ................................................................ 120

Leather inix barding ...................................... 150 Chitinous inix barding ................................... 500

Mekillot ......................................................... 200 Leather mekillot barding ........................... 5,000

Chitinous mekillot barding ......................... 7,500

Erdlu: These flightless, usually featherless birds are sometimes employed as mounts by the lighter

races of Athas, although they cannot last great distances and are not particularly strong. They are,

however, quite quick and eat relatively little compared even to kanks. Great care is taken in taming

them, since they are capable of wreaking great damage in a fight. Despite this, their meat is usually

very tender.

Kank: Kanks are a type of insectoid creature that are commonly used as beasts of burden for riding

and packing. Physically, they resembled gigantic ants, and are known for their strength, speed, and

Dark Sun Gazetteer

stamina for their size, compared to other mounts. They are easily domesticated, and used not only

for transportation, but also for food and their green honey.

Inix: These large lizards are capable of carrying even half-giants, albeit under duress. Plodding slowly

along, they have voracious appetites, and usually only the rich, or those living in the green lands of

the far North, can afford to keep them. They have developed a protective shell that grows across

their backs, and they have a tough hide, both useful and sought-after as raw materials.

Mekillot: Gigantic behemoths, these lizards are many times the size of an inix, and often where six

inix were required to draw a given argosy, only one mekillot suffices. In the wild they are extremely

dangerous, being known to take out entire squadrons of ill prepared travelers in the salt flats.

However, one carefully skinned carcass can provide shell, meat, bone, and remarkably tough hide for

a huge number of people. Because of their danger in the wild (though with an appetite to suit their

size), a very few mekillots are raised from birth as beasts of burden to draw the wagons of the filthy

rich. They are believed to feed primarily upon the local Salt Worms when in the wild.

Dark Sun Gazetteer v3

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