Human (Athas), Herdsman [1687]

Climat/Terrain	Any land
Organisation	Douars
Fréquence	Commun
Diète	Omnivore
Cycle d'activité	Day
Intelligence	8-10 - Intelligence moyenne (humain)
Trésor	Nil
Alignement	Loyal Neutre
Nombres	3-36
Classe d'armure	9
Mouvement	Au sol : 12'' Vol : - Classe de vol : Nage : Enfouissement : Web :
Dés de vie	3+2
Thac0	19
Nbre d'attaques	1
Dommage / attaques	By weapon
Attaques spéciales	Nil
Défenses spéciales	Nil
Résistance à la magie	Nil
Taille	M - man-size ( 4+' to 7' ) (6’ tall)
Morale	8-10 - Moyen
Valeur en XP	35 xp

Commentaires : Herdsmen are nomadic people organized into douars or clans that consist of no more than a dozen or so families. Generally, they herd erdlus, a large flightless, featherless bird, though mekillot, kanks, z’tal (small upright lizards), and jankx (small, furred mammals) are also frequently herded. Each clan has only one type of animal in its herd and has no expertise with other herd beasts.

Combat : While one might assume that herdsmen are an easy opponent in combat, nothing could be farther from the truth. Herds are frequently the target of raiding parties and thieves and these nomadic herdsman have learned to protect their livelihood the hard way.through experience. In combat, herdsmen generally use obsidian-tipped spears (1db/1d5 damage). These spears can be either thrown or used in close combat. Herdsmen usually carry a herding staff that can double as a weapon in combat (1d6 damage). These tribes maintain a number of combat-trained herd beasts that respond to the commands of the herdsmen. No more than 36 HD of these attack creatures are maintained by the douar as more than that might make the beasts too independent and combative. The number of beasts depends on the type of beast being herded (2-12 erdlu, 1-3 mekillot, 3-18 kanks, 3-18 z’tal, or 6-36 jankx). The creatures attack as a unit similar to an intelligent creature because of the commands of the trainer. If the trainer is killed, silenced, or rendered unconscious, the herd beasts flee in unison in a random direction. Any being in combat must successfully save vs. petrification or be trampled by the herd, receiving 3-12 (3d4) points of damage. The douar has a leader, a 7th-level preserver, who lends support using spells and missile weapons. There is a 30% chance the clan has a shaman, a 5th-level elemental priest who lends spell support.

Habitat / Société : Herdsmen spend their entire lives among the herd and have developed a culture that centers around the beasts. The language of a douar, while resembling the common tongue, always contains words, phrases, sounds, and semantics that to the outsider are alien and primitive. These forms of communication often send very sophisticated and complex messages. Often there exists no translation to the common tongue of the messages sent by the herdsmen. These dialects vary from douar to douar, even among the clans that herd the same beasts. The douar also wear the hide, bone, hair, or shell of their herd beasts as clothing. To outsiders, the herdsman scent is offensive, as they use the musk of their beasts to mask their human nature from the herd. Herdsmen exude a very primitive and bestial appearance. The herdsmen have ceremonies and celebrations of almost religious significance. They have an extreme reverence for nature and the land, on which all their beliefs are based. The herdsmen recognize no land ownership. The land can’t be owned as it will be there long after the youngest die. The clan is headed by a 7th-level preserver. This chief has a 50% chance of possessing psionics as a 3rd-level psionicist. There is also a 30% chance the clan has a shaman (a 5th-level elemental priest) who acts as an advisor to the chieftain, as well as healer and diviner. Because of the herdsmen’s reverence of the land, they respect and welcome druids, preservers, and others who tend and nurture the land. However, those who cause destruction to the land, such as defilers, are greeted with enmity and scorn. Few defilers leave the presence of a douar alive.