Dark.sun Manual

8/21/2019 Dark.sun Manual

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INTRODUCTION ....................................1

World of Dark Sun.................................1

What Comes with Th is Game?.......2Copy Protection..............................2Using the M ouse.............................2Using th e Keyboard........................2

Getting Started Quickly wit h aPregenerated Party..................2

JARETHS JOURNAL ...............................3

HOW TO PLAY SHATTERED LAND S.....5

Adventuring and Combat...............5Character Interaction......................7Camping..........................................7Training..........................................7Spellcasting / Psionics....................7

CREATING YOUR PARTY.......................8

Creating Characters........................8Addin g Previously Created

Characters..............................11Modifying Your Party...................11

CHARACTER OPTIONS ........................11

View Character..............................12View Inventory..............................13Cast Spells / Use Psion ics.............15Current Spell / Effects...................15

GAME MENU ........................................16

View Character..............................16View Inventory..............................16Cast Spells / Use Psion ics.............16Current Spell / Effects...................16

Exit to DOS...................................16Load / Save Game.........................16Set Preferences..............................17Overhead M ap..............................17Center on Leader...........................17Collapse Party...............................17Walk..............................................18Look..............................................18Attack............................................18Return t o Game.............................18

ABILITY SCORES..................................18

CHARACTER RACES.............................19

Dwarves........................................19Elves..............................................19Half-Elves......................................19Half-Giants...................................19Halflings........................................20

Humans........................................20

Muls..............................................20Thri-kreen......................................20

CHARACTER CLASSES.... ....... ...... ....... .21

Fighters.........................................21Gladiators.....................................22Rangers.........................................22Preservers......................................23Clerics............................................23Druids...........................................24Thieves..........................................25Psionicists.....................................25

OTHER CHARACTERISTICS.................26

Alignment......................................26Armor Class...................................27Hit Points......................................27Experience Point s.........................27Level..............................................28THAC.......................................28

BESTIARY..............................................29

Creatures of Shatt ered Lands.......29Detailed D escriptions of N ew

Monsters................................36

MAGI C ..................................................55

Preserver Spells.............................55

Cleric Spells...................................67

PSIONICS..............................................79

Psychokinesis................................80Psychometabolism........................81Telepathy......................................84

APPENDI X ............................................87

Preserver/Cleric Spell I ndex..........87Psionic Power Index.....................89Racial Ability Adjustments Table...89Level Advancement Tabl es...........90Spell Progression and

Spell Bonus Tables................91Hot Keys........................................92

TABLE OF CONTENTS Dark Sun: Shattered Lands

compiled from Masterpieces Collection CD by Underdogs for Home of the Underdogs,http://www.theunderdogs.org


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harsh and capricious, and a largeproportion of the populace is en-slaved. Only the strongest canfeel any measure of safety becausethe templars can condemn anyonewithout a trial.

The few places with any freedom are

isolated villages founded by escapedslaves. Though free, life in the waste-lands is precarious. Water suppliescan fail, marauding monsters candevastate a village, and slavers are aconstant threat. Until these tinyvillages can look beyond day-to-daysurvival and ally with one another,they are unlikely to survive morethan a few years.

SHATTERED LANDS takes place in andaround the city-state of Draj, ruledby the sorcerer-king Tectuktitlay.

W hat Comes w i th Th is Game?

In addition to this rule book, yourgame box should contain the gamedisks and a data card. This rule bookexplains how to play, and gives youvaluable reference information oncharacters, monsters, spells, and

psionics. The disks contain the game.Install the disks by following theinstructions listed on the data card.

Copy Protec t ion

There is no physical copy protectionon your SHATTERED LANDS disks, soplease make copies and put the origi-nals away for safekeeping.

To assure that you have a legitimatecopy, there are copy protection ques-tions during the game. Find the indi-cated word in this rule book, type thecorrect answer, and press Enter. Donot count headings.

Us ing the MouseYou need a mouse for this game. Anote to novice users: throughout thisbook, the term click means movethe cursor to the desired area andpress eitherthe left or right mousebutton. Right-click means move thecursor to the desired area and pressthe right mouse button. Left-clickmeans move the cursor to the desiredarea and press the left mouse button.

Note that you can hit Esc to exit anymenu in the game.

Us ing th e Keyboard

Operations in this game are designedfor the mouse, but certain functionsdo have keyboard commands. Seethe Hot Keys section on page 92 orthe data card for a complete list.

Get t i ng Sta r t ed Qu ick l y

w i t h a Pregenera ted Par tyA saved game containing a pre-builtparty comes with your game. To getright into the game without creatingyour own party, selectSTART GAME fromthe Start Window. The game auto-matically loads the pre-built party,and you immediately enter the game.

Mines played out, rendering metalextremely rare and valuable. Scarcerstill were any sources of water. Thecreatures of Athas were twisted by thefree use of magic. They constantlyadapted to the harsh conditions. Newmonsters emerged from the deepdesert to plague the remnants of man.

Now the only stable concentrationsof humanity are in tightly controlledcity-states. Without exception, theseare ruled by vicious sorcerer-kings the last remnants of the wizards whodepleted Athas. These kings callthemselves gods and rule through

a religious organization known asthe templars. Their rule is uniformly

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INTRODUCTION

The W o r l d o f Da r k Sun

Athas, the world of D ark Sun, was once as pleasant as any oth er. But, after

many thousands of years, powerful mages found ways to gain p ower t hrough

drain ing th e planets vitalit y. At their zenith , these wizards caused the sun totran sform from a pleasant yellow glow to a r aging crim son fireball on t he

hori zon. Th e seas evapor ated and were replaced by hu ge basins of silt .


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There is no need to switch back andforth between Hand-to-Hand andRanged attacks manually; simplyready both types of weapons thecomputer will decide whichicon/weapon can be used.

NPCs may flee, fight back, or even

summon reinforcements if attacked!Keep in mind that indiscriminatekilling may lead to a distinct lack ofpeople to speak with. This in turnmay cause the party to miss essentialclues and items.

The Hand-to-Hand Attackicon only works when yourcharacter is adjacent to an

enemy. Click the icon on the enemyand the character will attack it with

his or her readied weapon(s). Acharacter can ready two one-handedweapons, one in each hand. Rangersand characters with high Dexteritydo so at no penalty. Others use thesecond weapon at a disadvantage. Ifthe character is not adjacent, theInvalid version of the icon appears.

The Ranged Attack icon onlyworks when the enemy is ata distance and the character

has a readied missile weapon and/orammunition. If the enemy is out ofrange, the icon changes to the Invalidversion. This means the target is not avalid target and cannot be attacked.

Look

You can examine objects by left-clicking on them when you are inLook mode. I f you can use the item,talk to it, or pick it up, a box appearswith a summary and with buttons

showing what options you have. Ifonly one of these options is available

(for example, you can only opendoors, never talk to them or pick themup) it will happen automaticallyinstead of displaying this box.

When you are in combat with a mon-ster, you can use the Look icon to seebasic information about your oppo-

nent. This information includes: thetype of monster it is, its current state(casting, charmed, held, petrified, etc.),and a hit point bar indicating whatproportionof its hit points remain.

You can also use the Look icon on aparty member to bring up the ViewCharacter screen.

Talk

When you click the Look icon onsomeone or something you can talkto, you see the Talk button. Click onthe Talk button to begin aconversation.

Use

To use an object, click on the Usebutton. Some objects may be used onother objects. For example, to use apickaxe, click on it, select the Usebutton, and then click the pickaxe ona pile of rock. The rock breaks apart

to reveal other objects.Pick Up

To take an object, click on the PickUp button. The cursor becomes agraphic representation of the object.Clicking the object on a charactericon places it into that charactersbackpack; otherwise, the object maybe carried around as the cursor.Clicking on an open area drops theobject on the ground. You can only

carry one item at a time on themouse pointer.

HOW TO PLAYSHATTERED LANDS

To start the game from the mainmenu, select START GAME. You aresupplied with a pregenerated party incase you wish to begin adventuringimmediately. Otherwise, create aparty by selecting CREATE CHARACTERS.See Creating Your Party on page 8.

By default, only the leader of yourparty appears on the map. The otherthree characters appear whenevercombat is initiated. However, if youlike, you may also toggle the CollapseParty icon from the Game Menu tohave all four characters appear at alltimes. See Game Menu on page 16.

At the start of the game, your charac-ters find themselves in an arena inDraj. To escape and escape theymust they must battle their way tofreedom. If you want them to survivepast the first battle, here are somethings you should know.

Adven tu r i n g and Comba t

While your party adventures onAthas, use the mouse to direct

their movements and actions.The mouse has three modes:

Walk Attack Look

Right-click to change between thesemodes. Notice that the cursor cyclesthrough the icons each time youright-click. To make a selected actionhappen, left-click. For example, ifyou have the Walk mouse icon,left-click to make your characters

walk from one location to another.

To scroll the screen, move the mousecursor in the direction you wish tomove the screen. The screen scrollsin the direction selected until youmove the cursor away from the screenedge, or until you reach the edge ofthe map. NPCs do not move unless

the mouse pointer is in Walk mode.Note that the mouse pointer istemporarily replaced by an hour-glass when the game is processingyour commands.

Whenever you use an icon to target,aim w ith the upper-left corner ofthe icon.

Walk

Use the mouse pointer to find the areayou want the party to walk to. Left-click on that location with the Walkicon. I f it is possible to get there, theparty takes the most direct route to doso. If you ask them to do somethingimpossible or suicidal, like walk into alava pit, the icon changes to the CantWalk icon, and the party waits untilyou make a more sensible request.

You may also move your characters

around using the arrow keys on thenumeric keypad.

When combat is initiated by one ofthe two attack icons explained below,use the Walk icon to attack an oppo-nent by clicking on the target. Thecharacter walks to the target andautomatically attacks it.

Attack

There are two ways to attack

enemies in SHATTERED LANDS. Theyare Hand-to-Hand and Ranged.

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you selected. To abort, right-clickonce. Some spells or psionics(healing spells, for example) can becast directly from this screen byclicking the spell icon on the targetcharacter. Other spells and psionicsautomatically return you to the

regular game screen.Refer to Cast Spells/U se Psionicson page 15 for detailed instructions.

Once spells have been cast, you mayalso right-click on the Dark Sun iconto bring up a box displaying the lastfive spell and psionics icons used.This provides quick access to themost frequently used spells.

CREATING YOUR PARTY

To play SHATTERED LANDS, you mustcreate a party of one to fourcharacters. We recommend youcreate a party of four. The races youcan choose from are:

human

dwarf

elf

half-elf

half-giant

halfling

mul (male character only)

thri-kreen (female character only)

Depending on the race you choosefor your character, he or she iseligible to belong to certain classes.(A class is like an occupation.)

If youre new to Athas, or just wantto know more about various racesand classes, refer to CharacterRaces on page 19 and CharacterClasses on page 21.

Crea t i n g Chara c ters

To create your own characters, selectCREATE CHARACTERS from the mainmenu. The main menu is the screenthat has the following options:

START GAME

CREATE CHARACTERS

LOAD SAVED GAME

EXIT TO DOS

After selecting CREATE CHARACTERS,you see the View Character screenwith four empty character slots. I thas six icons along the bottom ofthe screen: View Character, ViewInventory, Cast Spells/Use Psionics,Current Spell/Effects, the GameMenu button, and the Return toGame button. For now, leave theseicons alone. You can come back tothem after you create your party.

Right-click on an emptycharacter slot. A short

menu appears withthese options:

NEW

ADD

CANCEL

NEW allows you to create an entirelynew character.

ADD allows you to add a previouslycreated character.

CANCEL closes this menu.

Charac ter I n te rac t i on

NPCs (non-player characters) arecharacters that your party interactswith in the course of the game. SomeNPCs have their own agendas andinitiate conversations with the party.

To speak to an NPC, click the Lookicon over the character. To start aconversation, click on the Talk buttonwhen it appears in the options box.One or two windows appear. Theupper window shows a portrait of theNPC and what that character issaying. The lower window lists theresponses you may make. To select aresponse, you can either highlight theresponse you wish to make and left-click or use the up and down arrows

to highlight the desired response.Pressing Enter selects it.

Conversations occur between theNPC and the leader of the party.Even though the leader may sayI..., he or she speaks for the party.

Characters That Join Your Party

Many NPCs inhabit Athas. As youadventure, these people provideinformation to help your party

continue its journey. They do notenter your party, though they mayfollow it or lead it somewhere.

Camp ing

Camping allowsyou to rest. Restis necessary torecover from

battles and to regain spells andpsionic points. Safe places to rest are

depicted by a fire ring. To camp,move the Look icon over the fire ringand left-click. As you rest, characterswith cure spells automatically castthem on wounded characters.Psionic Strength Points are fullyrestored, as well as all the spells thatspellcasters can cast.

T r a i n i n g

When your characters go up in

levels, they may be eligible to learna new spell or more psionic skills.If so, a box appears with all theicons depicting the spells or psionicsyou may learn. To toggle betweendifferent spell levels/psionic disci-plines, click the icon on the lower-leftcorner of the box. To pick a newpsionic or spell, click on its icon.Press DONE when youre finished.

Spel lcas t ing / Ps ionicsSpells and psionics are often thedeciding factor between winningand losing a battle. Knowing howto cast spells and use psionics is avery important skill, and should belearned early on.

The first step in casting a spell orusing a psionic is to select it in theCast Spells/Use Psionics screen.After you select the spell or psionic

power, the cursor becomes the icon

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now available. This is becausehumans can be any class. Otherraces, however, are limited in theirclass options. Halflings, for example,cannot be preservers.

While humans can only have oneclass, other races are eligible for

more than one class. W hen a charac-ter has two or three classes, he or sheis referred to as multi-classed. Forexample, dwarves can have one, two,or three classes.

Keep in mind that, when multi-classing, some classes are unavail-able when others have been chosen.For example, a character cannot be acleric and a druid at the same time.

In addition, when characters aremulti-classed they advance inexperience and hit points much moreslowly than single-class characters.This is because multi-classcharacters divide their experiencepoints evenly among the classes.

For reference information on classes,see Character Classes on page 21.

Psionic Di sciplin es and/or

Clerical Spheres

This lists the various psionic dis-ciplines or clerical spheres that yourcharacter is eligible for, and allowsyou to choose among them. Left-clicking on VIEW SPH ERES or VIEWPSIONICS toggles you between the listof psionic disciplines and the list ofclerical spheres.

Psionicists can specialize in all threepsionic disciplines: psychokinesis,psychometabolism, and telepathy.

All other characters can only chooseone of these disciplines. For moreabout these disciplines, refer toPsionicists on page 25.

Clerics can choose any one of thefour clerical spheres: air, earth, fire,and water. For a description of the

four spheres, refer to Clerics onpage 23.

The Die

Clicking on the die generates arandom set of values for thecharacters statistics.

Character D ata

To improve an ability, left-click on itsadjacent box. The value increases byone. Right-click to decrease the

value. This allows you to match acharacters statistics with those of afavorite role-playing character.

Similarly, you can alter the hit pointvalue (HP) and the charactersalignment by clicking on the smallgray boxes next to those options.

For a thorough description of thesestatistics, refer to Other Charac-teristics on page 26.

Your character has been given a

random name. If you want to changeit, left-click on the name. A cursorappears where you clicked. Deletethe previous name and type in thename of your choosing.

When you are satisfied with thecharacter you have created, clickon DONE and continue creating char-acters until you have a completeparty of four.

Creating New Characters

Select NEW. You see a screen thatlooks like the one above.

Here you choose the race, sex,class(es), and abilities of yournew character:

Character Portrait

This area displays a body portrait ofyour character. Left-clicking on thecharacter portrait advances youthrough the entire selection of racesand genders. Right-clicking returnsyou to the previous portrait.

Decide on the race and sex of yourcharacter by moving through theportraits until you find the character

you want.

Character Icon

This box displays what your charac-ter looks like from a distance as he orshe explores the barren face of Athas.

Class List

This list shows the various classes

that your character is eligible for,and allows you to choose a class(or classes) for your character.

As a default, the fighter class hasbeen pre-selected for you. A dia-mond appears next to currentlyselected classes.

Left-clicking on the diamond dese-lects that class, and allows you tochoose a new class. Try deselectingfighter on a human character.Notice that all the class options are

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CHARACTER PORTRAIT

CHARACTER DATA

CHARACTER ICON CLASS LISTDIE

PSIONIC DISCIPLINES

AND/OR CLERICAL

SPHERES

Character Generation Screen


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View Charac ter

The View Character screen showsyour party. When you highlight aparty member by left-clicking onhis or her character box, thecharacters stats and other vitalinformation appear on the right

side of the screen.Alongside each character box aretwo small buttons, one for ComputerControl and one for selecting theparty Leader. Click on ComputerControl to place the charactersactions under control of the computerduring combat. Click on Leader tomake that character the partys leaderwhen walking and interacting withNon-Player Characters (NPCs).

Character Boxes

If you right-click on a character boxwit h a character in it, you get thefollowing menu:

EDIT NAME

DROP

DUAL

EDIT NAME returns to the charactergeneration screen. Since the characterhas already begun to adventure, atthis point in the game you may onlychange his or her name.

DROP removes a character from theparty and puts him or her on disk. Ifyou change your mind, you can pickup this character later with ADD.

DUAL is only available when viewinga human character, because onlyhumans may become dual-classed.

Selecting this option allows youto choose a new class. See thesection on Character Classes onpage 21 for more information ondual-class characters.

If you right-click on an emptycharac-ter box, you see the following menu:

NEW

ADD

CANCEL

NEW allows you to generate anew character. See the CreatingYour Party section on page 8for more information.

ADD allows you to add a previouslycreated character.

CANCEL closes this menu.

Add ing Pr ev ious l yCreated Char ac ters

You can also add previously createdcharacters to your party. When youare at the View Character screen,right-click on an empty characterslot, and chooseADD. Click on the

character name of a previouslygenerated character to have him orher appear in your party.

M od i f yi n g You r Pa r t y

Once you have created your party,you may decide that you want tomake minor alterations. Go tothe View Character screen andright-click on the character youwant to alter. Youll notice that the

menu now reads:EDIT

DROP

DUAL

EDIT returns to the character gen-eration screen. You may make anychanges you wish to the character,as during generation. This optionis only valid beforethe characterfirst goes adventuring on Athas. After

that, the option changes toEDIT NAME only.

DROP removes a character from theparty and puts him or her on disk. Ifyou change your mind, you can pickup this character later with ADD.

DUAL is only available when viewinga human character, because onlyhumans may become dual-classed.

You must be at least third level inyour current class before you candual class. Selecting this optionallows you to choose a new class.See the section on CharacterClasses on page 21 for more infor-mation on dual-class characters.

CHARACTER OPTIONS

The first time you left-click

on the Dark Sun icon theCast Spells/Use Psionics characteroption screen appears. At the bottomleft are the four character optionsicons. These are described in detailbelow. The most recently chosencharacter option remains selecteduntil you choose another. Thus, ifyou selected View Inventory, thenext time you click on the Dark Sunicon (or on a character with the Lookicon) the Inventory screen appears.

Right-clicking on the Dark Sunicon displays the last five spells orpsionics cast. Click on one of thesespell icons to cast it.

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chests. Open pouches and chests byright-clicking on them. Close them byleft-clicking on the lid or flap.

To drop an item, select it and clickDROP. The item disappears from yourcharacters inventory and falls to theground. If you want it again, just pick

it up off the ground.To split a bundle of grouped items(such as arrows) in half, select it andclick on SPLIT. This only works if youhave an empty slot in your backpackto hold the other half.

To transfer an item to another char-acter, select that item and click thecharacter box of the character youwish to transfer to. That charactersinventory screen appears, and you

can place the item appropriately.The inventory screen also containsmore data. Under the active characterportrait, a description box providesinformation about objects, buttons,and available options. Along the rightside of the screen, a panel displayscharacter data. Along the bottom, a barshows how much money, in ceramicpieces (CP), your character has.

Also at the bottom of the screen are

the four character options buttons,the Game Menu button, and theReturn to Game button.

Item Summary / Using Items

Right-click on any item in inventory(or in a container) to bring up its itemsummary. This is a box containingrelevant information about the item.If the item is magical and can beused, a Cast Spell icon appears. Pressthe icon to cast the spell. You cantuse this function during combat if it isnot the characters turn, or if the spell

cant be cast by the character holdingthe item. If you know what spell theitem casts, the spell icon appears inthe summary box. When you right-click on a spell scroll, a window witha spell icon appears. Click on theicon to learn the spell.

Some items are inherently magical. Amagical sword, for example, may castspells against your opponent when-ever you hit him with the sword. Thishappens automatically if you havethe sword readied and fight with it.Other items cast magical effects onwhoever wears them. If an item castsa hastespell on the wearer, forexample, the spell is cast as soon asthat item is readied.

StoresIn your adventures on Athas, you mayencounter shopkeepers who want tosell you their wares. When you visit astore, the regular inventory screen isdisplayed alongside a store screen.

Stores have six item slots showing theitems for sale. If there are more than sixitems for sale, aMORE button appearsallowing you to display the rest. Theprices of the items appear below their

slots. When you point to an item, aflashing highlight indicates that you canafford it; a solid highlight means you donot have enough money. To buy theitem, simply click on it. The money isdeducted automatically. The cursorbecomes the item, and you can place itin your inventory where appropriate.

To sell an item to the shopkeeper,select the item to be sold andclick SELL.

To leave the store, select the Returnto Game button.

View Inven to ry

To use, ready, drop, or transferitems, select the View Inven-

tory icon. The inventory screenappears with a large portrait of theactive character in the center. Tosee the inventory screen for a differ-ent character, click on one of thecharacter boxes on the left edge ofthe screen.

Surrounding the active characterportrait are fourteen slots. Eachrefers to a different part of thecharacters body, such as legs, head,fingers, and arms. Left-click on anitem to pick it up. To move an item tothe characters body, first pick up theitem and look for outlines around the

item slots. A yellow outline appearsaround all the valid slots for that

item. Center the item over anyoutlined slot; the outline flasheswhen the item is centered. Left-clickagain to drop it there. To readyweapons for combat, place them inyour characters hands. Missileweapons and their ammunition have

special slots at the upper left.To the upper-right are twelve moreslots representing your charactersbackpack. Store items here that youwish to keep. You may also findpouches and chests which can beused for more storage within thebackpack. Pouches and chests holdsix items, and both can be placed inyour characters backpack. A pouchcan be placed in a chest, but not vice

versa; pouches cannot hold otherpouches, nor can chests hold other

13 14

Inventory Screen

HANDS/

ITEMS IN

HANDS

COMPUTER-

CONTROLLED

COMBAT

ON/OFF

CHOOSE

PARTY

LEADER

CHARACTER

BOXES

ACTIVE CHARACTER

PORTRAIT I TEM S LOT S C HARA CT ER S B AC KP AC K

CHARACTER

DATA

RETURN TO

GAME

GAME MENUCHARACTER OPTION

BUTTONS

MONEYDESCRIPTION BOX

MISSILE

AMMO


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GAME MENU

The Game Menu button

appears on the bottom rowof the character options screens afteryour party has begun adventuring.When you select the Game Menubutton, the Game Menu screenappears with the following options:

View Charac ter

See View Character on page 12.

View Inven to ry

See View Inventory on page 13.

Cast Spel ls / Use Ps ionics

See Cast Spells/Use Psionics onpage 15.

Curr ent Spel l / Effec ts

See Current Spell/Effects on page 15.

Ex i t t o DOS

If you want to quit playing, select theExit to DOS icon.

SAVE allows you to save the game inprogress before quitting.

QUIT exits the game immediately,without saving.

CANCEL returns you to the gamein progress.

Load / Save Gam e

Selecting the Load/Save Game iconbrings up the following menu:

LOAD

SAVE

RESTART

LOAD brings you to the Load Gamescreen. Click on the name of thesaved game you want to load.

SAVE brings you to the Save Gamescreen. Click on any empty slot, thentype in a description of your savedgame. Note: you cant save the gameduring combat.

RESTART restarts the game from thebeginning. You do not lose the

characters youve created.

Cast Spells / Use Psion ics

To select a spell or prepare apsionic power, press the Cast

Spells/Use Psionics icon. All yourspells and psionics will be displayedfor each level known. To cyclebetween spell types and levels, click

the appropriate buttons in the bottomrow. Pointing with the cursor to a spellor psionic power displays its name atthe bottom of the window. For a shortdescription of a spell or power, right-click on the icon. (To close thewindow click anywhere within it.)Select a spell or psionic power by left-clicking on its icon. After you havechosen, the pointer becomes an iconrepresenting your choice. Some spells

(healing spells, for example) can becast directly from this screen byclicking the spell icon on the targetcharacter. Other spells automaticallyreturn you to the regular game screen.

Quick Cast: Right-cli cking on the

Dark Sun icon displays a boxshowing the last spell i con cast. U pto five different spells are shown inthe queue. I f you have no spells inthe queue the Cast Spell s/UsePsionics screen appears. I f youcannot cast any more spell s at aparticul ar level an oran ge Xappears over the spell i con.

Dots around the icon show the area ofeffect. Target the spell with the icon.Move it to your target and left-click. To

abort, right-click once. This procedureis sufficient to cast most of the spellsand psionics in SHATTERED LANDS. Theonly exceptions are wall spells (i.e.,awall of something). To cast a wallspell, left-click where you want oneend of the wall to appear. Then move

the spell cursor to where you want theother end of the wall to appear andleft-click again. Your wall appears, andyou live to fight a little longer.

The maximum number of spells thatthe player character can cast beforeresting is determined by his or herlevel. Refer to page 91 for the numberof spells each class has availableper level.

If you move the pointer beyond the

range of the spell or psionic power,the icon disappears and the CantCast icon takes its place. A locationis invalid when it is out of range orline of sight, or when it cannot beaffected by magic.

All characters begin as first levelpsionicists in the SHATTERED LANDScomputer game.

Curr ent Spel l / Effec ts

To see if there are any goodor evil effects influencing a

character, press the Current Spell/Effects icon. Any effects your char-acter is operating under appear ina row next to his or her icon. Toeliminate a good effect, simply right-click on it and it disappears.

Evil effects are harder to get rid of. I fany member of the party has acounter-spell or psionic ability thatcan void the effect, cast it on theaffected character(s).

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VIEW CHARACTER VIEW INVENTORY CAST SPELLS/ USE PSIONICS CURRENT SPELL/ EFFECTS

OVERHEAD MAP

CENTER ON LEADER

RETURN TO GAME

ATTACKLOOKWALK

COLLAPSE PARTY

SET PREFERENCES

EXIT TO DOS

LOAD/SAVE GAME

Game Menu


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Wa l k

Selecting this icon changes yourcursor to the Walk icon and returnsyou to the game. See page 5 for moreinformation on the Walk icon.

Look

Selecting this icon changes yourcursor to the Look icon and returnsyou to the game. See page 6 for moreinformation on the Look icon.

At tack

Selecting this icon changes yourcursor to the Attack icon and returnsyou to the game. See page 5 for moreinformation on the Attack icon.

Retu r n t o GameThe Return to Game button returnsyou to the game in progress.

ABILITY SCORES

Each character has six randomly-generated ability scores as describedbelow. These scores fall within arange determined by the race andclass of the character. The possible

values range from 9 (low) to 24(high). H igher values always offergreater advantages.

Strength measures physical power,muscle-mass, and stamina. HighStrength increases a characterscombat ability with melee weaponssuch as swords or maces. Strengthalso determines how much a char-acter can carry without becomingencumbered and slowed in combat.

Dexterity measures agility, hand-eyecoordination, and reflex speed.Characters with high Dexteritieshave bonuses to Armor Class, anindication of how difficult they are tohit. Thieves especially benefit fromhigh Dexterity. Good Dexterity also

gives bonuses when using missileweapons such as bows or slings.

Constitution measures fitness,health, and physical toughness.High Constitution increases thenumber of hit points a characterreceives. A characters Constitutionalso determines the maximumnumber of times that character canbe raised from the dead. Every time acharacter is successfully resurrected,

1 point of Constitution is lost.Intelligence measures memory,reasoning, and learning ability.Preservers especially rely on highIntelligence scores; their skill andvery survival hinge on learning andusing their knowledge of magic.

Wisdommeasures a composite ofjudgment, enlightenment, willpower,and intuition. Characters with lowWisdom are more susceptible to

magical spells, while those withhigher Wisdom have greater resis-tance. Clerics with Wisdom 15 orgreater receive extra spells (see theCleric Wisdom Spell Bonus Tableon page 91).

Charismameasures personalmagnetism, persuasiveness, andability to assume command. NPCsmay respond better to characterswith higher Charisma.

Set Pr eferences

This option brings up the Set Prefer-ences screen, which allows youto control the way the game looksand sounds.

Music volumeis a slide bar you canadjust to control music volume. Clickon the buttons on either end of thebar to change the volume.

Music on/offallows you to turn themusic completely off.

Sound effects volumeis a slide baryou can adjust to control the volumeof the sound effects. Click on the

buttons on either end of the bar tochange the volume.

Sound effects on/offallows you toturn the sound effects completely off.

Animations on/offallows you totoggle the games animations on andoff. Turning the animations off helpsspeed up the game on slower systems.

Difficultyallows you to control thelevel of difficulty in combat. Thesettings are Easy, Balanced, Hard,and Hideous. Default is Balanced.

About Dark Sungives you versioninformation and copyright information.

Overhead M ap

The Overhead Map is a detailedoverview of the region your party iscurrently exploring. The partyslocation is indicated by a blue dot.Red dots indicate monsters and NPCs.Only areas you have explored arevisible on the map, the rest is coveredup until you travel to that area.

Cent er on Leader

The Center on Leader icon centers

the screen on the leader of the party.This is useful in combat when youhave scrolled the cursor off-screen totarget on a monster.

Col lapse Par ty

Choose whether your party is depict-ed walking about Athas as a singleperson or a full group. Selecting asingle person speeds up the game.If you choose the single person

option, only the currently selectedLeader appears.

17 18

SOUND EFFECTS VOLUME

DIFFICULTY

RETURN TO GAME

GAME MENUABOUT DARK SUN

ANIMATIONS ON/OFF

SOUND EFFECTS ON/OFF

MUSIC ON/OFF MUSIC VOLUME

Set Preferences Menu


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Half-giants stand between 10 and 12feet tall, and weigh in the neigh-borhood of 1,600 pounds. Theirfeatures are human, but exaggerated.

Half-giants can be fighters, gladia-tors, rangers, clerics, psionicists, andmulti-class characters.

Ha l f l i n g s

Halflings are very short humanoids,standing no more than 3 1/2 feettall. They are muscled and propor-tioned like humans, but they havethe faces of wise and beautifulchildren. Halflings weigh 50 to 60pounds and are always in peakphysical condition.

Halflings can be fighters, gladiators,

rangers, clerics, druids, thieves,psionicists, and multi-classcharacters.

Human s

Humans are the predominant raceon Athas. The average human malestands between 6 and 6 1/2 feet talland weighs 180 to 200 pounds. Theaverage human female is slightlysmaller, averaging between 5 1/2 and

6 feet in height and weighingbetween 100 and 140 pounds.

Humans can be fighters, gladiators,rangers, preservers, clerics, druids,thieves, psionicists, and dual-classcharacters.

M u l s

Muls are an incredibly tough cross-breed of humans and dwarves. Theyretain the height and cunning of theirhuman parent, with the durability andraw strength of their dwarven parent.Muls are usually the products of the

slave pits. They are always male.Full-grown muls stand 6 to 6 1/2 feettall and weigh 240 to 300 pounds.They have stern facial features, andmost muls have no hair or beard.

Muls can be fighters, gladiators,clerics, thieves, psionicists, andmulti-class characters.

Thr i - k reen

Thri-kreen are the least human inappearance of all the races. Thri-kreenare insectoids six-limbed creatureswith tough, sandy-yellow exoskeletons.They stand as tall as 7 feet at theshoulder, have two large eyes, twoantennae, and a small powerful jaw.They are always female.

Thri-kreen make and use thechatkcha, a crystalline throwingwedge. The chatkcha can be thrown

up to 90 yards and still return tothe thrower if it misses the target.When it hits, the chatkcha inflicts 3to 9 points of damage.

Thri-kreen cannot use armor, cloaks,belts, boots, or rings due to theirnon-human shape.

Thri-kreen can be fighters, gladiators,rangers, clerics, psionicists, andmulti-class characters.

CHARACTER RACES

Your characters can be any of eightraces: dwarf, elf, half-elf, half-giant,halfling, human, mul, and thri-kreen.Each race has its own uniquefeatures and abilities. Some racesare naturally stronger or weaker,

or more or less agile than others.These differences are reflected inmodifications to their generatedability scores. See the Racial AbilityAdjustments Table on page 89 forspecific adjustments.

Dwa r v es

Dwarves are short but extremelypowerful. Athasian dwarves average4 1/2 to 5 feet in height and tend to

have a very large muscle mass afull-grown dwarf weighs in the neigh-borhood of 200 pounds. Dwarvescan live up to 250 years.

By nature, dwarves are nonmagicaland never use magical spells.This restriction does not apply todwarven clerics.

Dwarves can be fighters, gladiators,clerics, thieves, psionicists, andmulti-class characters.

Elves

Elves are a race of long-limbedsprinters given to theft, raiding, andwarfare. An Athasian elf standsbetween 6 1/2 and 7 1/2 feet tall.They are slender, lean, and generallyin terrific physical condition. An elf

warrior is conditioned to run quicklyover sandy and rocky terrain, some-times for days at a time an elfwarrior can cross better than 50miles per day.

Elves use no beasts of burden forpersonal transportation. It is dishon-

orable among elves to ride on an ani-mal unless wounded and near death.

Elves can be fighters, gladiators,rangers, preservers, clerics, thieves,psionicists, and multi-class characters.

Hal f-Elves

Half-elves are the result of theintermingling of human and elvensocieties in the great cities of Athas.Half-elves are generally tall, standing

between 6 and 6 1/2 feet.Due to their mixed heritage, half-elves are often unaccepted by bothelves and humans. This intoleranceleads them to be self-reliant, and ableto survive without companionship.

Half-elves can be fighters, gladiators,rangers, preservers, clerics, druids,thieves, psionicists, and multi-classcharacters.

Ha l f -G i an t s

Giants dominate many of the islandsand coastal areas of the Sea of Silt.In some lost millennium, as a bizarreexperiment or perhaps as some sortof curse, giants were magicallycrossbred with humans. Half-giantsare now fairly common.

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G lad i a t o r s

Abi l i ty Requirements Dexteri ty 12Strength 13Constitution 15

Prime Requisite Strength

Races Allowed All

Gladiators are the slave warriors ofthe city-states, specially trained forbrutal physical contests. Disciplinedin many diverse forms of hand-to-hand combat, and skilled in the useof dozens of weapons, gladiators arethe most dangerous warriors onAthas. Gladiators cannot cast spells,though they can use any type ofmagical weapons or armor.

Gladiators learn to optimize theirarmor when they reach fifth level.They condition themselves to use thearmor to its best advantage, conse-quently gaining a -1 AC bonus. Thisbonus does nothing for gladiators whoarent wearing armor.

Gladiators, like fighters, gain speedwith experience, and consequentlycan attack more often in meleeat higher levels than other typesof characters.

Rangers

Abi l i ty Requi rements Strength 13Dexterity 13Wisdom 14Constitution 14

Prime Requi si tes Strength, Dex ter it y,Wisdom

Races Allowed Elf, Half- elf,Halfling, Human,Thri-kreen

Rangers are trained hunters, trackers,and survivalists. They are taught tolive as much by their wits and skillsas by their swords and bows. Likefighters, rangers can use any type ofweapon or armor, though heavyarmor interferes with their specialabilities. They can, however, use twoone-handed weapons (at the sametime) with no penalty.

Rangers, like other fighter-types, gainthe ability to attack more often inmelee than other characters when

they reach higher levels. In addition,rangers also gain some spellcastingability. When you create a ranger, youmust choose the elemental spherethat character will belong to. When aranger reaches eighth-level, he or shegains the ability to cast cleric spellsfrom his or her elemental sphere.

CHARACTER CLASSES

Character classes reflect the interestsand occupations of your characters. Aclass is like a job; its what a characterdoes on a daily basis. Each class hascertain unique abilities and limita-tions. Characters may also become

dual- or multi-class, specializing inmore than one area at once.

A dual-class character is one whostarts in a single class, advances to amoderate level, and then changes to asecond class, starting all over againfrom level one. The benefits andabilities of the first class are lost untilhe exceeds the level of his first classin his second. The character can neveragain advance in that class. Only

humans can be dual-class characters.A human character may do thisprocess twice, potentially allowing atotal of three classes.

A multi-class character improves intwo or more classes simultaneously.All experience is divided equallybetween each class. This, of course,means that level advancementproceeds at a much slower rate than inthose characters who remain single-

class. Only demihumans and thri-kreen can be multi-class characters.

Special note: A prime requisite is themost important ability score for a par-ticular class. A fighters prime requisite,for example, is Strength. Characterswho have an ability score of 16 orgreater as their prime requisite receivea 10 percent bonus to the experiencepoints they earn. Characters with morethan one prime requisite must have a

score of 16 or greater inallof theirprime requisites to receive the bonus.

F igh te rs

Abi l it y Requi remen t S trength 9

Prime Requisite Strength

Races Allowed All

Fighters on Athas are skilled war-riors, soldiers trained in both individ-ual combat and mass warfare. Thistraining includes use and main-tenance of all manner of weaponsand armor. Fighters can use any typeof armor or weapon withoutrestriction. (Thri-kreen fighters,however, have certain restrictions.)

Fighters cannot cast magical spells;they rely solely on their strongsword-arms. They can, however,use any type of magical weapon orarmor. They can also use magicalitems such as rings and gauntlets.

Fighters gain speed in addition toskill when they advance in levels.High-level fighters (as well asgladiators and rangers) are able to

attack more often in melee thanother types of characters.

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Clerics, cont.

pressure. Clerics of the earth must useweapons of stone (obsidian included),metal, or wood, as these elementsoriginate in the earth. A cleric of the airis restricted to missile weapons,because they fly through the air. Water

clerics can only use weapons of boneor wood, because these are organicmaterials through which water onceflowed. Clerics who associate with thespheres of earth and fire have the mostchoices as to which weapons to use.

Clerics also have powers againstundead monsters such as skeletons.The ability to turn und eadcausesundead creatures to flee in fright.Higher level clerics can destroy

monsters by turning them. Clericswith Wisdom 15 or higher gain extraspells as they advance levels (see theCleric Wisdom Spell Bonus Tableon page 91).

D r u i d s

Abi l i ty Requirements Wisdom 12Charisma 15

Pr im e Req ui si tes W is do m, C har is ma

Races Al lowed Half- el f, Hal fli ng,Human, Mul,Thri-kreen

Druids, like clerics, are priests whoworship the elements. Unlike clerics,they are responsible for guarding asection of land. Their power derivesfrom the spirits of these lands. Theyhave major access to the Sphere ofthe Cosmos, and the sphere of theirchosen element.

Druids have no restrictions as towhat weapons they may use. Theyare not allowed to wear armor, butmay don items that give magicalprotection (such as bracers, cloaks,etc.). They can use any magicalitems. However, unlike their clericbrethren, druids cannot turn undead.Druids with Wisdom 15 or highergain extra spells as they advancelevels (see the Cleric Wisdom SpellBonus Table on page 91).

Preservers

Abi l i ty Requirement Intel l igence 9

Pri me Requi si te Intel li gence

Races Al lowed El f, Hal f- el f, Hum an

Preservers are individuals trained inthe arcane and mysterious secrets ofmagic. They cast their spells inharmony with nature, giving back theenergy they take from the land.Preservers are usually poor fighters,preferring to rely on their intellectand magical abilities. They tend tohang back in battle, pummeling theirfoes with mystic attacks.

Preservers cannot wear any type ofarmor because armor is restrictiveand interferes with spellcasting. Also,because they lack martial instruc-tion, preservers are severely limitedin the weapons they can use.

Cler ics

Abi l it y Requi remen t Wis dom 9

Prime Requisite Wisdom

Races Allowed All

Clerics are priests who choose toworship one of the four elementalspheres (earth, air, fire, and water).This choice dictates what spells thecleric can call upon, and what typesof weapons the character can use.Clerics have major access to thesphere of the element of theirworship. They also have minoraccess to the Sphere of the Cosmos.This means that they can cast anyspell within their own sphere, andcan cast Cosmos spells of third levelor less. However, clerics cannot castany spells from spheres they do notbelong to.

Clerics generally prefer to leavecombat to the fighter-types, but, whennecessary, they can fight in melee. Allclerics are trained in combat. Clericsare not restricted with regard to thearmor they wear.

Clerics can only use weapons that areassociated with the sphere of theelement of their worship. A cleric ofthe plane of fire can only use flamingweapons such as flaming arrows,burning oil, and weapons enchantedto burn or scald. Obsidian weaponsare also acceptable because they were

once fused under great heat andContinues...

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OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

In addition to ability scores, race, andclass, characters have several othercharacteristics that affect game play:alignment, Armor Class, hit points,experience points, level, and THAC.

Al ignmen tAlignment is the philosophy a char-acter lives by and can affect howNPCs and some magic items react toa character. The possibilities rangefrom believing strongly in society andaltruism (Lawful Good) to beinganarchistic and actively unpleasant(Chaotic Evil). Life-threateningsituations put a characters alignmentto the test. Note: your party char-

acters must be good or neutral; theycannot be of evil alignment.

Alignment is presented here withexamples of how differently-alignedmembers of a party face a life-threatening situation (in this case,a shortage of water).

Lawful Good

A character of this alignment insiststhat everyone get an even share of

what water there is, even those in theparty who seem beyond hope. He orshe readily conceives of and acceptsplans that call for unequal distribu-tion of water for the greater good ofthe group, but will never let the weakor dying go without water.

Lawful Neutral

Such characters insist that everyoneget an equal share of available water,but wont care one way or the otherabout characters that may be beyondhope. They also accept plans thatcall for unequal distribution of water

for the good of the group.

Lawful Evil

A character of this alignment insiststhat available water be evenlydistributed among the able-bodiedof the group, but wont offer any tothose that seem too far gone. He orshe accepts plans that call forunequal distribution of water if thatmeans more water for him or her.

Neutral GoodA neutral good character insists thateveryone in the group get an evenshare of remaining water, even theseriously dehydrated. He or sheconsiders plans calling for unequalwater distribution, but has to bethoroughly convinced that the planwill ultimately benefit the party andnot hurt him or her personally.

True NeutralA character of this alignment wantsa fair share for him or herself, butwont necessarily come to anyonesaid. He or she considers plans thatcall for unequal water distribution ifhe or she and the party benefit in theshort term.

Thieves

Abi l it y Requi remen t Dex ter i ty 9

Prime Requisite Dexterity

Races Allowed All

Athasian thieves run the gamut ofsociety. Some are malcontents, whoprey on the unsuspecting. Others arein the employ of the nobility, plyingtheir trade by contract in the name ofa royal household or noble family. Asthieves gain levels they become moreproficient at picking locks, andavoiding any attached traps. Due to

their high Dexterity, thieves areskilled at scaling vertical surfacessuch as cliffs.

In combat, thieves do additionaldamage by backstabbing. A thiefbackstabs by attacking a target fromthe exact opposite direction it wasfirst attacked. A backstab has abetter chance of hitting the defenderand does greater damage.

Because they need to move freely

and quietly, thieves abilities arerestricted when they wear anythingother than leather-type armor.Thieves can use all weapons.

Psionic is ts

Abil i ty Requirements Consti tut ion 11Intelligence 12Wisdom 15

Pr im e Req ui si tes C onsti tu ti on ,Wisdom

Races Allowed All

All intelligent creatures on Athas havesome measure of psionic ability.Psionics are the powers of the mind,powers like clairvoyance and telepathy.Psionicists are those who have devotedtheir lives to the study of these powers.

Psionicists can fight, if necessary, butthey are restricted in both armor andweapons. Like thieves, psionicists canonly wear leather-type armor. They arerestricted to small weapons, thoughthey can be of any sort: short swords,daggers, short bows, maces, etc.

The three psionic disciplines arepsychokinesis, psychometabolism,and telepathy. Each gives access to

different mental powers. As thepsionicist advances in levels, he canimprove in psionic power.

Psychokinesis concerns physicalmanipulation of objects, often fordestructive purposes. Psychometa-bolism involves manipulating thecharacters own body to enhance it.Telepathy deals with the defensesand attacks of mental warfare.

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characters start with some baseamount of experience. These baseexperience points are distributedevenly among all of the classes formulti-class characters.

Level

Level measures how much acharacter has advanced in his or herclass. Whenever characters earnenough experience points to advancein level, they gain hit points, combatability, and resistance to the effectsof poisons and magical attacks.Preservers, clerics, druids, and high-level rangers gain the ability tomemorize a greater number of spellsand to cast new spells.

When your characters gain enoughexperience to advance a level, theyadvance automatically. Once trained,the benefits of the new level comeinto effect. Level advancement tablesfor all the classes begin on page 90.

THAC

The ability to hit enemies in meleeor with missile fire is represented byTHAC, which stands for To HitArmor Class . This is the numbera character must roll equal to orgreater than to do damage on a

target with an AC of . The lowerthe THAC, the better the chanceto hit the target.

Not e: the generation of a ran domnumber is often referred to as aroll. In determi ni ng the success ofan att ack, the number generated isfrom 1 to 20.

An attack is successful if the randomnumber is greater than or equal to

the attackers THAC minus thetargets AC. THAC may be modi-fied by things like range, attackingfrom the rear, magic weapons, andmagic spells.

For example: a fighter with a THACof 5 attacking a monster wit h an ACof 3 woul d need to roll a 2 or greater:(THAC 5) - (AC 3) = 2+ . To hit amonster with an AC of -2, however,

he would need to roll a 7 or greater:(THAC 5) - (AC -2) = 7+ .

Neutral Evil

A character of this alignment insistson his or her fair share, and isagainst giving water to the very weak.He or she considers plans forunequal water distribution if he orshe personally benefits.

Chaotic Good

A chaotic good character insists thateveryone get an even share of theavailable water, even the very weak.He or she considers plans calling forunequal water distribution if he or sheand those he or she likes personallyget more water as part of the plan.

Chaotic Neutral

Such a character insists on his or her

fair share, and wont concern him orherself with the plight of those tooweak to stand up for themselves. Heor she considers plans calling forunequal water distribution if he orshe personally gets more water aspart of the plan.

Chaotic Evil

A chaotic evil character freely lies,cheats, or even kills to get all the

water he or she can. He or sheconstantly suggests plans for unequalwater distribution that grant him orher additional water immediately.

Armor C lass

Armor Class (AC) measures howdifficult someone is to hit anddamage; the lower the Armor Classvalue, the harder they are to hit. LowArmor Class values can indicatedifferent things. A character might be

difficult to hit because he or she isoutfitted with magical armor, while amonster might have the same ACbecause it is small and fast. ArmorClass changes when characters findand use new armor or shields. HighDexterity improves a characters AC.

H i t Po i n t s

Hit points measure how difficult acharacter or opponent is to incapac-

itate or kill; higher values are better.Every time an attack gets past armorand defenses, it does damage thatis subtracted from the targets hitpoints. If the hit points reach , thecharacter falls unconscious. If thehit points reach -10 or less, thecharacter dies.

Exper ience Point s

Experience points measure how

much a character has accomplished.Your characters earn experiencepoints for killing monsters, findingtreasure, and completing parts of theadventure. Having prime requisitescores of 16 or more increasesexperience earned by 10 percent.

Characters increase in level as theyearn more experience points. All

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ELEMENTAL

AIR

Lesser Air E lementalLesser air elementals are virtually indistinguishable fromthe harmless dust devils and sirocco winds thatfrequently blow across the Athasian desert. They use

their near invisibility to their advantage. They are thefastest of the lesser elementals and use their speedwhen attacking.

Air ElementalCommon air elementals appear as amorphous, shiftingclouds when they answer summons to the PrimeMaterial Plane. They strike their opponents with strong,focused blasts of air that, like giant, invisible fists, domoderate amounts of damage.

EARTH Lesser Earth El ementalMade from coalesced sand, silt, or rock, lesser earthelementals are the mightiest elementals that low-levelconjurers can summon. The lesser earth elementalsdont do as much damage as common earth elementals,but are still formidable foes.

Earth El ementalCommon earth elementals appear on the Prime MaterialPlane as very large humanoids made of dirt, stones,

precious metals, and gems. They pound their victimswith their huge fists, inflicting significant amounts ofdamage in the process.

Continues...

BESTIARY

To survive on Athas, almost every form of life has become a monster. Themost notable monsters are described on the following pages.

Creatur es of Shat tered Lands

Many of the monsters in SHATTERED LANDS appear for the first time in an AD&D

computer fantasy role-playing game and must be described in greater detail.

They appear in the next section, Detailed Descriptions of New Monsters.

BULETTE

Aptly called landsharks, bulettes are terrifying predatorsthat live only on meat. When attacking, they employtheir large jaws and front feet.

DAGGORAN

Please refer to page 36 in the next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profil e of daggorans.

DAGOLARSL IME

Please refer to page 37 in the next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profil e of Dagol ar slimes.

DARKSPIDERPlease refer to page 38 in the next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profil e of dark spiders.

DUNEREAPER

Please refer to page 39 in the next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a compl ete profi le of dune reapers.

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GREATERSHADOW

Please refer to page 41 in t he next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a compl ete profi le of greater shadows.

MAGERA

Please refer to page 42 in t he next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profile of magera.

MASTYRIAL

Please refer to page 43 in t he next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profile of mastyrials.

MOUNTAINSTALKER

Please refer to page 44 in t he next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profile of mountain stalkers.

OTYUGH

Otyughs, also known as gulguthra, are terrifying crea-

tures that lurk in heaps of dung and decay, waitingfor something to disturb them. They attack with tworidged tentacles which can smash opponents or grapplethem to death.

PSURLON

Please refer to page 45 in t he next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profile of psurlons.

SAN DHOWLER

Please refer to page 47 in t he next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profile of sand howlers.

SCREAMERBEETLE

Please refer to page 48 in t he next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a compl ete profile of screamer beetles.

SHADOW

Shadows are undead creatures that drain strengthfrom their victims with their touch. Their chillinggrasp does light damage to their victims, in addition

to weakening them.

ELEMEN TAL, cont.

FIRE

Lesser Fire El ementa lThese creatures from the elemental plane of fire are themost spirited and mischievous of all the lesser elementals.In combat, lesser fire elementals move up against targetsto burn them, or use their flame tongues to sear them.

Fire ElementalOn the Prime Material Plane, common fire elementalsappear as tall sheets of flame. Fire elementals have twoarm-like appendages, one on each side of their bodies.In combat, they lash out with their ever-moving limbs,searing their opponents with tongues of flame.

WATER

Lesser Wat er Elemental

All water elementals, including the lesser ones, are lookedupon with awe and respect on Athas because of their linkwith the life-giving fluid. Lesser water elementals use theirflowing motion as a basic form of attack. Gathering speedas they go, they use their entire bodies to ram and inflictlarge amounts of damage on their victims.

Wa ter El ementa lCommon water elementals appear on the Prime MaterialPlane as high-crested waves. Their arms appear as waves,one thrust out on each side of the body. When water ele-mentals strike, they lash out with these wave-like arms.

FIR EEEL

Please refer to page 40 in the next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profil e of fire eels.

GENIE

Genies have the upper torso of humans, and the lowerbodies of whirlwinds. They pummel their victims witha powerful tornado-like force. Their ability to useillusions and become invisible makes them virtually

impossible to capture.

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SSURRAN

Please refer to page 49 in t he next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profile of ssurrans.

STRINE

Please refer to page 50 in t he next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a compl ete profi le of stri nes.

STYRPlease refer to page 51 in t he next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profile of styr s.

TANARRI, GREATER BABAU

Greater tanarris are commonly known as babaus. Theyare horrid creatures that look much like huge skeletonscovered with dark, form-fitting leather. They also havelarge, ugly horns protruding from the backs of theirskulls, and long, wicked claws covered with dirt, blood,

and decaying flesh. Their movements are very quick,sharp, and mechanical, emphasizing their cold,inhuman nature. Beware of their deadly poison.

TANARRI, TRUE VROCK

True tanarris are commonly known as vrocks. Vrockslook like crosses between large humans and vultures.These creatures have strong, sinewy limbs coveredwith fine, gray feathers; long, unseemly necks; andrepulsive vulture heads. Vicious fighters, vrocks attack

multiple times in a single melee round with theirwicked claws and beaks.

TAR I(RATMAN)

Please refer to page 52 in t he next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profile of Taris.

SO-UT (RAMPAGER)

The so-ut, or rampagers, are fierce creatures that liveonly for the sake of destruction. They know no fear andhate anything associated with man. They are huge, six-legged creatures with gray scales covering their wholebodies. In melee, so-uts are terrible foes; they are ableto attack with both foreclaws, and each claw secretes an

acidic poison. This corrosive poison destroys botharmor and weapons.

REDSLAAD

These large, red frog-like beings are vicious combatantsthat are quick to attack all other creatures. Red slaadsattack with two claws and a furious bite. They some-times resist magic and have been known to heal damagethey have acquired in combat.

BLUE SLAAD

Blue slaads are ruthless warriors that specialize in masscombat. Blue slaads have two razor-sharp bone rakessticking out from the backs of their hands, and they areimmune to normal weapons, making them verydangerous opponents. Beware of their deadly poison.

SLIG

Sligs are distant cousins of goblins and hobgoblins;though somewhat larger, they are just as ferocious. Sligs

love combat and delight in devising inventive methods todestroy their opponents. Sligs prefer to use hand weaponsbut can bite when necessary. They bear a strikingresemblance to slaads, though no one can explain why.

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DAGGORAN

Climate/Terrain: Wastelands, Tablelands

FREQUENCY: Common

ORGANIZATION: Pack

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any

DIET: Omnivore

INTELLIGENCE: Semi- (2-4)

TREASURE: Nil

ALIGNMENT: Neutral

NO. APPEARING: 2-8

ARMOR CLASS: 7

MOVEMENT: 9, Hop 9

HIT DICE: 4

THAC: 17

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-12 (bite)

SPECIAL ATTACKS: Psionics

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil

SIZE: M (4-6 long)

MORALE: Average (11)

XP VALUE: 1,400

Psychokinesis Sciences:detonate;Devotions:ballistic attack, control body,inertial barrier.

Appearance: Daggorans are large frog-likecreatures with gold-colored skin. Their eyesare green with yellow pupils. Locatedbetween the daggorans shoulders is a greencrystalline growth. Daggorans are creatures ofthe deserts near Draj. They are often trainedand used as trackers by Drajian guardsbecause of the daggorans innate ability topick up and track the psionic signature ofmost intelligent and psionic creatures.

Combat:Daggorans can opt to jump up totheir movement distance. This hop willclear any object up to one-third as high asthe length of the leap and requires only asingle round to accomplish. A jumpingdaggoran can attack in midair or at the endof its leap.

Daggorans frequently hunt in packs duringtimes when food is scarce generally theway of life in the desert. These packs are

likely (60% chance) to follow and attack prey.In the wild, when a daggoran comes upon apotential meal it usually launches an attack

with its detonate psionic ability (which orig-inates from the crystalline growth on itsback) at the ground near a victim, some-times killing it with the shrapnel createdfrom the explosion. If the victim survives theinitial attack, the daggoran rushes in toattack with its mouth, causing 2-12 (2d6)points of damage per hit.

Habitat/Society:Daggorans are socialcreatures, living and hunting in packs, muchlike wolves of other worlds. The hierarchywithin a pack is strict with only the strongestdaggoran as the leader. Whenever adaggoran wishes to vie for the position ofpack leader, a battle to the death ensues.

The victor quite obviously becomes the packleader, while the loser becomes a meal forthe rest of the pack.

Ecology: Daggorans have proven to bevaluable hunters of the Athasian desertsas they help keep the population of rodentsand other small animals down to a tolerablelevel. Unfortunately, thri-kreen considerdaggorans a delicacy and as such, thedaggoran population has been hunted tonear extinction.

THRI-KREEN (MANTIS WARRIOR)

The thri-kreen are carnivorous insect-men that roamdeserts and dry lands. Thri-kreen are extremely agile,and can dodge most any missile attack. Even unarmed,thri-kreen are dangerous in combat because they attackwith all four of their insectile claws. Thri-kreen have a par-alyzing bite that can stop unwary victims in their tracks.

TYRIANSL IME

Please refer to page 53 in the next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profil e of Tyrian slim es.

UNDERMOUNTAINFOLK(MI NDHOME)

Please refer to page 54 in the next section , Detai led Descripti ons of NewM onsters, for a complete profile of Undermountain fol k.

WYVERN

Distant cousins to dragons, wyverns are huge flyinglizards with poisonous stingers in their tails. In combat,wyverns prefer to be in the air and seize anyopportunity to take flight.

XORN

Xorns, natives of the elemental plane of earth, feed onprecious metals deep underground. In combat they canfight two different ways. Against a single opponent, theybend the two nearest legs deeply, angling their bodies45 degrees toward the enemy. In this way all four armscan reach the victim. Against several opponents theycan attack with their arms in all directions, each at adifferent target.

ZOMBIE

Zombies are mindless, animated corpses controlled bytheir creator, usually an evil wizard or priest. Theyalways move in a straight line toward their opponents,with arms outstretched, seeking to claw or pummel their

victims to death.

35 36

PSIONIC SUMMARY: Level Dis/Sci/Dev Attack/Defense Score PSPs1 1/1/3 Nil/M 13 30

Deta i l ed Descr i p t i ons o f New M ons ters


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Appearance:Dark spiders are intelligent,

subterranean arachnids. A portion of thedark spider population has a wide range ofpsionic abilities, and some have evenmastered defiler magic. They form smalltribes ruled by the psionic elite (queen).Magically, their powers can rival that of asixth-level defiler. Dark spiders often laysnares made from their webs. In rareinstances, the spiders have been known totrade silk for live food. A number of mer-chant houses are rumored to trade slaves forthe valuable silk.

Combat: In melee, dark spiders attack withtwo forelegs and a poison bite. The forelegsdo 1d10 points of damage and the bite does1d6 points of damage, plus poison. Theirpoison (type F) is deadly if a save versuspoison is not made.

Habitat/Society:There seem to be three

types of spiders in a tribe. The first, andmost common, is the warrior spider. Thewarrior spider has limited psionic abilities,relying on its melee attacks to defeat itsvictims. The second type of dark spider isthe mage spider. The mage spider is knownto use up to sixth level defiler magic andsome psionics. The last and most feareddark spider is the queen spider. The queenspider is an extremely powerful and skilledpsionicist/defiler.

Ecology:The dark spiders have no naturalenemies, but many acquired ones. Theiryoung are born in web sacks, located in thelairs hatchery. The poison is highly prizedby assassins and alchemists.

Telepathy Sciences: psionic blast;

Devotions:mind blank, ego whip,psychic crush.

Appearance:Dagolar slimes are Tyrianslimes genetically altered by the evilpsionicist, Dagolar. These slimes arehideous, amorphous creatures that are thebane of intelligent beings. Dagolar slimeshave greenish-colored bodies with redhighlights. In the middle of a Dagolar slimerests a human-like brain covered with slime.Like most slimes, these creatures have theability to move along walls and ceilings.

Combat:When a Dagolar slime attacks, itenvelops the head of its prey and dissolvesaway the skull to get at the brain. A Dagolarslime has two types of secretions. The first isa fast-drying, sticky substance that entanglesits prey into motionlessness. This secretionis the slimes usual first attack. The sprayingof this secretion acts like a webspell butaffects one target rather than an area. Thevictim must make a saving throw versusbreath weapon. A successful save indicates

that the victim has dodged the spray, while

failure indicates that the victim is entangledand cannot move.

The second secretion is a highly corrosiveacid. This acidic secretion dissolves metal ata surprising rate. The acid is also caustic toflesh and bone. Bone is dissolved on contactand exposed flesh suffers 2-12 (2d6) pointsof damage per hit.

As if the secretions werent enough, a Dagolarslime also has limited psionic attack abilities.

Habitat/Society:Dagolar slimes are

solitary, asexual creatures. Reproductionhappens when a Dagolar slime encounters avictim with an especially active brain pattern(i.e., a psionicist). Once the victim isincapacitated, the slime does not consumethe brain but rather removes it from thevictim. At this point the Dagolar divides itsslime body and through some unknownprocess transplants the new brain into itsnew offspring.

Ecology: Dagolar slimes pose a threat toall intelligent creatures and, as such, are

usually killed when encountered.

37 38

DAGOLARSLIMES

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Subterranean

FREQUENCY: Uncommon

ORGANIZATION: Solitary

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any

DIET: Carnivore (Brains)

INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)

TREASURE: Nil

ALIGNMENT: Neutral (Evil)

NO. APPEARING: 1-3

ARMOR CLASS: 2

MOVEMENT: 6

HIT DICE: 7

THAC: 13

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-12 (Acid)

SPECIAL ATTACKS: Launches sticky

secretion,psionics

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to crushing andthrusting weapons


SIZE: M (4-7 in diameter)


XP VALUE: 7,000

PSIONIC SUMMARY: Level Dis/Sci/Dev Attack/Defense Score PSPs1 1/1/3 PsC, PB, EW/M 15 60

DARKSPIDER

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Subterranean

FREQUENCY: Very rare

ORGANIZATION: Tribe

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any

DIET: Carnivore

INTELLIGENCE: H igh to exceptional (13-16)

TREASURE: Q (x2)

ALIGNMENT: Neutral

NO. APPEARING: 2-20

ARMOR CLASS: 2

MOVEMENT: 18

HIT DICE: 6

THAC: 15

NO. OF ATTACKS: 3

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10 (foreleg)/1-10 (foreleg)/

1-6 (bite)+poison

SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below



SIZE: M (4-6 long)

MORALE: Elite (14)

XP VALUE: Warrior: 975, Mage: 2,000Queen: 8 HD 3,000Psionicist add 2,000

PSIONICS: 20%


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Appearance:The fire eel is a six-foot-long,fish-like snake that is very aggressive.

Combat:Fire eels can breathe a stream of

fire 10 long. Their favorite mode of attack isto burrow near a target, expose their headsand breathe upon the intended victim. Ifthe victim survives, the eels plunge backinto the sand and attack from a differentlocation. The breath from a fire eel does 6d6points of damage. The fire eel bites for 3d8points of damage.

Habitat/Society:Nil

Ecology: Fire eels roam the sandy wastessearching for food. Not a social animal,

the fire eel lives a solitary life when it isnot breeding.

Appearance:These dune denizens prowlthe sandy wastes. They like to leap from the

sand to ambush and impale victims on theirscythe-like limbs. Common to the desertnear the city-state of Draj, dune reapersare often captured for fighting in thegladiatorial arena.

Combat:The dune reaper attacks with twoscythe-like limbs doing 3d6 points ofdamage (+7 for exceptional strength). Italso has a bite attack for 2d6 points ofdamage. They are known to be resistant tomagic attacks.

Habitat/Society:Dune reapers roam thewastes in small packs, searching for food.

They often lie in wait near a caravan routefor days, and then ambush the caravanwhen it wanders within range. They have nopermanent lairs and they mate twice a year.

Ecology: Dune reapers eat anything plant or animal. The pack will fight to thedeath when food is the issue. This tenacityalso makes them prized in the arena.

39 40

DUNEREAPER

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any

FREQUENCY: Common

ORGANIZATION: Pack

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day

DIET: Omnivore

INTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)

TREASURE: Nil

ALIGNMENT: Neutral

NO. APPEARING: 5-30 (5d6)

ARMOR CLASS: 2

MOVEMENT: 12 (jump 9)

HIT DICE: 8

THAC: 13

NO. OF ATTACKS: 5

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-18 (claw)/3-18 (claw)/

2-12 (bite)

SPECIAL ATTACKS: +7 to damage


MAGIC RESISTANCE: 10%

SIZE: L (8-10 tall)

MORALE: Fearless (19-20)

XP VALUE: 4,000

PSIONICS: Nil

FIREEEL

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Sandy Wastes

FREQUENCY: Rare


ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any

DIET: Carnivore

INTELLIGENCE: Non- (0)

TREASURE: Nil

ALIGNMENT: Nil

NO. APPEARING: 1-3

ARMOR CLASS: 4

MOVEMENT: 9

HIT DICE: 6

THAC: 15

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-24 (bite)

SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breathe fireSPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil


SIZE: M (6 long)

MORALE: Average (8)

XP VALUE: 2,000

PSIONICS: Nil


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Appearance:The magera are a tribal racethat typically live in caves. They frequently

raid caravans and poorly defended villages.Those with higher intelligence have beenknown to master defiler magic, up to fifthlevel. Those with the greatest psionic abilityoften become leaders.

Combat:Magera attack with their fistsdoing 1d8+8 points of damage.

Habitat/Society:Magera tribes are foundanywhere from caverns to mountaintops.

The tribes have 10-20 males, 12-18 females,and 2-8 children. The tribe leader is usuallya defiler of up to 5th level. Magera liveby raiding and scavenging, and eat justabout anything.

Ecology:The magera plague mankind,lusting for gold, gems, and jewelry as wellas human flesh. They are evil-naturedcreatures that join other monsters to preyon the weak.

Appearance:Greater shadows are morepowerful versions of shadows. Greatershadows are undetectable in all but the

brightest of surroundings, as they appear tobe nothing more than shadows. In brightlight they can be clearly seen.

Combat:The greater shadow is primarilyfrom the Negative Material Plane. This givesit the ability to drain the life force from itsvictim. The chil ling touch of a greatershadow inflicts 2d6 points of damage anddrains 1 strength point from its victim. Thegreater shadow is immune to sleep, charm, andholdspells, and it is unaffected by cold-basedattacks. They can be turned by clerics.

Habitat/Society:Greater shadows travelin loosely organized packs that freelyroam ancient ruins, caverns, graveyards,

and dungeons.Ecology: Greater shadows were oncepowerful humanoids exposed to theNegative Material Plane. It has beenrumored that greater shadows are reallymuls who have been cursed by the touchof a shadow.

41 42

GREATERSHADOW

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any ruins or subterranean

chambers

FREQUENCY: Very rareORGANIZATION: Solitary

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Night or darkness

DIET: Living creatures

INTELLIGENCE: Average (10-12)

TREASURE: F

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil

NO. APPEARING: 1-2

ARMOR CLASS: 4

MOVEMENT: 18

HIT DICE: 6

THAC: 15

NO. OF ATTACKS: 2

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-12 (touch)+Special

SPECIAL ATTACKS: Strength drainSPECIAL DEFENSES: +1 or better weapon to hit


SIZE: M (6 tall)

MORALE: Elite (13)

XP VALUE: 1,400

PSIONICS: Nil

M AGERA

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Table Lands, Mountains,

Subterranean

FREQUENCY: Uncommon

ORGANIZATION: Tribe

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any

DIET: Omnivore

INTELLIGENCE: Low to very (5-11)

TREASURE: R, S

ALIGNMENT: Lawful neutral or lawful evil

NO. APPEARING: 5-30

ARMOR CLASS: 6

MOVEMENT: 15

HIT DICE: 6

THAC: 15

NO. OF ATTACKS: 2

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8 (fist) or by weapon

SPECIAL ATTACKS: +8 to damage



SIZE: L (6-10 tall)


XP VALUE: Warrior: 270, Mage: 650

Psionicist add 2,000

PSIONICS: 10%


23/49

Appearance:Mountain stalkers are weirdvariants of beasthead giants; stalkers havea group of tentacles instead of forearms.

Skilled climbers, they populate themountains west of Draj.

Combat:Mountain stalkers attack withtheir tentacles doing 3d6+7 points ofdamage per attack. This attack makesthem deadly in combat.

Habitat/Society:The mountain stalkersshy away from any organized settlement.However, they are not above attacking a

much weaker force if stumbled upon.Mountain stalkers have no regard for anyform of life, except other mountain stalkers.

Ecology: Mountain stalkers can survive onalmost any type of animal or plant diet.

They prefer meat to vegetation. The lives ofmountain stalkers are very hazardous, thusthey have a short life expectancy.

Appearance:Similar to their smallercousins, the scorpions, the mastyrials aresome of the deadliest beasts in the desert.

Combat:For the most part they lie buried inthe sand, hibernating. However, when avictim is within range, the mastyrial burstsout and attacks, attempting to impale thetarget with its poisonous tail. The poisoninflicts 30 points of damage, 15 points ofdamage if a saving throw is made. Themastyrial also attacks with its two clawsdoing 1-10 points of damage and a bitedoing 2-12 points of damage. The mastyrial

regenerates 3 hit points per round.

Habitat/Society:Mastyrials live in under-ground burrows or ruins. Each lair may(20% chance) have 4-20 mastyrial eggs.

These beasts eat any living creature that isunfortunate enough to stray too close totheir lair.

Ecology:These creatures contribute to theecosystem by feeding on giant versions ofinsects such as spiders and ants. Alchemistsand assassins prize the mastyrials venombecause of its potency.

43 44

MASTYRIAL

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any

FREQUENCY: Uncommon


ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any

DIET: Carnivore

INTELLIGENCE: Non- (0)

TREASURE: D

ALIGNMENT: Nil

NO. APPEARING: 1-3

ARMOR CLASS: 0

MOVEMENT: 15

HIT DICE: 12

THAC: 9

NO. OF ATTACKS: 3

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10 (pincher)/1-10(pincher)/

2-12(bite)/1-6 (stinger)SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poison sting

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Regeneration, immune toblunt weapons


SIZE: M (5-6 long)

MORALE: Steady (11)

XP VALUE: 10,000

PSIONICS: Nil

MOUNTA INSTALKER

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Mountainous

FREQUENCY: Uncommon

ORGANIZATION: Clans

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Day

DIET: Omnivore

INTELLIGENCE: Low (5-7)

TREASURE: J (I)

ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil

NO. APPEARING: 5-10 (1d6+4)

ARMOR CLASS: 4

MOVEMENT: 15

HIT DICE: 10

THAC: 11

NO. OF ATTACKS: 4

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-18 (x4) (tentacles)

SPECIAL ATTACKS: +7 to damageSPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil


SIZE: L (10-15 tall)

MORALE: Elite (16)

XP VALUE: 5,000

PSIONICS: Nil


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Appearance:The psurlons were a highlyintelligent and technologically advanced race.

Their earthworm-like bodies have humanoidlegs and arms that end in cloven-hoofed feetand black, talon-like claws (respectively). Thehead of a psurlon appears much like that ofan earthworm with a large gaping maw,ringed with teeth-like projections. Like

earthworms, psurlons have no eyes but usesome other sense to see. Psurlons areusually garbed in richly colored robes.Currently, these creatures are trapped on theastral plane. Evil psionicists seeking greaterknowledge usually summon a psurlon (withthe use of the summon planar creaturepsychoportive science). The price for psurlonknowledge is often quite high, and in manycases results in the death of the psionicist.Many times after summoning a psurlon andgaining its knowledge, the summonerattempts to slay it and send it back to the

astral plane. However, psurlons never forget abroken deal and often track down the originalsummoner and extract their due payment.

Combat:Through centuries of magicalexperimentation, the rugged hide thepsurlons have developed provides thecreatures with a natural Armor Class of .

The use of armor is disdained as it interfereswith their psurlon abilities.

Psurlons are very dangerous foes in combatwith many options at their disposal. Theydisdain the use of weapons, preferring torend their victims apart using their clawsand teeth. When engaged in melee combat,psurlons attack with each claw, causing 3-12 (d10+2) points of damage, and a viciousbite for 2-16 (2d8) points of damage. Themost dangerous ability of the psurlons,however, is their massive psionic ability.

Habitat/Society: Psurlons existed on Athasmany thousands of years ago. At the heightof their evolution, psurlons, in their eternalquest for knowledge and power, devised ameans to psychically link up with all psurlons

throughout Athas. With this ability, thepsurlons planned to attempt a worldwide

conquest of Athas. The night was chosencarefully. When the moon was full and at itszenith, all psurlons across Athas linked upand sent forth their psychic energy. What thepsurlons did not realize was that the fabric ofthe prime material plane could not containsuch a psychic force. A rift in the planes wasripped open and all psurlons were sucked

into the astral plane. The force that pulledthem into the astral plane was so great thateach of the psurlons was knocked into acatatonic state for a period of 100 years.When the psurlons awoke from this state, therift had long since repaired itself. Thepsurlons were trapped with no way back toAthas or any other place on the prime materi-al plane. The fabric of the astral plane seemsto be much stronger than that of the prime,for the psurlons cannot conjure up the mas-sive convergence like that which caused theirentrapment. Over the centuries, the psurlons

have lost the a

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