The Residents of Rhand

The following are some of the groups of humans, aliens, and more vicious predators on Rhand.

This list should not be regarded as everything that lives on Rhand;

this is a huge world where new groups and creatures are discovered with increasing regularity.

The groups, given on the Troops and Enemies Description Table 1.2, are merely those most commonly encountered and are described in the following pages to aid the game-master in planning scenarios.

This data shows typical values for average members of a given group.

The referee should design leaders of these groups using the Officer and Sergeant entries of the City-State troop section as guidelines.

Specialists such as archers or magicians are likewise designed by the referee.

As a general rule, there is a 1 % chance a person knows magic.

There are about 1,000 city-states scattered around Rhand.

The average population of a city-state is roughly 60,000, more than half of whom live in or around the main city.

Most of the city-states are on or near the equator, built among the ruins of the old urban areas.

There is considerable diversity among them, but certain factors are fairly consistent.

Governments tend to be monarchies or oligarchies, as there is no provision for elections and little chance of smooth succession of government.

Additionally, the majority of the ruler's effort is expended in maintaining or expanding his power, which is only rarely in the best interests of the populace.

As a consequence poverty is common, and most rulers are at best mildly oppressive.

Basic civil freedoms are rare, and even where promised they are not routinely practiced.

The exceptions to this are where the Orca has substantial influence.

The Orca has bases in many city-states and their presence is often welcomed as a healthy, stabilizing factor, but the Orca is not capable of imposing its ideals in every city-state where it maintains a presence.

Many Orca bases are small, and they are almost always outnumbered by local troops.

Where possible, however, the Orca encourages freedom of speech, free elections, and all the other trappings of a modern civilization.

Militarily, the city-states have certain similarities.

While what follows is by no means a comprehensive list, these are the basic troop types used in most city-states.

The standard arms are spear, broadsword, and heater shield.

Heavy infantry and guards also carry axe or mace.

Militia: Lightly armored, poorly trained reserve auxiliary forces, militia are rarely encountered unless accompanied by other troops.

Light Foot: Leather armored auxiliary troops, Light Foot are used as flankers and archer support.

Medium Foot: The standard line troops of the city-states, they commonly attack in depth with the first rank composed of swordsmen, the back rank spearmen who strike over the heads of the front line with their longer weapons.

Heavy Foot: Brigandine armored fighters, they are usually put in defensive weak points or used as shock troops in an attack.

Light Cavalry: Leather armored horse bowmen who harass enemy flanks and scout.

They may make mounted charges against footmen.

Medium Cavalry: Mail armored horsemen similar to a medieval knight on Earth.

Heavy Cavalry: Shock Troops, they break up an enemy formation with mounted lance charges before an assault by footmen.

Guards: Heavily armored horsemen used as a mobile reserve, they double as mounted troops or dismounted footmen.

Sea Raiders: Scattered along the coasts of the north and south, Sea-Raider communities are rustic, independent, and largely military in nature.

Whenever weather permits, Sea-Raiders launch their light oar-drawn ships to sail along the coast and up rivers, looking for vulnerable communities.

Their attacks are short and sudden.

They are not interested in conquest but in wealth and stores of food.

Although they much prefer quick raids on the weak and an immediate retreat to the safety of their ships, when there is a need to fight organized opposition they are efficient and talented soldiers, strong and well equipped.

They favor mail armor and prefer to fight with axe and shield.

Twenty percent carry composite bows.

Barbarians: In a world where regression and a fall from higher civilization are the standards, these tribes have done a more thorough job than any other pure human race.

Roving through the wilderness, these fur clad wildmen are incapable of agriculture and manage only minimal herding, relying on hunting and gathering to survive.

They raid more advanced communities only when low on food or in bad straits, and are fierce but disorganized warriors.

They use simple spears and clubs, and the only shields, armor, and advanced weapons they have are stolen from other groups.

Reavers: Another brand of the many barbarous groups of Rhand, these tribesmen herd hardy breeds of sheep and goats, and frequently strike out of the cold wilderness.

These nomadic tribes are more organized than many other groups and can pose a serious threat to even the strongest of the city-states.

Since they usually live in rough hills and mountains where horses are nearly useless, they fight on foot.

Armor varies by rank, wealth, and personal choice, as does weaponry, although the throwing axe is always a popular weapon.

Jineta: These are the lithe people of the horse, and they are among the most deadly cultures on Rhand.

A small hardy people who ride before they can walk, the Jineta are 9th level or better horsemen.

A group of Jineta will contain sixty percent unarmored horse bowmen who are careful to avoid hand-to-hand combat.

The remainder are conventional cavalry who use light spears and sabers.

The mounted, evasive tactics of the Jineta make them almost unbeatable in the open plains they consider home.

Clochardi: Distant kin and longtime enemies of the Jineta, the Clochardi rule the icelands.

They are clever, deceptive nomads, not as talented with either bow or horse as the Jineta, but known to be skilled with their curved swords.

They are excellent tacticians with a long tradition of treachery and deceit.

They are well armored, and use scimitars and light spears.

Vid: Clinging to the remaining forests of Rhand are the Vid, small enclaves of solid, simple people who largely avoid contact with others.

The Vid are the descendants of rangers who once patrolled these woods and they are quite jealous of their homelands.

8th level or better in both Hunting and Archery, they are skilled woodsmen who avoid traditional hand-to-hand combat where possible.

The woods are their homes, and anyone intent on attacking a community of Vid must be prepared to meet with effective guerilla warfare immediately upon entering the forest.

Traps and ambushes are routine to the Vid, and an attacker should count himself lucky if he even sees his opponents.

The Vid use longbows and short swords, and wear leather armor.

Rogues: Rogues are disorganized groups of outlaws which roam the countryside assaulting isolated villages and spreading a reign of terror until organized opposition shows up.

Consisting mostly of criminals and outcasts from the city-states, they stay near civilized lands and are not found roaming the wilderness where they might have to deal with barbarians or Spectrals.

Rogues are variously armed and armored, depending on their origin and what equipment they have recently stolen.

Brigands: These are the organized criminal bands which control the darker quarters of the city-states.

Often these bands are led by respected members of the community, people who maintain fronts as legitimate businessmen as cover for their more lucrative enterprises of extortion, kidnapping, and sale of drugs.

These groups control most of the crime in the city-states.

Brigands are armed and armored according to rank and mission, but are usually lightly armored and carry short weapons, since much of their work must be done indoors.

Ruffians: This is a general term for the street toughs and minor gangs that roam the city streets.

Their easily obtained and concealed weapons such as daggers, clubs, and sticks, are usually used on unarmed citizens.

Ruffians are rarely interested in anyone who is capable of fighting back and will flee from the city guard.

They are sometimes used as disposable servants by Brigand gangs, and indeed the closest many Ruffians come to having ambition is the idea of being allowed into the organized crime circuit.

Blades:

One type of human is unlike any other.

He differs from the common thief or murderer in the same way a member of the Orca differs from a militiaman.

They are humans utterly without morals or conscience, people who have betrayed their race to take service with the Spectrals.

They call themselves “Blades”.

They act as liaisons, going places no Spectral can go, working to overthrow or subvert the city-states and to corrupt the nomads and barbarians.

Vissers are their preferred servants, and Blades are often at the head of Brigand gangs, whether overtly or ruling through another.

Just as the Orca is the peak of human ideals, so are Blades the nadir.

And just as the Orca is organized in its attempt to promote the higher ideals of humanity, so, apparently, are the Blades.

Little is known of their organization, including whether it is run by humans or Spectrals, but it is known that Blades can cooperate, although they do not like it, and that their plans are often larger than any one man.

By Orca standards they are among the three great threats to civilization.

They are apparently recruited from the very worst that humanity has to offer, and they are talented, efficient warriors.

Prime physical specimens, they often have fine minds, and they are all well trained and well equipped.

If there is an effective plot against human well-being in an area, there is a good chance that a Blade is somewhere behind it.

If someone important is in danger, it is likely that a Blade planted the idea in someone's head.

And if an Orca mission meets with unusual difficulty or failure, then you may rest assured that somewhere, nearby or far away, a Blade is laughing, viciously proud of his role in their troubles.

Birdmen: These winged creatures are only dimly intelligent and travel in bands.

They attack like birds of prey, soaring high while seeking their target, then swooping swiftly to attack caravans, small groups, and the occasional village.

They raid for tools, which they cannot make, and food.

They have Combat Speeds of 5 in the air and 1 on the ground, and cannot fly if carrying more than 20 pounds.

They are slender and frail, due to a light bone structure, and Impact Damage striking them is doubled before entering the Damage Tables.

They wear no armor, use light, stolen weapons, and take a certain pleasure from dropping rocks on people who have no missile weapons.

Lizardmen: Bulky, reptilian humanoids, Lizardmen live far out in the icelands, where Clochardi and Spectrals do not travel.

Although not very bright, they have a complex religion of some sort and worship in huge fin-shaped temples which radiate heat and are surrounded by high walls.

The Lizardmen are peace-loving and are only a threat to those who seek to do them harm.

At such times they are a considerable danger indeed, for they are swift and terribly strong, and attack with heavy fist blows (run as flange mace), weapons, or grappling moves.

Varsha: This is a race of small, inoffensive creatures, essentially humanoid and almost entirely nonviolent.

They are friends of humanity and were domestic workers in the time before the Spectrals.

Varsha are still dependent on man and are trustworthy and loyal.

Once a Varsha gives his loyalty, they are faithful for life, with generations of Varsha serving the same family line.

Straks: Another race that predates the Spectrals, they are tall (6 foot), thin (140 lb), friendly to humans, and not overly bright.

Generally peaceable, they are strong and fast, and will fight if provoked.

Often used for menial labor, they live among humans and in communities of their own.

Trank: The Trank are a race of fish-faced humanoids.

Originally brought by the Spectrals as their subjects, they have since split off on their own.

These stoop shouldered creatures make their homes near large bodies of water, and their trimarans ply most of the coasts of Rhand.

Their large lung capacity allows them to dive underwater up to 25 minutes at a stretch.

On the surface Trank spearguns are run as light crossbows.

Slozek: This is another of the Spectral subject races, but they are far more militant than the Trank.

They were originally used as light infantry by the Spectrals but they are now independent and hire out as mercenaries to whoever will supply them with the most red meat.

They are not skilled in such subtleties as agriculture or herding, but they are fair hunters and powerful, quick, deadly fighters.

They have maintained the military organization they had on their arrival and use crossbows, a memory of the automatic weapons of their ancestors.

Highly sought as mercenaries, they are intelligent and quick but have no concept of good, evil, morality, or conscience.

Vissers: Cruel, strong, violent, and ignorant, the Vissers are a race of vicious humanoids worse than any other on Rhand, for they were once human.

The science of the Spectrals was turned on their ancestors, warping them into malevolent, unthinking creatures.

They are caricatures of humans and perhaps the greatest, saddest, and most visible sign of the corruptions the Spectrals have brought about.

The Visser culture, if it can be called that, is untempered by mercy, gentleness, or wisdom.

They are one of the three eternal foes of the Orca.

They use spears and short swords, in combination with wooden shields and composite bows.

Egadsu: These creatures were brought by the Spectrals and used as the equivalent of attack dogs.

Possibly the most vicious and fierce fighters on Rhand, their bodies are formed purely for war.

Eight feet tall and weighing 350 pounds, in a single phase they will grapple with foreclaws (one grappling move and one duck), stab with two tentacle-like appendages (two Normal stroke stabs with a two-handed light spear), and swing a large, sharp edged tail (one Normal stroke with a long flanged battleaxe).

Dark, chitinous, and swift, Egadsu are solitary creatures rarely found in large groups.

Dionical: Part of the indigenous Rhand population which predates both Spectrals and humans, the Dionical is a ferocious predator which hunts in packs throughout the warm, equatorial areas.

Basically reptilian, they run upright with long tails extended for balance.

On catching their prey, they grasp it with forelimbs (one grappling move and one duck per phase) and kick up with one clawed foot, striking their immobile target.

(Treat the kick as a Long stroke dagger thrust).

Striped beige and brown, Dionical are hard to spot in the wilds and are excellent Hunters and Trackers.

Their intelligence can be compared to that of dogs, but they are fiercely independent, cannot be confined, and would make unruly, disobedient, destructive pets.

The Spectrals: Orca records contain little information concerning the Spectrals' home or origins.

They were first contacted shortly before their assault on Rhand, and what detailed information may have existed was never transmitted to this distant and agrarian world.

What is known is that Spectrals have a great hatred of humanity and are completely dedicated to its destruction.

There are four types of Spectrals which are encountered, and a fifth which reportedly exists.

The Spectrals have no individual identity, operating with a telepathic hive mentality at all times.

This communal mind renders them immune to Mental Magic, and as they do not possess normal sight they cannot be blinded.

They are basically jet-black humanoids, but with striking differences in the head area.

Spectrals do not possess either eyes, nose, or mouth.

Instead they have alternate senses which allow them to perceive equally well in light or dark.

Spectrals can only be slain by 60 Physical Damage points to the head.

Damage to the limbs used for motion and combat will render them helpless, however.

The Spectrals come in two basic classes–the blank faced Workers and the facet faced Warriors.

Minor Workers: The smallest (4 foot tall) and most plentiful of the Spectrals, Minor Workers do most of the labor for the hive.

In combat the manipulative digits of each arm fold into a point which is treated as a short sword.

Major Worker: Differing from the Minor Workers only in size, the obsidian skinned Major Workers handle more difficult tasks, and use their arms as two one handed light spears.

Minor Warrior: These Spectrals specialize in warfare.

Their skins are hardened, and their upper limbs are shaped into blades which are used as flanged battleaxes.

Minor Warriors are more than a match for any but the most skilled human warrior.

Major Warrior: Fortunately, this is a rare Spectral.

Their upper limbs are used as long flanged battleaxes, and their skin is as hard as metal.

Fast and possessed of devastating strength, a Major Warrior is one of the most deadly beings on Rhand.

There is another unconfirmed type of Spectral, a Breeder, but they remain at all times within the hive, and to date no hives have been successfully assaulted.

Spectral hives are carved into the earth or ice and are known to contain a minimum of 40 Minor Workers, 20 Major Workers, 20 Minor Warriors, and 10 Major Warriors.

The Residents Of Rhand [R-FRP4-8.1.1.4]