Echohawk would like to finish off the remaining six Dark Sun critters, so here we go!
Verini
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Mountains / Warm caves
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
ORGANIZATION: Tribal
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Carnivorous
INTELLIGENCE: High to Supra (14–20)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral Good
NO. APPEARING: 1–50
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENT: 15
HIT DICE: 5–20
THACØ: 12
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 or 1 by weapon
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1–6 (claws), or as per weapon
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spit paralysis poison 30’
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (6–7’ tall)
MORALE: Steady to Elite (10–14+)
XP VALUE: 1,000 to 4,000
Appearance: Verini are large upright newts, distant cousins of Firenewts. Their evolution took them on a more stable and less hostile path of development, and thus they have distanced themselves from their cousins and sought peaceful existence in the heat of Athas’ volcanic regions.
Verini stand 6–7 feet tall, and are colored from bright reds and yellows, to dark grays and black, their coloring darkening as they age. Their large eyes are yellow in color, and occupy most of their head. Although the size of their eyes may suggest excellent vision, the verini’s vision is in no way better than that of a human’s. However, their cave-dwelling nature has given them infravision, good up to 40 feet.
Verini speak their own language, consisting of hisses and clicks, as well as common. There is a 30% chance that a given verini preserver or cleric will know 1 or 2 more additional languages.
Combat: Living in the rocky mountains, the verini have developed thick hides that give them a natural armor class of 5. This offers protection from the jagged surfaces that they commonly travel over. Because of their fire-based nature, the verini are resistant to fire-based attacks, with a +2 bonus to save. Conversely, they are susceptible to cold-based attacks, saving at -2.
Although the verini could make armor if they so desired, most prefer to wear simple jewelry and bracers than cover themselves with heavy armor that conceals their colors, a source of pride among many young verini.
Verini usually hunt in packs, and would rather exist peacefully with other intelligent races, but such is not always the case. If they are pressed to fight, a verini can attack with its long claws for 1–6 each, or use one of the many weapons at its disposal. Common weapons include quarterstaffs, longswords, spears, and short swords.
Verini never use ranged weapons. The main reason that the verini avoid ranged weapons is that they can spit a special toxin every other round. The poison is a contact paralysis, similar to the thri-kreen poison, but taking effect in a matter of seconds. If a save vs. poison is not made, the victim is paralyzed for 2–8 rounds. If the victim saves, he or she is only paralyzed for one round. It is not uncommon for travellers to come across a band of paralyzed bandits, only to see verini in the distance, leaving the scene. Of course, because the verini have a natural poison going through their bodies, they are also resistant to poisons, getting a +2 to their save vs. poisons and paralysis. Generally, this poison is used to hunt, with one verini luring a creature into range of the others, who then spring on it, hitting it with their poison and tracking it as the poison takes effect and paralyzes the creature. It is then easily killed and taken back to be eaten. However, if under attack, a verini will not hesitate to paralyze its aggressors so that it can flee.
Verini are fast. When running, they sometimes go down on all fours and are able to cover terrain very quickly. They have a knack of knowing where to go to find the easiest ground, so they suffer no penalties for moving over rough terrain. In actuality, they take pride in how quickly they can move. It is somewhat of a contest for the younger verini to see who can cover a given amount of rocky terrain the fastest.
Because of their disposition, verini are free to pursue all disciplines of magic. There is a 20% change that any verini encounter will contain from 1–4 verini preservers or clerics. These are of 4th–19th level, with spells equivalent to a human preserver or cleric of similar level.
Verini openly hate defilers. Since they take such care in protecting not only themselves, but the ecology of the areas they live in, a defiler is seen as a tremendous threat. Verini preservers and psionicists will be dispatched with a wellarmed war party to destroy the offending mage. Rarely is such effort put toward waging war, and many visitors to a verini tribe have marveled at their tactical ability — the verini play to win, and do not throw forces against an enemy they cannot hope to defeat.
Habitat/Society: Verini prefer to live in caverns, preferably near volcanic activity, for it keeps the caves warm during the harsh, cold Athas nights. They live in tribes of 10–50, but larger caves could support tribes of up to 300 members. Verini honor their elders, and many of the tribes are not led by the greatest warriors, but by their eldest member. The verini put more value on wisdom than on the ability to rend a foe. Usually, the verini tribe also holds gatherings where all of the members gather to discuss anything they feel is important. Everyone is given a chance to speak, and everyone is free to talk as long as they feel is necessary, so some of these meetings can last for days. However, most verini would look down on a member that could not get his point across within an hour or so. Interrupting a speaking member is considered a horrendous faux pas, an unspoken rule that few break.
The verini are family-oriented, with the parent verini raising their younglings in a structured environment. Most verini younglings are encouraged to begin along a path at an early age, whether it is a magical discipline or the pursuit of another career. Many verini are artistically oriented, and spend much of their time making jewelry, tapestries, and other beautiful works of art. Twice a year, two verini tribes come together to talk about everything that has happened since they last met. They trade goods, have long discussions, and the younger verini look for prospective mates. They listen to wondrous stories, told by the tribe’s storyteller, and join in large efforts to further their arts.
Ecology: An average verini lives for 150 years. They are warm-blooded amphibians, spending their first year in an egg. After it hatches, the verini grow in size rapidly, reaching full size in under 5 years. They walk upright about a year after hatching. They are carnivores, but prefer substances that do not deplete the local ecology to the point that they threaten another species.
Originally appeared in Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager Rule Book (1994).
