Tohr-kreen, J’ez
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any land
FREQUENCY: Common in the North, very rare elsewhere
ORGANIZATION: Clutch and state
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Constant
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Average to genius (8-18)
TREASURE: U (See below)
ALIGNMENT: Any lawful
NO. APPEARING: 3d12
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENT: 18
HIT DICE: 6+3
THAC0: 13
NO. OF ATTACKS: 5 or 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d3 (x4)/1d6+1 or 1d6+1 and by weapon
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Paralyzation
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Missile dodge
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: L (9’ long)
MORALE: Elite (15-16)
LEVEL/XP VALUE: 1,400
PSIONICS SUMMARY: Nil
PLAYER.S OPTION: MAC 6
Tohr-kreen are large, intelligent insects, very similar to thri-kreen. Tohr-kreen build permanent settlements in the lands far to the north of the Tablelands, home to Tyr and the other humanoid city-states. For many years, the tohr-kreen have sent scouts to the Tyr region These scouts are called zik-trin’ta by other tohr-kreen, but are known as tohr-kreen to the peoples of the Tablelands. The zik-trin’ta are known as tohr-kreen in the MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM appendix for the DARK SUN campaign setting.
The most common tohr-kreen of the north are the j’ez, who have black chitin, and the j’hol, who are smaller and have red chitin. Members of both species have aggressive natures. Both are similar in most ways to thri-kreen.
J’ez Tohr-kreen
The figures given above are for mature adult j’ez. Others have the following abilities, based on their age (they age one age category every two years until they reach mature adult):
HD THAC0 XP Claw/bite Damage Special Ability
Larva 1+3 19 65 1/1d2 None
Child 2+3 17 120 1/1d3 None
Young 3+3 17 175 1d3/1d4 leap
Young adult 4+3 15 270 1d3/1d6 venom
Adult 5+3 15 975 1d4/1d6+1 chatkcha
Mature adult 6+3 13 1,400 1d4/1d6+1 dodge missiles
J’ez have black chitin and four-fingered hands. Skin stretches over their chitin and they have long antennae. J’ez also have mouths that are odd for kreen. The general arrangement is circular, and the j’ez have inward-pointing fanglike parts around the circumference of their relatively flexible mouths. Extensions reach from the sides of the mouth and help secure food to be taken in by the “fangs” which dispense the tohr-kreen’s venom.
Combat: J’ez enjoy combat and war and are good military leaders. They prefer to use psionics against their opponents when possible, closing to melee when psionic attack is not an option. J’ez prefer manufactured weapons, especially the gythka, that can slash for 1-6 (1d6) points of damage against targets of man-size or smaller, or for 1-10 (1d10) points of damage against a larger target. Like thri-kreen, J’ez tohrkreen have a natural AC 5 because of their exoskeletons, and are immune to hold person and charm person spells. They learn other special abilities as they age.
Leap: This ability allows J’ez to leap 20 feet straight up or 50 feet forward. They cannot leap backward.
Venom: A bite delivers this venom. Anyone bitten must make a successful save vs. paralyzation or be paralyzed. Smaller than man-sized creatures are paralyzed for 2-10 (2d10) rounds, man-sized for 2.8 (2d8) rounds, large creatures for 1-8 (1d8) rounds, and huge and gargantuan creatures for 1 round.
Chatkcha: J’ez can throw two chatkcha per round, as far as 270 feet. A chatkcha causes 3-8 (1d6+2) points of damage when it hits, and returns to the thrower when it misses.
Dodge missiles: Mature J’ez can dodge missiles fired at them with a roll of 9 or better on 1d20; they cannot dodge magical effects, only physical missiles. Magical physical missiles (arrows, thrown axes) modify this roll by their magical bonus.
Psionics: Many J’ez (50%) are psionicists. The rest have psionic wild talents (see The Complete psionics Handbook). Magical and psionic items: J’ez never use magical items, but all have at least one item with psionic powers.
Habitat/Society: J’ez usually live in rocky badlands and sandy wastes, terrain that exists throughout most of their nation in the North. J’ez are often psionicists and philosophers, but tend to be aggressive. Their philosophy requires them to remain combat capable. J’ez have mating habits and gestation periods similar to those of thri-kreen. J’ez can live to be 80 years old.
Ecology: Tohr-kreen are carnivores. They build towns and cities. They work with a similar species, the zik-chil, to produce zik-trin.ta scouts. J’ez architecture and art are average, but their literature is superb Treasure carried by a J’ez is often books and gems (substitute psionic items for any indicated magical items).
Originally appeared in Dark Sun Monstrous Compendium Appendix II: Terrors Beyond Tyr (1995).
