[Thundarr Thursday] Savage Menagerie: Desert People

No. Enc.: 1d10 (2d20)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 120' (40')

Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 1
Damage: per weapon

Save: L4
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: XXII

Desert People are 2-foot-tall humanoids who hate and mistrust all outsiders - to the point of being violently xenophobic. Desert People are often found in the sandy wastes of the post-apocalyptic Earth, preferring to make their homes in sand-covered, long-forgotten ruins. If a city has been slowly consumed by a desert, you'll find Desert People lurking within the buried dwellings.

Desert People prefer to keep themselves wrapped from head to toe in loose-fitting clothes, keeping their faces hidden behind scarfs and hoods. The only facial feature seen will be a pair of hateful scowling eyes. Since Desert People hate strangers, they will either keep hidden away if outsiders enter their area, or they may try to subdue and capture a prisoner if the Desert People are being employed by a Wizard or other powerful ally. Once captured, the victim is either turned over to the one who hired them, or the victim is left to perish in a deathtrap or fed to a large beast they keep for such events. You will never befriend a Desert Person, so it's best to not even try.

Desert People speak in a high-pitched chatter of their own that will be incomprehensible to listeners. (Although Ookla was able to speak to and understand a Desert Person, so it is apparently possible to learn their language.) Desert People have a unique device called a Spring Lariat that they use to capture a victim. A long coil of spring is compressed between their hands. When released, the coil shoots out toward a victim, trailing a length of rope or wire behind it. On a successful roll to hit, the spring will spin around the victim, entangling them within the trailing cord. If a group of Desert People use their lariats on a victim, they are as good as captured.

Mutations: none

NOTE: This creature was inspired by the Episode "Wizard War" from the classic post-apocalyptic cartoon "Thundarr the Barbarian." Stay tuned each week for Thundarr Thursday! (And I almost didn't make this week's TT! Whew, just under the wire!)