Villains' Lorebook.pdf - Department of Political Science

60
Asabis
The scourge of Anauroch
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Anauroch/any temperate, dry
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Tribal
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Nocturnal
DIET: Omnivore
INTELLIGENCE: Very (11-12)
TREASURE: D
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
NO. APPEARING: 6-48 (6d8)
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVEMENT: 18, Br 8
HIT DICE: 3+3
THAC0: 17
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3 or 2
DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1d2 (×2) or by weapon/1d6 (bite)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (7’-9’ tall)
MORALE: Champion (15)
XP VALUE: 120
These reptilian beings, who call themselves laertis,
are desert dwellers superficially similar to the
much more common lizard man that is often found
in swamps. Asabis tend to be brown to gray in hue,
with dun or light green underbellies. They have
large, yellow, egg-shaped eyes so bright that they
flash in darkness with horizontally slit pupils. They
wear armor no heavier than leather, speak their
own sharp, chattery language, and the sexes are indistinguishable
to most mammals (including humans
and demihumans). Their narrow skulls have
sloping foreheads that end in protruding brows.
They touch and taste unknown objects with their
forked tongues, and have a rough, pebbly skin with
slits for nostrils and ears.
The asabis’ limbs jut from their sinuous torsos at
90 degrees, like those of the smaller desert lizards
the asabis seemingly evolved from. They are
equally adept at moving on four legs or two; when
running on their rear legs, their nonprehensile tails
help them balance.
Combat: Asabis often hire themselves out as
mercenaries or hunt the desert’s native human population
called the Bedine and other, less intelligent
creatures of the desert. They use any one-handed
weapon they fashion or capture, including crude
(treat as light) crossbows which they sling over
their backs when not in use. Asabis are cunning
and enjoy ambushing their prey.
Asabis can burrow into desert sands quite easily
(which is one reason their ambushes are so often
successful). When they run on all four legs, they
present a smaller target silhouette and receive a +1
bonus to their Armor Class. Additionally, asabis
can leap 20’ horizontally or 16’ vertically.
Habitat/Society: Asabis are encountered only at
night in Anauroch. They must spend the day away
from the searing sun; they burrow a few feet into
the sand, retreat to a cave, or huddle in a deep rock
crevice. More than 1d4+1 turns of heavy exertion
under the sun (forced marches, melee combat, or
even carrying a heavy pack) causes an asabis to col-
lapse until its body can cool.
Left to themselves, asabis live in tribes under the
rule of a council of elders and a war-leader. They
may ally themselves with other evil creatures for
mutual gain, or even adopt such beings into their
tribe. Most, but not all of the asabis in Anauroch