Ark (Hound Folk)

These intelligent man-dogs can grow to be nine feet tall when standing on their hind feet. Their hands are adapted to tool use. Their coarse, heavy fur offers substantial protection form the elements. They run the gamut of colours: brown, black, white, blond, spotted, multihued, etc.

Arks carry normal weapons: swords, spears, and bows are common. They most commonly wear leather or studded leather armor, and are rarely seen without a shield of some sort. Their pack insignia are usually emblazoned upon their shields.

Arks can Telekinese objects up to 90" away with their minds, as 9if they were lifting it with a 13 strength. Only one object can be controlled in this way, and objects so controlled cannot be moved in any sort of detailed way, but merely lifted, moved horizontally, and so on. Objects so lifted can only be used as a weapon if the item is hurled.

Combat: The arks' primary strategy is to attack from an ambush with guerilla tactics, using their life leech ability as much as possible. This ability will allow the ark to drain 15 hit points per round from any sentient or mobile creatures within 10" for up to 15 rounds. This ability can only be used once per day. The hit points thus drained are used to heal any damage the ark may have taken, then the rest are put intoa special pool of hit points. All subsequent attacks do damage to this hit point pool intil it is gone. After four hours these points wear off at a ratw of 15 hit points per round until the Ark is back at its normal hit point level. This hit point pool can naver exceed 100 hit points.

Habitat/Society: The hound folk travel in loosely knit family units called packs. These packs can be up to two dozen members strong, but the hunting parties rarely number more than a dozen. The pack is ruld by the alpha male, usually the ark with the most combat prowess. Other males will occasionally challenge the alpha male for the right to rule the pack. Sometimes a large pack will split, with part of it following a new alpha male and part of it staying with the old one.

Ecology: Arks fear any advanced technology, such as starwheel pistols. Magic items, however, are worphipped as totems. The alpha male's first wife is charged with the care and transportation of the totems.