Tusken Raiders

by Jason Martell, martelljake@hotmail.com

The Tusken Raiders, also known as Sandpeople, hail from the deep deserts of Tatooine. Unlike the Jawas, with whom they share the desert, Tuskens have not adapted to the arrival of off world settlers. Many tribes have become angry and bitter; they often hunt trespassers to their sacred desert and smash the moisture farms on the fringe of settlements such as Mos Espa or Anchorhead. Others retreat further into the desert in an attempt to maintain their traditional lifestyles among the vast Bantha herds.

Tuskens are inherently reluctant to trust other species; the aggressive tactics they use in order to protect their land and their culture have brought them into conflict with settlers of almost every race. Most adventuring Tuskens are those who have been exiled from their own tribes or those who have been sent on specific missions by their tribal elders.

Personality: Tuskens are not a duplicitous people; they are honest and true to their beliefs and willing to die to defend their way of life. Those who venture from their homeworlds are initially quiet, shy and somewhat uncomfortable, but in time they can learn to see any locale as a hostile desert ecology, and thus restore their faith in themselves.

Physical Description: The Tusken people believe that they must conceal themselves from other races in order to maintain both an advantage in confrontations and their own cultural identity in times of peace. As such, they only abandon their tribal wrappings when out of the sun and in the company of other Tuskens. Average Tusken height is 1.8 meters.

Tusken Homeworld: Tatooine

Language: The Tusken language, known among the Sandpeople as Nrykk’aaa, has several tribal dialects. Many Sandpeople have also learned to understand Basic, though very few speak it.

Example Names: Ruwok, Hroo, Onkoor

Adventurers: Modern Tuskens are a warrior race; they have fought with settlers for generations and will continue to do so as long as the outlanders continue to trespass. These types are well suited to soldier or scout classes. Other more traditional Tuskens consist of tribe nobles or force adepts who use their force abilities to communicate with the Bantha herds. Tuskens of both types become adventurers to avenge atrocities committed by the settlers, in order to escape tribal exile or at the orders of an elder.

• +2 strength, +2 constitution, -2 intelligence, -2 charisma. Tuskens are a strong and hardy people but they lack both familiarity with modern technology and an ability to relate to others
• Medium size. As medium size creatures, Tuskens have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Tusken base speed is 10 meters.
• +2 species bonus on all survival rolls and any handle animal or ride roll involving Banthas.
• All Tuskens have a filter mask which removes sand and dust from the air they breathe. This piece of equipment also confers a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves against inhaled toxins or gases.
• Bonus Feat: Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Gaderffii. This is an ancient cultural weapon and all Tuskens are extensively trained in its use. Furthermore, any Tusken who also acquires the feats Ambidexterity, Two Weapon Fighting and one of either Expertise, Power Attack or Improved Two Weapon Fighting will be respected as a Tusken Hero and will receive a +5 reputation bonus that applies only to other Tuskens.
• Automatic Languages: Tusken

Init +0; Defense 10; Spd 10m; VP/WP -/13; Att +1 melee (1d3+1, punch) or melee +1 (1d6+1 OR 1d8+1, Gaderffii) or melee -3/-7 (1d8+1/1d6+1, Gaderffii weilded as double weapon), +0 ranged; SV Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +0; SZ M; FP 0; Rep 0; Str 13, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8.

Equipment: Tribal wrappings, Gaderffii, Bantha.

Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Gaderffii