THE ARRIKHAN
The neutral evil arrikhan, whose name in the Creation Argots means
"beastservant," acts as an opposite to the myrikhan. The arrikhan serves his
god in the field, carrying out the orders of the high priests of the church.
Like a myrikhan, an arrikhan almost always travels alone. An arrikhan
lives to promote the evil ways of his god. Should he ever commit a good
deed, he will find himself unquestioningly excommunicated. If the church
allows him to live (which is not likely), he becomes forevermore a normal
fighter.
Arrikhans favor light armor because of its low encumbrance, often
using exotic hides or breastplated furs for their protection. Their
weapons tend to do the maximum amount of physical destruction (morning
stars predominate).
Wisdom is the prime requisite of an arrikhan. A score of 14 adds 5% to
earned experience, a score of 15 adds 10%, a score of 16 adds 15%, a
score of 17 adds 20%, and a score of 18 or greater adds 25%. Arrikhans
receive spell bonuses and chances of spell failure according to their
wisdom scores as clerics do (see Players Handbook, p. 11, Wisdom Table
II: Adjustments for Clerics).
Arrikhans can use any magic items except those usable only by
magic-users or illusionists. An arrikhan with sufficient funds can build
a stronghold at any time. Thereafter, he has a cumulative 5% chance per
month beginning with the completion of the stronghold of attracting
followers. Arrikhan Table III shows the type of followers attracted.
The special abilities of an arrikhan are:
1. Saving throws against good magic at +1 for each two levels (+1 at
1st and 2nd level, +2 at 3rd and 4th level, etc.). Good magic includes
any spells cast by good NPCs or monsters and any effects of magic items
that are intrinsically good or that are used by good beings.
2. At 3rd level and above, affecting undead as a cleric of two levels
below the level of the arrikhan (1st-level ability at 3rd level,
2nd-level ability at 4th level, etc.). The arrikhan can turn the undead
or ally them with himself as desired. The ability has no effect on
devils, demons, or other extraplanar creatures -- it only affects undead.
3. Hit and damage bonuses of +1 per level when fighting against good
opponents. The arrikhan must be aware of the good alignment for these
bonuses to apply.
4. A 10% chance per level to identify plants and animals, automatic
at 10th level and above.
5. At 5th level and above, the ability to call for a warhorse that
magically appears near the arrikhan. The mount has a 5% chance per level
of the arrikhan of being a nightmare of maximum hit points; otherwise, it
is a normal heavy warhorse, AC 5, HD 5 + 5, NE. The mount will serve
faithfully unto death, but only two such horses can be called in the
arrikhan's lifetime.
6. The ability to torture helpless victims. This torture requires
special instruments (restraints, hot irons, salt and other caustic
chemicals and irritants, etc.). The creature being tortured must make a
saving thorw against its constitution score (rolling its constitution or
less on a 3d6 roll) during each turn of torture; otherwise, it will
reveal any information that the arrikhan wishes to know. Torture damage
accrues at 1-4 points per round. Player characters cannot be tortured for
information in this manner, but may be harmed.
7. Spell use at 7th level and above. Arrikhan Table II shows the
number and level of such spells. Halflings of the arrikhand class, unable
to learn cleric spells, cannot advance past 6th level; dwarves of the
arrikhan class, unable to learn druid spells, cannot advance past 10th level.
8. Detection of good in a radius of 50' + 5' per level, revealing
only the general direction of the good source and requiring unbroken
concentration.
9. The use of certain thief functions at a level of ability equal to
half the level of the arrikhan (1st-level ability at 1st and 2nd level,
2nd-level ability at 3rd and 4th level, etc.). The functions include
find/remove traps, move silently, and hide in shadows. Racial bonuses do
not apply.
10. A 15% chance per level to identify pure water or nonpoisonous
wild foods, automatic at 7th level and above.
11. The ability to concoct ingestive poisons and their antidotes from
natural herbs and roots. Arrikhan Table IV shows the possible poisons and
antidotes and their concoction times. This ability assumes the
availability of proper herbs and roots.
The strictures of an arrikhan are:
1. Referring to his god only by his titles or as "arriman"
(beastlord"), except when the god's name must be used (rituals,
ceremonies, proselytization, etc.). The oinodaemon is the usual deity
worshipped.
2. Forbidden accumulation of wealth or treasure. All plunder must go
to the church, which might or might not award part of that plunder to the
arrikhan as a reward for his deeds.
Arrikhan Table 1
Experience Experience Hit Level
points level points title
0--2,500 1 d8 + 1 Beasteye
2,501--5,500 2 2d8 + 2 Beastarm
5,501--11,500 3 3d8 + 3 Beastheart
11,501--24,000 4 4d8 + 4 Arrikhan
24,001--58,000 5 5d8 + 5 Arrikhan
58,001--125,000 6 6d8 + 6 Arrikhan
125,001--215,000 7 7d8 + 7 Arrikhan
215,001--325,000 8 8d8 + 8 Arrikhan
325,001--650,000 9 9d8 + 9 Arrikhan
650,001--975,000 10 9d8 + 12 Arrikhan
975,001--1,300,000 11 9d8 + 15 Arrikhan
Arrikhans gain one level per 325,000 experience points above 8th level.
Arrikhans gain 3 hit points per level above 9th level.
Arrikhan Table II: Spells usable by experience level
Arrikhan Cleric spell level Druid spell level
level 1 2 3 1 2 3
7 1 -- -- -- -- --
8 2 -- -- -- -- --
9 2 1 -- -- -- --
10 2 2 1 -- -- --
11 2 2 2 1 -- --
12 3 2 2 1 -- --
13 4 3 2 1 1 --
14 4 4 3 2 1 --
15 5 4 3 2 1 1
16 6 5 4 2 2 1
17 6 6 5 3 2 1
18 6 6 6 3 2 2
19 6 6 6 3 3 2
20 6 6 6 3 3 2
21* 6 6 6 3 3 3
* -- Maximum spell-casting ability.
Arrikhans acquire and cast cleric spells and druid spells in the same way
that clerics and druids do, by meditation and prayer. Arrikhans can cast
all cleric spells, and can use the same druid spells that are available
to myrikhans (see above).
Arrikhan Table III: Followers
Die Roll Type of follower
01-08 1-10 thieves of 1st level
09-15 1-8 thieves of 1st-2nd level
16-21 1-6 thieves of 1st-4th level
22-26 1-4 thieves of 2nd-5th level
27-30 1-2 thieves of 3rd-6th level
31-33 1 thief of 4th-7th level
34-37 1 assassin of 3rd-6th level
41-44 1-2 magic-users of 1st level
45-46 1 illusionist of 1st level
47-48 1-2 clerics of 1st level
49-56 4-40 0-level men-at-arms of 1-6 hp each
57-63 1-10 fighters of 1st level
64-69 1-8 fighters of 1st-4th level
70-74 1-6 fighters of 2nd-5th level
75-78 1-4 fighters of 3rd-6th level
79-81 1-2 fighters of 4th-7th level
82-83 1 death dog
84-85 1 ettercap plus spiders (see subtable below)
86-87 1 forlarren
88-90 20-200 grimlocks plus females and young
91-92 1-4 fomorian giants
93-94 1 night hag
95-96 1-6 wyverns
97-98 1-4 NPCs of any neutral evil-aligned class or subclass
99 special* (see subtable below)
00 DM's choice
* -- Only arrikhans of 9th level or above may have special followers.
Reroll in other cases.
Spider subtable
Die Roll Type of Spider
01-18 10-40 tarantulas*
19-36 2-40 trap-door spiders*
37-54 2-8 wolf spiders**
55-72 2-12 lynx spiders**
73-90 1-6 black widow spiders***
91-93 1-8 giant spiders**
94-96 1-12 huge spiders**
97-99 2-20 large spiders*
00 1-4 phase spiders***
Roll on this subtable once for each 10 hp of the ettercap (1 roll for
5-10 hp, 2 rolls for 11-20 hp, etc.). Asterisks indicate the relative
toxicity of the spider's poison -- one asterisk representing mild poison,
three representing fatally strong poison.
Special follower subtable
Die roll Type of follower
1 1 fog giant
2 1 mezzodaemon
3 1 nycadaemon
4-5 1 skeleton warrior plus 10-29 skeletons
6 1 lich
Beginning with the competion of a stronghold, an arrikhan has a
cumulative 5% chance per month of attracting followers. When a follower
is indicated, the DM rolls to determine the type of follower and, if
necessary, the race of the follower.
Followers can never have levels or hit dice greater than the level of the
arrikhan. If such followers are rolled, disregard them. All followers of
an arrikhan are neutral evil.
Arrikhan Table IV: Poisons and antidotes
Arrikhan Poison/antidote type
level Venom Bane Toxin
1 5% -- --
2 10% -- --
3 15% 3% --
4 20% 6% --
5 25% 9% 2%
6 30% 12% 4%
7 35% 15% 6%
8 40% 18% 8%
9 45% 21% 10%
10 50% 24% 12%
11 55% 27% 14%
12 60% 30% 16%
13 70% 35% 18%
14 80% 40% 20%
15 90% 45% 22%
16* 100% 50% 25%
* -- Maximum poison concoction ability.
Concoction times: Venom, 5-40 rounds; Bane, 10-100 rounds; Toxin: 2-5 hours.
Percentages on the table above indicate an arrikhan's chance to concoct
one dose of a venom, bane, or toxin at a certain level. The success or
failure of the concoction remains unknown until the concoction time has
fully elapsed. Venoms deliver 1-4 points of damage per round to a maximum
of 4-24 points, uless the victim makes a normal saving throw vs. poison.
Banes deliver 1-10 points of damage per round to a maximum of 10-60
points unless the victim makes a saving throw at -2. Toxins cause death in
1-4 segments unless the victim makes a saving throw at -5. Antidotes of
the proper type take effect in 1-4 segments. Antidotes neutralize only
the same type of poison (e.g., a venom antidote will neutralize venom but
not bane or toxin).
. . . The forest thinned and became a sea of thorns. Beyond it, Aan
saw the ominous towers of Castle Gulgazh, the last rays of the sun
cleeding red around their edges.
Aan reined his horse up and stared silently at the sight before him. The
drawbridge lay open. Hanging from chains in the entryway, the body of
Gulgazh swayed in the evening breeze, his unhelmed head matted with
blood. Deep knife gouges in the dark breastplate sent chills through Aan
-- Gulgazh bore the crossed-gauntlet sigil of the paremandyr, Fein. With
Gulgazh dead, on whom would Fein next prey?
Aan knew all too well. His right hand strayed to his sword hilt as he
eyed the forest warily. Slowly he turned his mount around and forged back
the way he came. The sun vanished soon after. Only the moon, massive and
orange, remained.
