Base Requirements

• Races: Human, Half-Orc, Half-Ogre, Ogre Magi
• Classes: Any
• Ability Requirements: Fitness 14, Muscle 10
• Alignments: Any
• Starting Cash: 4d4 x10 gp
• Bonus Languages: Tharian, plus see below
• Recommended Languages: Chardic, Chuklian, Draconic (Chromatic), Daraktan, Easting, Erakic, Gnoll, Jogishk, Jotunise, Ulutiun

Proficiencies

• Weapon Slots: +1 slot
• Non-weapon Slots: By class
• Available Categories: By class
• Bonus Proficiencies: Modern Languages (any two recommended), Survival (arctic)
• Required Proficiencies: none
• Recommended Proficiencies: Endurance
• Forbidden Proficiencies: Any Social Proficiencies

Overview: This vast land north of the Moonsea is home, to a great number of giants, dragons, orcs, and ogres (beast-men). Despite this, there is a sizeable human population here, mainly congregated around the trade-town of Glister. Warriors are plentiful, as they are needed primarily to beat back the constant humanoid presence.

Description: The people of Thar dress similarly to those warriors of more southerly lands, though there is still a good amount of cold-weather clothing worn with their armor. Heavy robes, fur or hides, and other cumbersome but warm clothes are the rule here. Tharrans look world-weary, experienced, and battle-scarred beyond their years. Even beginning first-level warriors seem older and more mature than most people the same age. The eyes of a Tharran have a battle-weary hardness to them that more genteel folk find disturbing.

Role-Playing: The people of Thar are skeptical realists. They have seen their cities attacked by countless evils since the dawn of time and see no reason that life in the future should be any better. Many call these people pessimists, but it might be that the word “realist” is more fitting.

Living in a land overrun by giants, dragons, and humanoids makes a Tharran tough and harsh. The people of Thar are a rough, hardy lot, always ready for a fight.

Due to the civilizing effect of Glister, the people of Thar come the closest in the Cold Lands to what warriors in other parts of the Realms are like. They can be very sociable, humorous, and good-natured, and they make friends with ease.

However, when battle is upon them, they launch into it with single-minded determination. There are too many enemies around them to ever fully let down their guard, or dim their enthusiasm for battle.

Special Abilities:

• Characters from the Cold Lands are very well adapted to their climate. They have a +2 bonus on any saving throw they must make to escape or lessen the effects of a cold-based or ice-based attack. Any damage they suffer from such attacks is made with a -1 penalty per die rolled.
• Each warrior of Thar must select one other race as a mortal enemy—this may be selected from any other PC race. When battling this enemy, the warrior gets +4 on his attack rolls. Once selected, the enemy cannot be changed.

Special Disadvantages:

• Though Thar is not as frigid as the other areas in the Cold Lands, it is in many ways wilder and less civilized, especially considering the sheer number of evil races running about. Therefore, a Tharran suffers a -3 penalty when dealing with civilized NPCs from south of the Moonsea.
• Also, Tharrans tend to strike first and talk later. If a situation develops where a party is having a talk with the character’s hated race, or any giant or dragon, the Tharran must make an ability check against his Willpower each turn. If the warrior fails the check, the time of talk has passed (for him, anyway), and he launches himself at the enemies.
• Characters of the Cold Lands suffer greatly from heat-based or fire-based attacks. Any saving throw made to escape or reduce the effects of attacks like this suffers a -2 penalty. These characters also suffer an extra point of damage per die rolled from any such attack whether or not they successfully save against it.
• Life in the Cold Lands can be harsh and brief. As a result, most dwellers in these lands marry and produce offspring at an early age. Most Cold Lands folk are married at age sixteen, and have one child soon after that. Each starting warrior has a 50% chance of being married, with his or her mate “back home.” Fifty percent of those characters without a mate “back home” are widowed. If the character’s starting age is eighteen (or equivalent for non-humans), there is a 70% chance that he or she has a child. Roll again for every year beyond eighteen. A twenty year old warrior could start out a game campaign as the parent of three children!
  Unless the character is childless and widowed, he must set aside 20% of his earnings for his family’s welfare. Once every season (three months), characters who are married or parents must return to their land to visit their families, and bring them the money.
• A Tharran can certainly build a keep in the land of Thar and try to attract followers. Unfortunately, it has a 25% likelihood per month of attracting a band of raiding giants or humanoids who want to sack it.

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